The Liverpool Scottish

Sgt. Lindsay McIlhagga

Like many other people, among my prized possessions, relating to my own Family History, are the medals which my father Lindsay received after his service in the First World War. I have downloaded his medal details from the British National Archives website. I also have a good number of photographs, mostly of him in the kilt of the King's Liverpool Regiment, with the stripes of a Sergeant on his arm. He was a specialist in Signalling and I have his Certificate which tells me he was transferred to the Army Reserve after the War.

Another Internet site called The Long, Long Trail is the story of the British Army in the Great War and it details where his Regiment went and what it did from 1914 to 1918. My father's Battalion landed at Le Havre on 2nd November 1914 and I have an image of a water colour painting of the SS. Maiden, the ship that took the men from Southampton to France. An account of that journey is on the Internet. It was fairly recently that I had the moving experience of driving past the battlefields in northern France where my father saw much of the war years. He was one of the 'lucky ones'. He came home - or I wouldn't be here! And neither would my three sons nor my six grandsons!

His service was with the 'Liverpool Regiment', officially entitled 'The King's Regiment'. The 2/10th Battalion and the 1/10th Battalion were known as the 'Liverpool Scottish'. He was initially with the 2/10th Battalion with the Regimental Number 357519. Lindsay was attested on 9th December 1915 and mobilised on 18th March 1916. He served in both 2/10 KLR and 1/10 KLR and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He was on active service in France with a specialist Military qualification in Signalling. He was later to amuse his children by 'speaking' in Morse Code. After the War he was tranferred to the Army Reserve on 12th October 1919.