Argyll/Cameron?.....

pinkshoes · Post by **pinkshoes** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:55 pm

I always believed my father served with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. However, on a trip to NRH I had a look at the marriage certificate (1942) (don't ask why I don't have it) and it says "Private in Cameron Highlanders, usual address blah blah now engaged in War Service".

Dad was born and lived in Stirlingshire all his days (apart from war service) so the Argylls seem logical to me - why would he say he was with the Camerons? Could it just be [another] stupid mistake? Not certain where Camerons are based but thought Inverness area?

Sometimes I think people just made it up as they went along

Also, I know he was mentioned in despatches, and I know for sure there was a bit of paper about it in their dressing table drawer - does anyone know where it is now

Seriously though, do you think there's any way I could find out more about it?

Pinkshoes

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:09 pm

Hi Pinkshoes
The Museum for the Argylls is at Stirling Castle. They may be able to help, though I see they now request a donation:
http://www.argylls.co.uk/

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum (Enquiry)
The Castle
Stirling
FK8 1EH
Scotland, UK
Tel: 01786 475165
Fax: 01786 446038
email: museum@argylls.co.uk

or for WW1 to present day, try:

Army Personel Centre
Historic Disclosures, Mailpoint 400
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow G2 8EX

best wishes
Lesley

pinkshoes · Post by **pinkshoes** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:14 pm

Thanks Lesley - I'll give it a go.

Best wishes
Pinkshoes

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:36 pm

Watcha Pinkshoes
I get the impression that the army people moved folk around at will. If it's of any help, my ggranddad from Dundee joined the Scot's Dragoon Guards. Sometime during his service he became a Welsh Fusileer with a different number. I ask you!. Sometime later he rejoined the Dragoons. It may be that certain skills were required in different units. He was a signaller.
Just a little bit of trivia that may help to enlighten you.
MM

mike331278 · Post by **mike331278** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:31 am

Hi Pinkshoes

have a look on this pwp of the argylls, although it only starts from 1945 to present, it has every bit of history up to today and it is full of photos, I found a few off here and have spoken with old buddies of my uncle who served in the argylls, I also got photos posted to me from the RHQ in stirling castle for free, just asked for a small donation

hope this helps

http://www.argylls1945to1971.co.uk/

Michael...

Post by **Liz Turner** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:06 pm

Don't know if this adds anything - my dad was called up in 1942 at age 19 and despite living in Renfrewshire ended up in the Middlesex Regiment. Two of his brothers also served, one in the Cameron Highlanders and the other ended up out in Burma. My dad said that when conscription started, men were sent to the regiments which needed supplemented because of the number of casualties they'd suffered, and not necessarily to local forces.

Liz

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:42 pm

Despite a personal decision not to post in such threads, my military expertise is such that I just have to post in this thread.

While a regimental transfer resulting from the need for a particular speciality is quite possible, there is another much more likely reason.

Simply put, if a regiment was detailed to take part in a particular operation, but was under strength for whatever reason, - not just casualties in previous operations, but also reduction in strength due to tropical illnesses such as malaria, for example, then the regiment would be made up to strength for the forthcoming operation.

The first choice for such augmentation would be sister battalions, i.e. in this case other Cameron battalions, if there were such in the same theatre of war who weren't going to be involved in the operation.

(It should be straightforward to establish in this case if there were A&S and Cameron Highlanders battalions in the same Division, or other Divisions in the same theatre.)

Failing that, most Scottish regiments, if the theatre commander allowed it, would look for reinforcements to be drafted in from other Scottish regiments in the same Division, or other Divisions in the same theatre

Theatre commanders generally appreciated that such required drafts from other Scottish regiments were preferable to non-Scottish drafts, but, obviously, it was not always possible by any means to meet such a preferred objective, never mind that there were theatre commanders who didn't appreciate the situation.

There are many such recorded situations where a Scottish regiment was made up to strength with drafts from non-Scottish regiments; and, equally, many such situations where drafts were supplied from Scottish regiments to non-Scottish regiments.

On war service, the individual soldier had no choice in the matter.

After all, it was the British Army!

David

pinkshoes · Post by **pinkshoes** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:38 pm

Thanks everyone for your contributions - lots of interesting stuff to follow up, and the explanation for Argylls/Camerons makes sense now.

I was just taken by surprise to see Camerons, when we'd always been told the Argylls (I remember the photo in the bedroom), but Dad didn't talk about his time during the war and we weren't encouraged to ask about it.

Thanks again.

Best wishes
Pinkshoes