Dates and uniform query

[ITBookworm]

Is anyone able to identify the uniform worn in these 2 pictures? I am interested in the seated man in both cases. Both pictures are matt have no other border and are in the postcard format. One back says "post card" and the other says "carte postale" so they could be different dates?

We are reasonably sure we know who he is but the birth and marriage certificates for his children all quote coal miner/colliery fireman/colliery contractor as his occupation so the apparently military uniform is confusing us a bit.

He was born ~1852 and died 12/06/1933 (aged 81) if that helps.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[mmm45]

In think the guy on left has QSA/KSA Boer War ribbons on.
did william live Baker Street Shawlands Glasgow?

Ady

[ITBookworm]

Hmmm, That still confuses things

Wikipedia says 1st Boer war 1880-81 and 2nd 1899-1902. Our mystery gent (if he is who we think) had a daughter born Dec 1880 so possibly unlikely for that one. His youngest son was born Mar 1899 and marriage of a daughter July 1906 both with his occupation listed as colliery contractor.

Could he have been a soldier in the middle of that? Was there an equivalent of the TA around then? He seems to have spent his whole life (that we know about) in Airdrie, Scotland.

Thanks.

[mmm45]

They do look like Volunteer Battalion members (forerunner of TA) but why would he be dressed in Tropical gear if he didnt deploy....I would date it later than 1902 if they are Boer War Ribbons

Did he serve in WW1?

Ady

[ITBookworm]

He would have been ~62 at the start of WWI (1914) - would that not have been too old?

We did think the helmet looked like tropical gear but as you say why if he wasn't overseas!!

This was one person in the tree that we thought was nice and easy, birth, marriage, lots of kids, easily traced & death information no problem. Then we find from his tombstone that he was likely to have been a Freemason and now this uniform!

[ScouseBoy]

Looking at the photo of the two men together,  looking at the cap badge of the   one sitting down of those two,   Could the Cap badge be the Army Service Corps?          It looks similar  to the Badge of the RASC of WW2  vintage.

For comparison purposes  some if not all Police forces today have a similar  badge.

[macintosh]

The soldier sitting down  has the cap badge of The Royal and Ancient Order of the Thistle though the centre seems to be missing, it looks like the cap badge of the Royal Scots who saw service in Dardenelles, Macedonia and Egypt in ww1, however as you say they are to old for that conflict which may suggest Royal Scots Volunteer Battalion prior to WW1.

James

[ITBookworm]

I have attached a close up of the cap badge. Now that I have me an idea what to look for I reckon it most closely matches a Royal Scots cap badge as suggested by macintosh. The examples I saw had the clear bit/cut out round the central figure which his does.

None of the pictures I was finding gave any real idea of date unfortunately. If he was a volunteer is his name likely to appear in the on-line records?

Thanks

[scrimnet]

The badge is of the Royal Scots. There may be some small indistinguishable details that may ID certain bns

He is wearing KD...Khaki Drill

A lot of the Territorial bns were sent abroad to release regular bns for war fighting

Also many were sent to Mespot as well.

He has a Wolseley Helmet,and the 1903 ptn KD...So probably not India, more likely Middle East.