What Regiments Came from Croydon, Surrey?

[AgentAlf]

7 hours ago, kenf48 said:

 

Surrey Recruitment Registers on Find My Past (subscription required) or may be accessible through your local library service.

You may also be interested in 'Croydon in the Great War' pub 1920 free to download at

https://archive.org/details/croydongreatwaro00moor/page/n3/mode/2up

Although it concentrates on the Queen's (RWS) as the home Regiment it paints a picture of recruitment and what Walter's' wife was experiencing at home.

Thanks Kent

[AgentAlf]

8 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Yes Max, the other figure is an Italian soldier of the Alpini (Alpine trained mountain troops).  They were some of the best trained and equipped Italian military.

Yes that looks the same kit, thanks Frogy. 

[AgentAlf]

7 hours ago, MaxD said:

Thank you for the confirmation Frogsmile!  Perhaps a generic card as a souvenir of the British arriving in Italy

No Labour No Battle has a section on Italy showing that although fighting troops did not arrive until Nov 1917, some Labour Corps units had been there since Jun 1917.  Others were brought with the Nov 1917 troops so it is entirely possible that he went, not with 19 Middx but with the Labour Corps if indeed he transferred in mid 1917.

MaxD

Probably the best theory, any card is better than none and there were five or so kids to write to. Thanks

[PRC]

42 minutes ago, AgentAlf said:

Thanks. If you see Michelle’s post a division of Pioneers did go to Italy in 1917. 

With the near collapse of parts of the Italian Army in the autumn of 1917, the Italian Government triggered the alliance agreement that required their allies to provide military assistance. The British and French did follow through on their treaty obligations but it was very much intended on their part as a stop-gap and to steady the ship. They did not, for instance, expect their troops to be in the vanguard of any offensive. Overall command remained with the BEF on the Western Front. The whole thing required a bit of a sell to all involved, so what I suspect what you have is a postcard reflecting some good-will propaganda - an image that says thank-you to the British for turning up in our hour of need in 1917, (despite looking like the Bersagleiri is pulling a British soldier out of a funkhole where he had hidden at the sound of the guns

Cheers,
Peter

[AgentAlf]

34 minutes ago, PRC said:

With the near collapse of parts of the Italian Army in the autumn of 1917, the Italian Government triggered the alliance agreement that required their allies to provide military assistance. The British and French did follow through on their treaty obligations but it was very much intended on their part as a stop-gap and to steady the ship. They did not, for instance, expect their troops to be in the vanguard of any offensive. Overall command remained with the BEF on the Western Front. The whole thing required a bit of a sell to all involved, so what I suspect what you have is a postcard reflecting some good-will propaganda - an image that says thank-you to the British for turning up in our hour of need in 1917, (despite looking like the Bersagleiri is pulling a British soldier out of a funkhole where he had hidden at the sound of the guns

Cheers,
Peter

Good insight. Tx

[FROGSMILE]

9 hours ago, PRC said:

With the near collapse of parts of the Italian Army in the autumn of 1917, the Italian Government triggered the alliance agreement that required their allies to provide military assistance. The British and French did follow through on their treaty obligations but it was very much intended on their part as a stop-gap and to steady the ship. They did not, for instance, expect their troops to be in the vanguard of any offensive. Overall command remained with the BEF on the Western Front. The whole thing required a bit of a sell to all involved, so what I suspect what you have is a postcard reflecting some good-will propaganda - an image that says thank-you to the British for turning up in our hour of need in 1917, (despite looking like the Bersagleiri is pulling a British soldier out of a funkhole where he had hidden at the sound of the guns

Cheers,
Peter

Alpini, Peter