Searching for father’s photograph

I have been looking for many years without success to find a photograph of my father as a young man.

I think with all the publicity surrounding the centenary of the end of the Great War this may just be my last opportunity to succeed in that endeavour.

My father was born in Oban in 1882. He was a member of the Oban TA Mountain Battery prior to enlisting in the regular army in 1906. On enlistment he joined the Royal Regiment of Artillery.

From his army records he served firstly in India (1906), returning directly from there to Belgium/France (1914) and then Italy (1917). During the course of that service he was awarded two Military Medals, firstly, at The Battle of Messines. A Bar to that followed in Italy during the Battle on the River Piave. The award of both medals was mentioned in The Oban Times. They were also in the London Gazette, September 28, 1917, and March 29, 1919.

Some years ago a very kind lady, Faith Orr of The Oban Times, assisted me in researching the archives and was able to tell me that in 1919 The Oban Council presented gold watches to all Oban men who had received gallantry awards during the war. Faith found some articles on the event and my father was listed as having been there and I do recall seeing the watch.

Mr John MacPherson, during one of my visits to the Oban War and Peace Museum, was able to show me one of the presented watches which is on display at the museum, I believe donated by a recipient or his family.

I am hoping the presentation in 1919 was photographed either by someone officially recording the event or by someone whose family member was being honoured that day and that some families may still have a copy of the picture.

It is a bit of a long shot but I hope this appeal via The Oban Times may just turn one up or indeed a relative that I don’t know about.

At the end of the war my father, being part of the regular army, transferred to ‘K’ Battery Royal Horse Artillery, serving in India. Alex McColl,

Pendeen, Upper Castle Road, St Mawes, Cornwall, TR2 5BY.