'Civi' uniform, demob suit with markings?

[flers1916]

I have a friend from Preston Lancashire whose grandfather is pictured in this family photograph. His friend is in a civilian suit but you can see he has a long two tone (black and white photo) 'ribbon' on his left sleeve, does this mean anything in military terms? Wound stripe, etc.? As a side note the two men in the photograph have been 'given' cigarettes to smoke after the photograph was taken. Any help will be appreciated.

[Waddell]

Graham,

Its possible it is a wound stripe with backing. I have seen photos of men in civilian clothing wearing regimental capbadges on fobs and the like during and shortly after the war. My line of thinking is that a wound badge would identify the wearer as a man who had served and had been discharged to soldiers and civilians alike.

Scott

[Andrew Upton]

Its possible it is a wound stripe with backing. I have seen photos of men in civilian clothing wearing regimental capbadges on fobs and the like during and shortly after the war. My line of thinking is that a wound badge would identify the wearer as a man who had served and had been discharged to soldiers and civilians alike.

Definitely a wound stripe (the official type of Russian gold braid on a khaki cloth backing as opposed to the seemingly unofficial brass versions), and like you say worn in civvies to show a man had done his bit. This example is a favourite of mine - in civvies, but with SWB, wound stripes AND overseas service chevrons worn as well to reinforce the point!

http://postimage.org/image/az7vw100f/