mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 can anyone tell me what badge he is wearing and the photo was supposed to have been taken in 1917? any info would be great. regards jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2005 this mite be a better shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrB Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 It looks like the Canadian Maple Leaf general service badge, coupled with the collars. The collars were not seen in the ANZAC, Indian or UK regiments among the enlisted in service dress. He is a sergeant of course and looks as if he is wearing a "battle-patch" on both sleeves above his stripes, maybe the 1st Canadian Div? DrB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 The collars were not seen in the ANZAC, Indian or UK regiments among the enlisted in service dress. That's not entirely true - I have quite a few wartime photos of men wearing collar badges on their SD tunics. I can confirm it is Canadian. It's not a very clear scan, but in the first photo the badge looked like a Canadian MG Corps badge - but very difficult to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Cheers guys you never cease to amase me on this forum. I have advised the gentleman who owns the photo to contact the forum himself, like myself he is a novice when it comes to researching a soldier, but he will check out the forum today. The girl in the photo is related to him, and i do have a little more info on the soldier. His name is Sydney Reginald Sandys, born 1879 Roysten Herts, known to have survived the war and emigrated to Tarmaki, New Zealand. he did at first think that the badge may have been a NZ mg badge, or NZ Rifles. I checked the nat archives and the cwgc and both have just the one name, but he was only 20 and died in 1917,and as the soldier in the photo was in his thirties, and the photo was supposed to have been taken in 1917 i guess that just about ends my involvment in helping him trace the soldier, i'm sure ther are others like yourselves on the forum who can point him in the right direction as to wher to look next. cheers Paul, cheers DrB Regards jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Jim, The photo could very well have been taken in 1917. I think that Paul has it and the soldier looks to be Canadian MGC. Enlargements aren't too clear. I would say he is not British Army. The wearing of Collar badges was extremely rare on SD jackets in the British Army. The wearing of collar badges was explicitely forbidden by Army Order 10/1902 on SD Jackets. However as Paul points there were exceptions. Officially Pioneers, in Pioneer Battalions, wore collar badges and unsanctioned some units of the New Army (16th Welsh being a famous Battalion wearing the City of Cardiff Collar badges) and a I think few of the TF wore them. The wearing of Collar badges on SD Jackets was not common in the British Army until the 1920's (By a new Army Order). Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Thanks Joe, much appreciated, have forwarded the info to him and once again advised him to have a look at the forum, regards jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Soul Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Jim, If, as suggested in the other posts, he was a Canadian serviceman, then I don't think he was called Sydney Reginald Sandys, as there is no-one of this name listed on the CEF Database website (there is only one Sandys listed and he was born in Calcutta). Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 As the scan isn't very clear (no criticism meant!), notionally he could be a Canadian OR a New Zealand MGC type (the NZ badges had 'NZ' between the Vickers at the bottom; can't detect them here). Or even a Brit, possibly. But rush not to dismiss collar badges (nothing personal Joe). I too accepted that there were no ORs collar badges until post-war, as they were indeed forbidden. BUT. I have now been shown several pictures on men from the 33rd Battalion (who else.. MGC fellow nuts will know why) wearing crossed Vickers collar badges in 1918. We also have good reason to believe that the crossed Vickers collar badge FOR ORs was actually first worn by the Machine Gun Guards and then the Guards Machine Gun Regiment - but we cannot get definitive written proof. He certainly isn't either of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Someone has posted a reply on the rootschat site from which the photo was originaly posted and he says the Canadian MGC badge has an under scroll which curves upwards in the centre, and all british and other versions appear to have perforated letters in a curve down formation, he goes on to say that in the photo the badge has a downward element in the centre bottom, and his guees is that it's a Kiwi uniform and not british because because the stripes are not white. (don't shoot me i'm only the meesenger) jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 23 February , 2005 Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Jim, Only the Canadian Second Division MGC Battalion Badge had an upward scroll at the bottom. The 3rd Canadian and somewhat the 4th Canadian Divisions MGC Battalion badges both had downward scrolls. Phil nothing personal taken I stated that there were exceptions both sanctioned and unsanctioned. But wear by the British Army was nowhere near as prevalent as in the Commonwealth formations and I do not believe this man to be in a British formation. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfc1923 Posted 23 February , 2005 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2005 Cheers Joe, the NZ Rifles cap badge was one of the possibilities mentioned by the owner of the photo, who knows, it's not a clear photo of the badge that's for sure. thanks Joe jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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