7162 Pte Alexander Burns, Royal Highlanders

I've written about 7162 Private Alexander Burns before.  Since that post, I've managed to retrieve his Boer War medal rolls from Ancestry, and also his First World War medal index card.  I looked in vain on WO 363 and WO 364 for a surviving service record, and also checked WO 97 over at findmypast.co.uk on the offchance that there might be something there that had been mis-filed.  There wasn't.  I did however, find papers in WO 96 which show that Alexander joined the Forfar and Kincardine Artillery (militia) on the 11th October 1898. He signed his name as "Alex Burns", giving his age as 17 years and 11 months and his place of birth as Dundee.  He was a mill-worker employed by Mr Scott of Dundee; not a lot to go on in terms of research leads, but at least it's a lead of sorts.


Alex was slight. He stood five feet, five and a half inches tall and weighed 109lbs (which is just seven stones and 11 pounds).  He had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair.  A scar on the second finger of his right hand is also recorded.


Alex's attestation was approved at Perth on the 12th October 1898 but he was barely with the regiment before he joined the Royal Highlanders on the 20th January 1899.  He had completed 49 days of drill and his character was noted as "good". 


There are only four pages of this service record that survive in WO 96 but crucially, on page four, Alex's father is recorded as Frank Burns of 17 Arbroath Road, Dundee.  This again, should enable further research.

7162 Private Alexander Burns - 1st Royal Highlanders

Medals held:
Queen's South Africa Medal and three clasps (Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal), King's South Africa Medal and two clasps (1901, 1902), 1914 Star and bar, British War Medal, Victory Medal, King George VI Defence Medal.

This was the first group that I bought and there is still a lot of research to be done.

Alexander Burns's service record does not appear to have survived in the WO 363 and WO 364 series at the National Archives. His number indicates that he joined the Royal Highlanders in late 1898 or early 1899 and he may have been with the original draft when the 2nd Royal Highlanders embarked for South Africa from Tilbury Docks on 22nd October 1899. The battalion comprised 29 officers and 887 men and they sailed aboard the SS Orient. Alexander's Boer War medals are inscribed to 7162 Pte A Burns, 2nd Rl Highlanders.

When the First World War was declared, Alexander Burns should have completed his seven years with the Colours and five on the Reserve. It seems possible though that he either extended his service before war was declared or rejoined his old regiment and was allowed to retain his earlier number. Certainly, by 26th August 1914 he was in France albeit with the 1st Battalion Royal Highlanders rather than his old battalion. His medal card indicates his entitlement to the three WW1 medals noted above, as well as the clasp and roses. He was also entitled to a silver war badge (not in this collection) and was discharged from the army as no longer physically fit for war service, on 9th August 1915.