Tyneside Scottish piper uniform 1914-18

[OC Richard]

Going down the rabbithole a bit, looking over whatever photos and information I can find on the Great War battalions of the Tyneside Scottish.

From what I read (I'm no military history expert) four battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers were raised as part of "Kitchener's Army" in 1914 designated

20th (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (1st Tyneside Scottish)
21st (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (2nd Tyneside Scottish)
22nd (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (3rd Tyneside Scottish)
23rd (Service) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (4th Tyneside Scottish)

The request to be kilted battalions was refused, however each battalion was allowed a Pipes & Drums.

Here are five pipers showing that the sporran, crossbelt, waistbelt, and plaid brooch remained the same through the battalions but that at least three different tartans were used:

-Shepherd Check
-Campbell of Loudoun
-a bespoke tartan, now known as "Tyneside".

This last was Black Watch with these colour-changes:

Black > khaki drab, tan, or mid-brown
Blue > left blue, or changed to deep walnut brown
Green > left green but sometimes a lighter shade not unlike Sutherland.

From what I can find out the colours varied, perhaps from bolt to bolt.

Here the centre piper appears to be wearing the bespoke "Tyneside" tartan, while the piper 2nd from right appears to be wearing Campbell of Loudoun.

The others as you see are wearing Shepherds Check. Note that the hose-tops vary according to the tartan.

Also note that four of the five have tunics with a wide cutaway in front like officer's tunics, and that most of the tunics have musician's shells, which is unusual for the khaki drab Service Dress tunic.



The question is, which battalion's pipers wore which tartan, and when?

I've read that the "Tyneside" tartan was created in 1914.

I've also read that it was created in 1916, the pipers wearing either Shepherds Check or Campbell of Loudoun from 1914 until the new kilts and plaids (and hosetops) were issued.

One source stated

1st: Shepherds Check
2nd: Campbell of Loudoun
3rd: unknown
4th: Cambell of Loudoun.

In any case here's a Tyneside Scottish plaid brooch (1st battalion), Pipes & Drums (3rd battalion) apparently wearing the Tyneside tartan, a piper (unknown battalion) apparently wearing the Tyneside tartan, and an image I found online of that tartan.



Here's the Tyneside Scottish tartan image (which I cannot vouch for the accuracy of) compared to Black Watch (in "ancient colours" the better to see the sett)



This kilt certainly appears to be the Tyneside Scottish tartan. What's interesting is that it bears the full Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders kilt panel and rosettes.



Here's a photo Peter posted, said to be a Tyneside Scottish kilt. I don't know what to make of the areas which would be green- are they the same blue as the blue areas? Or a dark green?

[MacKenzie]

Interesting stuff.

[Patty Logan]

Here's the Tyneside Scottish tartan image (which I cannot vouch for the accuracy of) compared to Black Watch (in "ancient colours" the better to see the sett)

I dont know where I read it (hopefully it was on this forum) but it said that the Tyneside tartan was just a recreation of a Black Watch tartan kilt found in a bog after years of being submerged. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[figheadair]

I dont know where I read it (hopefully it was on this forum) but it said that the Tyneside tartan was just a recreation of a Black Watch tartan kilt found in a bog after years of being submerged. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe this is one of those modern tartan myths. To paraphrase Jerry Maguire Show me the kilt!

[OC Richard]

I dont know where I read it (hopefully it was on this forum) but it said that the Tyneside tartan was just a recreation of a Black Watch tartan kilt found in a bog after years of being submerged. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

That could be an unrelated story, or it could be a version of the DC Dalgliesh creation myth of their "reproduction colours" range of tartans they introduced in the late 1940s.




Thing is, it's impossible to know what the colours of such tartans would originally have been.

About the Tyneside tartan, a creation story says that they decided to use the Black Watch sett, but used dyed yarn already to hand: khaki drab, dark green, and dark blue.

I would imagine if a large stock of unused dyed yarn was sitting around in 1914 it would be scarlet! Because Full Dress (and its scarlet doublets and tunics) was suddenly abolished in that year.

About using khaki drab for military tartan, the same thing happened in Canada in WWI.

[Patty Logan]

I believe this is one of those modern tartan myths. To paraphrase Jerry Maguire Show me the kilt!

Thx Figheadair, I was trying to find a way to tag you in my message but I dont think tagging someone is possible on this forum.

[OC Richard]

I don't know where I read it but it said that the Tyneside tartan was just a recreation of a Black Watch tartan kilt found in a bog after years of being submerged.

About what being in a bog would do to Black Watch who can say, but this kilt does show what colour-changes can happen to a Black Watch based tartan above ground.

Indeed the black has turned pale khaki drab while the blue and the green have retained their colours.

(The tartan is MacKenzie Seaforth, which is Black Watch with the addition of white and red lines.)

[figheadair]

Here's a photo Peter posted, said to be a Tyneside Scottish kilt. I don't know what to make of the areas which would be green- are they the same blue as the blue areas? Or a dark green?

Richard,

Here's the same photo which I have played around with the hue and saturation. You can see that there is definitely blue and green.



Great picture of the piper wearing the Tyneside tartan BTW. I'd not seen that one before.

[OC Richard]

Thanks!!

So interesting that the "fading" produced a similar colour-scheme to the Tyneside tartan, with the blue and green remaining (mostly) the same but the black fading to khaki drab.

Coincidence?

[figheadair]

Thanks!!

So interesting that the "fading" produced a similar colour-scheme to the Tyneside tartan, with the blue and green remaining (mostly) the same but the black fading to khaki drab.

Coincidence?

I've not had an opportunity to examine a Tyneside kilt but have looked at Black Watch, Seaforth, and Cameron ones of the same period. They tend to keep the black (or much less faded) in the pleats and on the inside apron whereas I would expect the tartan of a Tyneside kilt to be uniform inside and out, albeit possibly with some fading on the outer apron.