Wound stripes

[West riding]

Can anybody tell me the difference between wound stripes, good conduct stripes and service stripes. I have a photograph which seems to show four stripes in a type of chevron on the cuff of the uniform. The more I try to identify the meaning the more confusing it gets.

Cheers,

Gary

[ss002d6252]

Which arm are they on ?

Craig

[squirrel]

Good conduct badges(s) - inverted chevron worn lower left arm.

Overseas (inverted) chevron(s) blue, red for 1914, worn lower right arm

Wound stripe single vertical strip worn lower left arm (below Good Conduct badges if awarded).

[Old Owl]

Wound stripes are about 2" long and are worn vertically on the left middle forearm, side by side, if more than one. Overseas service chevrons are worn on the right lower forearm and measure approx 2" wide at the top and bottom. Good Conduct chevrons are much larger and similar to an NCO's stripes but worn upside down and again on the left lower forearm, I think?

[Muerrisch]

any photo with overseas service chevrons dates fro early 1918 at the earliest.

[Sepoy]

Here is an infantryman wearing all three.

He is wearing a 2 year long service chevron (indicating a minimum 2 years and up to 6 when the next chevron was awarded) and a wound stripe on his left arm and two small overseas service chevrons on his right arm. He is also wearing a cloth cross surmounted by a diamond on the top of his sleeves indicating a Division/Brigade.

Unfortunately, I cannot make out the shoulder title. It could be the Northamptonshire Regiment?

Any help from Forum members re the Divisional/Brigade badge would be gratefully received.

Sepoy

[jdoyle]

nice photo.

This is the web page I refer back to when I need reminding about wound stripes, good conduct stripes etc

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/48b.htm

Johnny

[Andrew Upton]

nice photo.

This is the web page I refer back to when I need reminding about wound stripes, good conduct stripes etc

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.comerford/ORDNANCE/48b.htm

With the caveat that it does contain a number of inaccuracies, eg the maximum number of Overseas Service Chevrons that could be awarded and the time needed to qualify for them.

[Stebie9173]

I think you are right - it will be 7th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment of 73rd Infantry Brigade of 24th Division judging by the cross insignia - there is a very good illustration in one of Mike Chappell's books - probably "British Battle Insignia".

This chap don't 'arf look familiar!!

Steve.

[Sepoy]

I think you are right - it will be 7th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment of 73rd Infantry Brigade of 24th Division judging by the cross insignia - there is a very good illustration in one of Mike Chappell's books - probably "British Battle Insignia".

This chap don't 'arf look familiar!!

Steve.

Steve

Thank you for your help with the Div Flash.

Sepoy

[Muerrisch]

With the caveat that it does contain a number of inaccuracies, eg the maximum number of Overseas Service Chevrons that could be awarded and the time needed to qualify for them.

and the period to qualify for good conduct ............... in fact the page is very unreliable and should not be used as a source at all.

[jdoyle]

With the caveat that it does contain a number of inaccuracies, eg the maximum number of Overseas Service Chevrons that could be awarded and the time needed to qualify for them.

absolutely but as a visual aid it works for me (until something better comes along). The layout of the stripes etc should help with the original question.

Johnny

[West riding]

Thanks to everybody, I think I have got it now.

Regards,

Gary

[Phil Bd]

Can anyone decipher this extract please? It's from the service record of my relation Harry Richmond Webb. The sentence I'm trying to unravel is the second line against the "6. Wounded" Does it say "Entitled to wear Nil Gold Wound Stripes" ? If so why write it down?

Phil

 

[TEW]

I suspect he had been wounded but for various reasons it did not qualify for publication in official lists and therefore he was not entitled to a wound stripe.

Without his number to check the lists or to see about any possible incident in his file it's difficult to say much more.

TEW 

[david murdoch]

24 minutes ago, Phil Bd said:

Can anyone decipher this extract please? It's from the service record of my relation Harry Richmond Webb. The sentence I'm trying to unravel is the second line against the "6. Wounded" Does it say "Entitled to wear Nil Gold Wound Stripes" ? If so why write it down?

Phil

 

That's how 'd read it. 

Entitled to wear one red & four blue chevrons. 

Entitled to wear nil gold wound stripes.

Strange why you would write it down like that though, s it's the section for listing any wounds and wasn't wounded  - certainly not a recorded one. He may have been injured or lightly wounded and felt he was entitled to one.  

[Phil Bd]

4 minutes ago, TEW said:

I suspect he had been wounded but for various reasons it did not qualify for publication in official lists and therefore he was not entitled to a wound stripe.

Without his number to check the lists or to see about any possible incident in his file it's difficult to say much more.

TEW 

 

1 minute ago, david murdoch said:

That's how 'd read it. 

Entitled to wear one red & four blue chevrons. 

Entitled to wear nil gold wound stripes.

Strange why you would write it down like that though, s it's the section for listing any wounds and wasn't wounded  - certainly not a recorded one. He may have been injured or lightly wounded and felt he was entitled to one.  

Thanks Both,

Does this help....  Harry Richmond Webb, born 1883 served.....  7927 Royal Warwickshire Regt. He served from 1899 to 1920 with a tour in South Africa   (1902 – 1904) and was a PoW during WWI (captured at Ypres)

Phil

[TEW]

He was captured October 1914 and then posted to his depot December 1918. Transferred to class Z in March 1919. He may have been wounded but I presume even a German medical note would not warrant being published.

Wouldn't be surprised if he made a song & dance about it so they wrote 'nil' to make an official record.

There's only three months he could have worn one for anyway.

TEW

[Phil Bd]

1 minute ago, TEW said:

He was captured October 1914 and then posted to his depot December 1918. Transferred to class Z in March 1919. He may have been wounded but I presume even a German medical note would not warrant being published.

Wouldn't be surprised if he made a song & dance about it so they wrote 'nil' to make an official record.

There's only three months he could have worn one for anyway.

TEW

Thanks TEW, he collected enough awards along the way - Awarded the South African medal with clasp for Cape Colony Orange Free State.

Also awarded the 1914 Star medal, British War medal and Victory medal - just proud to do his bit.

Phil

[notebooking]

Hi all - could someone explain what exactly entitled someone to a wound stripe? Was there a "minimum requirement" of some kind for the wound?

[ss002d6252]

8 hours ago, notebooking said:

Hi all - could someone explain what exactly entitled someone to a wound stripe? Was there a "minimum requirement" of some kind for the wound?

They needed to appear on a casualty list - effectively, something that required treatment that couldn't be patched up at the unit would probably need to go back for more treatment and enter the casualty chain.
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/tips-for-interpreting-photographs-of-men-in-uniform/whats-that-on-his-sleeve-a-wound-stripe/

Craig