soldiers or posers?

[Wareyin]

Here's another guy. What do you see?

He looks like he gave kilt wearing instructions to the guy in the ancestry.com commercial!

[carlisle401]

Looks very likely that the first photographs were for people wanting to dress up as a "Jock".

The Photographer did not have any experience of Scottish Division dress.

Some people are still trying to do this today as well.

They all get caught out some time.

[OC Richard]

something unimaginable

It's a curious jacket he's wearing for sure. The bottom looks sort of like a Scottish cutaway style, but the cuffs don't resemble any Scottish military cuffs I recall seeing offhand.

Odd how the binding around the base of the feather bonnet is covering half of the bottom row of dicing. I don't remember seeing that elsewhere either.

And that sporran... either a costume prop or an old sporran in ratty shape.

[Mike_Oettle]

Interesting remark by O’Callaghan about new recruits being photographed in uniforms they had not been taught how to wear properly.
Rather different from when I was in basic training and was not allowed to wear proper uniform for the first month (we wore khaki drill fatigue jackets and trousers), and then we had to be inspected from head to toe before being allowed out on the streets.

With regard to short men being in the forces, there was a South African who joined the Royal Flying Corps who was only 5ft 2in (157cm) tall.
His name was Andrew Frederick Weatherby Beauchamp-Proctor, and despite his short stature he earned the VC, the DSO, an MC and bar and the DFC.
Wiki says this about his prowess as an air ace: “Beauchamp-Proctor's victory total was 54; two (and one shared) captured enemy aircraft, 13 (and three shared) balloons destroyed, 15 (and one shared) aircraft destroyed, and 15 (and one shared) aircraft 'out of control'. His 16 balloons downed made him the leading British Empire balloon buster.”
He was killed in 1921 when practising for an air show. Performing a slow roll, lost control and crashed to his death.
Wiki states: “ At least one observer remarked that the loss of control and subsequent crash of the aircraft could have been linked to Proctor's diminutive size.”
It is interesting that before going to England to join the RFC he was a member of an Active Citizen Force regiment, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Cape Town Rifles.

[blackwatch70]

one more eclectic example ...

[OC Richard]

Yes, the typical mixed bits! And I love the buttons all coming off.

Here's a strange one I just saw today on Ebay:



Not quite sure if the sporran is an Argylls one missing a tassel, or a Gordons one missing the badge. Either way it's worn too high. In any case the kilt is ridiculous, and the hose are strange.

The old Gordons sporran:



These are obvious examples of posers. What I find most interesting are those "in between" photos which are very difficult to figure out.

[Tarheel]

[QUOTE=OC Richard;1318139] In any case the kilt is ridiculous, and the hose are strange. QUOTE]

I am wondering if these hose are trews "bloused" (folded and tucked) into the boots. Either way, your statement stands firm.

[OC Richard]

This one just came up on Ebay. One of those that's hard to figure, though to my eye the shortness of the kilt, the lack of flashes, and the bonnet's lacking a badge say that this is a poser, not a soldier.

The English pattern jacket, the "day" sporran, the plaid, are all things I've seen genuine soldiers wear, though perhaps not in this combination.

[OC Richard]

Here's another one up on Ebay now, being listed as a "Cameron Highlanders piper".

There's a medal... which with pipers doesn't necessarily mean "military", as civilian pipers would sometimes wear the medals they won at civilian piping competitions. Perhaps somebody could identify the medal? Even if it's a military medal it's not unknown for ex-Army men to wear a medal with their mufti.

An intriguing mix of regiments which possibly could have happened with a militia/Territorial/Volunteer/Dominions battalion... it's puzzling for sure.



What I see is:

-Black Watch kilt and plaid, as worn by the pipers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
-Cameron Highlanders Other Ranks' sporran (not the type worn by Cameron Highlanders pipers)
-Royal Scots pipers' belt plate
-plaid brooch apparently the Royal Scots pattern
-hackle as worn by certain pipers including the Gordon Highlanders and Royal Scots

For comparison, here's a piper of the Royal Scots. Note the waistbelt and crossbelt hardware, the plaid brooch, and the hackle are similar.

[blackwatch70]

Hello,
my thoughts about pictures...

on the first picture I see piper of Royal Scots. This is not a Black Watch but Hunting Stewart tartan. Other pipers items (excludes Cameron Highlanders sporran of course) are absolutely correct for Royal Scots piper.

From the 1881, the tartan kilt and plaid were of Royal Stewart sett for the 2nd Battalion only, and Hunting Stewart for the 1st Battalion. The Royal Stewart tartan was changed in 1892 when the 2nd Battalion went to India. They worried that the red colour would fade in the sun, so chose to change to Hunting Stewart like the 1st Battalion. It was not until 1933 that pipers of both battalions were to wear Royal Stewart tartan again.

So last unclear question still is question about his sporran...
My guesss is - 9th Royal Scots (Dandy ninth) piper or one of other Territorial Battns piper?
Can't find any pictures of their pipers...