Colin Drummond Kirkpatrick...R.G.A.

[Cmacf1]

Sorry - sent it way too soon. Thanks so much for your reply and for including the photo of his sword. Sadly, I have no photos (as far as I know - there's a box of photos that I will go through to search, but to my recollection, there are no photos.) It would not surprise me as my grandmother was not happy with him and she may have destroyed them. My mother is no longer alive or I would ask her if she had ever seen a photo. The divorce and its repercussions (being ousted from her church for being a scandalous 'divorced woman') left her bitter and an alcoholic. My brothers and I are unsure how our mom, Jean, ever turned out to be such a wonderful person. I will search through that box later this afternoon!

 

Cathy

[Dave66]

31 minutes ago, Cmacf1 said:

Sorry - sent it way too soon. Thanks so much for your reply and for including the photo of his sword. Sadly, I have no photos (as far as I know - there's a box of photos that I will go through to search, but to my recollection, there are no photos.) It would not surprise me as my grandmother was not happy with him and she may have destroyed them. My mother is no longer alive or I would ask her if she had ever seen a photo. The divorce and its repercussions (being ousted from her church for being a scandalous 'divorced woman') left her bitter and an alcoholic. My brothers and I are unsure how our mom, Jean, ever turned out to be such a wonderful person. I will search through that box later this afternoon!

 

Cathy

I can imagine being divorced back then would have led to so many social problems, and can fully understand her destroying anything that reminded her of him. I often wonder if the effect of war had anything to do with these chaps...my mother wasn't fond of my grandfather who was born around the same time (1885), and saw misery in the trenches being a surgeon...mix that with the Victorian upbringing and she saw a father who was extremely strict.

Only just found out about the divorce, so had never really checked further, but do you know if he ever married again?

 

Dave.

[Cmacf1]

From what I have read about the family, it does not appear that he married again. I also wonder if his experiences in WWI had anything to do with his personality. He was happiest, apparently, when he was wading in the River Usk with a fishing rod in his hand. Not sure why he got married. I'm glad he did! Attached is a photo of Colin's two daughters Jean, on the left with a dog behind her and Sheila on the right. For now, it's the closest I can come to a photo of Colin! This was taken likely on Long Island in about 1931 or 1932.

[Dave66]

19 minutes ago, Cmacf1 said:

From what I have read about the family, it does not appear that he married again. I also wonder if his experiences in WWI had anything to do with his personality. He was happiest, apparently, when he was wading in the River Usk with a fishing rod in his hand. Not sure why he got married. I'm glad he did! Attached is a photo of Colin's two daughters Jean, on the left with a dog behind her and Sheila on the right. For now, it's the closest I can come to a photo of Colin! This was taken likely on Long Island in about 1931 or 1932.

Thanks for sharing that Cathy...sweet girls.

My reason for asking was his entry in the 1939 register has him at 2 Arkwright road in London, employed by the war office, army officer retired...but married!

At least good things came from the bad marriage!

 

Dave.

[Cmacf1]

Hmmmm that is interesting. I will have to research more! I searched through several boxes of photos and not a single photograph of Colin. So very sorry!

[Dave66]

10 minutes ago, Cmacf1 said:

Hmmmm that is interesting. I will have to research more! I searched through several boxes of photos and not a single photograph of Colin. So very sorry!

Thank you very much for trying.

Ancestry has badly transcribed his entry, if you haven't got it already he's listed as coin Kirkpatrick, and easy to find if the exact year of birth is added...1884.

 

Dave

[Cmacf1]

I've talked to my cousin (CDK is also his grandfather) and he believes he has a hard-copy of a photo of CDK in uniform in Quetta, India with my grandmother. I am hopefully going to his father's farm this weekend or next to help him search (now I'm curious!) From my cousin, I learned that CDK wanted to keep the girls 6 months of the year and allow my grandmother to have them 6 months of the year. Given the fact that he was not involved with the girls basically at all except for at 'tea time,' my grandmother did not think that was a good idea. So I was a bit mistaken about his intentions. He did say if she did not agree with that plan, he did not ever want to see them or her again. 

 

I'll let you know about the photo!

 

Cathy

[Dave66]

5 hours ago, Cmacf1 said:

I've talked to my cousin (CDK is also his grandfather) and he believes he has a hard-copy of a photo of CDK in uniform in Quetta, India with my grandmother. I am hopefully going to his father's farm this weekend or next to help him search (now I'm curious!) From my cousin, I learned that CDK wanted to keep the girls 6 months of the year and allow my grandmother to have them 6 months of the year. Given the fact that he was not involved with the girls basically at all except for at 'tea time,' my grandmother did not think that was a good idea. So I was a bit mistaken about his intentions. He did say if she did not agree with that plan, he did not ever want to see them or her again. 

 

I'll let you know about the photo!

 

Cathy

Thank you Cathy,

Theres always mystery surrounding these family stories, (solved a few of my own over the last couple of years), and once the detective in us starts to delve it can prove most interesting. As this forum is quite accesable, it will be nice to have the family on here so further contributions may be added at a later date, and leave a lasting memorial to him and the family.

 

Best of luck in the hunt,

 

Kind Regards,

 

Dave.

Edited 10 July , 2018 by Dave66

[rflory]

Maj. C D Patrick was educated at Wellington College. In August 1914 he was serving with 2nd Mountain Battery, RGA.  On 20 June 15 he embarked with B Battery, 68th Brigade RFA. 

[charlie962]

32 minutes ago, rflory said:

On 20 June 15 he embarked with B Battery, 68th Brigade RFA. 

Ah- so you are now confirming that B/68 on MIC is nothing to do with Field Ambulance but all to do with Field Artillery ?

Charlie

[Dave66]

1 hour ago, rflory said:

Maj. C D Patrick was educated at Wellington College. In August 1914 he was serving with 2nd Mountain Battery, RGA.  On 20 June 15 he embarked with B Battery, 68th Brigade RFA. 

I take my hat of to you....huge big thank you, as it had me totally flummoxed!

would he have stayed with 68th brigade RFA throughout the remainder of the war?

 

Dave.

[Dave66]

1 hour ago, charlie962 said:

Ah- so you are now confirming that B/68 on MIC is nothing to do with Field Ambulance but all to do with Field Artillery ?

Charlie

Thanks for all your help Charlie, that had thrown me for years also.

just going to see if I can find him in the war diaries.

 

Dave.

Edited 10 July , 2018 by Dave66

[rflory]

Dave66 wrote:"would he have stayed with 68th brigade RFA throughout the remainder of the war?"

 

That is a difficult question to answer as the war diaries for that brigade have not yet been digitized at TNA.  You could have a researcher digitally copy the war diary for you to see if he is mentioned.

 

 

[Dave66]

42 minutes ago, rflory said:

Dave66 wrote:"would he have stayed with 68th brigade RFA throughout the remainder of the war?"

 

That is a difficult question to answer as the war diaries for that brigade have not yet been digitized at TNA.  You could have a researcher digitally copy the war diary for you to see if he is mentioned.

 

 

Thanks very much your help, 

Drew a blank finding 2nd Mountain battery diary on ancestry using correct file number, but will probably download it directly fron TNA.

In your opinion, was it common for artillery men to jump from garrison to field or vice versa, the thing that's thrown me all the time was the gazette always only listed him as garrison. Could he have had a specialist skill, or just an experienced officer sent where needed?

 

Dave.

 

 

[rflory]

It was not common for officers to jump from RGA to RFA or vise-versa, but it did happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Dave66 said:

Thanks very much your help, 

Drew a blank finding 2nd Mountain battery diary on ancestry using correct file number, but will probably download it directly fron TNA.

In your opinion, was it common for artillery men to jump from garrison to field or vice versa, the thing that's thrown me all the time was the gazette always only listed him as garrison. Could he have had a specialist skill, or just an experienced officer sent where needed?

 

Dave.

 

 

 

     On  reason for assignment was the inability to ride horses. I have turned up a man "commissioned up" who  was switched from RFA to RGA as he was noted as nervous and unsure when riding a horse.

Edited 12 July , 2018 by Guest

[Dave66]

5 minutes ago, rflory said:

It was not common for officers to jump from RGA to RFA or vise-versa, but it did happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for all your help in solving the mystery.

 

Dave

[Dave66]

 

     On  reason for assignment was the inability to ride horses. I have turned up a man "commissioned up" who  was switched from RFA to RGA as he was noted as nervous and unsure when riding a horse.

Thanks GUEST, i suppose all things possible back then, all very interesting.

 

Dave.

[Cmacf1]

Dave66 -  Here you go - here's Colin Drummond Kirkpatrick. This photo was taken approximately 1924 in Quetta, Northwest Frontier of India (present day Pakistan.) It was shortly after my grandmother Mary Thomas (on the left) and he met on a ship sailing to India. I hope the uploading did not cut off his head!

 

 

[Dave66]

4 hours ago, Cmacf1 said:

Dave66 -  Here you go - here's Colin Drummond Kirkpatrick. This photo was taken approximately 1924 in Quetta, Northwest Frontier of India (present day Pakistan.) It was shortly after my grandmother Mary Thomas (on the left) and he met on a ship sailing to India. I hope the uploading did not cut off his head!

 

 

Cathy,

thank you so very much for taking the time to find that, the icing on the cake for me as they both look happy and relaxed.

I am hoping this thread, over time, may attract more information about Colin and your family, and in this centenary year of the guns falling silent, a fitting memorial to a distinguished officer.

 

kindest regards,

 

Dave.

Edited 17 July , 2018 by Dave66