
Historylinks
Ref: 2009_040_02 No: 7596 Contributor: Historylinks Year: 1915
5th Seaford Highlanders leaving Bedford for FranceMonochrome photograph of the 5th Seaforth Highlanders marching through Bedford en route for France 1st May 1915. Lieut W A MacDonald is second from the right marked with a cross above his head.
Picture added on 31 May 2009
It may well have been a march through Bedford but I disagree that these were war time recruits as Lieutenant WA Macdonald was my grandfather . He was a territorial and went off to war from Dornoch in August 1914 . He was killed on 23 July 1918.
Added by Josephine Mackenzie on 24 September 2010
Note they are wearing 1914 pattern leather equipment and carrying obsolete Lee Metford Rifles. This marks them out as war time recruits rather than pre-war territorials.
The chap at the right hand side is a drummer so they may be following a pipe band but the lack of kit and crowds points to this just being a march through town.