The Volunteer Battalions of the Gordon Highlanders 1860 - 1908

These are a set of antique plates which were obtained in an antique map and print shop on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, in the summer of 2006. I believe it was the Carson Clark Gallery. They were originally illustrations in a book titled; Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859 - 1908, Lt. Gen. Sir James Moncrieff Grierson, KCB, CVO, CMG,ADC (both artist and author), McLagan & Cumming, Edinburgh, 1908, which provides a history of the Volunteer Battalions of the Gordon Highlanders, 75th and 92nd Regiments of Foot (amalgamated as the 92nd Gordon Highlanders in 1881), as well as volunteer battalions of all other Scottish regiments of the British Army during the Victorian Era.

Lt. Gen. James Moncrieff Grierson,
 KCB, CVO, CMG, ADC

 Another book on this same subject is;  The History of the Aberdeen Volunteers, Donald Sinclair, Aberdeen, 1907. The interested reader can find the full text of this book at; http://www.archive.org/stream/historyaberdeen00sincgoog/historyaberdeen00sincgoog_djvu.txt. McLagan & Cumming, Edinburgh, is both acknowledged and recognized with gratitude. Limited and brief research indicates that the publisher was still active in 1948, listed as Mclagan & Cumming Ltd., Printers. For further information on the Volunteer Battalions the reader is referred to;

http://www.scottishmilitaryresearch.org.uk/page22.htm 

http://gordonhighlanders.carolynmorrisey.com/Volunteers.htm.
http://gordonhighlanders.carolynmorrisey.com/BoerWar.htm.
http://gordonhighlanders.carolynmorrisey.com/Volunteers-2.htm.

Being of Scottish ancestry, and as well a Gordon, what is truly a surprise is the uniformity in not wearing the kilt in the majority of the battalions. Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are the heart of Northeast Scotland, truly close to the Highlands. Another point of interest is the relatively austere (read frugal) nature of the uniforms, particularly when compared with the resplendent  uniforms of the Yeomanry regiments of the same time frame. Attribute this to rank and file drawn predominately from the trades and farming community versus the landed gentry. See; http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2012/10/yeomanry-regiments-of-british-army.html. Although significantly preceding the span of history described in this blog page, the following insightful and colorful excerpt from The History of the Aberdeen Volunteers tends to reinforce this conclusion;

The activity of Aberdeen in preparing for defence against invasion (possible invasion by France) at this period undoubtedly attracted more than local attention. The "Gentleman's Magazine" of

November 1769 contains the following : —

"ABERDEEN COURAGE.

Was e'er such martial courage seen.

As now appears in Aberdeen !

For, from the honourable Mayor

To Johnny Barker, scavenger.

Men both of high and humble station,

Who in the town have habitation

Conglobe, like bees, in numerous swarms.

To learn the exercise of Arms.

Early Volunteering in Aberdeen.  

See the mechanics bold as troopers —

Wrights, bakers^ blacksmiths, barrel-hoopers ;

See Crispin's sons throw down their awls,

And cobbling Jobsons leave their stalls ;

See masons, carpenters, and brick-layers

Lay down their squares and perpendiculars ;

See butchers drop the ax and knife —

Two engines formed to hew down life;

See tailors leave their panic fears

At home, with needles, goose, and shears ;

See fiddlers, too, and common pipers

(Tho* generation called of vipers).

Quit fiddle bag and grumbling drone,

And put the death ful armour on.

And numbers more together draw

Of porters, scurs, et cetera;

All well equipped from neck to heel

With fortitude and glittering steel.

By war-worn invalid's direction,

The've now attained to great perfection.

Which fills the minds of all with wonder,

Who hear their military thunder.

Which from the crowd the tribut draws,

Of acclamations and huzzas.

Tis hoped they'll make a bold resistance,

And cause Monsieur to keep his distance,

Should he attempt to land his host

Upon the Aberdonian coast."

Please double click on any of the images to enlarge them.

The first two songs in the video are traditional favorites in Scotland and with Scots throughout the world. They will also forever be associated with the Gordon Highlanders. The first song is titled; "The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen", and the second, "A Gordon for Me".

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS OF OLD ABERDEEN

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Mean home sweet home to me

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Are what I long to see

I’ve been a wanderer all of my life

Any many a sight I've seen

God speed the day when l' m on my way

To my home in Aberdeen

When I was a lad, a tiny wee lad

My mother said to me

Come see the Northern Lights my boy

They' re bright as they can be

She called them the heavenly dancers

Merry dancers in the sky

I'll never forget, that wonderful sight

They made the heavens bright

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Mean home sweet home to me

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Are what I long to see

I’ve been a wanderer all of my life

Any many a sight I've seen

God speed the day when l' m on my way

To my home in Aberdeen

I've wandered in many far-off lands

And travelled many a mile

I've missed the folk I cherished most

The joy of a friendly smile

It warms up the heart of a wand'rer

The clasp of a welcoming hand

To greet me when, I return

Home to my native land

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Mean home sweet home to me

The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen

Are what I long to see

I’ve been a wanderer all of my life

Any many a sight I've seen

God speed the day when l' m on my way

To my home in Aberdeen

A GORDON FOR ME

I'm Georgie McKay of the HLI,

I'm fond o' the lassies and a drappie forbye

One day when out walking I chanced to see,

A bonnie wee lass wi' a glint in her ee'.

Says I tae the lassie will you walk for a while,

I'll buy ye a bonnet and we'll do it in style,

My kilt is McKenzie o' the HLI,

She looked at me shyly and said wi' a sigh:

Chorus:

A Gordon for me, a Gordon for me,

If you're no' a Gordon, you're nae use to me,

The Black Watch are braw, the Seaforths an' a',

But the cocky wee Gordon's the pride o' them a'.

I courted that lass on the banks of the Dee,

I made up my mind she was fashioned for me,

Soon I was a-thinking how nice it would be

If she would consent to get married to me.

The day we were wed, the grass was sae green,

The sun was as bright as the light in her 'een,

Now we've twa bonny lassies who sit on her knee

While she sings the song that she once sang to me:

Chorus:

A Gordon for me, a Gordon for me,

If you're no' a Gordon, you're nae use to me,

The Black Watch are braw, the Seaforths an' a',

But the cocky wee Gordon's the pride o' them a'.