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Can anyone identify this uniform?


cathnl

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Dear all

I attach a photo of a mystery relative - might be someone of surname Kay. I've found paperwork for a Kay who joined the Scots Guards, but am not sure if this matches the photo.

The uniform could be the only clue I have to identify him. Can anyone help? I'm really sorry not to have any further information. Many many thanks.

post-53642-1277664372.jpg

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Hello,

I can tell you that he will not be a member of the Scots Guards because the Guards have never worn the diced Glengarry. There is not really a lot in the photo which will narrow down what regiment he was in as most Scottish regiments wore diced Glengarrys'. However, if you can get a clear close up photo of his buttons, they my hold a clue as they do not appear to be the usuall General Service pattern, so they may be regimental.

All the best,

Stewart

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Hello,

I can tell you that he will not be a member of the Scots Guards because the Guards have never worn the diced Glengarry. There is not really a lot in the photo which will narrow down what regiment he was in as most Scottish regiments wore diced Glengarrys'. However, if you can get a clear close up photo of his buttons, they my hold a clue as they do not appear to be the usuall General Service pattern, so they may be regimental.

All the best,

Stewart

Stewart

Thank you for the quick reply. I don't think I can get much more detail on the buttons (see attempt below). But in any case it is helpful to know that it is not the Scots Guards. Best wishes

post-53642-1277676079.jpg

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Stewart

Thank you for the quick reply. I don't think I can get much more detail on the buttons (see attempt below). But in any case it is helpful to know that it is not the Scots Guards. Best wishes

A shot in the dark Royal Scots Fusliers with 15 persons of that name " All British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 results for Kay " On ancestry medal roll records.

Dan

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Alexander Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Labour Corps 29524, 417525

Alexander M Kay Scottish Rifles, Royal Scots Fusiliers 38060, 54672

Charles Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers 23806

Ernest Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal Fusiliers 18174, GS/108176

Hugh Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Northumberland Fusiliers, Labour Corps, Royal Scots Fusiliers 7219, 311166, 360997, 240332

James Kay Ayrshire Yeomanry, Royal Scots Fusiliers 2314, 295351

James Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers 52598

James B Kay Royal Scots, Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal Engineers 31524, 18426, 244461

John Kay Lancashire Yeomanry, Royal Scots Fusiliers 724, 295597

John Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Labour Corps 32862, 118049

John B F Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Highland Light Infantry 53799, 44162

Robert Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal Engineers 14474, 37081

William Kay 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers 10932

William Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Labour Corps 37626, 5023

William Kay Royal Scots Fusiliers, Kings Own Scottish Borderers 53512, 42042

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Hi any more information on your family, i.e. Town or City, D.O.B or next of Kin.? a few service records for Kays in The Royal Scots Fusiliers he may be one of them.

Gary.

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Hi any more information on your family, i.e. Town or City, D.O.B or next of Kin.? a few service records for Kays in The Royal Scots Fusiliers he may be one of them.

Gary.

Thank you to you all for taking an interest. I hadn't expected anyone to start hunting by name - so apologies to Macrae for not giving the two possible options up front. The two possibilities that I know of are Thomas H Kay (1867) and Frederick Kay (1873), both born in Liverpool. nok Sarah Ann Bradley. Perhaps I am barking up completely the wrong tree - were they too old to be serving at all? I just hoped that the uniform could give me a clue.

Many thanks for your help.

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Stewart;

are you sure that "most Scottish regiments wore diced glengarrys"? I don't that this is right. Some did (Seaforths and Gordons certainly did, and Argyll's and KOSB's I think, not sure about RSF), but most didn't (Royal Highlanders, Camerons, Cameronians, all the Scottish yeomanry regiments - the Lovats and Scottish Horse had a different stlye of hat - Royal Scots, Scottish cavalry regts....).

Can anyone clarify the diced glengarry 'issue'?

The two possibilities that I know of are Thomas H Kay (1867) and Frederick Kay (1873), both born in Liverpool.

And we don't seem to be considering Liverpool Scottish.....

The age of these men looks about right for the photo, assuming that it's about WW1.

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Hello,

Were they any of the family in Canada during the great war period? It's just the buttons look like they have '48' on them. I think he maybe a member of the 48th highlander of Canada, but has been issued a British pattern tunic. Some of the CEF experts might make something of the band he is wearing on his shoulder strap.

Regards,

Stewart

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I think he maybe a member of the 48th highlander of Canada, but has been issued a British pattern tunic. Some of the CEF experts might make something of the band he is wearing on his shoulder strap.

But the 48th didn't have a diced cap-band.....?

It would be interesting to see a close up of the shoulder title, though.

Edit; actually, I think you're right about the Highlander's cap band. Sorry.

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Hi Cathnl,

You refer to two possibilities, T.H.Kay and F.Kay both born in Liverpool, from this it would seem to be a possibility for the Liverpool Scottish. I expect someone who knows will confirm if they wore the diced cap-band or not.

Robert

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hello im from toronto canada the dicing looks to be red and white. the 48th had red white and green/black.red and white was only the cape breton highlanders the calgary highlanders andthe argyl and sunderland highlanders of canada

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You refer to two possibilities, T.H.Kay and F.Kay both born in Liverpool, from this it would seem to be a possibility for the Liverpool Scottish. I expect someone who knows will confirm if they wore the diced cap-band or not.

Yes, they did. See my earlier post (No. 8)

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Yes, they did. See my earlier post (No. 8)

Dear all

This is looking quite complicated! Many many thanks to you all for your help - transatlantic too.

I hadn't thought of a Canada connection, but it is possible. The son of Sarah Bradley (nee Kay) died in the Battle of Aisne in 1918. In the statement of living blood relatives in the section uncles/aunts there is a Mr/Mrs (unclear) R Jones in Canada (no further address detail). I have not been able to establish whether this is the married name of Sarah's sister Mary, or whether they listed her husband R Jones - not strictly a blood relative. Is it possible to search the 48 Canada records for a Jones? Or is that too dreadful to think about?

Many thanks

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Is it possible to search the 48 Canada records for a Jones? Or is that too dreadful to think about?

Well, there's bound to be at least 1, and probably many, many more. Plus I'd also take into account what Torscot said in his post.

And your problem would then be proving a family connection.

And common things occur commonly; there are several British Rgts that must be stronger contenders (like the Liverpool Scottish). I'd be interested to see what a button expert made of those buttons on his tunic.

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Hello,

Here is a link to the CEF online database.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databas...42-100.01-e.php

If you find the man you are looking for and click on his entry, you should see the front and back of the first sheet from his service papers. Hope you have some luck.

The button on the tunic, though not very clear, does look like the button of the 48th Highlanders. Examples of their button I have seen, have a '48' in the center. Above the number is an Eagle's head and neck, and below was the regimental title.

I have a copy of their history somewhere, I will dig it out and see if it has further uniform details in it.

I don't agree that the dicing looks like it is of the White and Red type as all the examples of the Red and White dicing I have see have the colours staggered corner to corner and not edge to edge.

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Hello,

Here is a link to the CEF online database.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databas...42-100.01-e.php

If you find the man you are looking for and click on his entry, you should see the front and back of the first sheet from his service papers. Hope you have some luck.

The button on the tunic, though not very clear, does look like the button of the 48th Highlanders. Examples of their button I have seen, have a '48' in the center. Above the number is an Eagle's head and neck, and below was the regimental title.

I have a copy of their history somewhere, I will dig it out and see if it has further uniform details in it.

I don't agree that the dicing looks like it is of the White and Red type as all the examples of the Red and White dicing I have see have the colours staggered corner to corner and not edge to edge.

Many thanks for the link and for the advice from you all. I think I shall go away to do more digging - there are at least 8 R Jones-es from Liverpool on the database, so I shall need to do some narrowing down somehow. If a buttons expert does see this post, more advice would be very welcome. Thank you again.

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