Find Ancestors

Maybe try this?

Click on Museum in list on left of page, then Research Enquiries.

http://www.argylls.co.uk/

Yes AG I had seen this....it costs £20 minimum donation :-)

Not sure if my gran's "memory" of her brother quite warrants it ;-)

Perhaps if my horse wins the national I might :-D

Jude -
You said, "My dad seemed to think he came back for good on the Mauritania?"

He can't have come home "for good" on the Mauritania, as the ship's final voyage was in 1934..
http://www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/story-final.html

Perhaps the return to the UK in 1935 was the "return for good"?
Have you reason to think he went away again after 1935?

Re the £20 minimum donation:
If anyone reading this lives near enough to Stirling to visit the museum in person, perhaps they could enquire on your behalf.
The website says there's no specific charge made for that, although of course they're glad of any donation.

AG thanks for that - my dad was only 8/9 in 1934/5 so again this must have been from his mum and, much as we all loved her, I think she "fantasised" a bit. I think the 1935 voyage was the one "back for good".

All I know after 1935 was that he was at his niece's wedding in 1940 and that he bought a house in Newport sometime around then.

Well, my horse didn't win the national :-(

I might make a donation - because I AM intrigued :-)

Correction to my previous post:

Have just discovered there was a second Mauretania!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Mauretania_%281938%29#World_War_II_.281939.E2.80.931947.29

So maybe your grandmother was right!

Update; another cousin, sister of aforementioned cousin, was born in 1936 and moved into Uncle Jim's house with her parents when she was a few months old. Which suggests he bought the house fairly quickly after his return in 1935.

She has photos and a police badge "J N Irvine - Chief Inspector of Bengal Police".

Her stories sound like something out of It ain't half hot mum!!!!!

So the only thing left to work out is how/when/why he went to India in the first place. The 1911 census Chris Ho found with 2nd Kent Regiment looks ok but did they then go to India? And was there time for him to be discharged/leave before WW1 began?

I guess short of commandeering Dr Who and his TARDIS I'll never find out :-)

A fantastic update from my cousin...

Forgot to tell you that Uncle Jim was in the Argyle and Sutherland Highland regiment (now disbanded) and went to India with the regiment, not sure how he then transferred to the Bengal Police or whether the poor Indians were governed by the army. Have got great photos of him in the regiment in India, he was an officer, but must have been a junior one as when we went to Scotland to do a bit of research we went to Stirling Castle where all memorabilia from the Argyles is kept and they looked up his number which is inside his Glengarry(hat) and he was only mentioned as being in the regiment. I asked if they wanted his stuff which includes his topi(sunhat) and they said yes but they had so much that it may not be displayed so I have given it all to my son.

So he WAS in the A&S...I am guessing he joined up and went up sometime after October 1902 when he was pictured at my gran's wedding (he would have been 18 at the time). And sometime between then and the onset of WW1 he must have transferred to the police as he married after the regiment left India for England and the War. He was only 29 at the onset of WW1 which was younger than my grandad who won the military medal.

I'm hoping the photographs will date things!

Thank you everybody for your help on this thread which also settled another thread (as updated and posted)

:-))

Jude

So last night I spent a wonderful evening with my cousin and her son (and several glasses of wine) :-) Michael has "inherited" all of Uncle Jim's stuff simply because his mum didn't have room and his grandmother hated them (his grandparents lived with uncle Jim in his house until he died).

Amongst the treasures he has:

A sandalwood travel chest
Indian incense burners
The plaque off his door - mahogany bearing the inscription "J N Irvine Chief Inspector Bengal Police"
His medals (all issued under the reign of King George V
A Ghurkha khuri in what I am sure is solid silver and ebony with an inscription on the blade amongst some well used scratchings of India
HisGlengarry with A&S badge
His kepi
And some wonderful wonderful wonderful pictures of the A&S in Malta and India

A veritable treasure trove of history....

I can only believe that he transferred from the A&S to the Bengal police before the regiment sailed back to England and war.
I can find no trace of Oyuki after they sailed back in November 1926 so I think my cousin's memories are skewed by the mementoes and not the person...unless someone can find them returning as a married couple.

I'm not really expecting anyone to find anything more...I just wanted to share this wonderful history with you all. Because that's why we all do it! :-)

What a wonderful and interesting outcome, Jude!

Many thanks for letting us know about it.

Great result Jude, interesting man, Uncle Jim.

Well Done

Chris :)

Well coincidence of coincidence....I am trying to find info on my great grandfathers"brother" who was actually his father (I am going to put a new post on later when I am back from shopping)...and I found a 1911 military census for the A&S Highlanders in Malta...with James Irvine - no age - born Newport Monmouthshire. Well, this has to be him. He was in the A&S. I have seen photographs in Malta in 1910. And he moved to Newport when he was less than five years old.......

:-)

Jude

When clearing out my late father's house I found these...

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37815829

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37815783

Silver and won by "Uncle Jim" for football and revolver shooting in 1917 :-)

Jude

Nice one Jude!...did you know your Dad had them, if not, must have been a surprise, well done Jim, lol.

Chris :)

I did Chris...although I didn't know they were Uncle Jim's! I spent the evening with my cousin yesterday and I have scanned about a dozen photos of the Royal Argyl & Sutherlands in Malta and India from around WW1 - will put them in the keepsake later!

Jude

Check these 100 year old photos out :-)

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37922098

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37922085

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37922081

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/keepsafe/asset/details/37922131

Jude

Wonderful Jude !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dea x

Yes Dea..they are..there are about 20 of them. All hidden away from the light to preserve them. So I scanned them and now Michael can hide the originals and display the scans!

Jude

And what a great display, no doubt talking point too, when you have visitors, lol.

All adds to the family history story, makes it very worthwhile!.

Chris :)

what fantastic finds!!