Help - Identify Regiment

[Harold1066]

Thanks for the information. 

New Question:  Given this is a Scottish Regiment what is the likelihood that this is somebody from Hampshire / Berkshire area of the country? 

The Family we are looking at have no Scottish connections as far as we know.

This information goes against what another military "expert", whom I will not name, told us (goes to show you need to double check everything) - The information we were originally told was as follows:

1.  The medals were the Queen & Kings South Africa Medals.

2.  The uniform was that of the Highland Light Infantry (either First or Second Battalion) - and these did not wear a kilt! - How somebody has said about the sporran I can just make it out.

We have had the photo dated as early 1900's and pre 1910.

We also do not believe that the parents of the Groom & Bride are sitting in the right places - since we are pretty certain that the bride is one of my wife's Grand Aunts on her Grandfather's side and his parents are on the left (her great grand-father is the one holding the dog).

[John Young]

Bob,

The larger of the two badges is an elephant above the scroll Assaye.  The smaller one is a thistle bearing the Star of the Order of the Thistle, with a circle superimposed, within which is the cypher F of the late Duke of York, who was also the Duke of Albany (1853-1884).

The MacKenzie badge would have been much simplier!

Isandlwana

[Harold1066]

Don't want to upset anybody - and please let me know if I'm wrong - but I have just "googled" the two medals mentioned below and have difficulty linking them both to the picture:

Queens Sudan Medal - Ribbon: Yellow & Black separated by a Crimson stripe - can see how that fits the medal nearest his buttons (light / dark).

Khedives Medal - Ribbon: Yellow - Blue - Yellow - whereas the one he has seems to be dark/light/dark - which does not make sense to us - we would expect it to be Light/Dark/Light.

[John Young]

Harold,

Blame the photography at the time  - there is a phrase for it but it escapes me - yellow appears as a darker tone rather than a lighter one.

Isandlwana

[km1971]

Also:

= There is a noticeable gap between the two clasps on a KSA, but not (as here) on a 2-clasp Khedives medal.

= You could not receive a KSA without also receiving a QSA medal. There is no QSA.

Ken

[elinga]

Hi again Harold
I did see something that I thought may have been a sporran but didnt want to say!
as I said before I am an amateur but a scottish one at that ;-)

[lochee]

Hi, Isandlwana,
Try as I might I cannot make out what the collar dogs are, your sight must be better than mine.
However, I hate to be pedantic but, the Elephant superscribed Assaye was granted in 1803.
The cipher F and Coronet of HRH The Duke of York and Albany (1763-1827) was granted in 1823.
The Duke of Albany that you refer to (1853-1884) was Leopold who was Colonel of the Regiment,
his Cipher L with a coronet was borne on the cap badge worn by officers and warrant officers, this was adopted at the request of Queen Victoria.
Regards
Bob.

[John Young]

Bob,

Thanks for the clarification re-the Dukes of Albany, I must admit I was somewhat confused by the text of J.S. Farmer's The Regimental Records of the British Army 1660-1901 regarding the cyphers.


The collar badge & cypher from J.S. Farmer's work.

I can certainly see two distinct badges on the Colour-Sergeant's collar, given that the only other Highland regiment with a double-badge on their collar was the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and that the image in the photograph looks nothing like the A. & S. H.'s badge, I discounted them.

Do you not think he is a Seaforth then?

Isandlwana

[lochee]

Hi, Isandlwana,
I am having doubts about his regiment. Someone mentioned that the top of his sporran is showing.
It is far too low (it would'nt cover his colour sgt let alone his privates) Could he be holding his head dress?
Regards
Bob.