Alexander Cowie Shirran of Greeness

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Alexander Cowie Shirran of Greeness: a chronology
*"GROS" denotes "General Register Office for Scotland". Alexander was considerably less of a success as a soldier than his elder brother George.

Civilian 1869-1888

DateCommentsSource 21^st February 1869Alexander Cowie Shirran was born the elder of twins at Smiston (a.k.a. Smithton), a now-vanished cluster of cottages which was in the middle of a triangle bounded by Woodtown, Netherthird and Crofts of Oldwood (now Crofts of Netherthird), two miles south-south-west of Kirkton of Auchterless, at 5am, his father being present. His brother Charles Forbes Shirran was born five hours later. They were the sons of Alexander Shirran, farm servant, and Jessie Shirran née Tawse and had an elder brother, Adam, who was just on sixteen and had already left home; William, thirteen; Robert, five and George, two. Two other older siblings, a girl and boy named Jessie and James, had died of diptheria in 1866.GROS Statutory Births 1869 173/00 0013; GROS Statutory Births 1869 173/00 0014; Census 1861 247/00 004/00 011; GROS Statutory Births 1855 247/00 0081; GROS Statutory Births 1863 247/00 0076; GROS Statutory Births 1866 173/00 0063 30^th May 1870Birth of their brother James at Logie Newton in the Parish of Auchterless. The family is still at Logie Newton the following April.GROS Statutory Births 1870 249/0B 0032; Census 1871 249/0B 002/00 006 2^nd April 1871We know that by this point the oldest boy, Adam, is living and working at Uppermill Farm near North Pitglassie.Census 1871 First half of 1872The eldest brother, Adam, sails for the U.S.A.U.S. immigration records Some time prior to May 1878, the family acquire a 12-acre croft at Hill of Greeness, near Cuminestown in the parish of Monquhitter. Although this was not thje seven-acre croft now called Ewebrae Croft, it was in the Ewebrae area, as both Geroge's and William's records indicate.1881 census; GROS Statutory Deaths 1899 223/00 0003; Military History summary as at 1905; WS description on discharge 28^th May 1878The twins' elder brother William joins the Gordon Highlanders and is sent out to Afghanistan, where he will be shot in the knee and partially crippled the following year.WS Medical History form; Circa 1879Some time around 1877-1881 the twins' elder brother Robert joins the 93^rd Regiment of Foot, the Sutherland Highlanders (who will become part of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in 1881).Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages for England and Wales: deaths in September quarter 1882, Hartley Wintney Vol. 2c Page 102 8^th August 1882Death from tubercular meningitis of the twins' older brother Robert, a Lance Corporal in the 93^rd Regiment of Foot.Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages for England and Wales: deaths in September quarter 1882, Hartley Wintney Vol. 2c Page 102 19^th November 1883The twins' next oldest brother George enlists as a Private with The Black Watch at Turriff.Description of recruit on enlistment; Short Service attestation 1883; Medical History form; pension calculated as at 1919, falsely showing him as due to turn 55 on 19^th November 1919 At some point or points prior to April 1888, Alexander Cowie Shirran both begins work as a farm servant, and becomes a member of what was then 3^rd Battalion The Black Watch Milita, later 3^rd (Special Reserve) Battalion. This was a territorial outfit: a discussion on Rootschat referred to pre-WWI members attending a six to eight week camp each year, during which they would be paid as regulars.ACS Short Service attestation 1888; ; Cracroft's Peerage - which refers to a Captain in the 3^rd Bttn Black Watch Militia in 1893; Rootschat 8^th February 1888While in the Militia, Alexander was re-vaccinated prior to his forthcoming enlistment. He already had a mark on each arm from vaccination infancy and now received two more, the result being given as "One perfect" (probably - doctors' handwriting was no better then than now).ACS Medical History form

Army 1888-1900

DateCommentsSource 24^th March 1888Alexander Cowie Shirran is given a medical examination to assess him for the army. He is even smaller and scrawnier than his brother and is described as a farm servant, Presbyterian, and as being 5'3¼" and weighing 8st6lb or 8st7lb, with a 34" chest, a fresh complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair, and no distinguishing marks or pockmarks. Although he turned nineteen just over four weeks previously, for some reason he tells the Recruiting Officer that he is eighteen: or perhaps the Army had recorded his age some weeks earlier and hadn't noticed that he'd had a birthday in between.ACS description of recruit on enlistment 27^th March 1888Alexander enlists as a Driver (equivalent to a Private) with 1^st Brigade the Royal Regiment of Artillery. He enlists in Aberdeen, and then travels from there to Newcastle-on-Tyne, which apparently is where the RA Depot was. His Statement of Services for the RA has scrawled on it the illegible signature of an officer followed by "Lt Conl" in a clerk's hand and on the next line "Comdg Dep 1st Bde RA" - that is "Commanding Depot 1st Brigade Royal Artillery". His Next of Kin was recorded as "Father Alexander Hillgreness Turriff Aberdeen".ACS Short Service attestation 1880; ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #1; ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #1; ACS Military History summary as at 1900 1^st April 1888Alexander formally attests with the Royal Artillery at Newcastle-on-Tyne: his service number is 66781.ACS Short Service attestation 1888; ACS Medical History form; ACS medical history table 15^th August 1888Alexander travels from the RA Depot to Perth where he transfers to The Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) as a Private. His new regimental number is 3759. A note on his medical history for that date says that his habits are temperate and his conduct very good, followed by a note saying "P.G. Grogans Major Comdg Det/ Blackwatch" - presumably "Commanding Depot".ACS Medical History form; ACS medical history table; ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #1; ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 2^nd October 1888Posted from the Depot to 2^nd Battalion The Black Watch. Arrives in Belfast.ACS medical history table; ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 6^th March 1890Posted as a Private to 1^st Battalion The Black Watch, and embarks on HMS Tamar.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2; ACS medical history table 10^th March 1890Arrives in Gibraltar, where his brother George is already based. While Alexander is in Gibraltar, George marries on 10^th February 1892.ACS medical history table; GROS Statutory Marriages 1892 055/AF 0063 28^th January 1893Embarks on HMS Himalaya.ACS medical history table 5^th February 1893Arrives in Abbassiyah (a.k.a. Abbassia), a suburb of Cairo where there was a large barracks.ACS medical history table; GS Military History summary as at 1905 27^th March 1890Granted Good Conduct Pay at 1^d per day.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 7^th March 1893Embarks on HMS Himalaya.ACS medical history table 22^nd March 1893Arrives in Mauritius.ACS medical history table 27^th March 1894Granted Good Conduct Pay at 2^d per day.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 21^st August 1894Alexander's brother George, and his wife and daughter, arrive in Mauritius.GS medical history table #1 27^th August 1894Alexander embarks on HMS Tamar.ACS medical history table 7^th September 1894Arrives in Cape Town, South Africa.ACS medical history table 7^th March 1895Admitted to hospital with primary syphilis. The doctor's note says "Old sore contracted in Mauritius, & treated by a civilian, broken out afresh. R ?? mercury."ACS medical history table 14^th March 1895Discharged from hospital.ACS medical history table 2^nd July 1895Transferred as a Private to the Army Reserve, 1^st Class.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 30^th April 1897Listed as "absent" from the Army Reserve.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 28^th November 1897"Reysined from absence"ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2 11^th January 1899Death of Alexander's father Alexander, of kidney failure, at the family croft at Hill of Greeness. He was sixty-nine.GROS Statutory Deaths 1899 223/00 0003 26^th March 1900"Discharged on completion of 1^st period of limited engagement". He had completed (sort of) twelve years of service, but four years and two hundred and sixty-eight days were discounted from his pension entitlement - that is, the whole period since 2^nd July 1897 when he was transferred to the Reserves. He must have disappeared off the radar as soon as he was transferred.ACS Statement of Services on discharge in 1900 #2