Warriors

Picking up where I left off yesterday, here's more of the exhibit on Highland Warriors.

Guard Of Honour Of The 79th Highlanders at Holyrood House is the title of this painting by R.R. McIan, dating to 1852.

This is the dress uniform of Captain E.J.F. Kelso of the 72nd Highlanders; he served in the regiment from 1829-40.

Edward VIII was colonel-in-chief of the Seaforth Highlanders starting in 1920 when he was still Prince of Wales, until his abdication in 1936. This was his dress uniform.

Highlanders in the Canadian military started as militia units, taking on the Scottish tradition in the New World. Out of that would spring the military units we see today with a rich Highland heritage, even if some of their members might not have so much as a drop of Scottish blood in them.

6th Battalion Cameron Highlanders At Loos is a 1919 painting by Joseph Gray, depicting the Canadians getting ready to launch an assault as part of the First World War battle in September 1915.

More uniforms. The portrait is Lance Corporal Fred Fisher, by George James Coates. The corporal was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously, for bravery at St. Julien in Belgium during the Second Battle of Ypres. As part of the 5th Royal Highlanders of Canada, Fisher led a machine gun detachment forward to attack the enemy lines, and was killed on the 23rd of April, 1915. He had the distinction of being the first Canadian of the war to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

From one war to another. Stormont, Dundas, And Glengarry Highlanders Advancing Into Caen is the title of this painting by O.N. Fisher depicting Canadian Highlanders on the assault into the city as part of the Normandy campaign. The artist, Orville Fisher, was the only designated war artist who landed on the beach on D-Day. Enlisted as a private and elevated to officer's rank when his superiors saw his skill, he dropped the bulk of his art gear overboard (realizing it would drown him) on D-Day, and went ashore with a waterproof sketch pad and charcoal pencil, making a series of sketches of the chaos of battle around him. Those sketches would later go into dramatic paintings, some of which are in the Museum's collection.

And it is the beaches of Normandy that occupy this photograph. Corporal Rachelle MacDonald of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa played the pipes at the Canadian War Cemetery at Bretteville-sur-Laize during the 70th anniversary ceremonies marking D-Day in 2014.

I finish this exhibit with a portrait. Lt. Colonel Dwayne Kevin Hobbs is a portrait by Gertrude Kearns of the commanding officer of the Toronto Scottish, depicting him in dress uniform. Hobbs was in command of that unit from 2005-08, and over the course of his career has spent time in Bosnia, the Golan Heights, and in the Afghan War.

Highland

 A reminder to members of City Daily Photo that the theme for December 1st is Rainbow.

One of the first things one sees in this exhibit on Highland Warriors are these large photographs of effigies on graves in Iona Abbey, thought to date to the 14th or 15th century.

The double handled sword, also called a claymore, was a favoured one in the Highlands from the 16th to 17th centuries, as well as having a ceremonial importance for clan chieftains. The blade dates to around 1503, while the pommel and grip are later restorations.

Throughout this exhibit, panels explained elements of the history of Highland Warriors, evolving out of the clan into the contemporary idea of the Highland regiment, which is seen in numerous countries.

A view of Scotland.

Starting in the 16th century, the basket hilted sword took on more importance in the Highlands. These date to around 1650.

More weapons, as military tactics and technology developed.

The English Civil War would change things forever in the British isles, including for Highlanders and the system of the clans. Out of that, however, would come the idea of the Highland warrior as an integral part of a professional military.

Alma: Forward The 42nd is a painting by Robert Gibb, depicting the Black Watch during the battle of Alma in the Crimean War.

Here we have soldiers of the 72nd Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders, another veteran regiment of the Crimean War. I have more from this tomorrow.

Warrior Traditions

This sketch depicts the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which ended the Jacobite uprising.

This is a print taken from an oil painting dating to 1786. It depicts Alexander III, king of Scotland in the 13th century, being saved from a stag by Colin Fitzgerald, the founder of Clan Mackenzie.

Over time, Highlanders would become incorporated into the British army, often with clan chieftains as their officers. This would eventually give rise to the concept of Highlander regiments and other units that still exist today- even with members who have no Scottish roots at all, yet still wear kilts with regimental tartans.

Alma: Forward The 42nd is an 1888 painting by Robert Gibb depicting the 42nd Highlanders, the Black Watch, advancing on Russian positions on the 20th of September 1854- the first action of the Crimean War.

Guard Of Honour Of The 79th Highlanders At Holyrood House is an 1852 painting by R.R. Maclan, and depicts the regiment at the Edinburgh palace after a three year tour of duty in Canada.

This is a group of the 78th Highlanders photographed in Montreal at some point in 1868-69. 

As Canada's Confederation came into being and the new country began to develop its military, the tradition of the Highland warrior would take shape here. I'll have more from this tomorrow.

Highland Warriors

Highland Warriors is the current temporary exhibit at the Canadian War Museum, running into January 2020 for those of you in the area. It examines the origins of the Highland warrior and the legacy that continues through to the current day in military units. The exhibit uses art, reproductions, weapons, artifacts, and panels to explore the traditions of the Highlands and how they have evolved through time in military circles.

This map of Scotland dates to 1690, and the accompanying panel notes that the detail in the western Highlands was poor, reflecting a lack of knowledge about the region from outsiders.

The Highland double handed sword, also known as the claymore, was used in combat from the early 16th-late 17th centuries. It was also typically a ceremonial symbol of a chieftain. The blade on this one dates to 1530, while the pommel and grip are the result of later restoration work. Elsewhere in the exhibit, under the watch of a museum employee, it was possible to pick up a contemporary claymore.

Highland warriors rose up out of the clan system in Scotland. Panels examine that history.

This is a copy of a portrait that dated to around 1714. Portrait Of Alastair Grant Mor, The Laird Of Grant's Champion was originally painted by Richard Waitt.

Weapons of different origins are found in this display.

Some of the panels included poetry and prose, in three languages- Gaelic, English, and French.

There were times when Highlanders lent their services out abroad. The closing image from today's post reflects that.