CorporalPunishment Posted 6 April , 2021 Share Posted 6 April , 2021 18 hours ago, GWF1967 said: A collection of cards listed as "Warrant Officers, Staff Sergeants and Conductors". 1. Mixed group. Military Medal, and 1914 Star ribbons on show. Artilleryman with C.D.G? Two Old Contemptibles front row ,left. Royal Warwickshire Regt. Sgt. with three wound stripes, Marksman badge. Next to him is a chap whose badge is unclear, he has a set of six overseas service stripes, but only the one medal ribbon. 2. Another Old Contemptible, pictured with wife and children. His buttons appear to be Royal Artillery, his shoulder titles are curved, three letters, and appear to end with a "G". Any ideas for the badges and/or the ribbon please? The cap badges in the group photo, in no particular order, are the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the Army Cyclist Corps, the Labour Corps, the Staffordshire Yeomanry, the Hampshire Regiment, the South Lancashire Regiment, the Welsh Regiment, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, the York and Lancaster Regiment, the Essex Regiment, the Bedfordshire Regiment, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), the Royal Sussex Regiment, the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, the Buffs (East Kent Regiment), the Rifle Brigade (Although possibly the Post Office Rifles, the Robin Hood Rifles, etc.). The lieutenant seated in front appears to be East Surrey Regiment but may also be Cheshire Regiment or East Yorkshire Regiment at a pinch. The man two to the left of the Labour Corps man might possibly be London Irish Rifles despite the shiny buttons. Hey-ho, there we go. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 7 April , 2021 Share Posted 7 April , 2021 On 06/04/2021 at 09:22, FROGSMILE said: His superior, the full Conductor, was at that time wearing the large crown within laurel wreath. Front row, left of centre would be him then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 7 April , 2021 Share Posted 7 April , 2021 (edited) On 07/04/2021 at 21:50, GWF1967 said: Front row, left of centre would be him then? If he’s AOC and that photo is circa 1918, as it would seem from the medal ribbons, then yes. The following year however, it was all change again. Conductors AOC (and SSMs 1st class - ASC) had adopted a coat of arms within a circular laurel wreath (a wholly new badge), the Sub Conductor adopted the same coat of arms as an RSM, and all the QMS of WOII rank adopted the crown in laurel wreath that had previously marked out a Conductor and Staff Sergeant Major 1st Class. It must have seemed very confusing at the time, although we are well used to those familiar badges and steps in status now. Cap badge and date are vital in determining who is who in your photo. Edited 9 April , 2021 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 9 April , 2021 Share Posted 9 April , 2021 How do you all store your postcards? In albums or card filing drawers? Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNCVR Posted 9 April , 2021 Share Posted 9 April , 2021 I store in 3 ring binders within clear plastic sleeves specifically made for postcards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GROBBY Posted 9 April , 2021 Share Posted 9 April , 2021 I shall have to get an albumn for my german postcards as they tend to slide in the plastic envelopes when you get a large pile . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan24 Posted 9 April , 2021 Share Posted 9 April , 2021 6 hours ago, Kath said: How do you all store your postcards? In albums or card filing drawers? Kath. The 'Really Useful Box Co.' 5 litre size is ideal for postcards in plastic envelopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GROBBY Posted 10 April , 2021 Share Posted 10 April , 2021 Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 10 April , 2021 Share Posted 10 April , 2021 Mine are placed in postcard albums arranged by camps and themes and which also include other collectables: letters, routine orders, envelopes, even two or three postage stamps. (There are those featuring the Bulford Kiwi and Marconi's early wireless experiments in front of military personnel near Salisbury.) About a quarter of the cards are "written up", with brief explanations of what is being shown. I can word-process up to five lines of text with the first on "Line 18"; I then print off the page and mount the card using photo-corners and cut the page to size so that it fits inside an album pocket. A little more ingenuity is needed if there's more to be said or if there's an interesting message and/or postmark on the back. I like to think that my collection is a useful reference source, but it would occupy quite some shelf-space in a museum and how many people would consult it? One or two a year, if that. I pondered further on this in the recent thread on a museum auctioning medals from its collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 10 April , 2021 Share Posted 10 April , 2021 16 hours ago, Alan24 said: 'Really Useful Box Co.' 5 litre size Thank you for your answers. I began collecting postcards of Avonmouth Docks & Bristol because of my interest in the troopship Royal Edward. These are in albums. Now I collect the same subject postcards (& often the same pcd.) for their messages during the war years. I put my research of the sender on a Wd. Doc. I sort these alphabetically according to the recipient. They are in plastic sleeves & I put in a slip of paper on the picture side with name & details. Alan's post sounds just what I need. Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 10 April , 2021 Share Posted 10 April , 2021 Moonraker, I sent a Wd.Doc. to Bristol Archives which they have catalogued here: https://archives.bristol.gov.uk/records/InfoBox/47/38 Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan24 Posted 10 April , 2021 Share Posted 10 April , 2021 On 10/04/2021 at 20:18, Kath said: Alan's post sounds just what I need. Kath. Thanks Kath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWF1967 Posted 11 April , 2021 Share Posted 11 April , 2021 On 08/04/2021 at 07:03, FROGSMILE said: If he’s AOC and that photo is circa 1918, as it would seem from the medal ribbons, then yes. - Cap badge and date are vital in determining who is who in your photo. Many thanks. Another couple of A.O.C. groups, and a Royal Artillery W.O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 12 April , 2021 Share Posted 12 April , 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, GWF1967 said: Many thanks. Another couple of A.O.C. groups, and a Royal Artillery W.O. Super images. Group photos of AOC men, who largely staffed enormous stores dumps are quite rare. Again the date introduces some degree of caveat, but in the upper photo is a Conductor or Sub Conductor (depending on date) wearing a double breasted ‘pea coat’ (aka British Warm) in a khaki shade and sat next to an officer. In the middle photo is a group of AOC all ranks with an officer seated centrally flanked by probably the largest WW1 group of Conductors and/or Sub Conductors that I’ve ever seen. Finally the lowermost photo shows a WOI Brigade Sergeant Major of Artillery if pre-1918, or a WOII Battery Sergeant Major if 1918 onward. Thank you for posting them. Edited 12 April , 2021 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Brayley Posted 16 April , 2021 Share Posted 16 April , 2021 A pair of Old Contemptibles from the Dorset Regiment. No 7231. Reginald “Reg” Hunt. Dorset Regiment. Every now and then a small detail in an image will bring the stories of the men in them to life, in this case a glimpse of a service number…. A recent addition, this postcard sent from Colchester with the stamp and part of the postmark, with the date, missing. A name and service number can be made out No7231 Pte R Hunt. Tracing Hunts early years has been difficult, it appears he joined the Dorset Regiment in 1904. On the reverse of the card he writes to a friend, remarking he was lucky to only have 1 days pay stopped for being absent for over 9 hours! He also mentions he is going to India on the 3rd of next month. With the uniform details and the Colchester location, he was most likely with the 2nd Btn, stationed at Colchester from 1904 and went to India in 1906, he signs off “Reg”. I am unable to find anything on Reginald until 1914. Recalled to the colours in August, he arrives in France with D Company, 1st Battalion on 16th August 1914. He was wounded in the hand on the 20th September and was treated at the 14th Field Hospital then sent to Braine by motor ambulance. Once again he goes dark, but “Reg” recovered and saw further fighting captured at Le Basse in October 1914, he is listed as a Prisoner of War. He was repatriated in December 1918 onboard the SS Takada. He was entitled to the 1914 Star “With clasp and Rose”, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Lots of detail in this postcard; photographs of friends and loved ones, components of the 1903 Equipment, P1903 Bayonet and even a Brodrick Cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Brayley Posted 16 April , 2021 Share Posted 16 April , 2021 The second. No 7753 H Reynolds. Dorset Regiment. 7753, Private Herbert Reynolds, 1st Btn Dorset Regiment 1907. I have yet been unable to trace much about him. Like the previous post, Herbert was recalled to the colours from the reserve in 1914, landing in France on 16th August 1914. He was wounded (Suffocation) on 5th May 1915 and sent to No3 Casualty Clearing Station. He was entitled to the 1914 stat with “Clasps and Rose”, War and Victory Medals. This is a superb study of an individual’s bedspace. Lots to see here, a MkI SMLE, components of the 1903 Bandolier Equipment, including MkI and MkII Cartridge pockets and the 1903 Bayonet in GS Frog. Note the late use of the mineral tin with cover and the 1895 Waterbottle and buff equipment. If it were not for the peaked SD cap and peaked forage cap, I would have placed this image earlier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 16 April , 2021 Share Posted 16 April , 2021 A super image made all the better by the story of the man in it. I wonder if he took discharge or rejoined the colours after the war. It’s the very first time I’ve ever seen a photo taken of a soldier of that time actually in his bed. NB. I recall reading somewhere that a lot of the repatriation of former POW was carried out by Japanese merchant shipping and the name Takada suggests that might be the case here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 16 April , 2021 Share Posted 16 April , 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, Toby Brayley said: The second. No 7753 H Reynolds. Dorset Regiment. 7753, Private Herbert Reynolds, 1st Btn Dorset Regiment 1907. I have yet been unable to trace much about him. Like the previous post, Herbert was recalled to the colours from the reserve in 1914, landing in France on 16th August 1914. He was wounded (Suffocation) on 5th May 1915 and sent to No3 Casualty Clearing Station. He was entitled to the 1914 stat with “Clasps and Rose”, War and Victory Medals. This is a superb study of an individual’s bedspace. Lots to see here, a MkI SMLE, components of the 1903 Bandolier Equipment, including MkI and MkII Cartridge pockets and the 1903 Bayonet in GS Frog. Note the late use of the mineral tin with cover and the 1895 Waterbottle and buff equipment. If it were not for the peaked SD cap and peaked forage cap, I would have placed this image earlier! Absolutely superb as you say Toby, thank you for sharing them. It’s especially good to see a clear view of a soldiers “top kit” (as it was called) laid out and boxed off with his name showing (stencilled on his canvas kit bag) on the shelf above his bed. At that time there were no wardrobe style lockers but a soldier usually had a lockable box too (kept under, or at end of bed) for his secure items. I was still required to have a boxed off top kit when I joined many decades later. Edited 16 April , 2021 by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragoon Posted 17 April , 2021 Share Posted 17 April , 2021 Wow Thank you Toby for posting the Dorset's postcards, they are really interesting, seeing all the kit. Lovely Cheers Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNCVR Posted 17 April , 2021 Share Posted 17 April , 2021 Yes I second that as well Toby. I have never seen postcards of the soldier's actual living quarters, ie: their bedspace. What really surprises me is the amount of photographs permitted in such a small space. Was this typical of soldier's quarters in other Regiments\Corps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyC Posted 17 April , 2021 Share Posted 17 April , 2021 (edited) On 16/04/2021 at 16:43, FROGSMILE said: I recall reading somewhere that a lot of the repatriation of former POW was carried out by Japanese merchant shipping and the name Takada suggests that might be the case here. The SS Takada was a Steel Twin Screw Steamer of 6949 ts, built 1914 in Glasgow for the owners of the British India Steam Nav. Co. of Glasgow, 430ft in length. (Lloyds Register 1917). It served as a Hospital Ship between 1915 and April of 1919, with an approx. capacity of 450. https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/ships/view.php?pid=3482 So the soldier might have returned unfit. Best, GreyC Edited 17 April , 2021 by GreyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 17 April , 2021 Share Posted 17 April , 2021 16 minutes ago, GreyC said: The SS Takada was a Steel Twin Screw Steamer of 6949 ts, built 1914 in Glasgow for the owners of the British India Steam Nav. Co. of Glasgow, 430ft in length. (Lloyds Register 1917). It served as a Hospital Ship between 1915 and April of 1919, with an approx. capacity of 450. https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/ships/view.php?pid=3482 So the soldier might have returned unfit. Best, GreyC Thank you GreyC, that makes complete sense as I recall reading here that some hospital ships were used for undernourished men who had suffered as POW. I should have looked up the SS Takada myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyC Posted 17 April , 2021 Share Posted 17 April , 2021 1 hour ago, FROGSMILE said: I should have looked up the SS Takada myself. Oh how well I know this feeling! GreyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Brayley Posted 19 April , 2021 Share Posted 19 April , 2021 On 18/04/2021 at 07:29, RNCVR said: What really surprises me is the amount of photographs permitted in such a small space. Was this typical of soldier's quarters in other Regiments\Corps? It certainly seems so, some more than others . Here are a few others from my collection, Most pre date the Great War, but I have traced a few of these men and they went on to serve. No 25993, Henry Charlesworth R.E. Gibraltar Unknown RMLI. Can even read one of the cards! "A Camel can go without a drink for eight days, who the devil (picture) would want to be a camel" Pair from the Wiltshire Regiment, Bordon, 1904 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Brayley Posted 19 April , 2021 Share Posted 19 April , 2021 7th Hussars India. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now