Royal Scots Greys

[steve4969]

Is anyone else researching the Scots Greys/ 2nd Royal Dragoon Guards, trying to find out what my great grandfather John Dick AKA Pte Gs/3954 Alexander scott got up to in the great war his son is still alive and i would love to put together some info so he can find out about his fathers military history

Regards

Steve Scott

[MelPack]

Hello Steve

Your post is a little confusing.

The Scots Greys were the 2nd Dragoons and part of the 5th Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division:

http://www.1914-1918.net/CAVALRY/2cavdiv.htm

The 2nd Royal Dragoon Guards ( Queen's Bays) were part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division:

http://www.1914-1918.net/CAVALRY/1cavdiv.htm

The MIC indicates the Dragoons and not the Dragoon Guards:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=6

Regards

Mel

[IanA]

His collar also provides a little clue!

[steve4969]

Apologies for the confusion Mel, am fairly new to this, I am still trying to get my head around it all, just want to try and piece together his history, what war records would you recomend that i get my hands on. He was a scots grey, on his MIC it states that he was in 2nd Royal Dragoons, Corp of Dragoons and also the 1st Royal dragoons, i also a have a photo of him as a corporal in the 8th kings Hussars but dont know where this fits in, as on his records its says he was a private

Any help would be much appreciated, I am trying to put together his history so i can present it to his son who is still alive at the age of 84, but knows very little about his father other than some photos

Regards Steve

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

The Royal Scots Greys became the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in 1971. There regimental museum is in Edinburgh Castle. They have just reprinted there history of the great war, I think it costs about £25. I was looking at a copy last week and it seemed full of information.

I don't know what other information their museum holds, but it might be worth a try.

Regards,

Stewart

[MelPack]

Hello Steve

Does the MIC for your GG confirm entitlement to a 1914-15 Star? If so, the card will have a date of entry into the theatre of war and your GG's involvement in France and Flanders starts from that date. If not and there is only entitlement to the British War and Victory medals then entry into the theatre of war was from January 1916 onwards.

GS stands for General Service and indicates a Kitchener volunteer enlisted in 1914 or 1915.

Your GG was clearly with the 2nd Dragoons for a period of time at the front. At some point after April 1917, he transferred to the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment. The numbering system of the Corps of Dragoons came into being on 1st April 1917. The block of 12001 -12500 was allocated to the TF Yeomanry Lothian and Border Horse and your GG's Corps number is firmly within that block.

http://www.1914-1918.net/TF_renumbering_yeomanry.htm

Your GG was then subsequently transferred to the 1st Dragoons - presumably in late 1918 when mounted cavalry became usable once more in the fluidity of the offensive from August 1918 onwards.

I think you already have the National Archive references for the relevant war diaries. To add precision to the chronology, you will have to engage a researcher to establish whether your GG's service records have survived.

Regards

Mel

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

Were all men serving transferred to the corps of dragoons, or how did it work? I've been researching a RSG man who is listed under corps of Dragoons, but his number does not change.

Regards,

Stewart

[MelPack]

Hello Stewart

The rubric for renumbering appears to be fairly impenetrable!

This was an administrative exercise and all units of Dragoons were treated as part of the Corps of Dragoons. The regulars retained their numbers and the TF dragoons were renumbered. After 1 April 1917, all dragoons should have retained their then allocated service number irrespective of whether they transferred to a different unit. A service number should have been changed only in instances of a transfer to entirely different Cavalry Corps eg Lancers.

This case is an anomoly which only the service records may unravel.

Regards

Mel

[steve4969]

Thanks for the info Mel. He does have the 1914 star, It says date of entry was 15/9/14 have been put in touch with someone on ebay who can look up the records at kew, do you know what the clasps was called that the soldiers wore when on leave to show they had been wounded, also a bit confused about one of the clasps cant quite read it but is something like Clasps & ***** I.V.4300/C **16.3.21 Anthly? C/1/3192

any idea

Steve

[MelPack]

Hello Steve

That is a surprise given the GS prefix to the service number.

You GG was obviously a pre-war regular/reservist. The date of entry of 15/9/14 makes him an 'Old Contemptible'. He was entitled to the 1914 Star because of entry into the theatre of war before 22nd November 1914.

The clasp referred to was worn on the medal ribbon of the 1914 Star and was claimable on the basis of being within range of the enemy's mobile artillery before 22nd November 1914.

The other item is the rosette that would be worn on the medal ribbon of the uniform.

regards

Mel

[MelPack]

Stewart

There is a good explanation here:

http://www.btinternet.com/~prosearch/tomsp...Medal%20Records

Regards

Mel

[gnr.ktrha]

Thanks Mel

I had often wondered about that.

I have an original copy of the unit history, there is no index, but i will dig it out tonight and see if i can find anything. have you tried contacting the museum, do they hold any information?

Regards,

Stewart

[steve4969]

Sorry Mel your correct he was a member of the Scottish Horse Based up at Dunkeld,pre 1914, I think they were TA, I have a photo of him in a SH uniform also

Regards Steve

[MelPack]

Steve

That is an interesting snippet of information. He could not have been a TF Yeoaman (Dragoons) because of the date of entry into F&F. It does, however, suggest that he was a reservist having completed 5 or 7 years service with the regulars and serving the balance of the 12 years by training with the SH.

Come on, see if those service records exist - everything might be revealed!

Regards

Mel

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,

I may be able to find something out about his time in the Scottish Horse. Give me a couple of weeks and I will see what I can do.

Regards.