16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) looking for info on old photo

[Bruce Scott]

And as you know Steve, the pipers wore Lennox tartan. I've not yet worked out why they wore such an unusal tartan as it must have been a special weave even then.

"The battalion had arrived in England with 17 pipers, for although this
was a Canadian unit, it was the Commanding Officer’s intention to continue the Highland
tradition of having the pipers play the men into battle. A further tradition was the wearing by the
pipers of a tartan chosen by the CO. On June 4th arrived the Lennox tartan kilts, the tartan of the
sept, or extended family, to which belonged the wife of [the CO] Lt.-Col. Leckie "

From: http://www.pipesofwar.com/assets/med...nd_history.pdf

[Daveenb]

Yes the lack of insignia on his jacket is strange. It looks like he is wearing his boots as they are worn and dirty. He also has his cap with insignia. He wearing a kilt and my assumption is its the proper one for the 16th. Battalion but I guess that's part of my question to the forum. If this was taken after Sept 1918 and before he was SOS I wonder if his jacket he had been wearing on the front might have been thrown away. He had been badly gassed (mustard) and evacuated back to England ( The Glen Hospital ) were he spent about a month before be sent to the reserve unit in England. He was with the reserve and had been issued orders to return to his Battalion when the cease fire was signed so he was sent back to Canada with the first wounded troops that were returning home. I know in his memoirs he mentioned about a half dozen times about bullets and shrapnel tearing hole in his uniform so imagine he was a least a couple times given a new tunic when the old one could not be repaired any more. I had not heard of the wound stripes before and he didn't have any with the few effects he had saved. As far as the campaign medals I have his I think what is referred to as a Victory medal, a George medal, his 16th cap badge and his first class and second class service pins. Thanks again Dave . Deas Gu Cath

[Nomad]

If he had been subject to gassing they would probably have binned his uniform. Mustard gas was a very heavy (compared to air) substance that was classed a "persistent agent" by the military, it could dry out and then be reactivated by water, so not something you would attempt to wash out - although the probably did in days of old.

[48HofC]

When troops were released from hospital and returned to the reinforcement pool, most of their uniform could be a mix of what survived field use, and generic replacements. Until they got back to their battalion, they might not receive regimental accoutrements like collar dogs, sporran,etc. The picture therefore can be from some point at the end of the war.

[Steve Ashton]

This is also possible that a photographer came around or was brought in to take photos of the troops to send home. Those at home would not care or even notice the missing insignia but would look at the face.

So it was common for the photographers to have, or borrow, a few different sizes of kit and have the guys dress in their 'loaners' as it was also common that uniforms were not worn in hospital or for them to be issued new uniforms without insignia while awaiting shipment back to their units.

I remember a time on a Hospital ship where a photographer had a small studio and a rack of uniforms. If you wanted to send a nice photo home showing that you were still alive you would go see this person. The loaners they had were permanently fastened in front and cut up the back. This allowed the uniform to be put on over casts and bandages. A trick yes, but a way for a guy to send photo home without showing his wounds.

[Jock Scot]

I seem to remember my Grand Mother, who was a nurse on the Western front and back in England at various military hospitals during WW1 showing me pictures of some of the recovering casualties and they all had a very different uniform. Not at all like the "Battle Dress" of the time. I seem to recall that some of the pictures were in faded colour and the uniform was blue with a sort of white edging around the tunic, with trouser legs like normal trousers and not with puttees.

So yes, troops returning to the front after convalescence, must have had new uniforms handed out before leaving hospital and it stands to reason that Unit insignia, medal ribbons, badges of rank, etc., would not have been on individual tunics as they left the hospital.