Is this a group of WW1 soldiers or is it earlier?

[JaneyH]

This photo fell from the pages of my family bible which I inherited when my grandmother died five years ago. Thus far neither my mother nor myself have been able to identify any possible ancestors from the picture.

However, I have recently established that one of my ancestors served in the 1/7th Hampshire Regiment - which was based in India for most of WW1. I am therefore wondering whether one of the men pictured could be my great-grandfather's brother, Albert Herman Scoble. I have no expertise in military uniforms, hence hoping for some advice here, but my initial thought was that the picture pre-dated WW1.

There is clearly a mix of different uniforms in the picture; there is a chaplain seated in the centre, and the sign above the door reads "Scripture Reading and Prayer Room". When I posted the picture on a different forum a few months back it was suggested that the building shown is a Harrington Prayer Room, and that these were set up in all the major cantonments in India for soldiers to use.

Albert Scoble was born in 1892 and the 1911 Census showed that he was a 19-year old postman living in Bournemouth. Thus while I know he served in India, it was only DURING WW1 and not before. So if the uniforms are too old for WW1 then it can't be him.

The other possibility is a half-brother of my great-grandmother, Charles (Charlie) Barne, who was born in 1869. I only have details of him up to the 1881 Census (then aged 12) but I understand that he served in the 2nd Boer War. (My Mum now has the Queen Victoria chocolate tin that soldiers were given as a Christmas present one year!)

Any thoughts greatly appreciated. I can email a higher-resolution copy of the picture to anyone if they would like.

Janey

[WilliamRev]

Hi Janey

If you were to post a bigger version of the photo it would help people to reply to your post (you've only posted 39kb - you should be able to post a much bigger one). But the poses - the chaps lounging sideways, and men at the back with arms folded - are very Victorian in flavour: not what you see in WW1 military photos, so I think that your earlier relative is the more likely possibility.

William

[centurion]

Looks like the late 1890s with some men in the 'tropical' khaki drill uniform but most in the pre Khaki one