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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Is this the uniform of the HLI or Seaforth's


Logan

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I have two great uncles who were in the Great War one was with the Seaforth Highlanders the other brother was in the Highland Light Infantry. From this photo is it possible to tell which regiment the fellow seated was with ?

Hugie Wilkie.jpg

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I think I can make out the stags head on the badge, so I'd say Seafoths. I'm afraid I can't help with the tartan. 

Michelle 

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4 minutes ago, Michelle Young said:

I think I can make out the stags head on the badge, so I'd say Seafoths. I'm afraid I can't help with the tartan. 

Michelle 

I agree about the stag's head. If he is a Seaforth the tartan should be Mackenzie (alternate red and white over stripes). I'm not sure how that came out in black and white photos of the time.

RM

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Thanks I looked up tartans but being in B&W did not help then someone once told me both regiments used the Mackenzie tartan so ?? I guess when this photo was taken or given out it was two bad they only wrote on the back "Wilkie" . maybe they did not know both brothers were in the Army.  Thank you all,   now a many decades old question is answered 

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41 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

He was in the Seaforth Highlanders. The Highland Light Infantry didn't wear kilts.

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

 

The 9th HLI wore kilts in the government tartan and their pipers wore Royal Stewart.

 

The 6th HLI also wore kilts but in the Mackenzie tartan.

 

However the 6th HLI (Mackenzie) kilts were pleated differently to those (also MacKenzie) of the Seaforth Highlanders......with the exception of the 5th Seaforths who did not wear MacKenzie tartan.

 

I believe the setting for the MacKenzie kilts of the 6th HLI and Seaforths was exactly the same, but was different to that used for the trews of the other HLI battalions, where a 'bigger/wider' sett of the tartan was used (e,g, a wider space between the 'stripes').

 

The front (known as the apron to kiltmakers) of the Seaforth kilts was also centred on the white vertical stripe, whereas those of the 6th HLI were not, however you will find a lot of exceptions to this during WW1.  There are examples to be found of 6th HLI men wearing their kilts centred on the white stripe.

 

You know, sometimes I think there was a wee man called MacNostradamus who when deciding on what tartans the battalions of the Scottish regiments would wear, thought to himself, "I'm really going to complicate things and ****** these future 'anorak wearers' about when they try and identify Scottish soldiers"......

 

At any rate, the man in the photo wears a cap badge that appears to be Seaforth and his kilt is centred on the white stripe.  

 

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Thanks Ron , very complicated, so I am going to save that info . His brother was with the 6th Bn HLI and his brother in law my grandfather was in the Seaforths then the 6th Bn HLI.  I guess they kept it a family matter. 

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Like Michelle, I too can see the stags head on the subject’s Tam, so another vote for Seaforth Highlanders.

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