Does anyone recognise this uniform

[AnneM]

Hi all

I am hopeless at military history so I'm hoping that some more knowledgeable person will be able to identify the regiment to which my Great Uncle Sammy belonged in WW1.

I've uploaded a picture and hope a kind admin bod will authorise and link it for me.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1668

I'm as sure as I can be that this is him. He certainly looks pleased with himself. Now if only I'd thought to ask him when I was a child!

Anne

Gallery URL added - AndrewP (admin bod)

[Roxy]

Anne,

I don't recognise the uniform - but I know somewhere that most probably will. Try posting the photo (or a link) on The Great War Forum.

Roxy

[Currie]

Hello Anne,

It really needs specialised knowledge to identify the uniform, or at least the badge and other identifiers on his cap. He seems to be wearing a badge of rank or something on his shoulder. What at first glance looks like a cigar in his right hand must be the butt end of a swagger stick.

Alan

[bleckie]

Hi Anne
As Alan say's don't look at the uniform look at the cap badge. To me it looks like an RHF cap badge (Royal Highland Fusiliers) who's regimental museum is in Glasgow.

I have just looked at the bottom of the photo the RHF museum is in Suachiehall street as well.
Looks like 3 pips on his shoulder that would make him a captain and looks like a officers swagger stick in his hand

yours aye
Brucel

[AnneM]

Thanks all for your helpful suggestions. I'll try to move that on.

Anne

[Adam Brown]

Sorry Anne, he's not an officer. The badges on his shoulder straps are not pips and canes were common to all ranks at that time. He has no badges of rank so he will be a private.

The 'pip' nearest his shoulder will be brass tags with the initials of his regiment. The one above it could be a number and the one above that could be a 'T'.

This would mean he would be a territorial soldier.

However if he was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers (RHF only formed in 1957) then the one nearest hs shoulder would be 'RSF' and the middle 'blob' may be a grenade. See here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Scots-Fusil ... 3002r26572

The top one could be a 'T' or a battalion number perhaps?

The grenade was also used as a bonnet badge and it does look like a grenade on this photograph. I don't think it is clear enough to be 100% sure though.

Sauchiehall street may be a bit of a red herring as well because it is a very long street. No 243 is now 'Hopaway Travel'. the RHF Museum is at no 518 and I don't actually think it had anything to do with the regiment in the early 20th Century.

You may be able to identify his unit through the Great War medal roll index. I'm afraid I don't know much about it but I'm sure others here will know how to search it.

Actually do you have his medals because they may have his regimental number on them.

Adam

[AnneM]

Thanks Adam. Gosh that's a relief. I just could not imagine one of mine being in the officer classes and was actually beginning to doubt that the photo was of the person I was sure it was. I've not yet been able to find his medal roll and I guess hoped that if the regiment could be identified it might help me along. Samuel McKenzie is not a particularly uncommon name. I'll have a good look at what you identify and see if I can get any further. Sadly those of my rellies who might well have known i.e. my father, my aunt and my father's cousin and her daughter have died and I'm not in touch with my father's cousin's son. I'll keep on plugging on till I find out some more.

Anne

[bleckie]

Hi Anne

In the National archives there are 7 records for a Samuel Mckenzie
for WW1 campaign medals one is for the Royal Scots Fusiliers
catalogue number is WO 372/13

yours aye

BruceL

[AnneM]

Thanks Bruce. I'll look into it.

Anne

[Adam Brown]

The URL in the first post in this thread is broken. Is the image still 'out there' or is it lost?

Kind regards

Adam