Artashes Hambardzumyan in Scottish uniform, 1919

The man in this photograph is no ordinary soldier of the Scottish army: he is Artashes Hambardzumyan, serving with the British forces. The photograph was taken in April 1919 in Karahisar. In British documents his name was recorded in shortened form as “Hambi”.

He stands in front of a stone wall in Scottish uniform: a tartan kilt, a beret with a badge, webbing straps, knee-high socks, a white armband on his sleeve and a stick in his hand.

His mission was secret and vital: he searched Turkish households for Armenian orphans who had survived the Armenian Genocide and were being prepared to become Turkish soldiers. He managed to rescue about 20 Armenian children and bring them safely to Europe on British ships, giving them a new life.