Close-Up on John Magurn (1878-1956)

 

We’re all familiar with this great photo of John Magurn (Grammy’s father) from World War I. He served in the Argyll and Sutherland, and also the Seaforth Highlander kilted brigades. (As shown in his medal record - A&S.H., Seaforth)

In trying to lighten the very dark and faded photo and bring out some detail, it became clear that close up, he’s holding something in his left hand. The handle is apparent below his index finger. I did some searching and it appears that many of the men carried a cane, baton or ‘swagger stick’ with their uniforms, though it was a private purchase, not part of the official ‘kit.’ Doing a search online shows many men in similar poses.

So I got interested in the rest of his uniform, and learned a few interesting things. On his head is a glengarry bonnet, a traditional Scots cap made of dark blue woolen cloth. There would be flat black ribbons about an inch wide hanging down the back. A red ‘toorie” (pom pom) is on the crown. The checkerboard pattern around the cap is red and white ‘dicing’. It sounds like this was used in the early days of World War I, so this photo might be older than 1914. By 1915 a khaki “Tam-o-Shanter” type bonnet was worn. I believe the badge on his cap is the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders medal. The center scroll would read: Argyll and Sutherland. In the center is a very fancy “L” which stands for Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll), with a boars head on the left and the cat of Clan Sutherland on the right under a coronet. Ten thistles and their greenery form the outer edge.

The jacket is a cut-away with rifle patches and pleated breast pockets. It was likely dark brown. Khaki spats (gaiters) were worn over low Highland shoes – not boots. Some wore socks with the same ‘dicing’ as on the hat, but I don’t think Grandpa is wearing them in this photo. The ‘things’ on his socks are called ‘flashes’ and served as garters to keep the socks up. Have you ever wondered why his kilt was so plain? Well, wonder no more. He is wearing a ‘kilt cover’! The cover fully wrapped around the body and had a pleated rear. Many had front pockets to replace the sporran, but this one doesn’t look like it has one. Why cover the beautiful tartan kilt? World War I was largely fought in the nasty dirty environment of trenches throughout Europe and soldiers were looking for a way to protect their kilts from the grime and wet. The cover helped the uniform survive the elements. The only question now is why did he have his photo taken in the cover instead of the kilt, which was likely beneath it? I have seen many formal portraits just like this, so there must have been a reason. The kilt itself would have been of the Black Watch tartan in the Argyll and Sutherlands. The Seaforths wore the MacKenzie tartan. So just by looking closer, we know a lot more about John Magurn’s military uniform than we did before!

Here is a colorized photo of what Grandpa's uniform would have looked like with all the bells and whistles. Notice the swagger stick.