kids in Highland military uniforms

[OC Richard]

I was watching Wee Willie Winkie the other day, one of the classic "kilt movies"!

It was cool how they made a miniature Black Watch uniform for Shirley Temple:



(Looks like they used a collar badge for her sporran badge.)

It's not just a Hollywood thing: there are vintage images showing the same thing, children kitted out in regimental uniform.

Here's the same regiment, The Black Watch, c1900.



And this

[The Q]

It would be interesting to know why they are in uniform, At the time boy soldiers were taken on from the age of 15, the last picture looks too young for that but the middle a maybe. Although we also know that recruitment ages were somewhat "flexible" from long before WW1 to and through it, although boy soldiers were not meant to got to war.
3/4s of boy soldiers trained as Musicians, but post WW1 proper trade training became available in other trades, as there was a shortage of skilled trades.

[Roderick Powell]

Perhaps this was a dress like Daddy craze rather than Boy Soldiers at Fourteen.The uniforms look smart and immaculate.
I have seen farmer's sons in fitting Daddy's tractor logo coveralls. Sons wear kilts and Argyll jackets matching their Father in his traditional kilt and day jacket.
I may be missing the point but the the Victorians were into this sort of thing.Only the well off could afforf studio matching photos of Father and Son.Daughter may have had a male kilt uniform to match her brother. Check the photos for studio screen backdrops. Please remember I am UK based. Roderick Powell

[Tarheel]

Two points I can agree upon with this subject are the, "Daddy's boy" and dress just like the father's profession and the idea of apprenticeship or even fostering of children to relatives to learn a trade. One would wear the costume of the work regardless the age.
But, our new member Roderick has a clue which might be the case with promotional backgrounds in photos.

By the way, welcome Mr. Powell if I neglected your introduction before now.

[The Q]

Two points I can agree upon with this subject are the, "Daddy's boy" and dress just like the father's profession and the idea of apprenticeship or even fostering of children to relatives to learn a trade. One would wear the costume of the work regardless the age.
But, our new member Roderick has a clue which might be the case with promotional backgrounds in photos.

By the way, welcome Mr. Powell if I neglected your introduction before now.

I too agree this is a possibility, the local family Land Rover garage that do the major work on my 110, Is father and two sons, and grand son who must be five or six all wearing matching green overalls with the family business name embroidered landrover style on them.
I've just realised that the last photo says, Royal Naval and Military tournament. So I suggest the boy is probably from a military cadet unit band.

[blackwatch70]

some more pictures:

92nd Gordon Highlanders drummer boy, 1866



Seaforth Highlanders Drummer boy, WWI



93rd Sutherland Highlanders bandboys, 1856

[Michael Weatherhead]

When I was young, I lived in Scotland, for two years. I remember seeing members of the Boys Brigade, marching in uniform, during parades. They even carried phony rifles, on their shoulder. I wonder if in the past, they wore the tartan, from their respective areas/districts.....

[The Q]

This intrigued me, as a former member of the Boys Brigade (In England 1968-71) I had never heard of rifles being carried, but sure enough there old Pathe Films, of boys carrying rifles and also there are references to an American company making non firing rifles specifically for the Boys Brigade.
Today The Boys Brigade Pipe bands wear the kilt and kilts may be worn by others at their COs permission and there are notes around that indicate kilts were worn by some, pre WW2.
There is a Boys Brigade tartan https://www.scotweb.co.uk/tartan/Boys-Brigade-/54378
Of course many famous people such as Baden-Powell were members of the Boys Brigade, one wonders how much of the Boys Brigade influenced His starting of The Scouts.

[Roderick Powell]

One of my Scottish friends was in the Boys Brigade in Scotland. He was issued with a Kilt to play in the band. He stated that as
he was small the Kilt was rather long.
As far as I can remember ,he stated that the Boys Brigade was initially formed in Scotland. I have no evidence to clarify
if this statement was correct.
Under Google " Photos of Schoolboys Boys in Kilts" there are photos of Scottish Schoolboys wearing their own Kilts as part of
the School Combined Cadet Force military uniform in the 1950's.
By gaining Certificate A in the School C.C.F. boys could avoid six weeks basic training during National Service call up at the age of eighteen in
in the U.K.
Boys born in 1940 were the first to avoid call up when National Service was abolished
In some Scottish Schools The Boys Had the option of wearing their own Kilts instead of Shorts as part of their school uniform.
The source of my information indicates that the Kilt wearing schoolboys were often in a minority in their respective schools.
The Kilts were worn in the Family Tartan, Rather than a School Uniform Tartan.
Roderick......28.10.2015

[The Q]

One of my Scottish friends was in the Boys Brigade in Scotland. He was issued with a Kilt to play in the band. He stated that as
he was small the Kilt was rather long.
As far as I can remember ,he stated that the Boys Brigade was initially formed in Scotland. I have no evidence to clarify
if this statement was correct.
.
Roderick......28.10.2015

The Boys' Brigade was founded in Glasgow by Sir William Alexander Smith on 4 October 1883, He himself was born Near Thurso.
The objective of the Boys Brigade Being "The advancement of Christ's kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Character". (At one time I'd have been able to quote that directly but I had to go BB sites to remind myself of the wording!)

One of the reasons for the greater success round the world of the Scouts is it's not being attached to any religion.

As a former member of both, I liked them both. I only left when my family was posted to the outer Hebrides!