MaxD Posted 16 September , 2016 Share Posted 16 September , 2016 Pic attached - can anyone say what the embellishment on the epaulette is? The photo is B/W of course so colour unknown. There are no other identifiable buttons/badges on the uniform, he is not wearing headdress, His normal Great War uniform jacket has the pleat on the pocket and he is wearing boots but no puttees, his trousers have been turned up slightly at the bottom. He is a private soldier, understood to be Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment. The date is early 1916. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 16 September , 2016 Share Posted 16 September , 2016 I believe the divisions in Salonika (22nd, 26th, 27th, 28th, IIRC) had a coloured strip on the epaulette to identify the different divisions. Might it be that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 16 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 16 September , 2016 Thanks Steve but I don't think any Royal Fusiliers battalions served in Salonika and evidence is strong that he was of that ilk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 16 September , 2016 Share Posted 16 September , 2016 3rd Bn Royal Fusiliers 85th Brigade 28th Division 38th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers 31st Brigade 10th Division Both Salonika! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 16 September , 2016 Share Posted 16 September , 2016 Thanks for that. I thought there were a cople of battalions out there but I couldn't access my (ahem) "Extensive Library" to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 16 September , 2016 Share Posted 16 September , 2016 There's a thread on here somewhere with all the division badges, can't find it. I have all the Salonika division badges on my PC at work. Someone who knows how the colours come out in the old photographs might be able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 17 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 September , 2016 Mark and Steve - thank you, happy to stand corrected, skimmed over the LLT RF page too quickly! The 3rd Bn looks interesting as the pic is in UK in early 1916 (the age of the child he is with is known). If you find anything on your work PC perhaps you'd let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 17 September , 2016 Share Posted 17 September , 2016 (edited) Here are a few 22nd Division photographs showing the black Divisional strip. 11th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment 9th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers), Border Regiment Edited 17 September , 2016 by Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 17 September , 2016 Share Posted 17 September , 2016 (edited) 7th or 8th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers Edited 17 September , 2016 by Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 17 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 September , 2016 Thanks sepoy - presumably the pics are jut to demonstrate the strip? The strip on my man's shoulder doesn't look black and if he was in Salonika it would have been with the 3rd Battalion in 28 Div (the 10th Div doesn't fit known dates) so if you've got 28 Div...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 17 September , 2016 Share Posted 17 September , 2016 Hi MaxD Yes, I simply added the photographs to demonstrate the coloured Divisional strips/bars being worn. The 28th Division wore a red strip which would support your chap being in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. I do not have any 28th Division photos in my collection, but here is a chap from either the 5th or 6th (Service) Battalions, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who served with the 10th Division wearing a green strip. Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 17 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 September , 2016 Got it Sepoy - thanks again. This strip incidentally looks similar in width to the one in the pic I posted. Need to work on the 3rd Bn angle I think (and hope that perhaps Mark's work computer has something. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 18 September , 2016 Share Posted 18 September , 2016 Max, I found the topic on divisional insignia: Div Insig It backs up what what Sepoy said 28th Division was a red stripe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 18 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 18 September , 2016 Mark - thank you very much. The 28th Div (ie 3rd Bn Royal Fusiliers) comes up to my not very good colour vision as gold (ish) which would seem to accord well with the light colour of the subject's stripe. Only trouble is, the only record we have of this man's service is the medal roll entry (and card) which lists only 9th and 1st Battalions. Can't also make the history of the 3rd Bn hang together with other family related evidence. Need to have a deep think! Is there a possibility that although it looks like a divisional emblem , it could be something completely different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 18 September , 2016 Share Posted 18 September , 2016 2 minutes ago, MaxD said: Mark - thank you very much. The 28th Div (ie 3rd Bn Royal Fusiliers) comes up to my not very good colour vision as gold (ish) which would seem to accord well with the light colour of the subject's stripe. Remember to take the effect of orthochromatic film into account - yellow is a good example in that it is often rendered extremely dark: http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Tsr2GdA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 18 September , 2016 Share Posted 18 September , 2016 Max, Andrew is quite right the orthochromatic effect would render a red stripe dark as can be seen in his medal strip image, however the stripe in your photograph is almost white, the dark green stripe used by 10th Division also comes out a dark shade as can be seen in Sepoy's picture. In conclusion it seems unlikely that your man served with either of the Royal Fusilier battalions based in Salonika. So the question is did any divisions in other theatres use the same identification system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxD Posted 19 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 19 September , 2016 Mark/Andrew Thank you both for your expert take on this. I was going to attack the problem the other way round and ask for an expert view on what colour the strip might have been to come out almost white. However, my man's medal records (no service history survives) says 9th Bn (12 Div) and 1st Bn (24 Div - after moving from 6 Div)). The link provided kindly by Sepoy does not show a strip for these two battalions so I would expand your question did any divisions in other theatres use the same identification system? to include mine above - if not a divisional flash, then what is it? Thank you for your continuing interest. MaxD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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