Cameron Highlanders

This photograph may be of interest to anybody researching the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders in WW2. Although the photo was taken in February 1935 most, if not all, went on to serve in WW2. They all embarked for Palestine in November 1935 where they served until December 1936.
Below the group photograph are two lists one identifying the group my name and the second identifying those who died in WW2
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Hope it is of interest

Tony

 

Service Dress...Wonderful. Yet another reason to have an Inter-war section on the forum.

 

Teach the American.

Why is the sergeant and the private in the front wearing trousers? Any special reason or just what they happen to be wearing the day the photo was made?

 

I thought it was just marks on the print. Maybe they want to keep their boys protected from the elements.

I have a MP3 of a song about a Scotsman who is drunk one night (imagine that) and passes out on the ground. Two young ladies find him in his present predicatment and decide to see if it is true what Scotsmen don't wear beneath their kilts. Well, when they get through admiring his wares, they decide to tie a blue ribbon around his manhood. The next morning, he awakens and stumbles off to pee. When he lifts his kilt and sees the ribbon, he says, "Lad, I don't know where you been last night, but I see you won first prize."
I've had the MP3 for years, it still causes me to laugh.

 

Thought this one might be of additional interest; Sgt Murphy's last photograph, Shetlands 1942 with recruits all unnamed. I wonder how many of those came back home?
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Tony

 

Okay, time to teach the American again.

Why the variances in chapeaus?
Some are wearing tam o' shanters, some what we call an overseas or garrison cap and the Sgt looks like he has on a glengarry. I'm guessing he's wearing his because of his rank and/or position (such as US DIs wearing a garrison (Smokey Bear) hat). Then some are bearheaded. I'm guessing they were just out of uniform, provided the picture was made out of doors.

What are or were the rules in the British Army for the wearing of head gear in and out of doors?

 

I did say they were recruits and I doubt they even had time to know what to put on first and these photographers were there before you even had time to unpack your kit. I'll bet those uniforms were looking a lot better than that the next day.

 

Nice pictures, thanks for posting. I assume all were 2nd Camerons in first photo. The 2nd photo as you say shows recruits/ replacements, probably why they have various headgear, some of which are not Scottish headgear.

 

Do ya'll call the "envelope" cap? a garrison cap or use some other name?

Is the tam still being worn? or is it used mainly in ceremonial occasions?

I was reading that the glengarry during that period was worn tilted to the right but it is now worn more or less level. Is this correct?

 

Nice pictures, thanks for posting. I assume all were 2nd Camerons in first photo. The 2nd photo as you say shows recruits/ replacements, probably why they have various headgear, some of which are not Scottish headgear.

Yes they had travelled from Depot Regiment at Inverness and were allocated to B Company (Nile Squad), 2nd Battalion. They left Inverness on 15th February 1935 and this photo actually appears in The "79th News" in April 1935 so they had probably done a bit of 'Square Bashing' by then.

Tony

 

Jeff,
We called them forage caps. Not sure if that was official.
EDIT Official name was Feild Service Cap.

Tams?, the old Jocks always referred to them as 'Bonnets'.

If memory serves me correctly, US forces in WWI called them forage caps also. I guess I could ask the posters at a WWI forum for verification. By the time WWII rolled around the name had changed to garrison cap or overseas cap. There was also a disreputable appelation hung on them that referred to a female's private anatomy.

A bonnet here in the US is something babies wear or that women used to wear in the 1700-1800s.

I would prefer that if the US armed forces are determined to wear "foreign"* head gear, they would have chosen the glengarry over that, that ugly, mishapen mess called a beret. I really don't like the beret, it is so ugly.

A field service cap in the US is the "officer's cap", round top with a visor.

*that is how it was describe early on.

 

Hi, I'm new on here but im trying to trace details etc of my grandad who was in the cameron highlanders ive tried to look at the photos you had posted but it keeps telling me that its an invaled file, is there any chance you could repost them please as they may contain my grandad. All I no is that we think he lied about his age to join, he was in the final battle at dunkirk and few survived, he helped to bury them for 3 days. He then went to bermuda and then usa to play football for the war efforts, before coming back to the uk. any help or pics would be really helpfull or being pointed in the right direction thanks

 

If he survived Dunkirk, he was probably 1st Camerons though he could have been in 4th Camerons, most of the 4th battalion were captured at St Valery. After returning to UK, the surviving 1st Camerons were reformed in Yorkshire until going to India 1942.
4th Camerons were reformed in Inverness, July 1940. The new 4th battalion sailed for the west Indies and were stationed on Aruba and Bermuda, returning to UK February 1942.

 

Ritchies

Can't get to the photogaphs at the moment but if you tell me his surname I will tell you if he was in the early uniformed photos but that will only be if he was in the Camerons in the mid 1930's. If he was at Dunkirk he will not be in the later photograph, the recruits in the odd uniforms that was taken after Dunkirk.

Tony

 

Hi, I'm new on here but im trying to trace details etc of my grandad who was in the cameron highlanders ive tried to look at the photos you had posted but it keeps telling me that its an invaled file, is there any chance you could repost them please as they may contain my grandad. All I no is that we think he lied about his age to join, he was in the final battle at dunkirk and few survived, he helped to bury them for 3 days. He then went to bermuda and then usa to play football for the war efforts, before coming back to the uk. any help or pics would be really helpfull or being pointed in the right direction thanks

If you are unsure of his battalion it may be an idea to apply for a copy of his service records. Whats his name?