Scottish Blog

Harry Lauder was a well known and renowned Scottish entertainer.

During his lifetime, Harry lauder was a shinning bastion and symbol of patriotism and Scottish pride. Sir Winston Churchill at one point pronounced Harry Lauder to be “Scotland’s Greatest ever ambassador!”

Harry Lauder was born in the Edinburgh region of Portobello Beach, on the 4th of August 1870. He was the son of John Currie Lauder, a descendant of the Lauder family of Bass Rock, and his mother Isabella Urquhart MacLeod McLennan.

Although his father died in 1882 and Harry Lauder was left with his mother and six siblings, he continued his schooling until the age of sixteen. This in itself was unusual at the time, but the situation of Harry Lauder was made even more so by the fact that he took a job at a local flax mill, so as to be able to support his family while he was in school.

After leaving school Harry lauder made his fame as a performer and a stage comedian. Throughout his forty year career Harry Lauder toured the United States, Australia and various locations. In total, tours of outside the United Kingdom numbered over 22. Throughout his United Kingdom tours Harry Lauder acted as a strong patriot and put on a number of concerts as recruiting efforts for England in World War I. For his efforts he was knighted in the January of 1919 by King George V. At the time it was also believed that Harry lauder was the world’s highest paid performer, earning close to thirteen thousand pounds for a single night’s performance.

See also: Famous Scots.