Trying to be sure of Grampa's tartan

[Rex_Tremende]

Sorry, Rex. Looks like you are out voted.

Well, I have been known to be wrong from time to time. I can take it.

R.

[MrLion]

Thank you gentlemen! Now I have to figure out why he was wearing that tartan, but there's no one to ask that hasn't departed planet earth already or has dementia.
Good thing I like a good puzzle! Thanks again.

[1MUNK3]

Did your Grandfather /(Uncle) ever serve in the U.K. If so you could try sniffing around that route. Maybe their are friends of the family that perhaps might still be around and can help solve the riddle. Good luck. The challenge is a fun one . Thanks for sharing the pic with us.

[raibeart_dubh]

Based on the green waistband, I tend to agree with the other responses that it may well be Seaforth Highlanders. It is tough to tell with it being an old picture and not being able to see the colors accurately, but I was also thinking it may be Campbell of Cawdor. It is the what appears to be yellow or white stripe that makes me not sure about the Campbell of Cawdor possibility. I have seen this tartan shown with a light blue stripe in that position but have also seen some examples that appear to be white. Just a thought since you mentioned the Campbell connection.

[The Barry]

Yep, Makenzie Modern

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Yep, Makenzie Modern

Nope. The Seaforth wore it first.

[English Bloke]

You can compare these images.

Hope you don't mind, cropped to the sett and lightened the image.



Mackenzie Modern Colours, Seaforth Highlanders Sett is below.



Note the red square completely encloses the smaller white square on both pictures. The Green waistband does infer it's a Seaforth Higlanders Kilt but that doesn't make it any less a Mackenzie variant so it is a Mackenzie Tartan.

Or at least so the Mackenzie Society (UK) http://www.clan-mackenzie.org.uk/clan/tartan.html say which is where I nicked the example picture from...

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Although some military tartans are now used as clan tartans, MacKenzie (ie: Seaforth) was certainly a military tartan before it was accepted as a "clan" tartan. The bulk of historical evidence points to the fact that prior to 1778 (the date of the raising of the Seaforth Highlanders) MacKenzie tartan was red, not green. That over the years the Seaforth Highlanders tartan came to be adopted by M'Kenzies as their own is not in dispute; but to suggest that Seaforth is a variant of MacKenzie is really putting the cart before the horse!

The same could be said of Gordon tartan which is a military tartan adopted as a clan tartan, but which is nothing like earlier specimens of the "clan" Gordon tartan.

As far as the green waistband is concerned, I rather doubt many civilian kilts (in any tartan) were supplied to customers with a built-in "army surplus" look. While an ex-serviceman would have no objection to wearing the kilt he was de-mobbed in, a civilian would probably insist on something less MODish.

Based on the photograph the gentleman either bought a kilt at the Leith Army Stores for a fiver, or served in the Seaforths and continued to wear his kilt after leaving the army.

[raibeart_dubh]

Note the red square completely encloses the smaller white square on both pictures. The Green waistband does infer it's a Seaforth Higlanders Kilt but that doesn't make it any less a Mackenzie variant so it is a Mackenzie Tartan.

I didn't even notice that! That definitely rules out my Campbell of Cawdor theory. I'm sold on it being Seaforth Highlanders for sure now.

[macwilkin]

I didn't even notice that! That definitely rules out my Campbell of Cawdor theory. I'm sold on it being Seaforth Highlanders for sure now.

Campbell of Cawdor (also known as the Argyle/Argyll District tartan) has a blue line, not a white one.

T.