Can anyone tell which brother this is from the uniform?

[erica236]

I have a picture, painted by my Grandad in 1917, of one of his brothers.

Family say it is Fred who was in the Army Cycling Corps(12087) then the Northumberland Fusiliers(45264) but I think it may be Willie who served in the Machine Gun Corps, West Yorkshire Reg (35157).

The cap badge is obviously West Yorkshire Reg but would Willie have had a MGC badge? Is there any way Fred might have worn this badge? Fred died in the war but Willie survived so it makes more sense that my Grandad would have kept the picture of Fred as a memorial.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Also, was the strange fur scarf standard issue!?

Thank you, in anticipation, for your help.

[jay dubaya]

Squinting at this time on a Friday morning reveals what could possibly be a prancing horse of the PoW West Yorkshire Rgt albeit with artistic license

[Steven Broomfield]

Is it possible he's wearing a greatcoat over the early-war sheepskin jacket?

[erica236]

Hi Tocemma

Thank you for the picture and the information which all makes sense.This is really strange as I grew up with the painting which is about 3ft x 2ft but is exactly the same as your photo with a different face!

My grandad was an amateur artist and obviously copied the picture.

My great uncles were Fred Crann - Army Cycling Corps 12087 then Northumberland Fusiliers 45264, and William (Willie) Crann- Machine Gun Corps, West Yorkshire Reg 35157.

Family have always said that the picture was Fred, who died in the war but in my painting there is definitely a horse on the cap badge which suggests Willie!

Would Willie have had a Machine Gun Corps badge and is there any way Fred could have worn the Yorkshire badge?

It may always remain a mystery but I wondered if you had any ideas?

[Sepoy]

This was a widely commercially produced image of a British Soldier. Here is my version with a close up of the cap. Whereas Tocemma is probably correct with the cover ties, I have often wondered whether he is wearing a Duke of Wellington's Regiment cap badge which is tipped at an angle?

Sepoy

[Andrew Upton]

I have often wondered whether he is wearing a Duke of Wellington's Regiment cap badge which is tipped at an angle?

I think I've seen suggestions of just about every Regiment with a scrolled badge in the frame! I think someone had a go with the retouching brush to give the suggestion of a generic cap badge...pretty certain its is a couple of frayed tapes tied in a 'granny' knot with a few judicious blobs of paint applied here and there.

To be fair, if we accept that it's probably a combination of knot to the right, a tipped badge, and possibly some retouching, with it straightened up the Duke of Wellington's does seem spot on:

http://postimg.org/image/hgwt8ty29/

[SilverFox100]

I wouldn't disagree about the badge, or knots come to that, but what a great picture. Love it.

[erica236]

Hi Tocemma,

Thank you for this interesting information - I'm sure the picture was meant to be Willie!

It sounds like he did well to survive the war!

I have seen the records on Ancestry, but being a novice to all this I hadn't registered the first Reg he enlisted with.

Thank you for all your help.