Commanding officer providing gifts after the War

[John Midd]

The below wrist watch was given to my great grandfather by Lt Col Muirhead after the end of the War. Curious if this was standard practice for some commanding officers to provide similar gifts to their men? There is a Muirhead watchmaker in Scotland that may have some form of connection. Any insight would be appreciated. 

 

 

[SiegeGunner]

Speculation, but was Pte Middleton perhaps Lt Col Muirhead's servant or groom?  'France', for the whole of the British Western Front, is not unusual.  1914-1918 suggests service throughout the war.  If Muirhead himself served with the regiment throughout the war, perhaps he presented a watch to other survivors of the original contingent.  Was the watch made by the Muirhead watchmaker you mention?  A photo of the face of the watch might be helpful.  

[John Midd]

SG,

 

Thanks for your response. Pte Middleton was in the war from '14 to '18. He arrived in late '14 with the Sailkot Cavalry Brigade from India where he served for a few years with the 17th Lancers. I didn't hear anything about him being a batsman / servant, etc. but that doesn't mean he wasn't.

 

I have attached a picture of the watch face and movement but don't see any manufacturer info. It does say Swiss Made on the movement.

[SiegeGunner]

Hi John.  Thanks for the further information and photos.  I'm no expert on watches, but that looks like a decent quality Swiss watch for everyday use, of a kind that was probably quite widely available at the end of the war.  All speculation again, but that inclines me to think it may have been one of a number of such watches presented by Muirhead to other members of the 17th Lancers who had shared experiences with him ... probably service throughout the war (and maybe even earlier in India) ... rather than a special presentation from him to Pte Middleton.  Have you searched Muirhead to see whether anyone else has a watch presented by him?  I presume there is a regimental history, and if Muirhead was in command at the end of the war, the section towards the end may perhaps mention how many of the original contingent survived the war ... and, if you're lucky ...

 

Mick