kinnethmont Posted 20 March , 2003 Share Posted 20 March , 2003 Acording to details on the back of this photo it is of a 2nd Batt Gordon Highlander who was wounded at 1st Ypres. He was a reservist who was recalled Aug 1914. He was out of the fight due to wounds and returned to the front in May 1916. He was kia at High Wood on 20th July 1916. I note he is wearing one glove which might indicate a hand / arm injury but he has no wound stripe. Also the jacket and cap appear odd for a Gordon with no shoulder titles. Could they be issued to recovering casualties ? The photo came from the man's sister in a Princess Mary box which contained his medals ( including India), etc. Any advice would be appreciated. View image at John Innes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 20 March , 2003 Share Posted 20 March , 2003 He's certainly not wearing a Gordon Highlanders uniform in this photo; I have seen photos of POWs wearing make-shift uniforms like this, but can't say I have seen wounded and recovering soldiers doing it. My feeling it is not one and the same soldier... but only the family could confirm this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stoner Posted 20 March , 2003 Share Posted 20 March , 2003 i'm not sure on the uniform, but it appears that he has two gloves, both fingerless, this may also rule out the wounded theory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 20 March , 2003 Share Posted 20 March , 2003 I've a picture of a wounded Seaforth Highlander wearing the peaked cap like this (with Seaforth cap badge) and hospital blues - I guess for guys in the medical chain it was sometimes difficult to issue new items of uniform of the correct regimental type e.g. how many Glengarries would the QM of a hospital in darkest Essex have available? So I don't think you can rule out this guy being a Gordon on the basis that he's not wearing the correct tribal rig. The absence of a cap badge does suggest something odd. I had convinced myself he WASN'T wearing fingerless gloves - now Stoner's got me thinking again. Jock Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnethmont Posted 21 March , 2003 Author Share Posted 21 March , 2003 Enlargement of the original image shows he is wearing a glove only on his right hand. A bad area of the picture seems to give that it is fingerless. The left hand has no glove, but a shadow confuses this. Has anyone found a Gordons cap badge worn on a peaked cap before ? If injured, as this man was, it no doubt presented the kit issue problems described. The picture appeared from the effects of his sister with the name and date / place of wounding on the back. I am confident it is the correct man but was puzzled by the uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 22 March , 2003 Share Posted 22 March , 2003 Hi The wound stripe was introduced by an Army Order in early July 1916, I doubt Pte Innes would have been issued with one before his death, certainly not when he was recovering in the UK . I suspect this picture was taken early in his WW1 career when uniforms were scarce. He probably was integrated into a training battalion and transferred to he Gordon's later. Did he serve with the Gordons before WW1? His unit should be on the India medal you mention. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnethmont Posted 22 March , 2003 Author Share Posted 22 March , 2003 John He did seven years in the 1st Gordons and was in India with them. It is believed he came out c 1912, he then went to Canada. In Aug 1914 1 GH were at Plymouth and were sent to Belgium. 2GH were in Egypt were in Egypt. They returned to Southampton and asembled with 7th Division at Lyndhurst. He is recorded as entering F & F with them at Zeebrugge ( 7 Oct 1914). He must have joined his old regiment at Lyndhurst. Would he have held onto his kit as a reservist ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 22 March , 2003 Share Posted 22 March , 2003 Reservists generally did not keep kit unless they owned it and at this time very few Soldiers owned their own kit. Soldiers were only entitled to keep articles of "Free Kit" when leaving regular service and did not retain uniforms. Uniform stockage for reservist was to be maintained by the units. Reservists rejoining units received the same issue as recruits. A possible scenario is Innes could not make it back to the Gordons Depot to receive his issue and instead rejoined and received his issue through another assembly point possibly his point of entry to the UK. His first issue being standard Infantry clothing (which this photo shows) minus all Badges. He would have recieved his tribal kit later when actually rejoining the Gordons. So this photo may actually pre-date any wounding and may have been his first photo after rejoining the colours. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 22 March , 2003 Share Posted 22 March , 2003 Just a thought but the gloves might be indicative of the man using a wheelchair to get around in - if you note he is not free-standing. Alternatively at the time support gloves were used for rheumatism, maybe it is for this. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodge Dowson Posted 25 March , 2003 Share Posted 25 March , 2003 I have come across a photo in the Manchester Evening News of a soldier wearing hospital blues wearing a Peaked service cap with Gordon's badge, also seen it on a POW group photo in the past at some point. Rodge D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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