"H" Company 17th Reinforcements New Zealand Rifle Brigade

[Romney Marsh]

 

Below are two photos identified by my grandfather in his WW1 album as "H" Company 17th New Zealand Reinforcements New Zealand Rifle Brigade. The building looks like Featherston Camp. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/documents/featherston-camp-high-res.pdf

The 17th Reinforcements left NZ in October 1916. The names of the "H"Company men can be found on p26 of The Pakeha: The journal of the seventeenth reinforcements of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces - aboard HMNZ Transport 65 (SS 'Pakeha') https://tamiro.massey.ac.nz/nodes/view/10624#idx168636

My question is: what are they displaying on their chests in the second photo?

 

 

 

Edited 3 February , 2023 by Romney Marsh
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[Michelle Young]

It’s not a great resolution, but it could be a fabric patch, they’re quite a group of likely lads. Could they be a sports team, maybe rugby? 

[Romney Marsh]

19 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

It’s not a great resolution, but it could be a fabric patch, they’re quite a group of likely lads. Could they be a sports team, maybe rugby? 

It sounds from your reply as if this is one-off behaviour. It looks like some kind of fabric patch to me, or else it's painted on the skin. The shape is very irregular. I suppose that they could be a rugby team (with a few reserves). It seems that the 17th Reinforcements, presumably all companies, were tasked with building gun emplacements at Papawai Camp near Featherson, where practical training took place. Maybe there was competition between different work groups, or different hutments.

[Wendy Macpherson]

Hi Romney

The black patch on the chest is where they would inject a vaccine like Typhoid or Measles.

They injected on the chest or top of arm or back of arm.

All the men in the photo would have been in your grandfathers platoon together for his training.

Also in his military file you will see the various vaccines he had and the repeat boosters. 

In New Zealand if you refused to be vaccinated you were automatically relieved of service and would not serve, the army kept this extremely quiet as they required as many recruits as possible and didn't want it let out as men may use non vaccination as an excuse so they didn't have to serve. 

Here is a photo incase you do not have Facebook and can not see it

 

Best regards Wendy 

 

 

Edited 16 February , 2023 by Wendy Macpherson

[Wendy Macpherson]

[Wendy Macpherson]

[FROGSMILE]

On 03/02/2023 at 11:33, Romney Marsh said:

 

Below are two photos identified by my grandfather in his WW1 album as "H" Company 17th New Zealand Reinforcements New Zealand Rifle Brigade. The building looks like Featherston Camp. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/documents/featherston-camp-high-res.pdf

The 17th Reinforcements left NZ in October 1916. The names of the "H"Company men can be found on p26 of The Pakeha: The journal of the seventeenth reinforcements of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces - aboard HMNZ Transport 65 (SS 'Pakeha') https://tamiro.massey.ac.nz/nodes/view/10624#idx168636

My question is: what are they displaying on their chests in the second photo?

 

 

 

They are all exposing specifically and consciously the left side of their breast, Romney Marsh.  At first glance I thought it might be a humorous spoof referring to the brotherhood of Masonic Lodges.  The initial part of the Freemason initiation ritual involves the candidate entering the lodge blindfolded. His left breast is exposed to show that he is not a woman.  However, given the visible dark patches I think that Wendy’s rationale referring to organised inoculation is more likely.

Edited 15 February , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Romney Marsh]

Thanks @Wendy Macphersonand @FROGSMILE. The patches are remarkabley similar to those in the photos. I'd never have guessed vaccination on the left breast. By the way, my grandfather was a young English sailor on the Pakeha (HMNZT 65) which transported H Company to England. I assume that he befriended member of H Company on the transport ship.

[Romney Marsh]

It seems that NZ soldiers in WWI were vaccinated against smallpox, tetanus and typhoid (probably including triple TAB by 1916). Some sources also include plague. @Wendy Macphersonhere's a cartoon that shows vaccination on the chest, source https://www.otago.ac.nz/wellington/otago070972.pdf

 

[Wendy Macpherson]

Hi Rommey ~ Great minds think alike and I have just been down that rabbit hole this morning. I have been looking up my great uncles (6) war files to see what they were 'inoculated' against. Yes you are spot on with the smallpox, tetanus and typhoid. I see that in 1919 they were just starting a crude influenza vaccine which some Anzacs were sent home with, but of course the flu was already established in return military camps here in New Zealand and general population.

No stopping it as we have all just experienced.

There was a series of postcards published like the above image. The cartoons were basic but hilarious. My GU Leonard always sent the cartoon postcards unlike his brother and cousins that sent more general photos of camp life. So lucky to have them all today in my military collection.

[Romney Marsh]

You've solved the mystery of a very odd photo!

[Michelle Young]

Looking at where the patches are on the arms, I can just imagine the vaccination trainer who assessed me when I did  vaccine training (over 40 years ago!) having a fit. 

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

Looking at where the patches are on the arms, I can just imagine the vaccination trainer who assessed me when I did  vaccine training (over 40 years ago!) having a fit. 

The Army medical staff still vaccinated in the exact same spot 1970s to 1990s!  Probably not now.

[Romney Marsh]

It's very weird, indeed.