Help Identifying Regiment of Major

[Rodgerslad]

Hello there,

 

I am looking for some help with this photo I have of a Major (written on reverse).  He looks to be named on the bottom and it looks to read either 375 coy or 325 coy.  Does anyone have any idea what that would be?  The badge looks to be Army Service Corps and the photographer is from Seaford in Sussex.  I was hoping to be able to try and find out who the soldier was.

 

Many thanks for any help in advance

 

 

[Steven Broomfield]

Well, he's not a Major, he's an other rank (unless his name is Major). The badge is indistinct but I'd suggest Devonshire Regiment might be a possible - can't see the scroll an ASC badge would have (though it might be hidden), but there does seem a hint of the castle on the devons badge.

 

 

[ss002d6252]

What is written on the reverse?

 

Craig

[Acknown]

It does look a bit Devonish, but if the company designations are correct, that indicates ASC. According to LLT, ASC had:

• 325 Motor Ambulance Convoy Company. Formed March 1915. 7 Motor Ambulance convoy, under First Army. Moved to Salonika.
• 375 Coy which worked as a divisional ammunition park. Formed June 1915. Formed for 38th (Welsh) Division but served in France with 39th Division. Absorbed into 374 MT Company (the Divisional Supply Column) March 1918. My interpretation of the writing.

Acknown

 

Edited 3 August , 2019 by Acknown

[IPT]

Is that a WO sleeve insignia between the two signatures in the first photo?

 

Could that help explain 'major'?

 

Really, we could do with the full photos and an image of the writing on the reverse.

[PRC]

You can sometimes get a feel for which units were stationed in the area by looking at the units of the men buried in the local cemetery - it's far from definative as there may have been no deaths \ the body may have been returned to their local area \ some of those who died will be local men.

 

There are no Devonshires recorded in Seaford Cemetery.

 

Obviously the unit number pointed to ASC or RE but to me the badge looked more like one of the Scottish Units. However there is only one man from a Scotch Regiment, (Scottish Rifles) and he appears to be local. The ASC units of the men who died aren't given or relate to such things as the Ulster Divisional Train.

 

Reason for posting, assuming this isn't a man local to the area, is that of the 256 graves of Great War deaths in Seaford cemetery, 191 are Canadian. At least one of the 1918 deaths was for someone stationed at the Canadian Engineers Training Depot. So is it possible the man pictured here is Canadian?

 

Of the balance the biggest single group is 19 men of the 2nd Battalion, British West Indies Regiment.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Rodgerslad]

These are some extra images.  I have a photo of the same soldier with a group of other solders as well.

 

Thank you for your help, everyone

[ss002d6252]

Brought up a bit bigger.

 

Craig

[PRC]

What's over his left breast pocket in the first picture- are those medal ribbons?

Similarly his cuff on his left sleeve - are those crowns?

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Jrmh]

Warrant Officer First Class possibly Regimental Sergeant Major Army Service Corps.

Edited 3 August , 2019 by Jrmh

[Steven Broomfield]

1 hour ago, PRC said:

a Scotch Regiment, 

 

 

Scottish. Scotch is a drink.

[Ron Clifton]

Or, as my Scottish friend often reminded me, hop or butter. Or possibly tape.

 

Ron

[Pat Atkins]

Or what is done to rumours.

 

I also think he's an ASC WOI for what it's worth (could've almost done that in acronyms, in fact - IMHO ASC WOI FWIW). Medal guess - QSA?

 

[Rodgerslad]

Yes I think you are right about the Queens South Africa medal. 

[Pat Atkins]

If his surname is Major, how about M/22782 Acting WO Class I George Hugh Major? 1914 Star & clasp, 8th Divisional Ammunition Park ASC,  qualifying date 9.11.1914 as a Sergeant. I believe that would have been 75 MT Coy, but a later transfer to another Coy engaged in same role (e.g. Acknown's 275 Coy) seems reasonable.I appreciate there are no doubt other candidates, of course.

[Dragoon]

Hi, 

It's the lion of the WO1 rank badge on the photo.

And I agree, ASC.

 

Chris 

 

[FROGSMILE]

Another vote for ASC WOI.

[Acknown]

Is that him in the greatcoat in the group photo (which shows Warrant Officer badge more clearly)? If so, what's he holding? Seeing as they're all lined up with an officer, some sort of presentation? 

Acknown

[Pat Atkins]

Re his QSA: a quick (and characteristically inept - I really don't get on with their search functions) look on Ancestry brought up 13888 Pte G Major, B Supply Company, Army Service, who served in the Boer War; unfortunately, his medal entitlement was to the King's SA Medal... Other than that, there appear to be 3 or 4 of that name/initial who served in S Africa and might therefore be our man (if that is a QSA ribbon after all), but without a service record I'm not sure how we can identify him in this way.

 

Pat

[Stebie9173]

From the postcard I think his forename is Major not his surname. Major was a forename back then, albeit uncommon. There are about 25 men with the forename Major in the ASC on the medal index cards. The two WO/1 I can see are:

 

• Acting WO/1 S/31762, S/8493, ES/51093 Dan Major Turner (served in Egypt from 16-1-1915). Re-enlisted in ASC in 1919 and continued serving.
• Acting WO/1 M2/156749 Malcolm Major McCallum, M.M. with GS Medal (Iraq clasp), serving in Mesopotamia from 29-5-1916. Medals issued 1921 - of Andover and Lyndhurst, Hants. Later Lieutenant IARO from 2-11-1918.

 

 

Steve.

Edited 4 August , 2019 by Stebie9173

[PRC]

40 minutes ago, Stebie9173 said:

Acting WO/1 S/31762, S/8493, ES/51093 Dan Major Turner (served in Egypt from 16-1-1915). Re-enlisted in ASC in 1919 and continued serving.

 

If, (and as always it's a big IF), he was born in England and Wales, then the only match in the Civil Birth records was that of a Dan Major Turner registered in the West Ham District of Essex in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1890. Old enough for the Great War but not for the Boer War of 1899-1902, for which a medal ribbon has tentatively been identified. There is no match for a Daniel Major Turner in those birth records. There is no obvious death or marriage record for him in England & Wales and no match on CWGC. On the 1911 Census of England and Wales the 21 year old Dan Major Turner, born Kennington, Essex, was recorded as a Private in Barracks at Billericay with the 1st Battalion  The Queens (Royal West Surrey Regiment).

 

44 minutes ago, Stebie9173 said:

Acting WO/1 M2/156749 Malcolm Major McCallum, M.M. with GS Medal (Iraq clasp), serving in Mesopotamia from 29-5-1916. Medals issued 1921 - of Andover and Lyndhurst, Hants. Later Lieutenant IARO from 2-11-1918.

 

Similarly with this man. If he was born in England and Wales, then the only match in the Civil Birth records was of a Malcolm Major McCallum recorded in the Woodbridge District of Suffolk in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1890. Malcolm and his parents were recorded in the village of Melton, near Woodbridge on the 1891 Census.. His father was from Scotland and worked as an Asylum Attendant. His mother was from Lincolnshire. The family is not on subsequent censuses of England & Wales. Couldn't see a death record in England & Wales or on CWGC.

 

Is their anything in the images to discount the possibility that the pictures were taken post-war, in which case WO/1 would not have been the highest rank he achieved by the 11th of November 1918. If that is the case then the MiC could show any rank from Private upwards - and that's assuming there is a MiC. Everything about the cards says UK and nothing to indicate he served overseas in the Great War.

 

The thought that the first name might be Major did give me one possible line of enquiry that his wife could be an Em(ma) so I tried looking for marriages between a Major and Emma, but simply found too many to even start trying to cross-refer to MiC's. And of course it could just as eaily have been girlfriend, daughter or sister.

 

Time for another think,

Peter

[Andrew Upton]

2 hours ago, Pat Atkins said:

Re his QSA: a quick (and characteristically inept - I really don't get on with their search functions) look on Ancestry brought up 13888 Pte G Major, B Supply Company, Army Service, who served in the Boer War; unfortunately, his medal entitlement was to the King's SA Medal...

 

It was impossible to be awarded the KSA singularly - it always came with the QSA. Only the QSA could be awarded on its own.

[Stebie9173]

Could it be the India General Service medal 1895 (i.e. between 1895 and 1908)?

 

 

Steve.

[Neale1961]

I think the forename on the first picture is “Elliott”.

The surname begins with an R?

[Pat Atkins]

I didn't know that about QSA/KSA, Andrew - thanks for the correction, it's good to benefit from the hard-earned expertise of others! As it happens, the lack of KSA remains a valid point in this case.

 

Steve, I think you're right, to my eyes the India GS would also be a contender for that ribbon. Definitely not in my comfort zone on pre-War medals though.

 

Cheers, Pat.