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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Photo ID help needed


Jamies

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Hi,

Not sure if this is the right Forum for this topic. Looking for help to gather as much info as possible on a rather extensive collection of photographs which includes French and German troops too.

Heres the first one up...as mentioned any info would be great...

Thx,

Jamie

post-66251-0-68891500-1318695524.jpg

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Hi

The one on the left, looking at the photo, wearing the Grenadier Cap Badge, the other one looks to be wearing the East Lancashire Regiment, Cap Badge.

The one on the left, looks like he also wearing a medal ribbon.

Gerwyn

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Heres a couple of details...

and...

Is that thingummy on his breast pocket button hole the end of a pocket watch chain. (I wear a pocket watch chain with a similar thingummy that was my Grandads and went through the war with him although I had it converted into a bracelet)

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I'm never sure, but is the medal ribbon the King's South Africa? Or Queen's? (I can't find my Observer's Book of Medal Ribbons!)

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Is that thingummy on his breast pocket button hole the end of a pocket watch chain. (I wear a pocket watch chain with a similar thingummy that was my Grandads and went through the war with him although I had it converted into a bracelet)

Hi

You got it, its part of a watch chain, in the other photos you posted, it is the East Lancashire Regiment

Gerwyn

0835t.jpg

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The "QSA" making him a veteran of the Boer War? Would be fasinating to know who he/they were, unfortunately the only info I have is that the photograph itself was taken in Eastbourne. One of the many I guess we"ll never know...

Thanks for the help by the way :thumbsup:

/Jamie

I have many more images and wondered if I should tag them on to this post or make seperate ones, also if I should use another forum?

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Coupled with what's already been said about the South Africa medal ribbon is that the chap on the left has a moustache, which were virtually de rigeur for pre war regulars while the chap on the right doesn't. I know it's not a hard and fast rule but perhaps they are brothers with the right hand man joining up as a volunteer.

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The other alternative for the medal is the India General Service Medal 1895. It doesn't QUITE fit with either QSA (lack of extra black stripe) or IGS (uneven spacing of stripes), however.

Steve.

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Unlikely to be IGS 08 if a career Guardsman; they didn't qualify for any of the pre-WW1 clasps - and certainly isn't an IGS 1895. QSA in my book, arrived too late for KSA.

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Or too early?

No expert but guessing second photo may be WW2 - German.

TD

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Not WW2 German as there is no eagle on the chest - and the collar lace precludes SS (who wore the eagle on the left arm) so not WW1

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As far as I can see it:

1.A Sergeant of the Grenadier Guards with a watch fob in his pocket and a Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902

2.A Sergeant of the East Lancashire Regiment

3. A German Officer of WW1, possibly a Leutnant with some kind of unit identifier on the shoulder strap but no idea which arms of service as I can't make out the colour of his Waffenfarbe - or arms of service colour.

That do?

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Thanks very much guys :thumbsup:

Next up. French Mountain Troops? There doesnt seem to be a lot in the way of markings but any observations are welcome.

post-66251-0-19899000-1318847407.jpg

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No actually....

Maybe I am confused?

1. You mean he arrived to late for a QSA....not the KSA? I thought QV came first? In your post it seems you say too late for KSA?

2. You mean German WW1 then....in your last post you have ruled out both WW1 and WW2?

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Right.

You could arrive too late to qualify for a KSA as a separate medal, as to get it you had to have been in South Africa on 1 January 1902 and to have completed 18 months service prior to 1 June 1902. If you did not fulfil these criteria you got a bar - or bars - to the QSA. [sOUTH AFRICA 1901; SOUTH AFRICA 1902]

The German is WW1 - the latter was a typo.

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French Mountain Troops?

They appear to be that. If you Google "Chasseurs Alpins" you will see that even today they wear those rather odd berets.

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This is as good as I have without re-scanning...which I could do tomorrow if needed

J

post-66251-0-44466200-1318883230.jpg

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They appear to be that. If you Google "Chasseurs Alpins" you will see that even today they wear those rather odd berets.

Yes, those berets are almost like the Spanish Basque. I have a number of photographs like this...some with names on. Must be researchable I would of thought.

Just had a quick read on the "Chasseurs Alpins"...thanks for the tip...off to read some more :rolleyes:

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This is as good as I have without re-scanning...which I could do tomorrow if needed

J

That looks like a pretty clear 8 to me. The 8th of what, I will probably have to defer to the experts. In the mean time I am going to consult my books to see if I can figure it out.

:thumbsup:

-Daniel

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