Guest stewartsear Posted 5 April , 2004 Share Posted 5 April , 2004 Hi there, I have a question hope i'm posting this in the right place.. my grandmother's uncle died in the First World War. he was a prviate in the 1st/9th Bn., Royal Scots. I was wondering why he was in the Royal Scots? he was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire and lived there all his life as did the rest of his family. I have a suspision that his grandfather was Scottish, would this have accounted for him joining the Royal Scots? Or does this not have any relevence? Thanks Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 5 April , 2004 Share Posted 5 April , 2004 Hi Stewart, I would guess that he was conscipted in sometime after 1916 and therefore he would have had no say over where he was sent. It would have just been that the 9th Royal Scots needed re-enforcements. The 9th were a territorial battalion so he would have had to have been in the locality of Edinburgh to have been a pre-war member, as that is the area they hail from. I have a bit of a passion for the 9th. If you let me know your mans name I will see what I can find. If you can give me all the details you have and I'll go from there. I am not promising anything but it may lead to something. Do you have a photo? If so you can post it on the forum or mail it to me directly. Hope I can help. All the best, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 hi Tim, thanks for your reply. his name was Edward George Rogerson. Born 1893 in Bengeo, Hertfordshire. Private 353002 1st/9th Bn., Royal Scots. Died Sunday 7 October 1917 Age 24. Son of Edward and Agatha Rogerson, of 75, Cromwell Rd., Hertford. Cemetery: WANCOURT BRITISH CEMETERY Pas de Calais, France Grave or Reference Panel Number: I. A. 32. his name is also on the war memorial in Hertford. I believe I have found an old photo of him in my nan's photo collection. there is a picture of a soldier on a horse. he has a sword at his side. on the back somebody has written "to Ethel (his sister) love Edward". His father was a militiaman when he was younger and his brother was in the navy, so I think he may have been a professional soldier. i can scan the photo in and send it/post it if it helps? thanks again for your help Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali Hollington Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 According to Soldiers died in the Great War CD, he was born in Hertford, lived in Hertford and enlisted at Haddington. I assume thats local to Hertford. Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Ali, Haddington is a Town about 20 miles outside Edinburgh.Couple of hundred miles away from Hertford. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 i live and work quite close to Hertford.... thought i'd never heard of Haddington! thanks for that information. wonder why he was all the way up there? does it give a date that he enlisted? would he have had some scottish connection, or did it not matter? i did read that people would travel to join a regiment with a good reputation stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Stew, Can't help on enlistment. It might be worth going to the National Archives in Kew to see if your "Uncles's" service papers survive.See the thread about visiting PRO for more information. Haddington is worth a visit though!(Have to say that as my Father and his brothers(8th Royal Scots) were born there!) George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 I would've imagined that Englishmen wouldn't have gone all the way up to Edinburgh to join a regiment of (mostly?) Scots for unless there was some family connection? his uncle also spent some time living in Ladykirk, in the Scottish Borders. Anyway, thanks for your help Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali Hollington Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Slightly wrong on my haaddington assumption! Ironically my family, but not me, come from Fife so I should know I guess. Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Hi Stewart, Thanks for the info. A few things spring to mind in regards to your information. I would guess he was not a 'Professional' soldier as he is in a Territorial battalion and is only a Private soldier. THis means he was a part-time soldier before the war. If he had had service with a regular battalion he would usually have some sort of rank. His Regimental Number suggests he was conscripted and thus the enlistment, I would imagine would state the base of the 9th. Although I do not believe that to be Haddington, it could just be a mistake because it was the base for the 8th. The photograph does not sound like him as the 9th were kilted and an infantry unit. Swords were pretty much only for officers too. While I would never say never I would find it highly unlikely that this isyour man. Post it anyway if it is not too much trouble and who knows what you might find out about it. I'll have a look through my things in a few days when I am in England again. Until then keep putting anything on the forum you find to help widen the search and possibilities. All the best, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Thanks for your help Tim, I have contacted the Royal Scots via email and someone there is looking him up for me. I will try and post the pic later today. stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali Hollington Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 It has been mentioned on some other threads, but if the photo is a studio portrait it wasn't uncommon for there to be a few props to make the photo more special. I guess a horse would be stretching it a bit! Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 The person I emailed from The Royal Scots Regimental Museum has said that The Roll of Honour confirms he enlisted at Haddington while resident at Hertford Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Stewart, I wish I could help you,not least because my Father was resident in Haddington throughout the War and would have been able to have given a local perspective but sadly he has long gone. I still think a visit to the PRO in Kew may assist you,assuming his papers still exist,many were destroyed during the Second War. Another Pal may be able to offer some general information about the ability of a conscript(assuming he was) to join the Regiment of his choice equally how easy it was for a volunteer a particular Regiment. I am luckier than you as both my Uncles were pre-War Territorials and were in the local Haddington Royal Scots Battalion.Neither survived the War though. Best of luck. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 here's the pic i believe to be of my nans uncle. on the back of the pic it says "To Ethel with love from Edward" and her address is also on the back. stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Stewart, Sorry to say this does not look like a Royal Scots Uniform(not suggesting it's not your "Uncle"). Could you try and enlarge the capbadge area and shoulder (lanyard) area so some learned Pal could possibly identify the Regiment. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 here's a close up, don't dunno whether it's of any use! i spent ages staring at this picture yesterday, trying to see if there was any clues. i'm not 100% sure that it's him either now, but it's strange that he's written on the back of it and addressed it to his sister. cheers Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Stewart, I cannot identify the cap-badge but hopefully some-one will. It's a long-shot but I am wondering whether your Uncle was in a mounted Regiment but was dismounted and drafted into the Royal Scots to make up losses.If you look on the Mother Site under Units you can identify some Cavalry Regiments where this happened I know Tim takes a special interest in the "Dandy 9th" so he may have the answer to this. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Hi Stewart, The man in the photo is definitely not a Royal Scot. I would hazard to say that it may even be a post-war photo because he has collar dogs on and that is really a 20s thing with khaki serge uniforms. The cap badge appears to be one of the Fusilier regiments, but then I do not know of any who were on horseback. It could, however, be a special cavalry or yeomanry badge. I do not know the local Yeomanry regiment for Hertford but it may turn out to be them. I would suggest that this is not your man, sorry. All the best, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stewartsear Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Thanks for all your help and advice. Could it be that it is his father, who was a Militiaman in Hertford in the 1880's and was also involved with horses; he was a coachman and a groom? I've found quite a few old pictures of relatives in army unifroms, my nan had a large photo collection. Unfortunately she died many years ago and no one in the family knows who most of the people are. Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dycer Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Tim, Have you any wartime photos of Royal Scots,similar to the photocopies I sent you.I know, it's a bloomimg nuisance me not having access to a scannner. This would at least allow Stewart to narrow down his Gradmother's photo collection. Stewart I would say though ,go ahead and post any photo's you want as everything you post wiill be appreciated. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 HI Stewart and George, Well I had a look through what I have here in Germany, not a great deal I am afraid, in regards to photos. I happen to have a couple from an exhibition I put together a few months ago. I also have a copy of me in a )th Royal Scots unifrom c.1917. I'll post them and then give you the low down. Enjoy, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 This is a drawing from a series of drawings from an Edinburgh based artist called Mac. It is of a resting member of the 9th Royal Scots. Note the Tam-o-shanter being worn, introduced to the frontline troops around February of 1915. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Here is a copy of what I believe to be the 9th Royal Scots just prior to Embarkation. They arrived in France on 23rd February 1915 at the port of Le Harve. Notice the Glengarry headgear as they are not frontline troops yet. Up until Feb 1915 this was standard wear for all frontline Royal Scots and many other Scots regiments too. They also have the 1914 pattern leather equipment brought in as a temporary solution to the shortage of real webbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Godden Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 And this is me! Not a real 9th I know but the uniform is as good as I can get it. It represents a soldier in the 9th Royal Scots c.1917 so about the time your relative was in the 9th. Notice the SBR gas mask on my chest and the kilt cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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