Which regiment?

[alan o]

Where could I find out about Robert’s medals?

If that is him in the photo then he is not wearing any medal ribbons at that time.  If he is the man born in Norfolk and was in the Army before WW1 as you suggest then he would have enlisted in 1900 but as he is not wearing any Boer War medals, he did not serve in the war in South Africa.  He married Martha in Stirling in 1913 so it is likely he served his term of 12 years and then left and got married.

If he had joined his local infantry battalion for Stirling in WW1 he would have joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders but that is definately not the A&SH cap badge as it was very large.

If he did mange to make it to France  or similar in WW1 then he would have had been entitled to the British War Medal and Victory medal.  There will be a medal card for him in the National Archives which someone like Ancestry will have access to.  That will give you his regiment and possibly date of entry to France.

[alan o]

I believe he was governor of Stirling prison.

He married Martha Sanderson and lived in Stirling till his death 1961. (Ish?).
I know he had medals,  uit these are lost to me.

Thank you.

Kathy

If you are certain that he  WW1 medals then that combined with his Prison Service would narrow the candidates down to one person.  There are only a couple of soldiers with his name who were awarded medals.  One forfeited his medals (possibly desertion) and another was only a Private.

There is only one other candidate and that is for a Staff Sergeant later a Warrent Officer who served with the Military Provost Staff Corps - think Army Prison Gaolars.  That ties in nicely with their well polished boots and sharp creases in their trousers which is not typical of wartime photos.

The medal card is on Ancestry so I you want to see it then PM me with your email.  In addition to the usual WW1 medals for overseas service he earned the Meritorious Service Medal in 1917 which was awared for meritous long service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritorious_Service_Medal_%28United_Kingdom%29

As for the Tam O Shanter I am at a loss as to why they are wearing them: perhaps that was the norm in the Army gaol in Stirling?  it served as Scotland’s only Military Detention Barracks until 1935
https://www.yourstirling.com/stirling-old-town-jail/
The cap badge is as shown and matches the one in your scan.

[Forfarian]

There will be a medal card for him in the National Archives which someone like Ancestry will have access to. 

No need to faff about with Ancestry.

Go to the source: you can view medal cards free of charge on the National Archives web site. See https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=robert+eglington&_sd=&_ed=&_hb=

and in particular https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2722641

[alan o]

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[Ronda231]

Hi, there is a page on ancestry which allows for the free download of medal cards

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1262/?name=robert_eglington&count=50

It seems that there are quite a few medal cards for different people with this name & also if you search on Eglinton, a similar number of different people are listed.

Ancestry search record +  FamilySearch record (indicates George Robert Egington was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers) + Medal card from Royal Engineers

Best regards

[alan o]

Hi, there is a page on ancestry which allows for the free download of medal cards

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1262/?name=robert_eglington&count=50

It seems that there are quite a few medal cards for different people with this name & also if you search on Eglinton, a similar number of different people are listed.

Ancestry search record +  FamilySearch record (indicates George Robert Egington was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers) + Medal card from Royal Engineers

Best regards

That is not him as he is too old and finished the war as a Sapper and not an NCO.  With the Stirling prison connection it would be a huge coincidence if it was any other other people with the same name.

[Ronda231]

Hi all,

I think that the date of birth and Norwich connection carries quite a bit of weight.

This site also gives some possible links.

https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/searchlives/eglinton/filter

Best regards

[Andy J2022]

The Robert Eglinton you want is the one with the number 1498. His record is available on Findmypast. He first joined the Prince of Wales' Own Norfolk Artillery (RGA) in 1902 and later transferred to the Military Provost Service Corps.  He did serve in South Africa from 15 Dec 1902 to 26 May 1904. His marriage to Martha Sanderson was recorded as being at the Waverley Hotel, Stirling on 8 Oct 1913.  His son Emerson William was born 24 April 1914 in Stirling.

[alan o]

Andy

Thanks.  So he was likely there as a reinforcement but arrived too late to qualify for the QSA medal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Artillery_Militia
If the OP can confirm the son's name is her family then that clinches it.

Alan