HIGGINS, Peter
- Born: 6 April 1873, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland
General Notes:
Peter was one of the younger children in his family's entry in the 1881 census for Blantyre. He was recorded as 8 years of age and a scholar. He had been born in Coatbridge.
In 1891, the census recorded Peter as the second oldest of the Higgins children living at 29 McAlpine's Building, Stonefield, Blantyre. Born in Old Monkland Parish, he was now 17 years old, unmarried, and working as a coal miner.
According to the British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920, Peter Higgins, alias James McDade, served in Egypt and in South Africa in the Irish Fusiliers. His father, Michael Higgins, was named as the recipient of any deferred pay to be refunded in the enlistment sheet of the Scots Guards, and his address was noted as 53 Bairds Rows, Blantyre, so there is no doubt that it is this Peter Higgins.
Peter had at first joined the Scots Guards, then after a short period of time switched regiments, presumably using an alias. This was looked on very seriously and at the time was chargeable as an offence termed "fraudulent and enlistment and desertion". When he enlisted originally on 16 March 1896 Peter was a miner, just under one month short of his 23rd birthday. He served two months in prison for the offence mentioned, between May and July of 1896, before returning to duty with, or "relegated to" as it was phrased, the Irish Fusiliers. He served at home and for a short period in Egypt, when he was sent to South Africa to join the campaign there. He served in South Africa from September 1899 until June 1900, and then again from July 1901 until September 1902. Peter was awarded the South African Medal. In all, he served from May 1896 until May 1908.
Peter was decribed in his one of his medical records as 5 feet 9 and a half inches in height and weighing 149 pounds. He had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. His chest measured 35 and a half inches, and 37 inches at maximum expansion. He was a Roman Catholic. the other is substantially the same with minor differences, a "sallow" instead of a fresh complexion! 1
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