oscarquebec Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April Appreciate help please identifying the uniforms of the two soldiers pictured. One I believe is my wife’s grandfather 32086 Sgt. Yerrell Albert RGA. The cap badge seems to confirm Artillery but both have machine gun badges on their arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April 37 minutes ago, oscarquebec said: Appreciate help please identifying the uniforms of the two soldiers pictured. One I believe is my wife’s grandfather 32086 Sgt. Yerrell Albert RGA. The cap badge seems to confirm Artillery but both have machine gun badges on their arms. Royal Artillery cap badge- cannot say RGA or RFA. Prize Battery badge on left sleeve. Crossed cannons with crown above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April (edited) His service record is possibly still held by the MoD under his 1919 renumbering, 1405012. RA Attestations ledger gives some info: "Royal Artillery attestations 1883-1942 Image | findmypast.co.uk" https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FROYALART%2F1404057-1405046%2F00162&parentid=GBM%2FROYALART%2F155496 Attested 19/8/09 aged 17yrs9mths, served WWI entitled to BWM and VM. Discharged 18/8/21. He was at Catterick in Sept 1918 being innoculated. The hospital admission page is headed M Battery. Charlie Edited 7 April by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April (edited) 42 minutes ago, charlie962 said: Royal Artillery cap badge- cannot say RGA or RFA. Prize Battery badge on left sleeve. Crossed cannons with crown above. Ankle boots and trousers, rather than pantaloons suggests RGA for both men charlie. Edited 7 April by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April (edited) Previous threads. "Sergeant 32086 Albert Yerrell RGA - Soldiers and their units - The Great War (1914-1918) Forum" https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/177963-sergeant-32086-albert-yerrell-rga/ And here "RGA and POWs in Malta - Soldiers and their units - The Great War (1914-1918) Forum" https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/177207-rga-and-pows-in-malta/ Here by Gunner87 "Question about the RGA - Soldiers and their units - The Great War (1914-1918) Forum" https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/287663-question-about-the-rga/#comment-2969059 11 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said: suggests Suggests. Would walking out be the same for RFA? Charlie Edited 7 April by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April (edited) 6 minutes ago, charlie962 said: Previous threads. "Sergeant 32086 Albert Yerrell RGA - Soldiers and their units - The Great War (1914-1918) Forum" https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/177963-sergeant-32086-albert-yerrell-rga/ Suggests. Would walking out be the same for RFA? Charlie No, they wore spurs and pantaloons (long, tight fitting to the ankle). Note also the whip. RGA carried a swagger stick. However, there were some RGA drivers and by the end of the war you couldn’t differentiate at a glance between them and their direct RFA/RHA counterparts. Edited 7 April by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April Ah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April 1 minute ago, charlie962 said: Ah! The full dress distinction was clear and unambiguous, it was working dress where things could be a little more nuanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April Just now, FROGSMILE said: The full dress distinction was clear and unambiguous, it was working dress where things could be a little more nuanced. I have Campbell but was too idle to look it up. Shame... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April (edited) 4 minutes ago, charlie962 said: I have Campbell but was too idle to look it up. Shame... It always looks a bit incongruous to see gunners with loose trousers and ankle boots, but the RGA pre war were very much a dismounted corps and organised in battalions and companies, only becoming ‘Batteries of Position’ when manning their fixed or coastal guns, other than in India. It was only the enforced, widescale movement of the war on a much larger scale that changed things to be more mobile. Edited 7 April by FROGSMILE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarquebec Posted 7 April Author Share Posted 7 April Thank you all. Can I check the significance of the crown above crossed cannon. Perhaps instructor or master gunner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 7 April Share Posted 7 April 35 minutes ago, oscarquebec said: Thank you all. Can I check the significance of the crown above crossed cannon. Perhaps instructor or master gunner? No. AIGs wore such a badge as part of their rank badges, on the right arm. Crossed guns only. From1898 crown above crossed guns represents 1st prize. All members of the prize battery or company could wear the badge. The fact that the photo shows two gunners with the same badge fits this award. Worn on left forearm as in the photo. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarquebec Posted 7 April Author Share Posted 7 April Thanks Charlie all clear now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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