Kilted regiment identification advice.

**saxandpipes** · 17th September 12, 01:52 AM

I'm looking for some advice... I've recently come across some family photos. These are 2 of my great grand uncles.

Can anyone identify the uniforms?

Thanks for the help!

Cheers,

Michael

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 17th September 12, 04:10 AM

The tartan in the first photo is Black Watch, and in the second I believe to be Royal Stewart. I also recognize in the second photo the St. Andrew emblem of the Black Watch (42nd) regiment.

**madmacs** · 17th September 12, 04:15 AM

Isnt royal stewart worn by the pipes and drums of the black watch?

**haukehaien** · 17th September 12, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by madmacs

Isnt royal stewart worn by the pipes and drums of the black watch?

Yes it is. Looks like both in the 42nd, then?

**figheadair** · 17th September 12, 10:40 AM

*** Matt. 42nd Regt it is.

**James Hood** · 17th September 12, 10:48 AM

The 42nd Black Watch ceased being a numbered regiment in 1881 with the Childers Reforms.

Amalgamated with the 73rd, they became "The Royal Highland Regiment (The Black Watch)."

**chewse** · 17th September 12, 10:53 AM

In the second photo, I can see the Black Watch badge. What is the other badge of the sash and on the kilt buckle?

**haukehaien** · 17th September 12, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by chewse

In the second photo, I can see the Black Watch badge. What is the other badge of the sash and on the kilt buckle?

St. Andrew. The Regiment Formerly (until the Childers Reforms of 1881) Known As The 42nd wear a St. Andrew badge.

**Woodsheal** · 17th September 12, 12:16 PM

Great pics! Check out the flashes running right down the front of the shins in Pic #1, and pretty close to that in #2...

**OC Richard** · 18th September 12, 07:29 PM

Well the top photo looks BW, the dark (red?) hackle worn without cap badge. About the flashes, in some regiments the leading edge of the flashes are worn in line with the imagined centre line of the leg.

But the bottom photo, not so much! Yes the kilt/plaid are Royal Stuart, and the crossbelt is indeed a Black Watch pipers' crossbelt complete with both badges (the upper badge is like the BW cap badge, the lower badge is nearly identical to the cap badge of The Cameron Highlanders. The BW has been wearing both these badges on their crossbelts since at least 1900.) The crossbelt looks a bit odd because the keeper/slide has slid all the way down and is touching the tip, but that's a genuine BW crossbelt sure enough.

But! The spats, sporran, and brooch are def NOT Black Watch and the sporran and brooch appear to be ordinary civilian items.

The waistbelt buckle is an interesting thing... it's got, once again, that badge which is nearly identical to the cap badge of The Cameron Highlanders. The Camerons have used waistbelt buckles like that from time to time, but not their pipers. The BW is hard to pin down, because the BW pipers have used various styles of waistbelt buckles over the years.

Going out on a limb here, but those spats look unusually tall which would indicate Gordon Highlanders... if I could see the buttons we could know for sure. (The spats of The Gordon Highlanders had black buttons.) The spats of the BW of course have squared-off toes, unique to the BW.

Here's a photo of some pipers of the BW. You can see the distinctive crossbelt, but also how the BW sporrans and brooches are utterly different.

Here's an old album cover showing all these things, plus the unique square-toed spats of The Black Watch

BTW yes technically the 42nd Foot ceased to exist in 1881, and was replaced by The Black Watch, but note the number 42 on the waistbelt buckles of the BW pipers above...