Photographic history

The Project archives includes thousands of period photographs related to the three battalions (15th, 92nd and 134th) and the large drafts for other battalions (19th, 35th, 58th, 73rd and 74th) raised by the 48th Highlanders during The Great War 1914-1918.

These photographs have been catalogued by battalion or draft and in each case, arranged in chronological order to trace the battalion or draft’s progression from the point at which it was authorized to the point at which it was demobilized. Every photograph has been labelled and identified to the greatest extent possible.To-date, the 15^th, 92^nd and 134^th Battalions have received the most attention in this regard with the 15^th Battalion being the main focus of our work.  The photographs in this section of our website are all directly related to the 15^th Battalion and arranged in chronological sections that cover the unit’s history from mobilization in 1914 to demobilization in 1919. Each section has a brief introductory text followed by all the period photographs in our archives that pertain to that specific chronological section. Click on the menu to the right to go to a particular section.

Every photograph has been researched as carefully as possible and cross referenced with period documents and other photographs to establish date, location and content. This task has been facilitated when the photographs have been identified/labelled by the original owner – or by attribution to a verified source such as Library and Archives Canada, Imperial War Museum, etc.  Many of the photographs were taken by members of the 15^th Battalion themselves and the Project is extremely fortunate to have come into possession of a large number of photographs – including complete photograph albums- that were in the possession of their descendant relatives.

The following is a list of the main sources of period photographs related to the Battalion that have been acquired by the Project and displayed on this website:

48^th Highlanders of Canada Museum (Regimental museum)
Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
Imperial War Museum
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)
Canadian War Museum
Huron County Museum
Lennox-Addington County Museum and Archives
Toronto Star archives
City of Toronto Archives
Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group
Descendants of 15^th Battalion members
Internet sources
General W.O. Dodds Collection
Colonel John A. Currie: The Red Watch”
“With the Canadian Contingent” – Published by the Canadian Field Comforts Commission, 1915

 Personal Photographic Collections of 15^th Battalion members (Number of photos shown in brackets)

• Private (Bugler) Warren K. Tooze Collection: photos 1914-1919; 134^th-15^th Battalion (119)
• S. Johnston Collection: portrait photos of 15^th, 92^nd officers (35)
• Private John W. Kenesett Collection: family members in 92^nd and 15^th Battalion 1914-1918 (10)
• Lieutenant Hugh Barwick Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1915; POW 1915-1919 (164)
• Lieutenant Wilfred Bickle Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1916 (28)
• Captain John C. D-Esterre Collection: 15^th Battalion: 1917-1919 (91)
• Lieutenant Geoffrey Heighington Collection: 48^th-134^th Battalion 1915-1916 (95)
• Lieutenant Geoffrey R. Marani Collection: 134^th Battalion (234)
• Lieutenant John E. Banton Collection: 92^nd-15^th Battalion 1915-1919 (77)
• Lieutenant Lawrence M. Murray Collection: 134^th-15^th Battalion 1916-1919 (308)
• Lieutenant Robert H. Davidson Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1916 (446)
• Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Bent Collection: (98)
• Major Ewwn Osborne Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1915; POW 1915-1919. (91)
• Pipe Major Alexander Keith Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1918 (10)
• Private Robert Blackburn Collection: 15^th Battalion POW 1915-1919. (12)
• Private William Thorn Collection: 15^th Battalion POW 1915-1919. (12)
• Sergeant Claude Ashling Collection: 15^th Battalion 1914-1915; POW 1915-1919 (191)
• Sergeant Alvin P. Dunbar Collection: : 15^th Battalion 1914-1915; POW 1915-1919 (151)
• Lieutenant Colonel Hendrie Collection: 1914-1915 15^th Battalion (12)
• Private William Kincaide Collection: 134^th Battalion (90)