15 replies to this topic

[dean1]

Trying to ID this uniform please.
 small scot.jpg   79.77K   0 downloads

regards
Dean.

[skipman]

Royal Scots Fusiliers? (not sure)

Mike

[Lachlan]

It's definitely the Royal Scots Fusiliers "bursting bomb" badge. You can see a miniature version on his shoulder straps and the RSF title.

A Royal Scots Fusiliers glengarry and badge. Sorry about the size !



This is a photo of my Granddad, James Gow, who was transferred to (11th ?) Btn RSF from 6th Btn Black Watch (51st Highland Div) in 1918. You can see his glengarry badge (he's on the right as we look at it).

[bigjohn]

Not sure but try Royal Highland Fusilers
, Sergeant ,Wounded once and with Military Medal
  
    John

[dean1]

Great stuff chaps, John, you say Military Medal, THE MM or 'a military medal' ? and where do you see it on his uniform ? Do you mean the small stipe above his breast pocket ? (which I thought was for service in South Africa)
Dean.

[FROGSMILE]

bigjohn, on 24 March 2012 - 08:20 AM, said:

Not sure but try Royal Highland Fusilers
, Sergeant ,Wounded once and with Military Medal
  
    John

He is a Royal Scots Fusilier John, the Royal Highland Fusiliers were formed in 1959 and an amalgamation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and the Highland Light Infantry.

The MM is the red, dark blue and white striped ribbon above his breast pocket. He also has one wound stripe.

[dean1]

Thanks for that Frogsmile, much appreciated. Would it be possible to try and actually ID the man now ?
A segeant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, awarded the MM, wounded.

Another clue, the chap out of shot beside him is my great grandfather, the photo was taken at 'Robertson & Co Photographers' at Gourock, Scotland. The 9th (Reserve) Bn. of the Royal Scots were formed at Gourock on 23rd Oct. 1914 as a service Bn. of K4. But the wound stripe is throwing me as apparently the 9th didn't go overseas ?

I'm really trying to ID my great grandfathers unit and number and where he served, all I have is that he was a sergeant in the Artillery, one wound stripe, name William Hill.

Dean.

[Ross996]

Dean1

Can I suggest 12th (Ayr and Lanark)  RSF.  the Man on the right has, what appears to an Ayrshire Yeomanry Griffen over his stripes.

Ross

[dean1]

You can suggest all you want Ross, all suggestions very welcome. Without uploading the original image again, it is definately Artillery.
regards
Dean.

[Lachlan]

When were wound stripes in WW1 first introduced ?

It's intriguing right enough to see the arm badge on the other soldier. Is there any chance to include him in the photo ? It looks a bit like the RA badge but doesn't have a crown. The Ayrshire Yeomanry badge does look like the shape however and one can imagine when they became 12th RSF in 1917 trying to keep their original identity alive. I'm sure the Scottish Horse and Lovats also kept their identities live after they became battalions of the Black Watch and Camerons.

Personally, I think the Gourock photo probably isn't connected to the 9th RSF unless he got wounded very early in the war (as a Regular or Terrier) and was re-assigned to the reserve unit. A key to the ID is the serjeant's arm badge as this would date it at least 1917 onward if the Ayr & Lanarks.

[dean1]

Hi Lachlan, here with the other half of the image.
 tmpphpePndhU.jpg   68.43K   0 downloads
A quick Google and I see that the arm badges for Artillery Sergeant's didn't have the crown.

Dean.

[FROGSMILE]

dean1, on 24 March 2012 - 10:12 AM, said:

Thanks for that Frogsmile, much appreciated. Would it be possible to try and actually ID the man now ?
A segeant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, awarded the MM, wounded.

Another clue, the chap out of shot beside him is my great grandfather, the photo was taken at 'Robertson & Co Photographers' at Gourock, Scotland. The 9th (Reserve) Bn. of the Royal Scots were formed at Gourock on 23rd Oct. 1914 as a service Bn. of K4. But the wound stripe is throwing me as apparently the 9th didn't go overseas ?

I'm really trying to ID my great grandfathers unit and number and where he served, all I have is that he was a sergeant in the Artillery, one wound stripe, name William Hill.

Dean.

It certainly narrows it down a bit Dean, but not by much.  You will be surprised how many RSF Sergeants were wounded and awarded the MM.  The scale of Britains mobilization was huge.

I am not sure what you mean by "Royal Scots"?  There was a Royal Scots (formerly 1st Regt of Foot) and a Royal Scots Fusiliers (formerly 21st Regt of Foot) and they were entirely dfifferent units, each with numerous battalions.

As both men have a single wound stripe I am wondering if it is a case that they are related, or merely became friends as a result of being in hospital (and perhaps recuperation) together.

The artillery sergeant has a medal too but I cannot make out for sure what it is. It looks as if it might be the Distinguished Conduct Medal, but I am sure you would have known about it if it was?

Attached Files

•  distinguished_conduct_medal_obverse.jpg   25.64K   0 downloads

[dean1]

Frogsmile, apologies, I meant the Royal Scots Fusiliers. I am also led to beleive that the 'ribbon' is for service in South Africa, family history seems to say he was in the Coldstream Guards in South Africa and was wounded there.

Dean.

[FROGSMILE]

dean1, on 25 March 2012 - 07:37 AM, said:

Frogsmile, apologies, I meant the Royal Scots Fusiliers. I am also led to beleive that the 'ribbon' is for service in South Africa, family history seems to say he was in the Coldstream Guards in South Africa and was wounded there.

Dean.

Yes, that would make sense, the appearance of the colours of the ribbons is perhaps affected by the type of film used.

Attached Files

•  4d298f6788b9b.jpg   45.35K   0 downloads

[WilliamRev]

dean1, on 24 March 2012 - 10:12 AM, said:

the photo was taken at 'Robertson & Co Photographers' at Gourock, Scotland. The 9th (Reserve) Bn. of the Royal Scots were formed at Gourock on 23rd Oct. 1914 as a service Bn. of K4. But the wound stripe is throwing me as apparently the 9th didn't go overseas ?

Officers and men of the Regular battalions (1st and 2nd) of the Royal Scots Fusiliers were trained with the 3rd Battalion RSF at a training camp called Fort Matilda (which they shared with 4th Battalion Scottish Rifles - the training battalion for officers and men of the regular, i.e. 1st and 2nd battalions, Scottish Rifles/Cameronians) which was halfway between the twin towns of Greenock and Gourock. Fort Matilda, the training camp, had nothing to do with the nearby small coastal defence fort of the same name which was manned by the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Wounded NCOs and officers from the 1st and 2nd battalions RSF were often posted for "light duties" to Fort Matilda to help with training, before returning to the front if they were well enough, and I suspect that this explains the circumstances of your photo (i.e. the "Gourock" mark on the reverse, and the presence of the wound stripe).

[My grandfather, initially a private in 5th Scottish Rifles, did his officer training with 3rd Royal Scots Fusiliers at Fort Matilda in the winter of 1915/16, and then returned as an instructor in winter 1916/17 after recovering from wounds received on the Somme (18th July 1916, Bezantin Ridge), before returning to the Western Front in spring 1917.]

William

[dean1]

Thank you for that William, certainly is the best explanation yet, and makes sense of the photograph.
Dean.