Help needed please to identify Scottish Regiment/Unit

[loobylooayr]

Hi all,

This photograph was found in amongst family photos belong to my late mother.
The photographer was Hector MacDonald of Kilmarnock , Ayrshire and I suspect the photograph may have been taken in the Kilmarnock area.
But who are these men? They appear to be wearing varied headgear. Not being any sort of military expert I cannot tell what kind of soldiers these men are. Can anyone tell me which regiment they belong to......a big ask , I know ??
Any suggestions or input welcome.
I cannot think who from my family is in this photograph.

Cheers,
Looby

[ScouseBoy]

The decoration in the centre of the hats is specific to one or more Scots regiments.  Could you possibly  enlarge  one section of the photo please?

[loobylooayr]

Trying to upload photo the right way up.

[LJReb123]

Hi,

Cameronians I think...

David

[loobylooayr]

Hi,

Cameronians I think...

David

Thanks for your reply David.
Cameronians ? Well that's a surprise ! I know of no-one in my family who was in that regiment.

Looby

[ScouseBoy]

I wonder if the strap diagonal over their chests is the strap for  their gas masks? Could the photo have been taken in either 1939 or 1940   just before they embarked for France?

[Rosinish]

Looby,

I wonder if the photo was taken outside a Barracks or elsewhere?

"photographer was Hector MacDonald of Kilmarnock"
Who appears to have been around in the 1940's so a WW2 pic possibly?

May have been a friend of the family in the pic?

I wonder if anyone recognises the building in the background which may help identify something/someone, a reason for the pic being in your family collection?

Annie

[macintosh]

I think it is the Royal Scots Fusiliers, some are wearing a Tam o Shanter (TOS) cap and other are wearing what looks like a army side cap with the same RSF flaming grenade badge, the side cap may be a Glengarry but detail is obscured  and if it was a Glengarry it would have diced band around.
Their main depot area was  the Churchill Barracks in Ayr (renamed after Winston in 1942) now demolished.

James

[loobylooayr]

Hi Annie

Yes Hector MacDonald was a photographer in Kilmarnock at the time of WW2 and in fact their was a Hector MacDonald camera/photography shop in the town until fairly recently.

I have also wondered about the building in the background and my immediate thoughts were that it reminded me of the school building of Kilmarnock Academy...however on looking at images I have ruled that out.

As to why my mother had this photo .....her own father did serve in WW2 and to be honest never really spoke about his time in the forces. We don't know which regiment he served in but from what we do know we believe he was in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. His war was spent in Devon constructing sea defences and building docks. We cannot spot him in the photo

My late father's father was in a reserved occupation - he was a railway worker - and was never called up. We have a vague memory that he may and I stress may have been involved in something like the TA or Home Guard. There is a face in the crowd which looks suspiciously like him , but he was definitely not a regular soldier.
 
Thanks for your input Annie

Looby