kids in Highland military uniforms

[Roderick Powell]

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.

Thank you for your welcome , Tarheel ,and my late response.

I never heard of the idea of fostering children to learn a trade . Perhaps this was the origin of "Keeping the trade in the Family"

My record shows that children of 10 or 12 years of left school in the 1920's or1930's to work with their parents on the fishing ,on the farms ,or on the Land,
to supliment the Family Income.

The Early photos of the thread go back to the birth of photography in the mid 1800' s with William Henry Fox- Talbot . See Lacock Abbey Photo Museum and the Frenchman.... Niepse.

The earliest record of boy soldier so far is Major General Joseph Brome 1741/ 1751 age 8 years old.

If we consider my historical dates which may not be correct we get a perspective regarding this thread.

1715 first Jacobite rebellion

1725 founding of the Black Watch

1745 Second Jacobite Rebellion

By considering these dates together with the first reference to boy soldiers in 1741/1745 we find Boy Soldiers is not a new Idea

There are probably early Archive Records showing paintings of boy soldiers. One of the issues which complicates this thread is that Shirley Temple was certainly not a Boy soldier and I think it was O C Richard's second photo showed a boy in military uniform with a Dirk longer than his Kilt.
The correct length of a dirk was shown in another photo. However the boys swagger stick was smaller than his fathers stick.
Roderick Powell 31.10. 2015