Rather poor Condition Panoramic senior Officers if any one recognises anyone 1918

[arantxa]

I will try and take a few better pictures

[FROGSMILE]

That’s quite an extraordinarily evocative photo I think because of the date and grouping.  The senior officers course was for officers selected as suitable for formation command (Brigade and Division).  At the centre of the front row is a general officer who’s possibly the commandant of the school, or perhaps a visiting dignitary.  Flanking him on one side is a full Colonel on the staff and either, a military assistant (MA), or perhaps the school adjutant (whichever, he’s almost certainly the most junior officer present).  Most of the rest of the front row are Colonels.  The rows behind will mostly also field officers with perhaps the odd long service senior among them, they are battle hardened veterans to a man and most have medals and/or wound stripes to evidence that.  

As well as British regular and Territorial Force regiments (e.g. Cambridgeshire) I can see Royal Naval Division, Australians, Canadians, South Africans and New Zealander’s.  They are all infantry and Foot Guards and none are young men, most being manifestly into their 30s and 40s.  The scale of the photo is a reflection of the largest Army (as a pure land force) that Great Britain, its Dominions and Colonies had ever put into the field.  The date is thought provoking too because a month later the German Spring Offensive was launched and most of the officers seen would probably have been launched into the maelstrom that followed.  Such photos when I’ve seen them in the past used to be in very long rectangular frames and seen on the walls of officers’ messes and military clubs.  They are rarely seen nowadays having been replaced with paintings, prints and more topical images.  Thank you for posting it.

Edited 30 July , 2021 by FROGSMILE

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear arantxa,

Thanks for that and I echo the statement of Frogsmile; a remarkable Feb 1918 officers document, for whom the War was far from over...

The front row are no doubt the Directing Staff (DS) and the Senior Officers Course Commandant would be seated near the middle; the more higher-ranking officer being perhaps the Aldershot commander or some-such. Researchable!

The few AIF and NZEF officers are easy to make out with their Australian Slouch Hats and NZ Lemon-squeezer Hats.

MCs abound, not to mention various DSOs... 

Kindest regards,

Kim.

Edited 28 July , 2021 by Kimberley John Lindsay

[mancpal]

also a number of wound stripes

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Yes it's  creased, but otherwise  it's  potentially salvageable. If you can find someone  to scan that image in sections on a flatbed scanner, the images can be digitally stitched together and the creases healed in numerous photo processing packages.

[AndrewSid]

To echo thankyou for posting.  A very clear photograph with undoubtably a core of the most experienced mid/senior officers the allies possessed at the time.  

Presumably most had served as Bn COs, 2 ICs or perhaps Coy commanders before a posting back to the staff for this course, perhaps on promotion.  

I take it nothing written on the back of the photo?   there will be  a course list long buried somewhere I don’t doubt. 

I wonder how long the course was?  A month maybe. Hopefully by that stage in the war they had ceased thinking the cavalry would solve everything.

I’m not sure anyone is up to cap badge recognition on this scale as there must be gusting 300 of them…

Edited 28 July , 2021 by AndrewSid

[arantxa]

HI

IF I can at some stage i will put up a clearer picture....ive just had a lot of stuff brought in so will list as i go through

Thank you every one for your advice on things

[Steven Broomfield]

Apart from the truly wondrous array of moustaches, I have to admire the Canadian, fourth from left on the back row, who has turned side-on to the camera in order to display his battle patch. He wasn't going to allow the Anzacs bragging rights on the Empire's contribution!

[regimentalrogue]

In the front row, right above the word "Officers" is Lt.-Col. Claude Hardinge Hill, The Royal Canadian Regiment. Hill was transferred to England as an Instructor at the Senior Officers' Course School, Aldershot, on 12 Dec 1917.

http://www.regimentalrogue.com/rcr_great_war_officers/rcr_offr_hill_ch.html

 

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear regimentalrogue,

Well spotted!

I felt sure some eagle-eyed GWF member would pick out by name at least one of the countless luminaries in this fascinating group. And a Canadian, too...

Kindest regards,

Kim.

 

[Bordercollie]

There was an interesting article on the Senior Officer's School in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research in the summer issue of 2015.  It can be read here free provided that you register with Jstor (like the National Archives, Jstor uses registration to control the number of articles read on line without charge).  The first commandant of the school was Brigadier-General R J Kentish and he handed over to Brigadier-General F J Marshall in December 1917.  So the senior officer at the centre of the front row in the photograph may be Brigadier-General Marshall.

The article includes the names of a number of other staff at the school, mainly those that were there during the first half of 1917.  Presumably some of them would still have been there  in February 1918 and may also feature in the photograph.