Uniform ID (Nationality?)

[4thGordons]

Can anyone identify the nationality of this uniform?

The context suggests it may be Bulgarian but I cannot find much to confirm that. Cap looks like the French style and an interesting combination of front closure/collar style on the tunic. Gaiters (soft leather?)  are also interesting and shoes/boots seem to be quite narrow and have significant heels (perhaps for riding?)

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

[FROGSMILE]

He’s a Serb.  The forage cap was a very distinctive feature that revealed the silhouette of a Serbian Army soldier from some distance.  The British woman, Flora Sandes famously served with the Serbian Army and images from her life then often show such caps.  

Edited 19 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[4thGordons]

Thank you.

I wondered about that (based on other photos I have) the odd thing is this is in a collection of German pics (fighting against the Serbs with the Bulgarians)

I managed to free the pic from the album page and it has this on the back

 

 

[FROGSMILE]

I can’t make out the first word, but the second is just ‘Militar’.  I don’t know how useful this YouTube piece might be: 

 

 

Edited 19 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

4 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

I can’t make out the first word, but the second is just ‘Militar’

It´s "Serbisches Militär" - Serbian military

GreyC

[FROGSMILE]

21 minutes ago, GreyC said:

It´s "Serbisches Militär" - Serbian military

GreyC

Thank you GreyC.  I could make out the letters ‘erb’, but none of the other letters seem to match, I guess it must be Sutterlin style?

Edited 19 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

Hi Frogsmile,

many people think that this type of current is called Sütterlin, however Sütterlin was only introduced in schools by the Ministerium der Geistlichen und Unterrichts-Angelegenheiten in 1915/6 to standardize and simplify the German current writing prior to Sütterlin. So adults were still using the old forms of current writing at that time and that´s what you see on the back of the photo. Sütterlin is quite similar, though, as it is based on its predecessor.

Best,

GreyC

 

[FROGSMILE]

56 minutes ago, GreyC said:

Hi Frogsmile,

many people think that this type of current is called Sütterlin, however Sütterlin was only introduced in schools by the Ministerium der Geistlichen und Unterrichts-Angelegenheiten in 1915/6 to standardize and simplify the German current writing prior to Sütterlin. So adults were still using the old forms of current writing at that time and that´s what you see on the back of the photo. Sütterlin is quite similar, though, as it is based on its predecessor.

Best,

GreyC

 

Thank you GreyC, I didn’t realise that Sutterlin was an attempt to standardise the older scripts.  I lived four times in Germany and the origins of the culture have always interested me.

Edited 19 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

Good morning Frogsmile,

I presume you were stationed in North Rhine Westphalia? Yes, Sütterlin was meant to standardise and also to simplyfy the script, so that it was easier for children to write. A.H. abolished it in 1941. But I fear, that is another story :-)

Have a good Sunday,

GreyC

[FROGSMILE]

44 minutes ago, GreyC said:

Good morning Frogsmile,

I presume you were stationed in North Rhine Westphalia? 

GreyC

Yes, over several decades with intervals, but for years at a time:  Lemgo (Kreis Lippe), Sennelager, Hohne/Munster Lager, Soltau, Dortmund, and Rheindahlen (MG).  It feels like a long time ago now.

Edited 20 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

It is quite long ago if you stayed till ´94.

GreyC

[FROGSMILE]

9 minutes ago, GreyC said:

It is quite long ago if you stayed till ´94.

GreyC

Stayed till 2009 (among the last to leave).  It was the end of an era. First posting was 1970s.

Edited 20 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

Wow! I didn´t know the British stayed that long. Thought the Rhein Army left 1994 altogether.

Quite a long career in the military. Impressive.

GreyC

[FROGSMILE]

27 minutes ago, GreyC said:

Wow! I didn´t know the British stayed that long. Thought the Rhein Army left 1994 altogether.

Quite a long career in the military. Impressive.

GreyC

The last HQ BFG and ARRC (at Rheindahlen) closed the following year, in 2010.  The latter moved to Innsworth UK, where after some ‘restructuring’ (several former participatory nations didn’t like the new location and so were replaced by others) it remains.

Edited 20 June , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[GreyC]

Thank you!

GreyC