frogturn Posted 29 September , 2009 Share Posted 29 September , 2009 HI TO ALL,THANKS FOR LOOKING.THIS PHOTO http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/396633...65eeb40c1_o.jpg WAS RECENTLY SENT, AS MEMBER OF THE GROUP IS A DISTANT RELATIVE OF MY WIFE.WE KNOW FROM HIS MEDAL RECORD THAT HE WAS A SERGEANT IN THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT. THE PICTURE HAS MAINLY MIDDLESEX SOLDIERS,BUT WHAT ARE THE OTHERS?THE SOLDIERS HAVE DIVISIONAL OR UNIT CLOTH BADGES ON THEIR SHOULDERS CAN ANYONE IDENDIFY THEM?IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE IT WAS TAKEN NEAR AN ACTIVE WAR FRONT,AS I THINK THEY HAVE GAS MASK BAGS,DO YOU AGREE?ANY IDEA OF DATE FROM UNIFORM OR KIT? THANKS AGAIN FOR LOOKING, PAUL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john gregory Posted 29 September , 2009 Share Posted 29 September , 2009 21st, 20th, They are either 20th or 21st battalion Middlesex, 20th battalion, black diamond with a central yellow stripe. 21st, black diamond with a red central stripe. See example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 29 September , 2009 Share Posted 29 September , 2009 Predates issue of Overseas Service chevrons, and after wound badge, so post July 1916, pre Jan 1918 is a good 'envelope' for image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 29 September , 2009 Share Posted 29 September , 2009 The ORs all appear to be sergeants/WO and all Middlesex except two Yorkshire Regt on the ends. The Yorkies wear the same flash, so presumably not a Middlesex flash, but of a higher formation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 30 September , 2009 Share Posted 30 September , 2009 This raises a general question - would a Yorkshire Regt man attached to a Middlesex Regt Bn wear the Middlesex flash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACRAE Posted 11 October , 2009 Share Posted 11 October , 2009 A very nice picture Paul I have a few like that but dif regiments Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchtrotter Posted 11 October , 2009 Share Posted 11 October , 2009 Other ranks not normally "attached" to other battalions / units in the same mammer as officers were. Men would be permanently re badged to other units and new recruits could suddenly be transferred where casualties dictated so unlikely as Phil postulates / questions. Bearing in mind b and w photo could the patches be same system but different colours?? If not brigade patch becomes my next port of call. Lovely photo by the way. Always nice to see patches / flashes as some speculate how often they were used. I study photos in minutia and it is often possible to make out insignia not visible to the quick glance. Same with cammo helmets for Germans in photos of late 1918. Regards TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 11 October , 2009 Share Posted 11 October , 2009 The officers all seem to be Second Lieutenants (one with cuff rank, the others with one pip on the shoulder). On the right is a CSM, with 4 sergeants, your relative also known to be a sergeant, and 3 unknown ranks. I suspect that this might be the officers and sergeants of a Company? Is the man next to your relative a Bedfordshire Regiment man? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpuxty Posted 6 October , 2010 Share Posted 6 October , 2010 Hi Paul, I know this is a long time after you originally posted the photo, but on looking at it I think one of them 'might' be my great grandfather. He was in the 20th Middlesex Regiment around 1916 and in around mid 1917 moved to the Royal Fusiliers. He was a corporal yet his photos show only one stripe. His medal roll states he "Reverts at own request" presumably he went back to Lance corporal?!? He was a stretcher bearer and possibly these men in the photo may have been sonething to do with that? Anyway, I was wondering if you were able to post or email me a higher resolution image so I could scrutinise it further? The one I think could be him is back row, 5th from left. It might be wishful thinking, but I'll post two photos I have of him, one in Middlesex uniform, the other in Fusiliers. Regards Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 6 October , 2010 Share Posted 6 October , 2010 3rd from right in back row--looks like Bernard Hill or Yosser from 'Boys from the Blackstuff' give us a job!!! On a more serious note, I'm always keen to learn new techniques of working out idents from photos. Am I seeing 4 types of cap badge?? The two standing far left & right 1 type (The Yorkies??), seated officer on left (with watch) another (The Bedford??) And man stood behind him with chin obscured another type?? or just different angle. Plus the two 2nd Lts. with Middx badges seem to have dull badges as opposed to the shiny ones the others wear, does this not suggest a mix of regulars & territorials, I assumed this to be the case with a KOYLI photo I have?? 2nd Lt with cuff rank also has been decorated with ????? All we need now is a spooky face in the window!! TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Doyle Posted 7 October , 2010 Share Posted 7 October , 2010 s. Am I seeing 4 types of cap badge?? The two standing far left & right 1 type (The Yorkies??), seated officer on left (with watch) another (The Bedford??) Far left and Right - Yorkshire Regiment Seated officer with watch left - collars look like Yorkshire Regiment too, cap badge bronzed so difficult to tell - certainly different Front row officer with cuff rank and waxed moustache and standing man second from left: ?Suffolk Regiment Rest of the boys: Middlesex Cheers Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbarrett1 Posted 7 October , 2010 Share Posted 7 October , 2010 For what it's worth Having a guess at this one I would say that this is a photo taken after the completion of some course seeing that they are all wearing Gas Masks i would say that it is quiet possible that it has something to do with them. some training course in that they are all Sgt and second Leiut's Regards Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpuxty Posted 10 October , 2010 Share Posted 10 October , 2010 I just looked up the name John Edward Blethyn on ancestry and found the marriage banns for John Edward Kilvington Blethyn in 1918. It states his residence at the time of marriage as 21st Middlesex Regiment, Cromer Norfolk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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