Uniform I.D.

[petenz]

Hi, 

Can anyone identify the uniform in the picture? I know it's a big ask given that the photo is monochrome and the tartan is indistinct, but I wondered if there were any other identifiers that would point to a regiment. Even narrowing things down to a few options might help the original enquirer who is the granddaughter of the man in the photo.

Thanks in advance,

Pete 

[Rootes75]

Shape of the cap badge would narrow it down.

[Rootes75]

And judging by what shape I can make out I'd suggest either Royal Scots or Scots Guards.

[07BE16]

You can try approaching this from the other direction. If you know the persons details you can get their service record which will record units locations etc. https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

This has given a very full set of information for my great uncle in the first world war and my great great etc grandfather who joined the 6th Dragoon Guards in 1819

Hope this helps

[10FM68]

That's a tricky one.  His sporran is white with three long black tassels.  3 tassels suggests Territorial Force or a volunteer unit, not regular.  His glengarry has a diced band and his tartan is indistinct (yellow rarely shows up on old photos - so appears black as does red!

He's not Scots Guards, certainly as the only Scots Guards who wore kilts were pipers and they wore Royal Stewart tartan which is easy to identify.  The tartan isn't 42nd, or 'government', so he's not Black Watch or a volunteer unit affiliated to them. 

I think he is from a volunteer battalion of the Highland Light Infantry.  But... he has a diced band on the glengarry which, I believe, was worn only by pipers, but his cantle is rather plain for a piper I would have thought.  Anyway, try 9th Bn Highland Ligh0t Infantry for starters, or something similar.

I should also add that, of course, he is wearing 'birds' nests at the top of his arms, suggesting he's a musician, but, lacking a piper's dirk - I think he's probably a drummer (and, were he a piper, he would undoubtedly have posed with his pipes).

Edited April 2, 2023 by 10FM68
Updating

[petenz]

OK. A little more information has emerged. I should perhaps say the original enquiry came from a local village history forum. The man in the photo is Joseph Thomas Collett. Another contributor to the village forum has uncovered the following information which appears in the attachment to this post and the name and place of birth certainly tally. So my question now is, did the East Yorkshire Regiment ever have a pipe band of which the man might perhaps have been a drummer?