Mark Hone Posted 4 April , 2005 Share Posted 4 April , 2005 A friend and neighbour has handed me a box containing dozens of postcards, many of Great War vintage. The usual story-no names on the backs of the portraits, a few names and addresses on picture and comical postcards sent from the seaside and that's the lot. The family are from the Gateshead area from the evidence of addresses. There are a lot of views of Salonika, and 'Uncle Bill' writes home at Xmas 1918 on a 'Greetings From The Salonika Army Card' that he will be home soon. The card contains the subscript '8th Field survey Co R.E. No 529'. A couple of faces recur and I am posting scans in the hopes that someone with better capbadge and uniform recognition skills might be able to help. Thanks once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 4 April , 2005 Author Share Posted 4 April , 2005 Here is number 2, quite a good-looking chap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 4 April , 2005 Share Posted 4 April , 2005 Mark, I would suggest ASC for the second picture given the spurs, bandolier and apparent cap badge. I may be wrong with the cap badge though. Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 21 April , 2005 Author Share Posted 21 April , 2005 Sorry to revive this post cheekily, but I have found out quite a bit about my neighbours' relatives now and am trying to put faces to identities. I have found another picture of No. 1 with his wife, wearing the same medal. His capbadge should be easy to identify but I'm not sure, even after looking through the Family History Society book on photographic ID using capbadges etc. Is it an RE badge? The frustrating thing is that I had convinced myself that he was probably a Private Joseph Stevenson of 36 Coy RAMC who was called up as a reservist in 1915 , and got the war badge in December 1916. Unfortunately there's no way I can construe that capbadge as RAMC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 24 April , 2005 Share Posted 24 April , 2005 Mark - first photo is RE and he is wearing what looks like a Volunteer LS Medal. The second one is ASC, as Roop has mentioned. I would say the first one was taken pre-WW1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Jones Posted 25 April , 2005 Share Posted 25 April , 2005 The first one could be the Edward VII RE badge, ie 1901-1910 as the cypher within the wreath is a different shape to the George V version. A close-up scan would confirm it. regards Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 25 April , 2005 Author Share Posted 25 April , 2005 Thanks folks-I'll try to do a close-up scan of the picture with the medal. The confirmation of the capbadge as RE leads me to believe that photo number 1 is 234069 Sapper James William Shell of 8th Field Survey Coy RE who spent the latter period of the war in Salonika. His MIC has the additional regimental number WR-21218 and the main entry says RE/103 B2. The postcard collection contains a wonderful 'Greetings From The Salonika Army' Christmas card together with lots of picture postcard views of the area. The ASC man is currently unidentified., bt I'm working on it. Thanks again for all your help-my neighbour is getting very interested in all this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 27 April , 2005 Author Share Posted 27 April , 2005 My neighbour has unearthed another picture of the mystery RE man, this time with Lance-Corporal stripes. My suspicion is that this photo (which also includes his formidable-looking wife) is pre-war. It was taken by 'Hy Oliver, Strensall'. I haven't managed to get a good close up of the medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Jones Posted 27 April , 2005 Share Posted 27 April , 2005 The photo shows a Royal Engineer, between 1905, when the cap was introduced, to about 1910, when the cap badge was superseded. I strongly suspect that he was a Volunteer or Territorial, owing to the medal and also the cap badge and buttons look to me like silver or white metal, as worn by Volunteers & Territorials, as opposed to brass, worn by the Regulars. His tunic is the old Dress uniform, scarlet with dark blue facings (collar and cuffs) with the RE pattern frogging to the lower sleeves. He is in walking out dress, hence his cane. Regards Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 27 April , 2005 Author Share Posted 27 April , 2005 Thank you Simon. This all casts doubt as to whether this chap is the same as Sapper Shell who turns up in Salonika during the war. I will keep digging.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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