Uniforms Identification - Connaught Barracks Dover

[scotchegg75]

Unfortunately I have no date for this image, but any ideas on the plethora of uniforms in this Dover postcard ?

[roughdiamond]

1st photo looks like bandsmen of The King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment, 2nd photo seems to be SNCO's of the same Unit, apart from the man extreme left, he's possibly RAMC, he seem to be wearing overseas service chevrons on his right sleeve from WW1, but obviously pre-issue of WW1 medals.

Return home parade of the unit early 1919?

Sam

[FROGSMILE]

Unfortunately I have no date for this image, but any ideas on the plethora of uniforms in this Dover postcard ?

The peaked forage cap was issued in 1905-06 and as full dress was withdrawn in 1914 that makes the photo almost certainly pre-WW1.

As stated the first pic is one bandsman, but also a drummer with 'crown and inch' lace on his tunic, and both marked out by their different wings, as well as a Staff grade NCO with sash, who looks to be possibly the band sergeant major going by the extra gold lace on his collar. They are all of the of the Kings Own (Royal Lancaster) Regt and the full dress is of 1912 pattern with collar and so-called mitred (pointed) cuffs of dark blue cloth bordered by white piping. They are probably men of the 1st Battalion who in August 1914 were in Dover as part of 12th Brigade, 4th Division. They landed at Boulogne on 23 August 1914.

In the second pic you can see a sergeant second from left in ORs blue patrols, a colour sergeant in the centre (with crossed union flags above his 3 stripes), and an old soldier with 4 good conduct badges on the left forearm of his SD jacket and, on the far right, a sergeant marksman with badges for best shot in company and best shot in battalion on the left sleeve of his full dress tunic.

This latter aptly shows the emphasis placed on musketry in the pre-war Army and why some German units thought they were up against numerous machine guns when facing BEF units using rapid fire drills taught so assiduously on the rifle range. The man at far left is a Quarter Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major as shown by the 4 inverted stripes on his right sleeve (a star above for QMS and crown for SM), and is possibly the battalion's schoolmaster, whose cap badge was the Royal Cypher and who is also in a form of blue patrols, or departmental frock with chest pockets and a laced collar to mark his status.

All in all this is a cracking pair of photos with a range of pre-war uniforms and highly evocative of the old Regular Army that was to be almost wiped out by the beginning of 1915.

[high wood]

I have a photographic postcard in my collection of a few soldiers of the 1st Btn King's Own taken and posted in Dover in 1912. I think that they were stationed in Dover for sometime prior to the Great War.

[scotchegg75]

Great information thanks, this should help me identify a possibile 'occasion' for the postcard (the above are small sections of one image) - the buildings behind are easy to identify as Connaught Baracks, and there are wives and children in the image so perhap a family event of some sort

[wainfleet]

Paul

As has already been said, it's a great photo. Any chance of showing us the whole thing?

Thanks,

W.

[FROGSMILE]

Great information thanks, this should help me identify a possibile 'occasion' for the postcard (the above are small sections of one image) - the buildings behind are easy to identify as Connaught Baracks, and there are wives and children in the image so perhap a family event of some sort

Local newspapers of that year would certainly have recorded a battalion event of that kind.

[bill24chev]

Can anyone else see the resemblence of the SNCO with sash to a certain Austrian/Bavarian Corporal?

[FROGSMILE]

Can anyone else see the resemblence of the SNCO with sash to a certain Austrian/Bavarian Corporal?

Yes, he does look a bit like 'Adolf' doesn't he!

[ATNOMIS]

Can anyone else see the resemblence of the SNCO with sash to a certain Austrian/Bavarian Corporal?

Lol, good spot

[scotchegg75]

Can anyone else see the resemblence of the SNCO with sash to a certain Austrian/Bavarian Corporal?

I did think that too !!!!

Here is the full image - cropped a little to get the file size down (just grass/sky removed)

[FROGSMILE]

I did think that too !!!!

Here is the full image - cropped a little to get the file size down (just grass/sky removed)

It looks like a Regimental Gala or Jamboree, they usually took place in the summer after the annual training camp.

[scotchegg75]

It looks like a Regimental Gala or Jamboree, they usually took place in the summer after the annual training camp.

Sounds quite likely - I think a visit to the local newspapers is in order.... I will report back

[FROGSMILE]

Sounds quite likely - I think a visit to the local newspapers is in order.... I will report back

It will be interesting to know. Very few of those me would have made it alive through the next 5-years.