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Hello Justin,
Many thanks for showing these pages, they are really superb images, I have not seen that particular portrait of John Chalmers before, I have often wondered if the one of Cecil was taken at Aldbar Castle, anyway really quite superb photos, both of them.
John Chalmers was born at 8.00am on the 23rd of January 1874 at the the Kerrs Hotel, 138 George Street, St Andrews, Edinburgh, he was the second son of Patrick and Ellen Maria Chalmers.
His little brother, Cecil, was born at 9.55pm on the 31st of October 1876, at the family seat of Aldbar Castle, he was the fourth son of Patrick and Ellen Maria Chalmers.
They were both brought up, along with their brothers, like most Scottish families of their class, with the help of nurses, governesses and a butler, every Sunday they attended a chapel service and were allowed to read nothing but the Bible.
It was always the custom in Scotland for the younger sons of the old landed families to go out and make their own way in the world and their parents always impressed upon them that this would be their lot, as younger sons, I am sure that neither of them had any illusions on that score.
As a result, they both found themselves in Matabeleland in 1896 and both served with the Bulawayo Field Force, John in "H" Troop and Cecil in "L" Troop.

Anyway, again very many thanks for posting the photographs, I must put my hand in my pocket and see if I can get a copy for my own bookself, I bet one has to take out a mortgage thesedays to buy a good clean copy.
Again very many thanks indeed,
Kind regards Frank

Frank,

Thanks. A pleasure. Interesting to see that one of them was educated at Haileybury. The school produced several good registers with biographical details so may be worth checking to se where he ended up!

All the best,

Justin

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Hello Justin,
Well, I have put my hand in my pocket, glad I did too!
Thank you for bringing the book to my attention!
Again, thanks and kind regards Frank

JustinLDavies wrote: Frank,

Thanks. A pleasure. Interesting to see that one of them was educated at Haileybury. The school produced several good registers with biographical details so may be worth checking to se where he ended up!

All the best,

Justin

Good morning Justin,
I forgot to mention how pleased I was to see the list of subscribers at the back of the book, headed by HM The Queen and her family, with the Chalmers also on it.
The chapter on "some castles and mansions of Angus" also includes Aldbar and in the back of this particular copy is a "Dedication of the Memorial" to the Black Watch, who fell in the South African War, at St Ninian's Cathedral Perth.
This latter also includes a full list of killed and dead from this regt and is dated Tuesday the 5th of May 1903, moreover, it has been bound into the binding of the book itself, rather than just being loose at the back.
I became aware of this book after Brett mentioned it to me last year, I was surprised though, I think I was expecting some huge volume perhaps on a par of "With the flag to Pretoria, but, it is indeed wonderful to be able to put a face to so very many Victorian soldiers.
I see that I have other men in my collection who are also mentioned in this book.
Again, kind regards Frank