Is This The Uniform Of The RAMC?

[Suzie]

Hallo Listers,

I have 4 photos of my Grandad in his WW1 uniform. I thought that I had narrowed it down to being the Royal Army Medical Corps, but I have just got the Birth Certificate of his 2nd daughter and it says that his occupation is "Ex RAF" - so now I am not so sure.

- 3 photos are with his wife and 1st daughter - who was born 8th November 1916 and baptised 26th November, so I think the photos can be dated to late 1916/early 1917. What is the difference between the 2 uniforms?

- the photo with his comrades (he is in the back row, in the middle), shows him in "whites". Is he a cook? The cap badges of his comrades seem to be different to the other 3 photos?

Can anyone help? With many thanks, Suzie

HenryThomasBradley_WW1_Uniform.pdf

[Paul Reed]

The four photos show different units. The two left hand ones show a man in RAMC uniform. The one where he is wearing a side cap shows a man in Royal Flying Corps uniform and the group shot shows several units including The Buffs, Royal Engineers and possibly Middlesex Regiment. The man in back row middle is wearing working clothes, so no clue as to unit.

[Suzie]

The four photos show different units. The two left hand ones show a man in RAMC uniform. The one where he is wearing a side cap shows a man in Royal Flying Corps uniform and the group shot shows several units including The Buffs, Royal Engineers and possibly Middlesex Regiment. The man in back row middle is wearing working clothes, so no clue as to unit.

Crumbs Paul, That was so quick! Would it be normal for someone to move between the RAMC and the RFC? Going by the age of the baby, I would have said that there wasn't much of a time difference between the photos in RAMC and the RFC uniforms. On the group photo - would you think it likely that it is a photo of a group of friends/relatives?

Many thanks for your time so far. Suzie

[Paul Reed]

It is unusual, but nothing is impossible. Unless he enlisted and was discharged for some reason, and then re-enlisted.

[Ghost]

The bandaged arm, the hospital blues and a mix of units suggest a medical facility ie hospital. Thats where you would expect to find a man in the R.A.M.C. wearing "Whites". So I would say 3 R.A.M.C. photos.

The R.A.F. when established were created as an arm of service in their own right with no dependance on the army or Navy. So not only flyers and mechanics from the R.F.C and N.A.S. were drafted into the R.A.F., but also cooks bottle washers drivers and medical staff.

Alan

[researchingreg]

Funnily enough I have a picture of two of my uncles one in the RFC and one in the RAMC. The two uniforms look remarkably like the uniforms in the photos with the baby. But I can't seem to upload it to this post.

[Old Tom]

In general other ranks service (there was an official designation something like No 2, or another number, dress) uniforms were standard with badges to distinguish between regiments and corps. The RFC jacket was, I think, the only major difference.

Old Tom

[FROGSMILE]

The numbering of orders of dress was only introduced since the reign of our present Queen and was copied from the Royal Navy who had been using it for many years.

The standard dress with chest pockets was just referred to as Service Dress. The RFC jacket, often nicknamed as the 'Maternity jacket' because of its supposed similarity to the jackets worn by childrens Nannys, in reality has a type of Lancer front, or plastron and it too was presumably a RFC 'Service Dress' with a particular designation.

Examination of a surviving jacket label should be able to confirm the designation. The buttons were covered/enclosed in order to avoid them snagging on the bracing wires with which aircraft of the time were held together.

[Old Tom]

Frogsmile, Thanks for that, when I was writing the good old term 'service dress' did not come to mind. Re numbering, I thought I had worn No 1 Dress (Blues) before HM came to the throne, but only just.

Old Tom