I need Help

[Guest deepathart]

Please can someone help me, I a quite confused.

I have posted 2 photos of Grandad Darrington, one in a kilt with a glengarrie and the other on a horse in a normal uniform with a cap.

On the back of the horse one there is a date 11th March 1916. It is in "postcard" format (I believe that this type of card was posted in England) the recipient possibly his father has written from Ireland on it.

In 1918 he was married and is in a kilt in the photo. ( I am waiting for a copy of it to post on the forum) He is also wearing a glengarrie with dice.

I have been told by family members that he was at Hill 60 and Flanders, that he was wounded in the leg or arm, although they are not sure where this happened. They also mentioned the Gordon Highlanders.

There is also a photo of him wearing a badge ??Silver War Badge?? on a normal civilian type coat.

I have tried to trace him through the medal index - with no joy, although I believe if he served until 1922 the records are not available as yet.

I have been tring to track the embarkations to France but there are so many battalions etc that I am well and truly at a loss. I don't understand anything military from the UK.

I can't go to the the National Archives as I live in Australia.

Hope someone can help.

Regards

Dee Hart

[Blackblue]

Couldn't find any serving with the Gordon's Dee. The badge on the guy sitting at the table on the right is not Gordon's. Perhaps the Royal Scots? Some of these guys appear to have kilts though and I don't know if the Royal Scots usually wore them. The photo of them on horses is pretty unclear. Are the badges round or is it possible they are Royal Artillery badges? Hopefully the wedding photo will be clearer.

There is an A Darrington listed in the MIC's and it appears he served in the Royal Scots and the Royal Artillery. Not much is transcribed including no numbers but a download may be worth a look if you have no joy from your other photo.

Medal card of Darrington, A

Corps Regiment No Rank

Royal Field Artillery

The Queen's Regiment

Army Service Corps

Royal Scots

Regards

Tim D

[Blackblue]

Another explanation for the horse photo may be that he served in a cavalry regiment before being posted to the infantry. Often there were no ties to the unit they were posted. It often depended on where reinforcements were required.

The only photo I have of my grandfather in uniform was taken in his cavalry kit. He actually enlisted in 1914 and was posted to the cavalry but did not see any war service with them. He was posted to the 9th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers and joined them at Gallipoli and spent the remainder of the war with this regiment.

He was employed as a groom and worked with horses in Gloucestershire near the Welsh border at the time he enlisted and ended up in an infantry unit from the other end of the country!

Regards

Tim D

[Blackblue]

Hi Dee,

I am pretty sure there are some people who know a lot about the London Scottish on the forum. Seeing that he was from Islington I had considered them and did do a bit of research on the MIC's for individuals who had served with the London Regiment hoping for a hit but nothing stood out.

They did wear kilts in hodden grey. The guys in your photo look to be wearing such kilts. Earlier in the war I believe they did wear a Glengarry which they probably also would have worn for ceremonial occasions...such as weddings. I know that later in the war they wore a Tam with a blue pom pom. The badge in the photo is certainly in keeping with London Scottish. More so than any others I have looked at.

The London Regiment units were territorial and all had affiliations with some other organisation or nationality. The London Scottish battalions were the 1/14th Battalion and the 2/14th Battalion of the London Regiment. Before and during the war a number of regiments targeted Scots recruits as there were many working or living in England at the time. Whilst in essence a battalion of a local unit they offered affiliation with a Scottish regiment to attract recruits. This happened with Irish, Welsh etc. as well.

I have had a look at Clarence Philip and it appears that when he died he was with the 1/5th Battalion of the London Regiment which was actually affiliated with the Rifle Brigade. He was however a private in the 14th Battalion before commissioning! He died of wounds on the 27/11/1918 two weeks after the war ended.

There is also another officer named Harold Edgar who was 9th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment but attached to the Royal Flying Corps...another relative perhaps? He was actually in the 5th Battalion of the London Regiment prior to being commissioned.

There doesn’t seem to be an easy answer to your problem. I agree that the London Scottish appears a very likely prospect. Sometimes cards do get missed or misplaced so if you have not done so already perhaps getting a researcher to do a manual search would be worth the effort.

Have you considered Dorrigton? There is an ARTHUR DORRINGTON who served with the London Regiment. Sometimes they are transcribed incorrectly. This is the closest thing I can find to Archibald.

Medal card of Dorrington, Arthur

Corps Regiment No Rank

London Regiment 5731 Private

London Regiment 295357 Private

Regards

Tim D

[bmac]

The London Scottish were not involved at Hill 60 and the 2/14th London Scottish were in No. 9 Camp at Sutton Veney throughout March 1916, leaving for Ireland on April 29th, returning to England on May 12th.

Scottish units with a Hill 60 connection are 2/Camerons and 2/KOSB.