Where do I find service records for the Royal Scots Territorials please?

[SusieK]

I have just found out that my ggrandfather served as a sergeant with the 2/5th Royal Scots Territorials. I don't have any other information such as service numbers but would like to find out about his service history. Are details of the Territorials dealt with the same as regular army?

Thanks for any help.

Sue

[MaxD]

Presumably you are referring to service in the Great War.  The territorial battalions are treated in exactly the same way as the regular battalions as far as records are concerned.  70% of WW! records were lost in WW2 bombing but those that survive are findable.
Would you like to post his name and place and date of birth if you have them also and we'll ferret around!

MaxD

[SusieK]

Max that's very kind, thank you for the response.

The details that I have were on a birth certificate for his son born in 1915 : Sergeant 2/5th Royal Scots Territorials. He was Andrew Keddie living at 11 Downfield Place, Edinburgh, married to Charlotte Menzies. He was born 14 march 1889 in Galashiels, Roxburghshire.

Doesn't seem a lot to go on, I'm afraid. I'm assuming that as he is a Sergeant in 1915 he must have joined much earlier. I think I read somewhere that the 2/5th were formed in 1914 so he maybe joined up around the time they were formed. I've seen nothing else to suggest any involvement with the Army other than this. I also assume that the Territorials were all volunteers - he would have been about 28 at the time and was a railway brakesman in his civilian life, so I also don't know if this would have tended him to the Territorials rather than the regular army. Sorry to be so vague, I confess I'm a bit ignorant proceedings around that time.

Thanks again

Sue

[jim1]

The 2/5th RS didn't go overseas so there's no Medal Card for him unfortunately as this would have given his service number.
As MaxD said most service records were destroyed in the Blitz & I'm afraid your man's was one of them.
Findmypast has a number of service records for an Andrew or A Keddie which may reveal a pre war record but as a subscription site you'd have to buy a short sub.

[MaxD]

Following up on jim1's post - no pre war record found I'm afraid.

MaxD

[jim1]

Is there a possibility he may have extended his service after 1920 ?
If so his records will be with the MOD. Viewable on application.

[SusieK]

MaxD - thanks so much for looking for me.

Jim1 - thanks to you also. After 1915 I have nothing for him until 1929 when his fourth child was born - there is a massive break between children from 1915 to 1929 but that can't all have been down to the war I assume that he was enlisted for the duration but at the moment have no way of actually knowing when he left the army. Thanks for your interest and your help though.

Much appreciated.

Sue

[jim1]

Men were offered a bounty for extending their service to beyond 1920. Many took it up.

[SusieK]

Thanks jim1. I have no idea how I would find out anything else about his army 'career' unless something pops out of a paper somewhere. Given that he apparently didn't go abroad I don't think the long span between children is really much to do with his time in the army, but at the moment I can't pin it down to anything. I read that the 2/5th Territorials moved from Edinburgh to Peebles in 1915 (I assume that means they were based in Peebles), but that's only 20 miles down the road.

I've seen that there is an active web site for the Royal Scots, I was wondering whether it is worth asking on there if there are any records around for soldiers who didn't die in the war.

Thanks again to you both for the assistance

Sue