3rd Cameron Highlanders

[Guest granty]

Hi there,

I am trying to research my grandfather's history during WW1.

I have tried the National Archives however unfortunately his service record has not survived to the present day.

From his service number the Regimental Museum have determined he joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion sometime in 1916.

After this, however, the trail runs cold.

I am now trying to find out to which battalion he would have been sent.

The regimental warpath website (excellent site) tells us that the 3rd reserve supplied drafts to the 1st and 2nd regular battalions overseas. Given that the 2nd were not at the Western Front (assuming I have interpreted the information on the regimental warpath correctly) I am guessing he went to the 1st Bn.

To cut a long story short !!!!!.....

What I would like to know is if there is anyone on the forum who can suggest a way of finding out when a reserve soldier was drafted to a regular battalion. My own thoughts are that if the Regimental records don't exist to tell me then I'm up **** creek!

Alternatively I could plough through Battalion diaries to try and find mention of him although as he was a Private I know it would be highly unlikely I would find reference to him.

The only thing that may offer some hope is he was wounded twice.

I believe he was shot and sent home to recover, before going back to France or Flanders where he was shot again and gassed. As such, I was hoping someone with experience of the battalion diaries would know if casualties were recorded in them.

I think this may be my only chance!!!!

Thanks for reading!!

Regards,

Grant

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Grant

Please supply his name to assist in answering your query.

Dave

[Guest granty]

Hi Dave,

His name was William Thomson S/26499.

Regards,

Grant Thomson

[Jock Bruce]

Hi Dave,

His name was William Thomson S/26499.

Regards,

Grant Thomson

Grant,

according to the online medal card index

Link here

he later served in the Lovat Scouts.

If you want to pay your £3.50 to download an image of the original card and post it here, then we might be able to tell you more.

Jock

[Guest granty]

Hi Jock,

Thanks for that.

I've actually previously downloaded the medal card.

He was in the 1st Lovat's Scouts (TF).

According to my Dad, Grandad was in the territotrials either prior to the war or joined them when the war broke out.

He must have been drafted into the Camerons thereafter.

The confusing thing is that when I wrote to Colonel Fairrie at Fort George four or five years ago he was able to tell me that my Grandad was in the 3rd Special Reserve Battalion of QOCH. Unfortunately he didn't have any further information. (I didn't know about the Lovat's Scouts connection at this time).

At that time I found out the 3rd were sent to Ireland in 1917 and stayed there for the duration of the war.

Back then I gave up on the search but have picked up on it again now.

I thought he may have joined the 10th Battalion as this was formed from the 1/1 and 1/2 Lovat's Scouts dismounted yeomanry. However this doesn't tie up with the family history or the 3rd Special Reserve info. as the 10th were at Gallipoli, Egypt then the Middle East, unless i'm mistaken.

It is this that has got me ruling things down to the 1st Battalion.

However, is it possible that the 3rd Reserve supplied the service battalions overseas as well?

If so, the plot thickens somewhat!!

Regards,

Grant

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Grant

I posted my last post before I realised who you were. Welcome to the forum I'm glad you took my advice and joined us.

Dave(Adams)

[Guest granty]

Hi Dave,

Yes, i'm glad too, there certainly seems to be a vast array of experts - luckily for me!!

Regards,

Grant

P.S. meant to say in my last post re. Lovat's Scouts -

The medal index card is blank apart from his name, Regiment and service number.

(Service number for 1st Lovat's was 396539)

Theatre of operations and all other categories are blank - which suggests he went to France after 1916.

Cheers,

GT

[Jock Bruce]

Grant,

I don't think the Lovat Scouts number is a wartime one - those men of the LS who had not been transfered to 10 Camerons were renumbered 125001 - 135000 in 1917. I think your man served in the LS afrer the war. A quick look at Frasers (always a good name for LS) throws up -

Medal card of Fraser, Archie J

Corps Regiment No Rank

Lovat's Scouts Sharpshooters 125586 Private

1st Lovat's Scouts 386521 Private

Lovat's Scouts 3798 Private Acting Corporal

Cameron Highlanders 225231 Serjeant

1st London Scouts Territorial Force 386718 Serjeant

which would seem to suggest that the 3xxxxx numner is later than wartime LS.

Post-war numbers (from 1920-ish) for infantry were 7 digit,. Cav/Yeomanry may have been different - I'm ouside my comfort zone here. Can anyone advise ???

I think your man goes from Camerons to post-war Lovat Scouts. Was he from Inverness way ?

Jock

[Guest granty]

Thanks for the information Jock.

My man was from Glenelg in Wester Ross. From memory this is circa. 50 miles from Inverness?

Family history is a tad sketchy as my Grandad (who died before I was born) would not recount his experiences to my Dad or Aunt so the only thing we really know is he was in the Camerons and the Lovats Scouts always rung a few bells.

Obviously I now know from the Medal Index card that he definately was in both - so that's a step in the right direction!

As an aside, my Aunt has the Camerons' cap badge but also an Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders' one. As for the origins of that one - don't ask!!!!

(Perhaps Home Guard WW2? - don't know if the HG was attached to regiments?).

I guess the next task would be to look at Battalion diaries to get a picture of the movements and activities of them during the war with the hope of finding reference to him due to the injuries he sustained. I think I'll test my blossoming detective skills on that of 1st Bn and proceed from there.

I've never seen a Battalion diary but i'm guessing that this would perhaps be tantamount to looking for a needle in a haystack.

I think I'll pay a visit to Ardersier as I spoke to an extremely helpful chap there a year or so ago called Kelvin Hunter who couldn't help me with any information over the phone but said I was more than welcome to visit and look at their archives.

A task for the New Year perhaps!!

Just like to thank everyone for the kind help!

Regards,

Grant Thomson

[Jock Bruce]

Grant,

mentions of individuals ORs in war diarys are rare - could be a real nightmare.

I don't know if the LS had a regimental journal post-war, if they did that might be a place to look - I would expect Fort George has copies if they exist. Start with the year of his death and work back (old comrade often get a mention).

The other source to try is local newspapers - it is amazing how much detail about local units/men got published. Don't know where you live, but if you're not local to the Highlands the library at Colindale has full sets.

PM me if you want more ideas.

Jock

P.S. I've spent a couple of weeks in the archives at Fort George, great people, including Kelvin - only place I've been where researchers get cups of tea and Kit-Kats to keep them going. No idea what there is for LS, but just visiting the Fort is an experience in itself.

[Guest granty]

Jock,

Re. the diaries - that's what I thought. I had been hoping that due to being wounded he may have been mentioned however thinking about it realistically if his injuries occurred during an attack then the chances of an officer logging the names or numbers of possibly hundreds of men (assuming their officers had themselves remained unscathed) is nought I would imagine.

I suppose the difficulty for us looking back is trying to appreciate the sheer scale of things and the logistical problems dealing with and recording literally millions of injuries, deaths, transfers, etc.

Anyway, I think I'll definately pay a visit to Fort George - i'm only 3 hours away. Kelvin had said to me he was always interested to see any old photographs/artefacts that people have from that period and being able to put names to faces.

Regards,

Grant