Soldier in the Blackwatch

[Antdamm]

Thanks very much guys.

Much appreciated

[atom12]

Hi

Judging by his second regimental number of 30275 he went to the 7th Battalion, Royal Highlanders. 

Anne

[atom12]

The Special Reserve were the Reserve battalion for the Regulars, therefore how  he ended up with a Territorial number I cannot comment on.

The 7th Battalion Royal Highlanders was a Territorial Battalion raised and supported by the County of Fife Territorial Association. 

Also, at some point he may have been either wounded, or physically downgraded as unfit for front line service, as he eventually ended up in the Labour Corps.

[km1971]

Very interesting. There is a link to when the various battalions of the Black Watch/RH went overseas - http://www.1914-1918.net/blackwatch.htm.

He was probably a pre-war member of the 3rd Battalion - doing a 6-8 week camp each year. During which time he was paid as a regular. From the date he went to France he must have been transferred to the 1st Battalion, without a change in his number - the '3/' would have kept him apart from the regulars  with their 4 or 5 digit numbers. The 1st Battalion were the only RH battalion in France at the time.

At some stage he was transferred to the 7th Battalion - Anne...it could I assume be the 1/7th, 2/7th or 3/7th.

About January or February 1917 he was transferred to the Labour Corps - the 7th Battalion were given 6 digit numbers in March 1917 - http://www.1914-1918.net/TF_renumbering_infantry.htm

As Ancestry have published surviving records for the Ms, I take it his have been lost. But it would be worth keeping your eye on when Findmypast publish the Militia/Special Reserve papers (WO96 - due 2011). You could join the Militia at 17 so 1910 will be the earliest he could enlist.

Ken

[atom12]

Ken and Meg

My apologies, I  gave last nights reply in too much of a rush.  William's number would have  had to have been a 6 digit number for him to be in the 7th RH. 

[atom12]

Actually, there is no Royal Highlanders with 5 digit numbers unless there is an S/ in front of it.  Therefore, it would appear that someone has either missed the S/ off the MIC, or he is in a different regiment at that time (though he has been dittoed as RH).

Maybe you can make some sense of it Ken! 

[chinas]

atom12, it apears you have acees to some list concerning the black watch, I am trying to locate information on a relative GGrandfather, who was i believe in th BW in the boer war and recieved a medal for bravery of some kind his name was james or jim langston/e, I have pretty much come to dead end here in Australia, if you can help it would be apreciated I appologise for hijacking this thread but I could not find any way of starting a new thread.

[atom12]

Hi

Sorry, wasn't able to find your relative James Langston/e.

[chinas]

OK thanks for that I will have to keep trying. He ran away from home at 11 and joined up, there is a rumour that because of this he enlisted under another name.
Do you know if there is a registry somewhere that would list the awarded medals by name and what the medal was given for. I am quite happy to search lists etc. if I can find them