On His Trusted Steed

This fascinating photograph of a young boy dressed as an officer of a Indian cavalry regiment and proudly mounted on his pony is identified on the reverse in a
pencil inscription as John Westcott Davidson. I have been unable to find any historical reference directly relating to this young man himself, but circumstantial evidence seems to point his as being the son of the like named John Westcott Davidson who served with the Indian Police Service in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The elder Davidson may have been born in India on 26 December 1863 to Thomas Reid Davidson and Georgiana Harriet Becher.

Appointed to the Indian Police on 20 March, 1886. He was promoted Inspector of Police in April 1886 and Assistant Superintendent in July 1886 and Superintendent (Burma) in March 1891. He was still serving as late as 1916.

Probate records for 1927 show John Westcott Davidson of Bangalore, South India passing away at Dehra Dun, India on 25 September 1926. An estate of £1082 10s
was left to his widow Mary Davidson (Millard).

The Littlest Fusilier

With the exception of an oversized bandoleer and holster, this young man wears a perfectly proportioned uniform of the Royal Fusiliers. Even his covered foreign service helmet appears to have been sized to fit him.

Was he the son of a serving soldier or a young man who
enlisted while still a boy? That question will probably never be answered, but what is certain is his regimental affiliation.

His shoulder straps bear bursting grenade devices above the letters "RF". These are indicative of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

The image can be dated to between 1893 and 1895 since the photographer Fox & Hill were active at their Crouch Hill address between those years. He may have been attached to the 2nd battalion which was in Britain during that time period.