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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

1st Battalion Black Watch


Guest Chris Serafini

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Guest Chris Serafini

Firstly, It's a privilege for me to be on this forum. Thank You.

I'm researching my Great Uncle's death in the Great War as a member of the Black Watch. The only picture I have of him shows him wearing a white "drill jacket" as I believe it was called, which(the tiny picture) was attached to his death certificate by my Grandfather.

The only other pictures of this white "tunic" I have seen on the internet regarding the Black Watch, were worn by band members or pipers.

Please can someone shed some light on this subject for me.

Thank You and Kind Regardspost-126299-0-96107900-1452196695_thumb.

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1st Bn The Black Watch at Fort George c1905 with all ranks wearing white drill-jackets. In this case the term "drill-jacket" refers to the intended utility of the jacket for ordinary drills and has nothing to do with the composition of the jacket. The jackets were composed of wool material.

1BWFtGeorge1904-1906_zpsd6dfabd7.jpg

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Is your relative is 1812 Robert James Cummings of Dundee?

(Dundee Courier 7th June 1915)

rjc_zpsehrfsspi.jpg

CWGC & MiC

Enlisted sometime in 1910.

Disembarked 21st Sept, 1914 with the 2nd Btn, transferred 1st Btn.

KIA at Aubers ridge 9th of May, 1915.

Any relation to 7898 James Seraphine?

Enlisted 17th Aug, 1900

1st Btn, embarked 30th Aug, 1914.

Discharged due to wounds 6th Jan, 1917.

Derek.

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Guest Chris Serafini

Hello Again and thank you to all of you for the information and pictures.

This is amazing.

Yes Derek, Robert James Cummings 1812. KIA 9th May at Aubers Ridge. For the last 25 years his medals....1914 trio and death plaque have been mounted in a glass and wooden frame on my study wall. About 3 months ago the frame gave in and I was able to once again hold them and carefully look at them. This stirred up something inside me and I decided to do some research. His name was mentioned in various Rolls of Honour but not one of them had a picture to go with the name. Then I started reading up on the Battle of Aubers Ridge where he was killed in action and I was shocked.......thousands of Brave men "going over the top" as ordered and being cut down by enemy machine guns and artillery........bodies blown to bits and never recovered. I then decided that I had to get the only picture I had of him onto these memorial sites. I wanted people in future who visit these pages to see the face and not just a name of man who along with many many others paid the ultimate price.

On his medals and medal card, his rank is listed as Private, but the picture from Derek lists him as Corporal. This also almost clears up some confusion because his death certificate also ranks him as a Corporal. I thought it could have been a clerical error but am not certain.

Derek you also ask if I'm related to James Seraphine? I don't think so.

I was born in Inverness in 1957 and moved to South Africa in 1964 with my family. My Father was from Barga/Lucca and he was interned during WW2 on the Isle of Man. My mother was Rose Cummings, daughter of Alexander Cummings.

post-126299-0-90487800-1452249690_thumb.

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Chris,

Glad to be able to add to the overall picture.

Ranks can often be temporary or acting, upon a mans death if his higher rank was not officialised then it didn't count.

I only asked regarding Seraphine as his MiC also gives his name as Seraphini, not too common in Scotland,

Cheers,

Derek.

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  • 2 months later...

If this helps the 1st battalion enlistment book records him as having enlisted on the 1st March 1910 at Perth, aged 18 years and 2 months. As for his death the battalion burial book has him as an acting corporal though sadly no original grave location is given. It does state that his death was reported to the war office by the OC of the 1st Black Watch on the 11th June 1915.

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If this helps the 1st battalion enlistment book records him as having enlisted on the 1st March 1910 at Perth, aged 18 years and 2 months. As for his death the battalion burial book has him as an acting corporal though sadly no original grave location is given. It does state that his death was reported to the war office by the OC of the 1st Black Watch on the 11th June 1915.

Soldiers effects also confirms him as acting corporal.

As a corporal though his war gratuity is wrong - even though he was only acting he should have had the war gratuity paid as a corporal (£6 gross) not as a private (£5 gross). As a regular soldier he was entitled to both the war gratuity & the service gratuity (rather than the war gratuity net of the service gratuity).

Craig

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Derek,

 

I just stumbled across this thread after trying to find details of James Seraphine 7898 as I had a note somewhere that he was wounded during the Somme and was intrigued to find out more since its 100 years on Friday since it began. In relation to myself, he would be my 2nd great Uncle on my fathers side. I have him born in 1883 in Montrose and marrying in 1912. Trying to do digging around the name is difficult as I remember attempting it and being thrown by all the different spellings that came up for the same family, Seraphine, Seraphini, Serafine, Seraphina...confusing to say the least.

 

Do you have any information on him by chance?

 

Andy

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