1st Bn Glasgow Highlanders veterans & descendants.

Hi,
Am looking to get together contact with veterans and descendants of the 1st Bn Glasgow Highlanders re: WW2 and the battle in NW Europe across to Germany.
There is no real definative account of the action they went through, only in second hand accounts from other sources.
I want to get as many personal snippets together from whatever source we can find. Even a small tale from an old soldier himself, as my Dad has mentioned only a couple of times in my life.
Then maybe we can put a jigsaw together for a real story to be written as a record of the 1st Bn. Glasgow Highlanders in WW2 into a book and understand what they really went through.
So if you can help with anything at all, I would be most grateful and feed any other info back to you.
Cheers...Nick

P.S. Already have the War Diaries, so any thing, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant would be most helpful.

 

Sounds like a great project and best of luck with it.

Lee

 

Hi Nick,

My great uncle Alexander Gilmour seems to have served with the 1st Bn. At least his wife's death entry in 1939 listed him as a Private. His wife Roseann Devine died in Blairgowrie at this mothers house but their usual residence was listed as Stirrat Street, Glasgow. I'm in the process of obtaining his death certificate so I can apply for his service record. I also know his date of birth/death so I'm hopeful something can be found. I'll post as soon as it all comes together. How is you're own research coming along?

 

Hi

Looking to see if anyone can help - looking for info on the 1st Glasgow Highlanders immediately after the war - where they were stationed and what duties they were doing before coming back to the UK and merging with the 2nd battalion

Just had an email from a relative of the battalion who is trying to find out something about his dad's after war service - so between 1945 till late 1946

Any help would be great

Dinger

Nickleby - I PM'd you saying that I had a short history of 1 and 2 GH drop me a line and I'll get them to you

 

Hi,

Still trying to figure out if my Great Uncle Bill Gilmour served with the H.L.I. or Blackwatch.

Zooming in on the shoulder I'm sure I can read "142". Would this number make any sense to either battalion?

I've discovered the photo is definitely pre 1935 and was taken at Blairgowrie. Family connections spanned both Perthshire and Lanarkshire though.

Many thanks - Maria

 

Dear Nickelby,

I would recommended you look through the 52nd (Lowland) Division History 1939-46, Mountain and Flood by George Blake which was published in 1950.

As you will know, they served along with 5th and 6th Battalions HLI in 157 Infantry Brigade.

Joe Brown.

 

Hi,

My father J. M. Gordon Hendry was an officer cadet during his time at Glasgow High School and joined the Territorial Army in 1938 being commissioned into the Glasgow Highlanders.

He was with the battalion during its brief sortie into France in 1940 before returning to the UK to train in anticipation of the time when they could return to Europe. Much of their time thereafter was spent in the Cairngorms engaged in Mountain Warfare training in preparation for an invasion of Norway. Eventually, and somewhat ironically after the mountain warfare training, the battalion eventually returned to action in the flat lands of Flanders and as part of the force involved in the Walcheren landings. His war diaries record this inexorable push up into Germany, the final defeat of Germany, and the battalion's role as part of the army of occupation.

I have transcribed his War Diaries and made them available on the web at 1st Battalion Glasgow Highlanders War Diaries of Major J M G Hendry and Battalon History 1939-1945, along with a history of the 1st Btn Glasgow Highlanders H.L.I. 1939 - 1945 - written by himself and his great friend Lt. Col. Leonard Dickson. I assume there was an intention to get this printed, but as far as I am aware this never happened.

All the best,

 

Hi Hendog, thanks for posting. Looks like I have a busy weekend ahead reading these diaries.

 

OK, so I couldn't wait until the weekend! Just read Chapter III and the reference to New Market. I cannot wait to get my hands on my Great Uncles service record now as my Dad would have been at Newmarket at that time serving his jockey apprenticeship. How odd to think that they may well have met up during this time.

 

I've been going through the British News Paper Archives and have found a few snippets of information on the Glasgow Highlanders. As the files themselves are quite large I won't be uploading to site, but I have put together an Excel spreadsheet listing name, rank etc and what the article is about.

If anybody would like a particular article please drop me a private message and I can email to you.

 

My Great Uncle Alexander's record arrived by post yesterday (not bad, 7 months wait). Haven't had time to scan it yet. Done a little summary in Word doc. As I suspected he was a little old for overseas service with the Glasgow Highlanders but it has given an insight into his WW1 history as well.
Looks like he was stationed at Yorkhill Special School during WW2.

 

Decided to go back over my g. uncle Alexander's WW2 record and his TA service in Glasgow. I would like to order the War Diaries but I am a bit confused.

His sign up papers 1/9/39 place him with the 9th HLI but can't see a diary specific to the 9th. His wife's death certificate a month later says he was a private with the 1st HLI. I don't know whether to order WO 166/4288 or WO 167/754?

When he was discharged 11/4/41 he was with C Coy of the 12th HLI. Would this be covered in diary WO 166/4342? There is a diary for the 12th, but from April 1941 onwards (when he was discharged).

I realise he never saw overseas service but it would be interesting to me to discover how the TA spent there time in Glasgow and did they help out at the Clydeside bombings and other incidents. Many thanks for any help. Maria

 

Maria,

Might be best to post scans of his service record if you can.
If he was with 1 HLI and didn't have any overseas service then WO 166/4288 is the diary you need.

Lee

 

Hi Lee,

Files attached showing Alexander signing up 1st Sep 39 to the 9th HLI. His wife's death entry on the 5th Oct 39 states he is in the 1st Bn and then finally his discharge in April 1941 states he's with the 12th HLI. Def. no overseas service. He ended his WW1 career in the Labour Batt. probably unfit for front line service and too old to serve overseas by WW2 having been born in 1891.

Thanks for taking a look. Cheers - Maria

 

Interesting Maria, the service record seems to show he stayed with 12 HLI. But as you say on the death record it clearly says he's with 1 HLI.
As there's no 12 HLI war diary for this period, I understand they were a training battalion and later redesignated 30 HLI, only option is to see if the 1 HLI diary has any clues.
The Field Returns perhaps might mention him being away from the battalion for instance.

Lee

 

Hi
My father served in the 1st Bn Glasgow Highlanders from 15/1/42 to 1/1/47. He entered Europe in '44 with the 52nd Lowland Division and ended the war in Germany. I don't have any details of his movements unfortunately but recall him mentioning Walcheren and I believe they were involved in a supporting move during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war they were sent to Egypt and Palestine where he served as a sergeant in the anti-tank platoon until his demob. I will attempt to upload a few of the pics I have.
Robert

 

Hi - I know this was posted way back - The death certificate has him serving with 1st Glasgow Highlanders of the HLI - the Glasgow Highlanders raised 2 Battalions during WW2 - they were part of the HLI as the 9th HLI - wore 1a tartan (Black Watch) compared with the rest of the HLI who wore McKenzie 5A tartan - hope it helps