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Remembered Today:

Can anyone help with this please


anniep

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I wonder if anyone can help me with this picture. The two people sitting in the front were athletes, so I assume they run for the Army and that's why they are not in uniform. Richard Paris b. 1883 on the left and Francis Paris b. 1905. Would anyone know anything about the units they were in or any other info.

I would be very grateful

Ann

RichardJnrFrancis.jpg

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I wonder if anyone can help me with this picture. The two people sitting in the front were athletes, so I assume they run for the Army and that's why they are not in uniform. Richard Paris b. 1883 on the left and Francis Paris b. 1905. Would anyone know anything about the units they were in or any other info.

I would be very grateful

Ann

They are Hampshire Regt (37th and 67th foot) where the ORs wore a different badge from the officers. One of the badges related to the 37th and the other to the 67th. The picture was taken in the 1920s as the 2 SNCOs flanking the officers (note their sashes) are wearing both collar badges and the WW1 Trio of medals (1914/15 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal (pip squeak and wilfred). The SNCO at right appears to be a CSgt (CQMS) as he is wearing a 'staff serjeant's' leather sword belt with brass universal locket (embossed - Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense) and 2 trailing slings, of which you can just see one hanging by his left hip.

The 2 athletes are wearing typical army dress for PT/Athletics which remained unchanged until the 1990s, viz short sleeved shirt, long (ish) shorts and canvas shoes with socks rolled down. Placed between is the silverware won by this duo of 'gladiators', a very common feature of photographs of this nature.

post-599-055192600 1295190161.jpg

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Officers

post-599-003306100 1295192857.jpg

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Actually the NCO on the left of the picture appears to be wearing a DCM and WW1 pair rather than the 1914/15 trio and I think that the photo may have been taken later than 1920 as neither of the officers are showing WW1 ribbons or medals, so could be a little later? An interesting photo.

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Actually the NCO on the left of the picture appears to be wearing a DCM and WW1 pair rather than the 1914/15 trio and I think that the photo may have been taken later than 1920 as neither of the officers are showing WW1 ribbons or medals, so could be a little later? An interesting photo.

Yes on second look I think you are right about the man on the left, I did not look at his photo close enough. I suppose it could be as late as 1930, but I do not think the officers lack of ribbons is that significant, an awful lot of the war service officers had gone by 1925 and it was common for senior (even General officers) to revert up to 3 ranks, thus leaving the junior (platoon) level of officers as the newly joined ribbonless ingenues.

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Thank you soooooooooo much. I know that the pair were athletes before and after the war, but the information you have given me about the others is very interesting, thank you again

Ann

Hi again

I wondered if you would have any idea where this would be??

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Hi again

I wondered if you would have any idea where this would be??

Hi Ann,

Somewhere in the U.K. most likely--but where--no idea, sorry!!

Hopefully some Hampshires expert may see this and give you an answer.

Good luck, Robert

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Thank you soooooooooo much. I know that the pair were athletes before and after the war, but the information you have given me about the others is very interesting, thank you again

Ann

Hi again

I wondered if you would have any idea where this would be??

It is probably the battalion's summer training camp when the entire unit moved out of barracks and under canvas to conduct annual platoon, company and battalion manoeuvres and musketry classification.

These camps usually took place at a large training area such as Salisbury Plain, or one of the large Commons in Surrey (Chobham) or Hampshire (Laffin's Plain). If the date of the photo could be confirmed it would be easy to find out which of the two regular battalions was at home (one was always overseas policing the Empire) and then looking up the battalion's diary to see where the camp took place that year.

It was common practice to stop halfway through the camp to give the men a break from military training by means of a battalion (inter-company) or even Brigade (inter-battalion) athletics competitions, which invariably also included team sports and boxing.

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