1915 transcontinental kilted hikers

[OC Richard]

This very interesting post card came up on Ebay:



It's dated 1915 on the reverse.

Anybody know about these men? Their kit, aside from the oversized tartan jackets, has the appearance of a military uniform. Can anyone identify which regiment in Nova Scotia this uniform might be?

[macwilkin]

Don't quote me on it, but the sporran badge almost looks like the maple leaf badge of the 85th Battalion, CEF -- the Nova Scotia Highlanders:

http://www.glengarryhats.com/images/...5th_silver.jpg

T.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

What were two soldiers doing hiking around the USA and Canada when the rest of the Army was off fighting the Hun?

[Rex_Tremende]

Does anyone know if they completed the trip?

[Tobus]

What were two soldiers doing hiking around the USA and Canada when the rest of the Army was off fighting the Hun?

They seem awful young to be shipped off to war. I wonder if perhaps these were uniforms of the Canadian Army Cadet Corps or something similar? That program was for boys 12 to 18 years of age. It might explain the uniforms as well as their age and the reason they're not off fighting the war.

[macwilkin]

What were two soldiers doing hiking around the USA and Canada when the rest of the Army was off fighting the Hun?

Just speculation on my part, but if they are squaddies, or even cadets, perhaps it's a "good-will tour" type of thing to raise support for the allied war effort in the United States, which was officially neutral at the time. Sir Harry Lauder did a similar tour in the US during the First World War after his son John was killed with the Argylls in 1916.

Again, just speculation.

T.

[OC Richard]

Wow what a good eye, Cajun! That does look like the same badge.

Now I need to do a bit of Googling.

Ok here we are, a WWI uniform of the 85th Battalion CEF, in the Highlander Museum, Sydney, Cape Breton:



It's the one in the centre as you can see. The arrangement of tassels is quite distinctive.