i THINK THIS IS A GREEK SOLDIER?

[RICHARD1959]

[FROGSMILE]

26 minutes ago, RICHARD1959 said:

 

 

Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) I think.

Edited 28 February , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[6RRF]

Certainly looks like a Royal Marine to me - The Greeks wore French-style kepis to start off with before adopting unstiffened peaked caps

[derekb]

I’d say a Royal Marine wearing the peakless Broderick Cap.

[RICHARD1959]

[RICHARD1959]

WHY THE GREEK MOTIFF IF HE IS A BRIT?

[FROGSMILE]

3 minutes ago, RICHARD1959 said:

WHY THE GREEK MOTIFF IF HE IS A BRIT?

Because he probably picked it up in Salonika.  As with all theatres of war there was a thriving trade in souvenirs and gifts to take home to loved ones.

Edited 28 February , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[FROGSMILE]

54 minutes ago, derekb said:

I’d say a Royal Marine wearing the peakless Broderick Cap.

Yes that’s why I chose the illustrative photo that I did.  You can also make out the shiny button on the RMLI frock’s single breast pocket.

Edited 28 February , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[RICHARD1959]

• WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN NEXT TO HIM?  WAS THIS A PIC HE HAD WITH HIM? THEN HE HAD THE MATCHBOX COVER MADE OVERSEAS? 

[FROGSMILE]

29 minutes ago, RICHARD1959 said:

• WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN NEXT TO HIM?  WAS THIS A PIC HE HAD WITH HIM? THEN HE HAD THE MATCHBOX COVER MADE OVERSEAS? 

Bring the cover back and then insert the photo subsequently.  What’s so complicated?

[derekb]

Royal Marine uniform, badges & buttons, British Broderick cap, British webbing belt, British 1907, Hooked quillion bayonet, nautical studio setting, I still believe he is a RM.

Mind you in the Military museum in Chania, Crete, they have a British Martini Cutlass bayonet described as a “Greek Sea Captains sword”, don’t that it’s relevant.

[corisande]

It might be helpful if @Richard 1959 posted a larger, better quality photo of his family group. This could solve the question easily one way or the other

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, derekb said:

Royal Marine uniform, badges & buttons, British Broderick cap, British webbing belt, British 1907, Hooked quillion bayonet, nautical studio setting, I still believe he is a RM.

Mind you in the Military museum in Chania, Crete, they have a British Martini Cutlass bayonet described as a “Greek Sea Captains sword”, don’t that it’s relevant.

Derek I fear that you might be looking at the photo that I posted as an example of the type of RMLI uniform that I felt I could see in the OP post.  The OP shows a very poor quality image of what appears to be a family group.

Edited 28 February , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

2 hours ago, corisande said:

It might be helpful if @Richard 1959 posted a larger, better quality photo of his family group. This could solve the question easily one way or the other

Agreed.

One of the beauties of digital photography, and the whole point of posting an image, is to magnify the object , not make it smaller.

[michaeldr]

17 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Because he probably picked it up in Salonika.

For what it's worth at this stage, I think that the man was RMLI. And so, yes it could easily be a souvenir from a Greek living on one of the Aegean islands; eg Lemnos, Imbros, Tenedos, Long Island (Gulf of Smyrna). Or from Stavros, or Macedonia. Or even perhaps from Lipso Island (Salamis Harbour). In short, anywhere. Only an enlarged photograph plus a name and any further details will help take this further

 

[FROGSMILE]

Just now, michaeldr said:

For what it's worth at this stage, I think that the man was RMLI. And so, yes it could easily be a souvenir from a Greek living on one of the Aegean islands; eg Lemnos, Imbros, Tenedos, Long Island (Gulf of Smyrna). Or from Stavros, or Macedonia. Or even perhaps from Lipso Island (Salamis Harbour). In short, anywhere. Only an enlarged photograph plus a name and any further details will help take this further

 

The OP has explained via PM that his passion is collecting matchbox covers and he is apparently trying to create and publish a collectors illustrated guide with explanations of each type shown.

[michaeldr]

Ah..... so, name unknown. Nevertheless a better photograph should be possible?

[derekb]

15 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Derek I fear that you might be looking at the photo that I posted as an example of the type of RMLI uniform that I felt I could see in the OP post.  The OP shows a very poor quality image of what appears to be a family group.

Ooops!

[RICHARD1959]

• I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THE FOLLOWING:
• Gallipoli, MEF (Dardanelles) April 1915 - Jan.1916.
  MEF (Mudros & Stavros, Salonica) Jan. - May 1916 Served with 2nd Brigade, RND at Stavros, Salonika, Feb.-April 1916.
  BEF (France & Belgium) May 1916-May 1919 188th Brigade, 63rd (RN) Division 19/7/1916-May 1919.

   
  Nil Desperandum (Despair of nothing)
  8th Bn. 2nd RN Brigade, RND 1914.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

[RICHARD1959]

DON'T UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE ABREVIATIONS THOUGH? LIKE RND, AND NIL?

AND MEF

[FROGSMILE]

On 01/03/2022 at 16:45, RICHARD1959 said:

DON'T UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE ABREVIATIONS THOUGH? LIKE RND, AND NIL?

AND MEF

Royal Naval Division (RND) and Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF).  Nil is a word of Latin origin that translates as “nothing”.

 

Edited 3 March , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[6RRF]

RND is Royal Naval Division - made up of units of the Royal Marines and of Naval personnel formed into infantry units because there weren't enough battleships to go round., hence also references to RN [Royal Naval} Brigades

MEF was Mediterranean Expeditionary force

[TullochArd]

On 01/03/2022 at 11:43, FROGSMILE said:

The OP has explained via PM that his passion is collecting matchbox covers and he is apparently trying to create and publish a collectors illustrated guide with explanations of each type shown.

Following on from another random matchbox exploratory mission I came across a reference that suggests this item may well be a mourning item.  I actually think this is a plausible explanation as Greek inspired funerary embellishments and illustrations were not uncommon symbolism at this time.  We have:  the base colour black which equates to mourning.  Images of wreaths and foliage abound. Urns were an important Greek funeral trapping and can be seen replicated in many UK graveyards today. Musicians were were hired to play mournful tunes, significantly in Greece on the flute, and to sing dirges at the ekphora (procession) as well as during the prothesis (preparation). Bizarre as it may seem to us today the dead man was the host and the peridinin (funeral feast) that followed the funeral was a sign of gratitude towards those who took part in burying him.......the prominence of the figure on the spine likely represents the host.  How the world has changed. 

Edited 1 April , 2022 by TullochArd

[FROGSMILE]

6 minutes ago, TullochArd said:

Following on from another random matchbox exploratory mission I came across a reference that suggests this item may well be a mourning item.  I actually think this is a plausible explanation as Greek inspired funerary embellishments and illustrations were not uncommon symbolism at this time.  We have:  the base colour black which equates to mourning.  Images of wreaths and foliage abound. Urns were an important Greek funeral trapping and can be seen replicated in many UK graveyards today. Musicians were were hired to play mournful tunes, significantly in Greece on the flute, and to sing dirges at the ekphora (procession) as well as during the prothesis (preparation). Bizarre as it may seem to us today the dead man was the host and the peridinin (funeral feast) that followed the funeral was a sign of gratitude towards those who took part in burying him.......the prominence of the figure on the spine likely represents the host.  How the world has changed. 

Yes I think that’s a good call, you have articulated the theory very convincingly. 

Edited 1 April , 2022 by FROGSMILE