Can anyone pick the uniform? Photo taken 1885 Scotland

[JenClark]

Oooh, guys just found this one too, it is quite obviously much earlier in his career but it has some letters on the shoulder that might help....

[km1971]

RVA = Forfarshire Volunteer Artillery I believe.

Ken

[JenClark]

Hi Ken,

That makes sense, FVA (Forfarshire Volunteer Artillery) as he was a Dundee boy 

Does anyone know where I should look to find any service records or enlistment records??

Thanks so much

Jenny

[JenClark]

Just found this on the web:

"The building at 51 Queen Street, The former Regal Cinema and latterly Kingsway Bingo Hall was built in c.1870 as a drill hall for the 1st Forfarshire Artillery Volunteers, formed in 1860 to garrison Broughty Ferry Castle, and who were the origins of the Territorial RGA unit stationed at the Castle at the outbreak of the Great War."

Does that infer that he was perhaps stationed at Broughty Ferry Castle?? or are there many different brigades? There is a 4 on his shoulder, would this be the 4th Forfarshire Artillery Volunteers? Am I guessing rightly that he never went overseas on active service?

Wish I knew more about the military 

Jenny

[scrimnet]

I was going to ask if you have any Channel Islands connections?

Also the two uniforms look like two different units...

The badge on the first one looks like the Royal Guernsey Militia...They had an Arty bit

See how the piping on the edge of the uniforms is quite different...

The second pics I would agree FVA...

[JenClark]

Hi Scrimnet,

Nope definately no Channel Island connections, this family were a second generation Dundee family and came from up near Latheron in Caithness originally.

I have looked at the pictures a fair bit, which one do you think looks different? I had thought that the first and second pictures were exactly the same uniform and his uniform in pic three was the same as the men standing behind him in picture two....what am I missing??

Do you know where I would go to obtain records for the Forfarshire Volunteer Artillery? I am in Australia so a bit difficult I am guessing, but if you could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated 

Thanks again

Jenny

[John Young]

Re-the first photograph it had to be taken between 1874 - 1880, when the R.A. & their volunteer units wore the blue-cloth 'Home Service' helmet with a spike.  The ball top mentioned by scrimnet in a previous post was introduced in 1880/1.

Isandlwana

[JenClark]

Thanks Isandlwana,

The only dated one was the group shot, dated 1885, so the other is earlier you think 1874-1880?

He was only born in 1864 so I am guessing it is probably more towards the 1880 end of the spectrum

Do you know anything else about the volunteer Royal Artillery? I have approached the Royal Artillery Museum (Firepower) but they do not respond to e-mails...and I am curious. Mainly about what sorts of things they would have done....did they only protect the mainland from attack or did they go abroad?

Any info would be great!

Jenny

[John Young]

Jenny,

I can narrow the first down to a smaller time-frame of 1878-1881, as the spike for the Artillery was abolished by General Order 90 of 1881, too many horses suffering injuries!

In 1880 the Forfar & Kincardine Artillery's Headquarters were at Montrose.  The Lt-Col. Commandant of the unit was Reginald H. Alexander Ogilvy.

Take a look at http://www.theraa.co.uk/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=269&highlight=100+haa there a topic there about volunteer artillery units in Forfar; Kincardineshire & Aberdeenshire.

You could try the Scottish Military Museum at Edinburgh Castle for the unit's full history, they were formed in 1854.

The Militia Artillery were originally conceived for Home Defence.

Happy hunting - my Great-Great-Grandfather was artilleryman who served in the Napoleonic Wars from Fetteresso, Kincardineshire, hence my passing interesting in Scottish artillery units.

Isandlwana