Postcards

[RedCoat]

7 minutes ago, Alan24 said:

Option 1 worthy of further research is Private Compton as recorded by Northampton Chronicle 07 April 1917.

Option 2 is Private George Jackson recorded by Northampton Chronicle 06 Jan 1917.

 

I really hope we can find out who this young man is. 

[FROGSMILE]

12 minutes ago, Alan24 said:

Option 1 worthy of further research is Private Compton as recorded by Northampton Chronicle 07 April 1917.

Option 2 is Private George Jackson recorded by Northampton Chronicle 06 Jan 1917.

 

My bet would be on Private Compton, Alan.  All that involvement with the depot and other members of the regiment really chimes with his immaculate appearance.  The uniform and press focus would all have been coordinated as a morale raiser.  Such things were much better organised as the war went on.

Edited 25 April , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[TullochArd]

On 24/04/2022 at 08:45, themonsstar said:

I bought the card back in the early 1980s from one of the militaria dealers in the Corn Exchange Manchester. 

 

I remember that particular shop MonsStar. Your photo is interesting as it shows two distinct uniform types.  The matching pair wear Scottish doublets with Inverness flaps but curiously with no buttons down the front which is a far from usual trait in such military dress.  In the last 200 years there are around 1500 "Brass Bands" known to have thrived in Scotland so we are up aginst an identification drama as "records", as such, are minimal.  The peak of activity is 1860-1910.  The earlier few decades fit with the fashion identified by Frogsmile and the instruments identified by RNCVR.  I sense a miltary presence here and would go so far as to offer it is not a Regular presence.  I think the trappings suggest Volunteers - a contemporary civilian band would have never used military badges - unlike today.  Of the couple of hundred Volunteer Brass Bands I could only find a couple of photos - I can say that the 1st Clackmannanshire Rifle Volunteers Band wore a Doublet with Inverness flaps (but buttons on front) and the diced "pork pie" hat around 1870 confirming what I suspect that we are looking at two of the three fellows being from one of the other 199-ish military Volunteer Brass Bands. 

[FROGSMILE]

7 minutes ago, TullochArd said:

I remember that particular shop MonsStar. Your photo is interesting as it shows two distinct uniform types.  The matching pair wear Scottish doublets with Inverness flaps but curiously with no buttons down the front which is a far from usual trait in such military dress.  In the last 200 years there are around 1500 "Brass Bands" known to have thrived in Scotland so we are up aginst an identification drama as "records", as such, are minimal.  The peak of activity is 1860-1910.  The earlier few decades fit with the fashion identified by Frogsmile and the instruments identified by RNCVR.  I sense a miltary presence here and would go so far as to offer it is not a Regular presence.  I think the trappings suggest Volunteers - a contemporary civilian band would have never used military badges - unlike today.  Of the couple of hundred Volunteer Brass Bands I could only find a couple of photos - I can say that the 1st Clackmannanshire Rifle Volunteers Band wore a Doublet with Inverness flaps (but buttons on front) and the diced "pork pie" hat around 1870 confirming what I suspect that we are looking at two of the three fellows being from one of the other 199-ish military Volunteer Brass Bands. 

Thank you for that thoughtful assessment TullochArd, which I agree with on every count.  It’s most frustrating that the insignia cannot be recognised, but of course these bands involved very small numbers and the uniform they wore wasn’t usually identical in every respect to that generally worn by the regiment as a whole.  The frock coat on the left suggests a bandmaster whose specialist instrument happened to be a Trombone.

Edited 25 April , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[themonsstar]

Hi all 

Thank you for all the information on such a small card. As a very young lad, my options were go to Old Trafford with some of my older brothers ( I still support the reds) or use my pocket money  to start my life time love of The Manchester Regiment and the British Army.

Your knowledge is second to none 🤪

 

 

 

[themonsstar]

4th Royal Berkshire Regiment ( Maidenhead) 1910

[themonsstar]

 Royal field artillery

[TullochArd]

5 hours ago, themonsstar said:

4th Royal Berkshire Regiment ( Maidenhead) 1910

 

What a photo - only three men from the whole group with shaven top lip!

Edited 30 April , 2022 by TullochArd

[gordon92]

5 hours ago, themonsstar said:

4th Royal Berkshire Regiment ( Maidenhead) 1910

If the 1910 dating on this photo is correct, then this is the earliest appearance I have seen of the officer's open collar service dress jacket.  I had always thought that 1912 was the introduction date.  Is it possible that the image is misdated?

[RNCVR]

28 minutes ago, TullochArd said:

What a photo - only three men from the whole group with shaven top lip!

A small mumber of SA veterans in the group also.

[themonsstar]

That's the date on the back of the picture, hopefully someone who collects Royal Berkshire may pop up and give us some more information. I was given the picture the other night at the Aldershot military association club meeting. 

[FROGSMILE]

55 minutes ago, RNCVR said:

A small mumber of SA veterans in the group also.

I can’t see even a single man wearing an Imperial Service tablet, which seems odd.  Also some are not wearing a T and number above their shoulder titles, and the officer does not have T’s beneath his collar insignia.  Perhaps he’s the attached regular adjutant.  There’s something a little odd going on for those features to be missing.

Edited 30 April , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[FROGSMILE]

20 minutes ago, themonsstar said:

That's the date on the back of the picture, hopefully someone who collects Royal Berkshire may pop up and give us some more information. I was given the picture the other night at the Aldershot military association club meeting. 

The clarity of the photo is superb, thank you for posting it!  I too think that the date must be wrong.

NB.  The sergeant sat next to the captain has a brass wheelwright’s badge above his stripes, which is relatively unusual for an infantry SNCO.  Also the sergeant behind the officers left shoulder has what appears to be a bespoke jacket, similar to warrant officer quality, with scalloped pocket flaps and finer cloth.

Edited 30 April , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[RNCVR]

38 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

The clarity of the photo is superb, thank you for posting it!  I too think that the date must be wrong.

  Also the sergeant behind the officers left shoulder has what appears to be a bespoke jacket, similar to warrant officer quality, with scalloped pocket flaps and finer cloth.

 

Agree, a SUPERB image! A shot in time for sure...

& the older OR with the white walrus mustache in the next row back appears to be wearing a Egypt campaign ribbon plus QSA & Khedives star ribbons,(he looks old enough to be an Egypt vet), then the younger OR to his left (no tache, clean shaven) appears to wearing an IGS(?), QSA & KSA, its really hard to make out, but that is what I am guessing at.

Were any of the Berks B'tns in Egypt 1882-89 & India late 1890's?

 

Edit - I seem to recall the Berks were at Tofrek in '85, I knew a Canadian collector who specialized in Berks in that time frame, he had a very nice Berks collection. (I might be wrong tho?)

Edited 30 April , 2022 by RNCVR
.

[FROGSMILE]

43 minutes ago, RNCVR said:

 

Agree, a SUPERB image! A shot in time for sure...

& the older OR with the white walrus mustache in the next row back appears to be wearing a Egypt campaign ribbon plus QSA & Khedives star ribbons,(he looks old enough to be an Egypt vet), then the younger OR to his left (no tache, clean shaven) appears to wearing an IGS(?), QSA & KSA, its really hard to make out, but that is what I am guessing at.

Were any of the Berks B'tns in Egypt 1882-89 & India late 1890's?

 

Edit - I seem to recall the Berks were at Tofrek in '85, I knew a Canadian collector who specialized in Berks in that time frame, he had a very nice Berks collection. (I might be wrong tho?)

Yes they were indeed at Tofrek, Bryan.

 1881.07.011st Battalion, The Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment)

 1882Malta

 1882Egypt

 1885Sudan 

1883Gibraltar 

 1884Egypt 

 1886Malta & Cyprus

 1893Bermuda

 1895.12.02at seaship: Pavonia

 1895.12.05Halifax, NS 

 1897.10.26at seaship: Avoca

 1897.11.06West Indies: 
A, D, E, G Coys at Barbados
B Coy at St. Lucia
C, F, H Coys at Jamaica  

 1898.11.01at seaship: Avoca

 1898.11.18disembarked at Southampton 

 1898England: Portsmouth

 1900.01at sea

 1900Gibraltar

 1901Aldershot 

 1903Woking 

 1904Ireland: Curragh 

 1906Ireland: Dublin

 1910England: Dover

 1913England: Aldershot

 1881.07.012nd Battalion, The Princess of Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment)

 1881England: Parkhurst  

 1883Chatham 

 1885Ireland: Athlone 

 1888Templemore 

 1891Cork 

 1893England: Portland 

 1895England: Aldershot 

 1897Cape Colony 

 1899South Africa

 1902Egypt 

 1906India: Subathu 

 1909Meerut 

 1912Jhansi

[Jerry B]

Yours sincerely Percy August 11th 1916 E E Egypt, if anyone recognises his helmet flash?

[trooper23]

On 30/04/2022 at 18:05, FROGSMILE said:

The clarity of the photo is superb, thank you for posting it!  I too think that the date must be wrong.

NB.  The sergeant sat next to the captain has a brass wheelwright’s badge above his stripes, which is relatively unusual for an infantry SNCO.  Also the sergeant behind the officers left shoulder has what appears to be a bespoke jacket, similar to warrant officer quality, with scalloped pocket flaps and finer cloth.

Has the sergeant with the wheelwright's badge lost his puttees?

[FROGSMILE]

41 minutes ago, trooper23 said:

Has the sergeant with the wheelwright's badge lost his puttees?

I doubt he’d lost them, but it’s not impossible of course.  NCOs working full time in an office or workshop (orderly room clerk, metalsmith, wheelwright, farrier, shoemaker, tailor, etc.) could be permitted to wear trousers without puttees.

[Andrew70]

On 25/04/2022 at 13:30, Alan24 said:

Option 1 worthy of further research is Private Compton as recorded by Northampton Chronicle 07 April 1917.

Option 2 is Private George Jackson recorded by Northampton Chronicle 06 Jan 1917.

 

An alternate write-up of the medal ceremony.

Midland Mail - Friday 13 April 1917

[Alan24]

3 hours ago, Andrew70 said:

An alternate write-up of the medal ceremony.

Midland Mail - Friday 13 April 1917

Andrew, thank you for that additional information and welcome to the forum.

[Jerry B]

Denbighshire Yeomanry?  An interesting image, leather buttons watch and watch fob, probably a charm, looks to be a button, privately tailored tunic according to Taff

[FROGSMILE]

45 minutes ago, Jerry B said:

Denbighshire Yeomanry?  An interesting image, leather buttons watch and watch fob, probably a charm, looks to be a button, privately tailored tunic according to Taff

Yes the jacket is unusual and similar to the Australian style, with bellowed lower pockets and larger than usual pleats on the chest pockets.  Certainly a mounted duty unit going by the puttees and breeches.  Unusual to see a wristwatch as well as what appears to be a pocket watch and fob.  Leather buttons were favoured by some cavalry regiments and one still wears them now.  The leather gloves (cape or dog skin) and thin stick of walking length are an affectation unless he’s a WOI (no rank visible) and his rather languorous pose and style of dress suggest an effort to appear officerlike for the purposes of the portrait.  I don’t think he’s Wiltshire Yeomanry, so Denbighshire seems like a good bet. Interestingly even his forage cap has an officer like appearance.  It doesn’t appear to be an 05 type unless the top front is bent over and definitely isn’t a 1916 soft cap.  All-in-all quite an intriguing image, thank you for posting it.  Even the puttees are a smooth, superior type like those marketed by FOX & Co of Somerset, and not of the type generally issued to other ranks.

Edited 5 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Jerry B]

36 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

Yes the jacket is unusual and similar to the Australian style, with bellowed lower pockets and larger than usual pleats on the chest pockets.  Certainly a mounted duty unit going by the puttees and breeches.  Unusual to see a wristwatch as well as what appears to be a pocket watch and fob.  Leather buttons were favoured by some cavalry regiments and one still wears them now.  The leather gloves (cape or dog skin) and thin stick of walking length are an affectation unless he’s a WOI (no rank visible) and his rather languorous pose and style of dress suggest an effort to appear officerlike for the purposes of the portrait.  I don’t think he’s Wiltshire Yeomanry, so Denbighshire seems like a good bet. Interestingly even his forage cap has an officer like appearance.  It doesn’t appear to be an 05 type unless the top front is bent over and definitely isn’t a 1916 soft cap.  All-in-all quite an intriguing image, thank you for posting it.  Even the puttees are a smooth, superior type like those marketed by FOX & Co of Somerset, and not of the type generally issued to other ranks.

I wondered if he was a warrant officer, or perhaps just a wealthy cavalryman

[squirrel]

Not unusual for Yeomanry regiments to have members with a few quid to spend on their uniforms and everything about him suggests that he has a few bob. Love the way the jacket sleeve is turned back to display the wrist watch...

[FROGSMILE]

3 hours ago, Jerry B said:

I wondered if he was a warrant officer, or perhaps just a wealthy cavalryman

His dress certainly suggests a man with, as a minimum, senior NCO rank, but it’s difficult to square that with the complete absence of rank insignia.  He certainly had money to spend on his appearance, but it would have caused friction (and breached basic disciplinary protocols) if he attempted to dress like that at regimental duty.

Edited 5 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE