Medal Record Puzzle.....

[Jamboesque]

Hi Folks,

I wonder if anyone can help.

I've downloaded my Grandad's WW1 Medal Record from the NA site and it gives him being in the Cameron Highlanders then the Gordon Highlanders.
However on the actual Medals marked on the rim is the Camerons not the Gordons. The two medals in question are the British War Medal and the Victory medal both Campaign Medals that are the most common.

Any ideas as to why they should be for the Camerons and not the Gordons if that is who he finished his service with.

It also seems a bit strange that he should be recruited into the the Camerons when he was a Leith chap, I would have thought his natural home would have been the Royal Scots, again I'm open to suggestions as to how this could be......


Thanks in the prospect of solving a wee puzzle in the vast web that is my familial pattern

[Skywave]

Hope this helps

The Army is an organised institution, even though for an insider it does always appear to be so.

All Medals have a qualifying period it is probaly true to say that your grandfather qualified for the medal during his period of service with the Camerons, hence its appearing on the rim.

Your quite right his natural home would have been The Royal Scots, however it was not uncommon for Lowlanders to joint Highland Regiments through family ties; the call of the kilt; the need to fill badly decimated units; or meeting the recruiting Sgt from the Camerons.

[Jamboesque]

I'm not too sure about Regimental homelands but his father was from the the Forfar area, would that be the natural recruiting land for the cameron Highlanders?

I can't think of another reason he would have chose them.

[DavidWW]

The traditional recruiting area for the Queen's Own Camerons Highlanders (79th of Foot) was the centred on Inverness, but in WWI you didn't join a regiment, you joined the army, and, after the very early days didn't often have a choice of regiment or service.

Forfar is Black Watch "country".

David

[Jamboesque]

Thanks David & Skywave.............

I'll just need to dig deeper.........