6th Seaforth Highlanders 1916

[Bruce Scott]

Unusual head gear here and the rifles appear to be Long Lees.

[ThistleDown]

I have one of those, from the Boer War, in my collection, Bruce. Thanks for posting this.

[Bruce Scott]

Another photo showing the same headdress:



"Some of the men wear khaki canvas covers over their Glengarries. The covers are sometimes referred to as 'Ghillie Hats', given that their shape was supposedly inspired by the headwear favoured by Scottish gamekeepers. These covers were issued to the 1/5th and 1/6th Seaforth shortly before the Highland Division left Bedford". From:- http://bedfordhighlanders.blogspot.c...og-page_6.html

[bikercelt1]

Another photo showing the same headdress:



"Some of the men wear khaki canvas covers over their Glengarries. http://bedfordhighlanders.blogspot.c...og-page_6.html

Obviously all but one of them are wearing canvas covers over their kilts but did they do the same with the headgear? Did they wear the Glengarry and the "Gillie hat" cover?

[Bruce Scott]

The comment with this photo suggests that the hat was issued, for a short period, as a replacement for the glengarry




"Although sadly, I cannot identify this soldier, he is a member of 1/5th Seaforth Highlanders. This photo was almost certainly taken outside his billet house in Bedford in April 1915. In the first winter of the war, the glengarry was found to be impractical, and so this rather strange form of headdress was one short lived attempt to overcome the problem. As the other photos show, the Tam O' Shanter bonnet soon took its place."

From: http://www.historylinksarchive.org.u...number1134.asp

[OC Richard]

I see two different styles of dicing on the Glengarries on the large group photo, most have the red/white A&SH dicing but on the right are a couple guys with the three-colour dicing as per the Seaforth and Gordon Highlanders.


BTW here's a label from an old Seaforth Highlanders/HLI kilt. It would have to be after the HLI started wearing kilts (1948?) I would assume.

It's unclear from the way it's worded whether it's the 6th Battalion Seaforths, or the 6th Battalion HLI, which is being excepted.

[blackwatch70]

BTW here's a label from an old Seaforth Highlanders/HLI kilt. It would have to be after the HLI started wearing kilts (1948?) I would assume.

It's unclear from the way it's worded whether it's the 6th Battalion Seaforths, or the 6th Battalion HLI, which is being excepted.

Maybe it refers to kilt's pleating of 6th battns?

Because we know that both 6th Seaforth and 6th HLI wore kilts during WWI... so maybe both of them wore knife-pleated kilts, and other Seaforths battalions wore box-pleated kilts, standard for them?

[blackwatch70]

I see two different styles of dicing on the Glengarries on the large group photo, most have the red/white A&SH dicing but on the right are a couple guys with the three-colour dicing as per the Seaforth and Gordon Highlanders.

As for A&SH dicing - these Jocks are from 5th Seaforth Highlanders, see also specific cap badge.
5th Seaforth also wore kilts of Black Watch tartan and we see at least one of them on the picture.

[jhockin]

I have one of those, from the Boer War, in my collection, Bruce. Thanks for posting this.

Rex: ( just for clarity, for my aged brain) you have one of the hats, or one of the rifles?

[ThistleDown]

Hi Jerry. MKI 1896 Long Lee Enfield collected from the Magersfontein field by a relative who was a BW officer 1899. And survived.