Highland uniform conundrum - what unit is he in....?

[headgardener]

What we know about A. Brooks (the man in the photo):

• A young man, probably in his 20's (therefore probably born in the early- to mid-1890's)
  
• His photo was taken in Peterhead at some time during the war
  
• He indicates on the back of the photo that he was serving with 22nd Royal Fusiliers
  
• His uniform appears to be a mismatched series of items of military highland dress, although his shoulder-title appears to be correct for RF, and he is wearing a plain brassard on his left arm
  
• His right arm is not visible (the angle of his body would appear to indicate either that his arm is held in an awkward position to the side and slightly to the rear of his body, or that it has been amputated)
  

What we know about Arthur Clement Brooks:

• born in Hackney on 27 June 1890
  
• son of Francis Thomas Brooks (Music Publisher) and Blanche Mary Brooks (nee Foulsham)
  
• pre-war, was working as an East India Merchant's Clerk
  
• 16 Sep 1914 enlisted as GS/4254, Pte, Royal Fusiliers
  
• 31 Jul 1915 to F&F with 13/RF
  
• 19 Aug 1916 to UK (wounded?)
  
• 16 Nov 1916 to F&F (his marriage notice indicates that he was serving with 22nd Royal Fusiliers)
  
• 16/17 Feb 1917 22/RF were involved in heavy fighting at Miraumont
  
• 28 Feb 1917 to UK (wounded)
  
• by mid-1917 he was resident at the Military Hospital, Oldmill, Newmills
  
• 21 Aug 1917 married at Powis Church, Aberdeen to Marjorie Beattie Morrice (spinster, aged 18, living with her mother at 38 Esslemont Avenue, Aberdeen); she was the daughter of William Morrice, (deceased) formerly prison warder at HM Prison Peterhead, and Margaret Mutch McDonald, previously Morrice (nee Beattie).
  
• 19 Feb 1918 discharged from 6/RF (a depot battalion) due to wounds, aged 27, issued with Silver War Badge No. 321361
  
• 16 April 1934 Marjorie Beattie Brooks died in a sanatorium in Ware, Hertfordshire, aged 34 (at the time they were living at 155 Hatfield Road, St. Albans; probate records describe Arthur as a grocer).
  
• Arthur died in Luton during Q4 of 1969.
  

The points of correlation between these 2 profiles are:

• both men served with 22nd Royal Fusiliers
  
• Peterhead (the photo was taken there, and Marjorie Beattie Morrice would presumably have been resident at the town while her father was warder at the local prison)
  
• the apparent age of AB matches the age of ACB
  

A further possible correlation might be the fact that AB's brassard could indicate that he was a convalescent, which would match ACB's status at Newmills at the time of his marriage.

[wbremner]

Good summary. It seems very likely they are one and the same person, but it's not definitive.

Remind me please - how do we know the picture was taken in Peterhead?

The points or correlation between these 2 profiles are:

• both men served with 22nd Royal Fusiliers
• Peterhead (the photo was taken there, and Marjorie Beattie Morrice would presumably have been resident at the town while her father was warder at the local prison)
• the apparent age of AB matches the age of ACB

A further possible correlation might be the fact that AB's brassard could indicate that he was a convalescent, which would match ACB's status at Newmills at the time of his marriage.

[headgardener]

Good summary. It seems very likely they are one and the same person, but it's not definitive.

Remind me please - how do we know the picture was taken in Peterhead?

Photographers' stamp at the bottom R-hand corner of the photo.

Edit: I just noticed that I've slightly cropped the image - all you can see is the '..ETERH...' of 'PETERHEAD'......!

[wbremner]

• 21 Aug 1917 married at Powis Church, Aberdeen to Marjorie Beatte Morrice (spinster, aged 18, living with her mother at 38 Esslemont Avenue, Aberdeen); she was the daughter of William Morrice, (deceased) formerly prison warder at HM Prison Peterhead, and Margaret Mutch McDonald, previously Morrice (nee Beattie).

Marjorie may have had an elder brother, William, presumably named after his father. According to the 1901 census, a William B Morrice was born in 1896 to Margaret M Morrice, and they were living at 15 St Mary St in Peterhead. Staying / living with them were two members of the "Beattie" family, which may be her sisters or cousins. Marjorie wasn't in the house at the time of the census - she may have been with John and Jane Thom at 2 George Street (babysitters?).

As previously noted, there was a William Morrice listed in the Powis Parish Church who served with "1/H.F.A., France". What was 1/H.F.A. - Highland Field Artillery?

There's also a William Morrice from Peterhead who served with the 6th Gordon Highlanders and died in October 1917, service numbers are 266981 and 14059. Rolt968 made a comment early on in this topic "The glengarry and badge look Gordon Highlanders to me".

Perhaps another connection?

[headgardener]

As previously noted, there was a William Morrice listed in the Powis Parish Church who served with "1/H.F.A., France". What was 1/H.F.A. - Highland Field Artillery?

There's also a William Morrice from Peterhead who served with the 6th Gordon Highlanders and died in October 1917, service numbers are 266981 and 14059. Rolt968 made a comment early on in this topic "The glengarry and badge look Gordon Highlanders to me".

Perhaps another connection?

HFA = Highland Field Ambulance. But..... I can't find an RAMC man with this name amongst TNA's MIC index.

Yes, I think we're all agreed on a Gordons' glengarry badge.

[headgardener]

4x William Morrice's served in the Gordons, a couple in the RFA. A few in some other regiments/corps.

[rolt968]

1 HFA could be Highland Field Artillery - not the correct name, but possibly a local variation. 1 Highland Brigade RFA TF was based in Aberdeen (all 3 batteries based in Aberdeen).

Marjorie had an elder brother William B Morrice, born in Peterhead about 1896. I don't think that he was the one killed in October 1917, as that one's father's name was George (Registers of Soldiers' Effects).

Marjorie's father died in 1900 (June, according to an ancestry tree - be wary I have found the tree contains errors).

Still working on this.

R.

[headgardener]

William B Morrice

RFA, Gnr, No.4204

Lab Cps, Pte, No.645285

[wbremner]

William B Morrice

RFA, Gnr, No.4204

Lab Cps, Pte, No.645285

That's our chap('s wife's brother)... Per Service Medal Award Roll

RFA: LABOUR CORPS

Unit | Reg # | Rank | Name | Disembark | Transferred to |

1. H Bde, | 4204 | GNR | Morrice, William Beattie,| 1.5.15 (1) | 642585 Pte. Disc. 20.3.19 |

[wbremner]

That's our chap('s wife's brother)... Per Service Medal Award Roll

RFA: LABOUR CORPS

Unit | Reg # | Rank | Name | Disembark | Transferred to |

1. H Bde, | 4204 | GNR | Morrice, William Beattie,| 1.5.15 (1) | 642585 Pte. Disc. 20.3.19 |

According to the Aberdeen Journal, "Gunner William B. Morrice" was married in the same church as his sister, in Nov 1918. Almost certainly the same chap as in the commemorative booklet produced by the church, and who I now see is listed in the "Royal Artillery" section, which I missed before. There are plenty of Gordon Highlanders in the same booklet, so perhaps a helpful parishioner could have provided his uniform to Brooks for his wedding.

I couldn't find any pictures of the church before it was deconsecrated and converted but here's how it looks today in Google Street View. It's on the corner of George Street and Powis Place, about 3 miles East of Woodend Hospital (formerly Oldmill).

That's everything I have been able to find. Any other suggestions? I suppose someone could see if there are any surviving hospital or church records, but I doubt that will provide the definitive proof that "A. Brooks" in the photo is Arthur Clement Brooks unless they kept photos. If the Peterhead photographer / studio is still in business (again, doubtful, but might be worth a look) they may have some old client records. The other option is to locate relatives / descendants of Brooks or Morrice and see if they have any evidence or photos. I have contacted an Ancestry user who might have a photo, so maybe that will yield some more info.

[wbremner]

• Peterhead (the photo was taken there, and Marjorie Beattie Morrice would presumably have been resident at the town while her father was warder at the local prison)

Deconstructing this a bit ... and perhaps being overly nit-picky ... if it was a wedding photo, why was it taken in a Peterhead studio (30 miles to the North of Aberdeen) if the key parties were residing in Aberdeen near Powis Church? Either the picture was taken in Aberdeen and processed at the photographer's studio in Peterhead, or maybe taken in Peterhead but not the same day as the wedding. There's clearly a Peterhead connection, but we don't know for sure that the picture was taken there or in Aberdeen.

[headgardener]

That's everything I have been able to find. Any other suggestions? I suppose someone could see if there are any surviving hospital or church records, but I doubt that will provide the definitive proof that "A. Brooks" in the photo is Arthur Clement Brooks unless they kept photos. If the Peterhead photographer / studio is still in business (again, doubtful, but might be worth a look) they may have some old client records. The other option is to locate relatives / descendants of Brooks or Morrice and see if they have any evidence or photos. I have contacted an Ancestry user who might have a photo, so maybe that will yield some more info.

Well, I must thank you for the great work you've done on this. I'd be very interested to hear what the Ancestry user comes back with.

Returning to the various points of correlation between 'A. Brooks' and Arthur Clement Brooks:

• both men served with 22nd Royal Fusiliers during WW1
• both men had a wartime connection with Peterhead
• the apparent age of the man in the photo matches the age of Arthur Clement Brooks
• the man in the photo is wearing a plain brassard; this would only make sense if it was the brassard worn by convalescents in order to identify them as being 'out of uniform' (as the man in the photo definitely is!), and this would match Arthur Clement Brooks' status during his time at Aberdeen. This might also be confirmed by the apparent absence of the right arm of the man in the photo

Overall, nothing here provides absolute confirmation that the man in the photo is Arthur Clement Brooks, but I'd say that in consideration of all these points (particularly the first two) there is a high probability that they are one and the same.

Deconstructing this a bit ... and perhaps being overly nit-picky ... if it was a wedding photo, why was it taken in a Peterhead studio (30 miles to the North of Aberdeen) if the key parties were residing in Aberdeen near Powis Church? Either the picture was taken in Aberdeen and processed at the photographer's studio in Peterhead, or maybe taken in Peterhead but not the same day as the wedding. There's clearly a Peterhead connection, but we don't know for sure that the picture was taken there or in Aberdeen.

You're not being overly picky at all! In research like this it pays to be dispassionate and avoid looking for what you want to find - it's always important to think of reasons why the leading theory may be wrong!

It may not be a wedding photo, of course. It could equally be for a Burns' Night or Hogmanay celebration, or for someone elses' wedding (maybe he was the best man to a local Scot?). Regarding the Peterhead photographer - I agree with everything you say. I have family living quite near to Peterhead, and it's a pretty small community (so much so that I'd wager that all Morrice's in that area will be from the same family - if not brother and sister then at least cosuins). The fact that these 2 individuals with the same name and unit were connected to such a small community gives us good reason to believe that they are one and the same. There are 2 possibilities regarding the Peterhead photographer; Brooks was in Peterhead for Burns' Night/Hogmanay/someone elses' wedding/preparation for his own wedding (maybe even his stag night?), or the photographer was a relation of the Morrice's and was hired to do their wedding photos despite the fact that the church was in Aberdeen.

I meant to bring the photo in again this morning, but was in a rush and left it on the dresser.... I'll check the name of the photographer and see if I can find some more images by him online as that may tell us something about the 'look' of his studio.

Further avenues of research? Local papers, I suppose. Maybe the P&J would have some report. Or papers local to ACB's family in England. He was born in Hackney - which is where I live! I'll pop into Hackney Archives and see whether there might be something in the local paper.

Once again, thank you so much for all your effort and suggestions! The wedding notice with the reference to 22/RF was the biggest lead we've had so far.