More family history…

Greetings…

This piece of history considers family members of my Great Aunt (My Grandmothers sister)…

My Great Uncle by marriage Alexander MacLennan.

The son of a soldier he joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the 1890’s, with whom he served in India and the North West Frontier.

He then re-enlisted serving again in India and South Africa.

My Great Grandfather was also serving in the Argylls at this time… So maybe this is when the connection to my Great Aunt came about.

At the outbreak of WW1 he re-enlisted in the Argylls once more seeing service in France.

He had reached the rank of Company Sergeant Major and had a DCM by the time he lost his life during the battle of Amiens in 1918.

As far as I can work out his battalion would have been part of 32nd Division and fought as part of Curries Canadian Corps.

There is a lot more research to do into this, it would be interesting to find out more about his and my Great Grandfathers earlier foreign service.

I had pretty much decided to put this to bed for a while when I came across this through a search on the Imperial War Museum website…

It’s not very clear in the photo… The top of the grave has an inscription to Alexander MacLennan’s parents but towards the base there are these additional inscriptions…

It shows that Alexander’s brother was… by his rank… also a professional soldier but in the Cameron Highlanders…

It appears he lost his life during the fighting around Le Cateau in 1914.

I do not hold to the ill informed Lions lead by Donkeys, Horrors of the Trenches narrative of the war that is often bandied about…

But finding out that the deaths of two members of my extended family bookend WW1 goes to show how much of an affect any war can have on one family.

All the best.  Aly

A bit more family history…

Greetings…

A while back I posted about a souvenir book that my mother was given at the end of World War Two…

https://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2021/04/an-old-book-and-bit-of-family-history.html

When I said that my grandmother and mother had worked in the cafeteria/tearoom of Falkirk Ice Rink I had assumed that it was quite a small venue…

How wrong could I have been…

https://falkirklocalhistory.club/around-the-area/recreation/falkirk-ice-rink/the-second-world-war/

It would appear that it was quite a ‘hip’ place…

And the Polish troops were actually stationed very close to the venue…

The  Ice Rink closed in 1977 so sadly I won’t be able to make a visit next time I travel ‘up  north’

I have also found out that it was indeed  HQ 1st Polish Corp that was stationed in the area…

I shall continue digging into this… 

All the best.  Aly

An Old Book... and a bit of family history.

Greetings...

Over the weekend I decided to put the Great Library at Morrison Towers into some order...

While looking through... sorry tidying... the many books I came across this little volume...

So... A little bit of family history.

During the Second World War my grandmother worked or possibly managed the cafeteria/tearoom at the Falkirk ice rink... My mother would help out at times but mostly she would skate... She was an excellent skater who won a number of gold medals... 

She also got to know members of  the 1st Polish Armoured Division who were stationed in the area during the war... I believe they would have been part of the HQ 1st Polish Corps.

This book was given as a souvenir to my mother... I am guessing after the war.

Ena is of course my mother... sadly I don’t know anything about Roman.

Here are a few more pages from the book...

Here is a little bit more information on the 1st Polish Armoured Division and their stay in Scotland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Armoured_Division_(Poland)

https://liberationroute.com/belgium/stories/t/the-1st-polish-armored-division

http://polishscottishheritage.co.uk/?heritage_item=hero-amongst-us

https://www.polishforcesinbritain.info/Locations.htm#Loc_T3

http://www.mapascotland.org/story-of-the-map/milestones/

http://www.peebles-theroyalburgh.info/great-polish-map-of-scotland

I remember my mother saying that many of the lads who she new from the ice rink chose to stay in Scotland after the war but I don’t think she kept in touch...

I was hoping to have a bit of a paint-fest this weekend but as I was finishing tidying the books I managed to pull a muscle in my back...

Not picking up a massive volume on Napoleonic uniforms but an Osprey book on the Byzantine Armies 1118-1461... more of a 40 page pamphlet really... age... isn’t it wonderful.

Hopefully it will have eased off by tomorrow...

All the best.   Aly

A Bit More Family History...

 Greetings...

Way back in 2020 I posted about my Great Great Grandfather... Edward Bolton...

http://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-little-bit-of-family-history-my-great.html

Since then I have found out a little more about him...

Once more with the help of the lovely Trish we found him in the 1851 census in the town of Cumbernauld in Dunbartonshire... he is listed here as a coal miner... aged 18.

He may well have joined the army soon after this...

I get the feeling that most of my ancestors who joined the military did so because it was safer than working down a Mine or in a Foundry...

This is a photo of  ‘I’ Troop Royal Horse Artillery ... Edward Bolton’s Troop... 

My Great Great Grandfather could be one of the men in this image... I think I may have said Gosh! when I found this...

One of the first actions he could have been at was at the Bulganak River crossing on the 19th of September 1854...

He would have been one of these dashing figures on the right of the painting...

His next adventure would have been at the Battle of the Alma...

Edward would have been with the Light Brigade in the bottom left of this map...

In December 2019 I posted about my friend Aidan’s Great Great Great Grandfather William Stone who served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the Crimean War...

http://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-family-history-my-friend-aidans-great.html

We always wondered if they ever came close to each other...

Okay they didn’t shake hands... but... you know... there was a battle going on.

All well and good Edward would have carried on and been with his troop at Balaclava...

Edward would have been with his comrades in the North Valley near the 4th Redoubt...where he would have witnessed the Charge of the Light Brigade at much closer quarters that most of us would like to have been.

Well... This is all quite incredible...

When I started my interest in the Crimean War I never thought that I would find out that I would have had a family member who had been there...

I do hope we can find out more...

Many thanks again to Trish and Linda for their help with this.

All the best    Aly

A Little Bit of Family History... My Great Great Grandfather

Greetings...


Things are still a bit slow on the toy painting front so, I thought that I would share a little bit of my family history with you...


When I was visiting Edinburgh I found out a bit more about my family's military heritage...


I remember my Grandmother saying that she had been bounced on the knee of a Crimean War veteran...
As she was actually born in the Sergeants Quarters at Stirling Castle ,I have always assumed that she was referring to a member of The Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders...


Apparently not... She was talking about her Grandfather... My Great Great Grandfather...


Edward Bolton... Gunner Royal Horse Artillery.

I am hoping to find out a bit more about J Troop... It would be quite fun to try and recreate an action Edward Bolton took part in on the tabletop...


Many thanks to my friends and family (Trish and Linda) for finding this for me...


All the best   Aly

A Family History... My friend Aidans Great Great Great Grandfather

Greetings...


The other week my friend and colleague Aidan came over to me and said "Aly I have just found out something about my Great Great Great Grandfather... And you are going to love it"


He wasn't wrong...


Aidan has allowed me to post this article about his ancestor...
It makes fascinating reading...

Apart from being a wonderful snapshot of  Aidan's family history... It also shows how close we are to the past...


Aidan...
His Parents...
His Grandparents...
His Great Grandparents...
His Great Great Grandparents...
His Great Great Great Grandparents...


Five degrees of separation from the Crimean War... (And no Kevin Bacon).


This has encouraged me to look further into my families past... My Great Grandfather was in the Argyles at the turn of the 20th Century... If his Father or Grandfather served it the ranks... Who knows where that will lead...
It will be interesting to find out one way or another...


Many thanks to Aidan for letting me share this piece of his family history...


All the best   Aly