Identifying service/unit from photograph

[EmmaS]

Good afternoon,

I am trying to find out more about my great uncle's service record in WW1 but am having difficulties finding him in any online records. 

I am unsure what service/unit he served in and wonder if this is identifiable from the attached photo? 

Husband name was Henry (Harry) Edward Parsons. Born 8 Aug 1890 in Staplegrove, Somerset. I believe he was living at Staddons, Kingston St Mary at the start of the war and he married Beatrice Alethea Hussey on 2 Feb 1915. On their marriage certificate it states he was a chauffer so presumably not serving at that time?

Any guidance would be gratefully received.

Best wishes, Emma

Edited 14 June , 2022 by EmmaS
Attachment added

[jay dubaya]

Welcome to the forum EmmaS, either you haven’t attached an image or he was a member of the Royal Camouflage Corps.

[EmmaS]

For some reason it's not accepting my image! It's a jpg so not sure why. Will try again!

[CorporalPunishment]

A chauffeur sounds like a good candidate for the Army Service Corps.       Pete.

[CorporalPunishment]

30 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

Good afternoon,

I am trying to find out more about my great uncle's service record in WW1 but am having difficulties finding him in any online records. 

I am unsure what service/unit he served in and wonder if this is identifiable from the attached photo? 

Husband name was Henry (Harry) Edward Parsons. Born 8 Aug 1890 in Staplegrove, Somerset. I believe he was living at Staddons, Kingston St Mary at the start of the war and he married Beatrice Alethea Hussey on 2 Feb 1915. On their marriage certificate it states he was a chauffer so presumably not serving at that time?

Any guidance would be gratefully received.

Best wishes, Emma

Army Service Corps.    Pete.

[EmmaS]

Fantastic, thanks v much Pete.

[CorporalPunishment]

3 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

Fantastic, thanks v much Pete.

You're welcome. It's a great photo. He may well have been a despatch rider by the look of his outfit.    Pete.

[FROGSMILE]

Open cab staff car and lorry drivers tended to wear those sheepskin collared long coats with goggles. Hard to imagine now, but back then there were still some early motorised vehicles without enclosed cabs.  In winter weather the coats were necessary protection and the goggles guarded against flying dust, grit and torrential rain.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[EmmaS]

Thanks both, that's amazing.  So pleased to learn a bit more about his role in WW1. 

[FROGSMILE]

 

12 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

Thanks both, that's amazing.  So pleased to learn a bit more about his role in WW1. 

Glad to help Emma.  The Imperial War Museum (IWM) have excellent photos available online like the two I posted that will give you a really good impression of what he’d have experienced.

NB.  Notice the hooks that fastened the front of the long coat and designed for the ease of gloved fingers and the thickness of the coats lining.  You can see the hooks in the photo of your great grandfather.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[kenf48]

Possibly Henry Edward Parsons Pte. M2/138945 (Royal Army Service Corps) (M2 = Motor Transport)

Based on surviving records probably attested under the Derby or Group Scheme November 1915, opting for immediate enlistment on or around 12 November 1915. If it is him remained on the RASC Roll so probably served with them throughout the war. We don't know which Company but probably posted to the BEF February 1916. (If indeed he went to France and Flanders rather than another theatre of war).

As you will see from this recruiting poster earlier in 1915 service in 'Ally Sloper's Cavalry' was on much enhanced financial terms once they had passed the Army's test:-

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/21972

An infantry soldier earned a shilling a day at this time.

In spite of the infantry's derogatory description they were exposed to similar dangers and Pte Parsons was awarded the Victory and British War Medal.

 

[EmmaS]

Thank you all. 

The second attached photo is another Great Uncle - Daniel Eli White, born 1887 in Cheddon, Somerset.  Would he also have been in the Army Service Corps? Goggles look smaller than Henry's and not sure badge the same?

Edited 14 June , 2022 by EmmaS

[RaySearching]

The medal rolls indicate that 

Daniel is more than likely to be the following soldier

Ray

[EmmaS]

Thank you Ray

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, EmmaS said:

Thank you all. 

The second attached photo is another Great Uncle - Daniel Eli White, born 1887 in Cheddon, Somerset.  Would he also have been in the Army Service Corps? Goggles look smaller than Henry's and not sure badge the same?

Yes he is ASC too Emma, but his cap badge is a wartime simplified version (to ease production) with a solid instead of the more usual pierced centre.  He also seems to have later cloth type shoulder titles that for a period in the latter half of the war often replaced the earlier metal type.

NB.  Interestingly he also wears the later, narrow pattern waistbelt from the 1908 Mills web equipment family.  All-in-all it suggests a photo perhaps taken sometime between late 1916 and very early 1918. 

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[EmmaS]

Fantastic, thank you. All so very interesting  

[FROGSMILE]

13 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

Fantastic, thank you. All so very interesting  

I’m glad to help Emma.  The goggles became a bit of a ‘thing’, with the ‘mechanical transport” ASC men loving wearing them on their caps, almost as a badge to mark out their dashing, modern speediness along muddy roads (think of the contemporary pilots image), when compared with the old school plodding gait of their ‘horse transport’ brethren.  Clearly your great uncle did not need goggles on his cap in a photographic studio, but he chose to wear them anyway…as a mark of what he did.  That was not an unusual attitude as you can see from the image of three ASC men that I posted above.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[EmmaS]

They do give the look of a pilot, especially coupled with the sheepskin collar coat as in the photo of Henry Edward Parsons.  I have recently inherited our family photos, which I find fascinating, and am slowly working my way through them, alongside my family history research, to piece together an idea of the lives of relatives where I can 

[FROGSMILE]

23 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

They do give the look of a pilot, especially coupled with the sheepskin collar coat as in the photo of Henry Edward Parsons.  I have recently inherited our family photos, which I find fascinating, and am slowly working my way through them, alongside my family history research, to piece together an idea of the lives of relatives where I can 

It’s interesting for us to see your WW1 photos, so please do post any more that you have.  Thank you for posting them carefully in a way that they can be interpreted as well as is possible.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[EmmaS]

Thank you.  I definitely will.  Am I ok to carry on posting them in this thread?

[FROGSMILE]

3 minutes ago, EmmaS said:

Thank you.  I definitely will.  Am I ok to carry on posting them in this thread?

Yes that will be fine, unless you want to start another with the known details of the individual concerned.  Sometimes it can attract more interest, but it isn’t always essential, as long as relating to the same broad theme of WW1 British uniform.

[EmmaS]

Brilliant, thanks. 

This is my great uncle Edwin Reginald (also known as Reginald Edward) Harding.  He was born on 31 Dec 1895 in Bristol.  I believe he served in the Somerset Light Infantry (20416) from 8 Dec 1915 to 2 Apr 1919.  My mum always said that he had health issues throughout life due to mustard gas.  Does his uniform tie in with that of the Somerset Light Infantry? Unfortunately the photo is not as clear as those posted previously.   

In the second photo you can see a badge more clearly.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by EmmaS

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, EmmaS said:

Brilliant, thanks. 

This is my great uncle Edwin Reginald (also known as Reginald Edward) Harding.  He was born on 31 Dec 1895 in Bristol.  I believe he served in the Somerset Light Infantry (20416) from 8 Dec 1915 to 2 Apr 1919.  My mum always said that he had health issues throughout life due to mustard gas.  Does his uniform tie in with that of the Somerset Light Infantry? Unfortunately the photo is not as clear as those posted previously.   

In the second photo you can see a badge more clearly.

Prince Albert’s (Somerset Light Infantry).  On his left arm he has a single good conduct badge (an inverted stripe) for completing two years service without disciplinary infringement.  He also has the typical curved shoulder title of his regiment.

In the second photo he wears the silver war badge (SWB) on his lapel.  The SWB was awarded to all soldiers who had been wounded, and all regular army (professional) soldiers who had completed their full period of engagement (service contract).  It was intended to demonstrate to everyone that although he might be in civilian clothes he had already served his country honourably.  Each man’s badge was individually serial numbered and unique to him.

Edited 14 June , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[EmmaS]

That's so helpful. Thanks v much.

[EmmaS]

This is my Grandfather Francis Eli Parsons who served as a Lance Corporal in the Military Foot Police, number P1528.  {Before (and after) the war he was in the Metropolitan Police).

I haven't been able to locate any records other than a medal index card that says he entered Theatre of War (France) on 5/7/1915 but have these photos of him.  Would that be the uniform of a military foot policeman?