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Remembered Today:

Another uniform to identify / date


old-holborn

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Hi All,

Hope you can help. Jeremiah Bowles joined the Army in 1888 and was called up in 1914 for the Labour Corps, can you identify the uniform or the date of the photo.

TIA,

Steve

post-32006-1213714270.jpg

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Hi All,

Hope you can help. Jeremiah Bowles joined the Army in 1888 and was called up in 1914 for the Labour Corps, can you identify the uniform or the date of the photo.

TIA,

Steve

Hi Steve. Just a little point. He would have been called up in 1917, if he went straight into Labour Corps. He could have gone to a labour battalion if he joined up in 1914, but that would have been an Infantry Regiment.

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Looks like he may have been in a Rifle regiment by the black buttons.

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Hi Steve. Just a little point. He would have been called up in 1917, if he went straight into Labour Corps. He could have gone to a labour battalion if he joined up in 1914, but that would have been an Infantry Regiment.

From Service record

Bucks National Reserve - attested and embodied - Pte 1 12 1914

RDC 103 - transferred - Pte 29 4 16

Labour Corps - 432 (?) - trans - 25 9 17.

Is this of any help ?

Steve

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Steve

Looks like his active service started on 29/4/1916 in the Royal Defence Corps - basically a UK based Corps made up of older men who undertook guard duties etc.

Transferred to the Labour Corps on 25/9/1917 to 432 Company. 432 was an Agricultural Company with its HQ at Bedford. However men in the Agricultural Companies tended to live either at home or on the farm where they were employed.

Ivor

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Steve

Looks like his active service started on 29/4/1916 in the Royal Defence Corps - basically a UK based Corps made up of older men who undertook guard duties etc.

Transferred to the Labour Corps on 25/9/1917 to 432 Company. 432 was an Agricultural Company with its HQ at Bedford. However men in the Agricultural Companies tended to live either at home or on the farm where they were employed.

Ivor

Does the photo show him wearing Labour Corps uniform ?

Steve

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Does the photo show him wearing Labour Corps uniform ?

Steve

He is wearing Rifle Regt buttons, a 1903 Bandolier Equipment waist belt and clutching the ubiquitous (at that time) swagger cane. This probably dates the pic at around the time he was called up/enlisted in 1914. Having joined in 1888 and thus wearing Boer War ribbon(s) it might be that he was originally in a Regular Rifle Regt and has transferred his old buttons to SD or, more likely in my opinion, the Reserve unit to which he initially belonged had an association with the Bucks Rifle Volunteers.

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He is wearing Rifle Regt buttons, a 1903 Bandolier Equipment waist belt and clutching the ubiquitous (at that time) swagger cane. This probably dates the pic at around the time he was called up/enlisted in 1914. Having joined in 1888 and thus wearing Boer War ribbon(s) it might be that he was originally in a Regular Rifle Regt and has transferred his old buttons to SD or, more likely in my opinion, the Reserve unit to which he initially belonged had an association with the Bucks Rifle Volunteers.

Sorry found a bit more info.

Declared former service 19th Hussars time expired. So could it be a whip not a swagger he's holding. This isn't helping to date the photo

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Did light infantry wear blackened buttons? If so the Picture is likely to be when he was with the Ox and Bucks 1914-16

Neil

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Hi All,

Hope you can help. Jeremiah Bowles joined the Army in 1888 and was called up in 1914 for the Labour Corps, can you identify the uniform or the date of the photo.

TIA,

Steve

Now have him signing up on the 8 Dec 1887 with the Royal West Surrey Regiment, as Jeremiah Bowles No. 2193, aged 19 Years 2 Months. Then transferred to the 19th Hussars on 1 Jan 1889, as John Bowles No. 3309, aged 18 Years 2 Months. He's was called up for WWI on 1 Dec 1914 under Jeremiah Bowles, aged 47 Years, he was demobed from the Labour Corps on 8 Mar 1919. This documents also states Declared former service 19th Hussars, time expired.[/size] Checked all records for identity links, the main two things he couldn't change was the scar on his right buttock and his parents names.

So is the uniform he's wearing in the photo the Hussars or Labour Corps.

P.S. Jeremiah was also known as Albert George and Alfred, he's lead me a right song and dance.

Steve

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The uniform was common to all regiments excepting the buttons - as mentioned these are black, implying a rifles regiment. The regiment would be identified by shoulder titles and sometimes collar dogs. In this pic I do not think he is carrying any shoulder titles?

It is a swagger stick and not a whip. His uniform appears newly issued and looks to have reinforced shoulder patches, so my guess is a photo from the early years - as per Frogsmile's post, no. 8 above.

Ian

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Thank you all for your replies and patience. I'm still doing a crash course in WWI with loads to learn.

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Thank you all for your replies and patience. I'm still doing a crash course in WWI with loads to learn.

It is almost certainly a photo whilst still with his first unit of 1914, the Royal Defence Corps (where he could have got away with the black buttons) and before he joined the Labour Corps (where he was extremely unlikely to have got away with black buttons). As stated above, in all other respects his uniform is standard for the period.

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