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Remembered Today:

Any ideas what this arm patch/ badge signifies ?


Tony999

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Hello all and thank you for adding me.

I am just starting to research my grandfathers war record and came across this picture of him. I can see he was a corporal but have no idea what the badge is above. If it helps he was in the Royal Field Artillery.

Many thanks for any help given.

IMG_0418.PNG

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It's the Rough Riders badge. This meant he was variously a riding instructor, remount trainer or - quite excitingly - responsible for breaking horses in.

 

The RFA were effectively a mounted arm, so that is consistent with the badge.

 

Cheers,

 

GT.

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Thank you so much for the prompt reply, that fits in with something that is written in his demobilisation papers that "he was always good with his horses" 

It was only when I zoomed in on the enclosed pic I also noticed 2 stripes on his forearm, don't know if they are just folds or creases in the sleeve.

Thanks once again, I will probably have many more questions.

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I'm in favour of 3.

 

Sjmon

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Looking again you may be correct, I know that he joined in 1912, I have his 1914 star and have seen on his army record that he had clasp or clasps, at some point he was transferred to the devonshire regiment  and also the labour corps then returned to his unit. Currently trying to find out where he served etc but to be honest I don't know where to start. 

Cheers

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11 minutes ago, Tony999 said:

Looking again you may be correct, I know that he joined in 1912, I have his 1914 star and have seen on his army record that he had clasp or clasps, at some point he was transferred to the devonshire regiment  and also the labour corps then returned to his unit. Currently trying to find out where he served etc but to be honest I don't know where to start. 

Cheers

If you post any information you have, name, date/place of birth,  number from the 1914 Star etc. folk here would usually be happy to help. 

 

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The details I have are these

Albert White born 28th Nov 1888

Service number 68938 along with a new number 1007689

Royal Field Artillery 

156 Brigade D battery

 

22nd battery from Jan 1915 to August 1916.

 

??? 33rd Divisional artillery 

That's all I have 

If anyone can shed some more light I would be eternally grateful

 

Cheers

Tont

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Do you have any other family details such as siblings names, addresses etc? The details you provided should provoke an informed response but the more detail you can supply the more information is likely to surface, good luck with your reseasch.

 

Simon

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The two stripes beneath his Roughrider badge of a spur indicate that his rank was Corporal, for some reason this was not previously mentioned.

4B6D22F1-2D8A-4877-9A89-2DEF415A1641.jpeg

69EC1C03-66AD-4357-B87D-0881DD7C5B67.jpeg

Edited by FROGSMILE
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Apart from in the original post

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12 hours ago, mancpal said:

Apart from in the original post


Yes, I see it now Simon.  Senility must be creeping in....

:unsure:

Edited by FROGSMILE
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From the Army Order ………. “Chevrons of two colours – red and blue – have been approved. The first chevron, if earned on or before 31st December 1914, will be red; if earned on or after 1st January 1915, it will be blue; and all additional chevrons after the first will be blue”

Edited by TullochArd
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You can read about 156 Brigade (which was part of the 33rd Division's artillery) on LLT here:

 

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-royal-artillery-in-the-first-world-war/batteries-and-brigades-of-the-royal-field-artillery/clvi-clxii-clxvi-and-clxvii-howitzer-brigades-rfa-33rd-divisional-artillery/ and note the additional link from that page.

 

22 Battery was initially in 34 Brigade RFA in 2nd Division and from Feb 1917 in 3 Brigade RFA in 7th Division.  

 

There is more to learn.  His re-enlistment in 1924 is the reason for his 7 digit number.  As you know he also served after the Royal Field Artillery in the Devonshire regiment (another number) and then the Labour Corps (yet another number).

 

Because he served after 1920, his record, which would make sense of all the above, will still be with the Ministry of Defence and can be applied for:

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

 

Max

Edited by MaxD
typo
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6 hours ago, TullochArd said:

From the Army Order ………. “Chevrons of two colours – red and blue – have been approved. The first chevron, if earned on or before 31st December 1914, will be red; if earned on or after 1st January 1915, it will be blue; and all additional chevrons after the first will be blue”

 

I have att'd below a photo of Royal Navy War Service chevrons to give readers of this topic as idea of what they looked like. 

Likely the Army WS Chevrons were embroidered on a khaki background.

 

Bryan

 

War Svce chevs.jpg

Edited by RNCVR
..
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Looking again at what we have on Albert White, it would seem, from his medal roll entry and medal card  that he went overseas to France first with 22 Battery of 34 Brigade in the 2nd Division.

 

That battery went to 3 Brigade in 28 Division in February 1915 but left (source LLT) before 28 Division went to Salonika.   This doesn't seem to accord with 3 Brigade's war diary which still has 22 Battery iin the brigade leaving for Marseilles (for Salonika) end Oct 1915.  There is a medical record for him in 28 General Hospital in Dec 1915 with his unit given as "22" which I can't reconcile with the battery changing brigades.  It isn't 22 Brigade, that was in France.

 

He transferred to the Devonshires on 6 March 1917 (medal roll) but the RA Attestations entry says the same date to the Labour Corps leaving them on 26 Jun 1918 back to the RFA.

 

In this I don't know where 156 Brigade fits in and sources on 22 Battery in the 1915 time frame are confusing I haven't seen a Salonika diary.

 

Perhaps some one else can shed light on the seeming anomalies although given that his records are not to hand, I fear a complete unravelling of his service would best be done with those to hand.

 

Max.

 

 

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Wow so much information of which I am trying to understand.  What I would to say is a huge thank you for all your help and comments it really does mean a lot. I have found out today that Albert's father ( my great grandfather joined the 24th Foot in 1846 and served in India , but that's for another day lol

Thanks once again

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With regard to his Overseas chevrons, then his medal card confirms he went overseas in August 1914.

Thus when the chevrons were authorised in December 1917, assuming he was overseas the whole time ( and not in the UK say, in hospital) , he would surely have been entitled to One Red and 3 Blue?

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12 hours ago, MaxD said:

Because he served after 1920, his record, which would make sense of all the above, will still be with the Ministry of Defence and can be applied

Having checked the Spreadsheets for MOD files, I can't immediately see an A. White with that date of birth.

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Tony999.

 

If you really want to understand his complete service path then you need to see his service record which Dai has confirmed is with Glagow.  There are gaps and anomalies that can't be resolved with complete accuracy without it.  The process is here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

 

Max

 

PS  Hoping someone can confirm that 22 Battery did indeed go to Salonika with 28 Division, Chris Baker may need the tippex?

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14 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

With regard to his Overseas chevrons, then his medal card confirms he went overseas in August 1914.

Thus when the chevrons were authorised in December 1917, assuming he was overseas the whole time ( and not in the UK say, in hospital) , he would surely have been entitled to One Red and 3 Blue?

 

I'd agree with that Dai.

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10 minutes ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said:

So any photo of him must have a minimum of 4 stripes?

(Ts & Cs apply)

Perhaps not as Ts and Cs do indeed apply ……

 

"Additional chevrons will be awarded for each successive aggregate period of 12 months’ service outside the United Kingdom …….."

 

and

 

"The qualifying service for additional chevrons need not be continuous. It will include periods of leave up to one month where the individual returns overseas at the conclusion of such leave."

 

So over four weeks back in Blighty at some point might explain three chevrons not four?

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