Tartans of Canada's Highland Regiments

[Lallans]

The name Currie alone is magic in Canada, or used to be when any of that generation were alive. Good old Project Gutenberg.

[macwilkin]

Here's the book I was talking about, The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Red Watch, by Colonel J.A. Currie, M.P.

There appears to be pictures of some sort too... I came across it while looking for information on the khaki tartan, but it didn't have anything to do with that.

Any opinions?

Well done, Ted!

T.

[Bugbear]

Well done, Ted!

T.

Look in chapter I, there is a fascinating description of the red check and the pleating. I haven't looked over the whole document yet.

PG HTML books have improved a great deal, and I need to update my collection. I love that they have left in the original copyright information.

[Mike_Oettle]

Some fascinating information there. Many thanks to all who contributed (Todd in particular).

And my commiserations, Terry, on your nephew’s near-tragedy. Glad to know he is safe and sound.
And good luck with your training for a new career. Does the term technician indicate that you will be servicing X-ray machines?

I wonder whether the US 6th Army acquired a pipe band through General Mark Clark’s association with pipe bands during the Second World War.
I have mentioned in a post somewhere on XMTS that the South African 6th Division was transferred from the British 8th Army to the US 5th, under Mark Clark, shortly before the liberation of Rome.
Included in the 6th Div was a kilted unit, the First City/Cape Town Highlanders. The fighting men of this battalion were in ordinary uniform for the Italian campaign (khaki shorts in summer, battledress in winter) but it did have a pipe band attached (likely to have been made up entirely of Cape Town Highlanders in Gordon tartan). When off duty, the fighting men wore tammies (the CTH officers had blue glengarries diced in red and white, the FC officers khaki balmorals), but in the line they wore tin hats.
A tank regiment, Prince Alfred’s Guard, was also part of 6th Div. It has a pipe band nowadays (and it has armoured cars, not tanks), but I couldn’t tell you whether it had pipers in the 1940s.
There was also a (British) Guards brigade (will have to look up which one) with the 6th Div at one point. I cannot recall whether the Scots Guards were part of it, but it would also have had its pipe band in tow.

And in closing, I was aware of the Maple Leaf tartan, but was not aware of its military status. The Scottish Register of Tartans calls it a district tartan, and classifies Maple Leaf Dress also as district.
Maple Leaf Blue is noted as having been adapted for “Ontario School”, but the chaps in Edinburgh aren’t sure whether this was for a school of that name, or simply a school in Ontario.
Regards,
Mike

[macwilkin]

Mike,

I have no proof of it, but your theory certainly stands to reason. The US Marines stationed in Northern Ireland and Iceland brought back a number of traditions associated with the British Army; in the case of the former, a Marine Pipe Band was formed in 1942-43 (although no Highland kit) and in the latter, the Marines brought the traditions and customs of "Mess Night", which has become the American "dining in". The 1st Fleet Marine Force had quite a few exchanges with the Tyneside Scottish and other British units stationed in Iceland, and even adopted the "Polar Bear" formation sign the 49th Infantry Division. My great-uncle Robert served as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines in Iceland, btw.

My own grandfather gained a love of piping and the military music of the British Army due to his experiences in India with the US Army Air Force during the Second World War. Whenever a Scottish regimental band was touring in the US, and they happened to have Phoenix/Sun City as a venue, he and my grandmother would always go (and send me a tape and program) -- he loved the Black Watch, and said their '89-90 tour was one of the best he had seen. I daresay that many "GI Joes" were exposed to piping in the way my grandfather was.

T.

Some fascinating information there. Many thanks to all who contributed (Todd in particular).

And my commiserations, Terry, on your nephew’s near-tragedy. Glad to know he is safe and sound.
And good luck with your training for a new career. Does the term technician indicate that you will be servicing X-ray machines?

I wonder whether the US 6th Army acquired a pipe band through General Mark Clark’s association with pipe bands during the Second World War.
I have mentioned in a post somewhere on XMTS that the South African 6th Division was transferred from the British 8th Army to the US 5th, under Mark Clark, shortly before the liberation of Rome.
Included in the 6th Div was a kilted unit, the First City/Cape Town Highlanders. The fighting men of this battalion were in ordinary uniform for the Italian campaign (khaki shorts in summer, battledress in winter) but it did have a pipe band attached (likely to have been made up entirely of Cape Town Highlanders in Gordon tartan). When off duty, the fighting men wore tammies (the CTH officers had blue glengarries diced in red and white, the FC officers khaki balmorals), but in the line they wore tin hats.
A tank regiment, Prince Alfred’s Guard, was also part of 6th Div. It has a pipe band nowadays (and it has armoured cars, not tanks), but I couldn’t tell you whether it had pipers in the 1940s.
There was also a (British) Guards brigade (will have to look up which one) with the 6th Div at one point. I cannot recall whether the Scots Guards were part of it, but it would also have had its pipe band in tow.

And in closing, I was aware of the Maple Leaf tartan, but was not aware of its military status. The Scottish Register of Tartans calls it a district tartan, and classifies Maple Leaf Dress also as district.
Maple Leaf Blue is noted as having been adapted for “Ontario School”, but the chaps in Edinburgh aren’t sure whether this was for a school of that name, or simply a school in Ontario.
Regards,
Mike

[BoldHighlander]

Just a quick note before I head out for my CAT Scan:

And my commiserations, Terry, on your nephew’s near-tragedy. Glad to know he is safe and sound.

Thanks Mike

And good luck with your training for a new career. Does the term technician indicate that you will be servicing X-ray machines?

I don't know about servicing said machines (perhaps troubleshoot?) as much as I'd be training to be the one operating them if you needed an x-ray

[orangehaggis]

What great photos! The picture you have under Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment appears to show either the Argylls or Calgary Highlrs - definitely NOT the EK Scots. I tried to search for some pictures on the web but to no avail. When I get home from work tonight, I'll post some photos of the EK Scots that I have saved from the web.

Mark - Ohio

[BoldHighlander]

What great photos! The picture you have under Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment appears to show either the Argylls or Calgary Highlrs - definitely NOT the EK Scots. I tried to search for some pictures on the web but to no avail. When I get home from work tonight, I'll post some photos of the EK Scots that I have saved from the web.

Mark - Ohio

Thanks for the correction Mark. I went by the original source for the photo in question (I can't seem to locate the source by the way).

I'll correct it later, including some photos I found of the EK Scots (different from the ones you included).

Thanks again for bringing it to my attention!

[BoldHighlander]

Okay, I corrected the original posting of the Essex & Kent Scottish earlier in this thread.

Below are some more photos from 2009:







The Essex & Kent Scottish being reviewed by HRH Prince Michael of Kent (Colonel-in-Chief of the Essex & Kent Scottish).

[macwilkin]

Some nice photos of the "Eeks & Squeeks" there, Terry!

For those who may be unaware, HRH Prince Michael of Kent is a nephew of the Martyred Tsar Nicholas II.

T.