Home Page

7801 Quartermaster Sergeant
JOHN McGREGOR
Royal Engineers  

By  

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MInstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(2004, revised August 2022)

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            Unless otherwise noted, the details supplied in this narrative were extracted from copies of the soldier’s service papers, War Office file number WO97/3369, obtained from the Public Record Office[1] at Kew, Richmond, Surrey.[2]

2.  EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION  

            John McGregor was born in the town of Perth in the County of Perthshire, Scotland in 1846.  As a young man, prior to enlisting in the Army, he worked as a Blacksmith in Perth.  

3.  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a description of John McGregor at the time he enlisted in the Army in 1863:

 4.      RECRUITMENT, ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING  

Recruitment

             John McGregor enlisted in the Army at Edinburgh, Scotland for his first term of limited engagement at 3:30 P.M. on 11 August 1863.  He was recruited by Corporal John Wilson of the Royal Engineers and was paid a Bounty of £2.[3]

Enlistment

At the time of his enlistment McGregor indicated that he was not an Apprentice and that he was not married.  He also indicated that he did not belong to a Militia or Volunteer unit or any unit of the Regular Forces and that he had no prior naval or military service.  He claimed to have never been rejected for naval or military service and that he had never been marked with the letter "D" as a Deserter.  McGregor further indicated that he was willing to serve in the Royal Engineers for a period of 12 years.[4]  His enlistment paper was witnessed by Corporal Thomas Wood, Royal Artillery.

John McGregor was certified to be medically fit for service in the Army after a medical examination conducted at Edinburgh on 12 August 1863.[5]  On 13 August he swore the Oath of Attestation before a Justice of the Peace in Edinburgh at 12:05 P.M., and before Corporal Wood, who again was witness to McGregor's attestation.  On 20 August 1863 his attestation was certified and he was appointed a Sapper in the Corps of Royal Engineers with Regimental Number 7801.

Training

Immediately following his enlistment, Sapper McGregor was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks in Chatham, Kent, where he underwent recruit training as an engineer soldier.[6] 

5.  POSTINGS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Home Service (1863-1870)

Following his recruit training, McGregor continued to serve at home until early in 1870 when he was posted to Gibraltar.  His service records do not give any indication of where he served during this period.  He married his first wife at Dover, Kent in 1867; therefore, it is possible that he was serving at Chatham or perhaps at Shorncliffe Camp near Dover.  During this period of home service he was promoted to the rank of 2^nd Corporal.

Gibraltar (1870-1874)

            2^nd Corporal McGregor departed England for Gibraltar on 4 January 1870.  While his specific unit of assignment is not known due to the lack of detail in his service record, it seems likely that he served at Gibraltar with the 11^th Company, Royal Engineers.  The 11^th Company left Aldershot on 30 April 1870 and landed at Gibraltar on 9 May 1870.  If McGregor was assigned to this company, it appears that he preceded the unit to Gibraltar by almost four months.  While serving at Gibraltar, McGregor was promoted to Corporal and then to the rank of Sergeant.

The 11^th Company left Gibraltar, bound for Bermuda, on 4 December 1874. Sergeant McGregor, however, did not leave Gibraltar until the 12 March 1874 when he also was posted to the island of Bermuda.  He may have been part of the company's rear detachment that left Gibraltar a little over three months after the main body of the unit.  Although the dates of McGregor's movements and the movements of the 11^th Company do not match precisely, the 11^th Company was the only unit located at both Gibraltar and Bermuda during McGregor's service at those two locations.[7]  

Bermuda (1874-1875)

            The 11^th Company arrived on the island of Bermuda on 8 January 1875.  In April of 1875 the company was on Boaz Island and by March of 1876 it was located at Prospect Hill on Bermuda.           

Sergeant McGregor enlisted for his second term of limited engagement on 13 August 1875 while serving on Bermuda.[8]  He departed Bermuda for England on 19 August 1875.

Woolwich (1875-1884)

            Some time after his arrival in England, Sergeant McGregor was appointed to the rank of Company Sergeant Major (CSM).  It appears that he served at Woolwich.  On 12 August 1863, upon completing 18 years of service, he became eligible to receive the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.[9]  This medal was awarded to him in accordance with General Order 96 of 1882.

            Although his service papers appear to indicate that he was posted to Woolwich during this period, the 1881 Census of England indicates that he was at Chatham, Kent when the census was taken on 3 April 1881, as indicated in the table below.

1881 Census of England (RG 11/890)

            It is possible that during the years 1875 to 1884 McGregor served at both Woolwich and Chatham.  This period of nine years is excessive for a man to serve at one post and in one unit.  He may have served at Chatham from 1875 to 1880 or early 1881 and then was posted to Woolwich.  At any rate, QMS McGregor was at Woolwich when he was discharged from the Army in 1884.  As he was promoted to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor (QMSI) on 1 April 1879 while at Woolwich, it is likely that he served as an instructor during the time that he was there, but he being at Woolwich in April of 1879 further complicates the date issue.  Alternatively, his wife and children could have been residing at their home in Chatham while he was serving at Woolwich, and he just happened to be at the Chatham address on the day of the census. 

6.  PROMOTIONS AND CONDUCT  

Promotions  John McGregor received the following promotions during his time in service:

 Conduct  John McGregor received the following Good Conduct Badges during his time in service:[11]

            It should be noted that McGregor was "awarded" both the pay and the badge for Good Conduct for the first two awards.  Since he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1872, he was only "eligible" for the next three awards in 1875, 1879 and 1884.  This situation resulted from the fact that, by regulation, once a soldier attained the rank of Sergeant, his conduct was expected to be good; therefore, although McGregor's service papers show his eligibility, he received neither the pay nor the badge when he became eligible for them.

7.      EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS  

Education  John McGregor was awarded a 2^nd Class Certificate of Education in 1879 “in virtue of his appointment as Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor."  This was not the normal procedure for the award of these certificates, as they were usually awarded to soldiers who achieved certain levels of proficiency in various subjects and passed required examinations.[12]  It may be that as an instructor he was found to possess the qualifications for a 2^nd Class Certificate of Education, thus enabling him to be an instructor.

Qualifications  John McGregor was appointed a Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor on 1 April 1879.  This is the only special qualification noted in his service papers.  

8.  MEDICAL INFORMATION  

            Except for the medical information noted at the time of McGregor's enlistment, no other medical information was contained in his service papers.  This is unfortunate, as the Medical History Sheet often found in soldiers' papers sometimes give the units and duty stations to which they were assigned.

9.  MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION  

            John McGregor married Emily Jane Fox at Dover, Kent on 22 December 1867 without leave; that is, without the permission of his commanding officer.[13]  Their marriage lasted just under nine years.  They were divorced on 4 November 1876.

            On 23 July 1877 he married his second wife, Helen Campbell, in the Presbyterian church at Inverary, Scotland with the permission of his commanding officer.  John and Helen had two sons; James St. Clair and Robert Campbell.  James St. Clair McGregor was born on 20 May 1878 in the town of Wick in Caithness, Scotland.  Like his father, James joined the Royal Engineers (Regimental Number 26684).  He served in the Great War of 1914-1918 and rose to the rank of Superintending Clerk.[14]  Robert Campbell McGregor also served in the Royal Engineers (Regimental Number 28974).  Robert rose to the rank of Foreman of Works Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class 1) and served in the Establishment for Engineer Services.[15]  He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (see Annex A).  In addition to two sons, John and Helen McGregor had a daughter, Mary Isabell, who was born in Chatham, Kent in 1879.

            Information found in the service papers of James McGregor shows that Helen McGregor lived on Glass Street in Edinburgh and at 19 Portland Place in Leith, Edinburgh.[16]  She is shown as James's next of kin.  No mention is made of Quartermaster Sergeant John McGregor in his son's service papers.

10.  DISCHARGE

            Quartermaster Sergeant John McGregor was discharged from the Army at Woolwich on 16 September 1884 on the termination of his second period of limited engagement.  His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below:

             McGregor's service during his second period of limited engagement was verified on 1 August 1884 by Colonel Josiah Henry Smith, Commander Royal Engineers, Woolwich.  At that time McGregor had completed 20 years and 354 days of service.  He went on to complete an additional 46 days of service before his discharge was confirmed.  His character at the time of his discharge was noted to be "Very Good."  

11.  POST SERVICE LIFE  

No information was uncovered regarding Quartermaster Sergeant John McGregor's life after his discharge from the Army.

ANNEX A.

The Medal Index Card for the Meritorious Service Medal of
28974 Foreman of Works Sergeant Major Robert Campbell McGregor  

REFERENCES

Books  

1. FARWELL, B.  Mr. Kipling’s Army: All the Queen’s Men.  W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1981.

2. GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988.  

3. SKELLEY, A.R.  The Victorian Army at Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899.  McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977.  

Documents  

1.      The service papers (WO97/3369) of Quartermaster Sergeant John McGregor, consisting of the following documents:  

a.       Enlistment Paper, including:  

(1)   Questions put to the Recruit before Enlistment.

(2)   Description on Enlistment.

(3)   Medical Certificate.  

b.      Attestation of the Recruits, including:  

(1)   Oath on Attestation.

(2)   Medical Certificate on Approval.

(3)   Certification of Commanding Officer.  

c.       Record of Service.  

d.      Military History Sheet.  

2.      1881 Census of England.  

Research Papers  

1. GASE, S.  Movements of Royal Engineers Companies.  West Drayton, Middlesex, 2001.

2. LARIMORE, F.  Rules for Awarding Good Conduct Badges, Philadelphia, 2003.

ENDNOTES