MORRISON Angus 1871-1935

GREAT GANDFATHER

Angus Morrison was the son of George Morrison and Elizabeth Cowie.

When Angus Morrison was born on 28 August 1871 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, his father, George, was 40 and his mother, Elizabeth, was 32. As you can see below his father George was stationed at Edinburgh Castle and was in the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders. Angus married Margaret Brady on 1 December 1894. They had seven children in 18 years. He died on 9 February 1935 in Edinburgh and is buried in Piershill Cemetery in the City

Conditions in the Castle at this time were not pleasant for Army wives and children. I have read that In 1882 the P.M.O. in Scotland reported Â·the. majority of barracks in the Command still of primitive construction, but much improvement followed in the next ten years. Drainage, water supply and ventilation were attended to, and hot baths provided. Dining rooms were not at first favoured. Errors in the external arrangement of barrack buildings were criticised. A common feature was the siting of blocks close up to the boundary wall. ‘In the narrow interval, workshops, latrines and cooking sheds were crowded. Several were built so as to form a square with the angles closed in, and many storied blocks were built in preference to detached buildings. As an example of bad internal arrangement the Edinburgh New Block was referred to as ..” exhibiting one of the most objectionable instances of closed internal corridors in existence.” This, however, was to house a battalion for the next half century.

This 1891 Census shows us George Morrison and Elizabeth Cowie with son Angus residing in a one window room, a single end at 517 Lawnmarket, Tolbooth, Edinburgh. It is a great document as it tells us George spoke Gaelic, Elizabeth was born in Portsoy and Angus in the Navy, even although we know he was in the Gordon Highlanders, perhaps they were on Army Ships taking him to and fro.

Ok the Brady family in 1891 at the Morrison address of 517 Lawnmarket. Ann Brady now a widow, Matilda unmarried age 20 and Margaret, our line age 12, scholar. So these two documents show us that Angus Morrison and Margaret Brady lived in the same tenement stair 517 Lawnmarket. This is how they met and eventually married.

517 Lawnmarket today. Just above the pub and wee shops

The back of the Lawnmarket in Milne’s Court as it would have been then. Grim

By 1911 Young Angus now 40 with his wife Margaret Brady age 33, their children Angus, 13, Marion age 16, Alex age 8, John age 2 and Angus’s brother James age 37 who was a Bricklayer!!! there you go. He was born in Dundee probably when their father was stationed in the Barracks there. They had another daughter Margaret Brady born in 1913.

So Angus was brought up with Army instilled in him by his father. So not surprising he too joined up and served with the Gordon Highlanders. 1888-1901 13 years he served with them.

**Information given by Eric Morrison’s father in law**
I Think he was a Regimental Policman and going by the badge on his sporran my best guess is The Gordon Highlanders I think. One of the fine Highland regiments consigned to history a long time ago and now come under the collective name, the Highlanders.The 4th Btn The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Eric, I have another theory on why he is dressed as he is. This could be the CO (Commanding Officers stick orderly ) the way this would come about was, the camp guard would mount at 1800 the Orderly officer would inspect the guard and the smartest man would be picked to be the COs Stick Orderly, he would fall out go to the guard room and collect the white belt, normally a cross belt with a pouch on his back and a swagger stick which he has in his hand, the next day he would report to the CO’s office and sit out side his door ( no phones) if the CO wanted to send a message to some one normally the company commanders he would summons the stick Orderly put the message in the pouch on his back and off he would go with the message. The good thing about it was because you were delivering a message for the CO every one saluted you. It was a good duty to be on. If you got the stick Orderly 5 times in a row you got to keep the stick and didn’t do guards for 6 months, also the stick would have your name on it. I lost mines years ago , so I think the Grandad in the photo was a very smart Soldier.

He joined again at the start of WW2 but was discharged after 4 months because of an injury to his eye.

WW2 records showing Angus now age 47 and 285 days old! and now living at 16 East Richmond Street in the Southside. It tells us he was in the 6th Royal Scots and also had served in the Gordon Highlands but was discharged being no longer physically fit for active service. But he was recalled again in 1919 and posted abroad again – somewhere where he caught Malaria.

The old Tenements at 16 South Richmond Street. I see the rag store underneath No. 14

This document tells you his height, weight, complexion pale, hazel eyes and greying hair also a leaf tattoo on his right forearm.

If I am reading this correctly it looks like he was injured, a Field Casualty on 17th July 1919 having been posted on the 11th June the same year. Discharged on 26th November 1919 and now living at 8 Prospect Square in Edinburgh. When I looked this up as I assumed the War had ended on 11.11.18 it says that there was still fighting continuing until 1920
An armistice is a ceasefire, not an official end to war. Demobilisation of British, colonial and imperial troops did not finish until 1920, considerably longer than servicemen had anticipated. This caused more than one mutiny. Despite the unlikeliness that the Central Powers would resume combat, troops had to be prepared to fight again. Whilst we remember all those who died, and how 11 November represented the end of the war for most, this was not true for all and there was still fighting and dying after the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.

This one tells you how much pension he will get and that as well as his eye injury he also had Malaria and Rheumatism.

This document is great because it tells us the age he joined the Gordon Highlanders 1888-1901. Thirteen years in the Army. Also his new Army Number in the 6th Royal Scots

Angus Morrison married Margaret Brady, 1877-1927. They married on 1st December 1894. She was of Irish descent. They had 7 children, all with the same Christian Names going back through the Morrison history. Marion, Angus, George, Alex. Annie, John and Margaret.