Royal Marine Light Infantry?

[aodhdubh]

A portrait by photographer Nicholas Ethelbert Lusher (1859-1932), active in Bermuda 1883–1915 (https://lushergallery.com/lusher-gallery-bermuda-artists-by-name-list), taken in his studio in the City of Hamilton, in Bermuda. At first glance, I had wondered if this corporal belonged to the Royal Engineers, but on further contemplation I reckon Royal Marines Light Infantry. The badge on the helmet is not clear enough to discern, alas. The photograph looks likely to be probably circa 1900-1915, though I assume personnel stationed in Bermuda at the outbreak of hostilities who already had full dress retained it 'til posted elsewhere, so presumably could be as late as 1915 assuming no item of kit dates it earlier.

Edited 29 April , 2023 by aodhdubh

[Old Owl]

Hi,

The badge on the helmet does appear to be an RMLI badge with the QVC crown--the white trousers may also be a giveaway?

I am sure that someone else will be along soon to confirm or otherwise,

Best, Robert

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, aodhdubh said:

A portrait by photographer Nicholas Ethelbert Lusher (1859-1932), active in Bermuda 1883–1915 (https://lushergallery.com/lusher-gallery-bermuda-artists-by-name-list), taken in his studio in the City of Hamilton, in Bermuda. At first glance, I had wondered if this corporal belonged to the Royal Engineers, but on further contemplation I reckon Royal Marines Light Infantry. The badge on the helmet is not clear enough to discern, alas. The photograph looks likely to be probably circa 1900-1915, though I assume personnel stationed in Bermuda at the outbreak of hostilities who already had full dress retained it 'til posted elsewhere, so presumably could be as late as 1915 assuming no item of kit dates it earlier.

Yes you’re correct.  RMLI had no collar badge on tunics and wore a globe and Laurel wreath on shoulder straps instead.  He’s wearing the old pattern full dress tunic replaced by one with slashed cuffs (similar to Guards) in 1902. Mixed dress with half whites (trousers or jacket) was quite common in tropical climates for both, army and marines pre ww1.

Edited 29 April , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[aodhdubh]

6 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Yes you’re correct.  RMLI had no collar badge on tunics and wore a globe and Laurel wreath on shoulder straps instead.  He’s wearing the old pattern full dress tunic replaced by one with slashed cuffs (similar to Guards) in 1902. Mixed dress with half whites (trousers or jacket) was quite common in tropical climates for both, army and marines pre ww1.

Thank you for the confirmation. Your eyes are sharper than mine (even with my reading glasses it's getting harder to discern much within arm's length). I had noted most of the images I had seen of the red tunics had different cuffs, which was my main point of uncertainty. They (marines, soldiers and sailors) did wear a varied mix of temperate and tropical uniform in Bermuda depending on the season, often visible in the same photograph.

[aodhdubh]

7 hours ago, Old Owl said:

Hi,

The badge on the helmet does appear to be an RMLI badge with the QVC crown--the white trousers may also be a giveaway?

I am sure that someone else will be along soon to confirm or otherwise,

Best, Robert

Thanks. That's also a great help.

[FROGSMILE]

7 hours ago, aodhdubh said:

Thank you for the confirmation. Your eyes are sharper than mine (even with my reading glasses it's getting harder to discern much within arm's length). I had noted most of the images I had seen of the red tunics had different cuffs, which was my main point of uncertainty. They (marines, soldiers and sailors) did wear a varied mix of temperate and tropical uniform in Bermuda depending on the season, often visible in the same photograph.

Those are super photos, thank you for posting them.

There are four further points that I omitted to mention:

He’s also wearing the marksman’s badge from the same era as the tunic, which represented a rifle musket fitted with slings as opposed to a magazine fed rifle without slings.

His white helmet is from the same period and in review order would have top aerator button removed and replaced with a spike.  From 1902 this was standardised to be a ball top, as had been issued to Royal Marine Artillery.  This standardisation was almost certainly a cost saving measure (one of many after the Boer War) and also made supply easier.

He wears a Slade-Wallace equipment waist belt with regimental clasp.

As he’s dressed for walking-ashore he’s carrying a swagger cane that is fitted with a silver top that would’ve been of regimental design with Royal Marines iconography.

NB.  Note the strung bugle horn at the base of the helmet plate star.

Edited 30 April , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[aodhdubh]

6 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Those are super photos, thank you for posting them.

There are four further points that I omitted to mention:

He’s also wearing the marksman’s badge from the same era as the tunic, which represented a rifle musket fitted with slings as opposed to a magazine fed rifle without slings.

His white helmet is from the same period and in review order would have top aerator button removed and replaced with a spike.  From 1902 this was standardised to be a ball top, as had been issued to Royal Marine Artillery.  This standardisation was almost certainly a cost saving measure (one of many after the Boer War) and also made supply easier.

He wears a Slade-Wallace equipment waist belt with regimental clasp.

As he’s dressed for walking-ashore he’s carrying a swagger cane that is fitted with a silver top that would’ve been of regimental design with Royal Marines iconography.

NB.  Note the strung bugle horn at the base of the helmet plate star.

Thank you. You've really narrowed the date range down, which is a great help. Sadly, few customers seem to have thought to note their names, units, or dates on the back of these studio portraits. At least those with full dress uniforms better enable identifying the unit. With the khaki drills, with no collar badges, and headgear usually removed, it's generally not possible. I had that precise buckle on the (modern fake-leather) Slade-Wallace belt I was issued (one of them...we were issued a white and a black one), 'till I was bullied into swapping it for one of the new regimental pattern ones, which were rubbish, fake brass I'm sure. The first of these looks to be RMLI, the second looks to be a free mason, which is about all I can say. At St. George's there is a statistically higher probability he was RGA.

[FROGSMILE]

4 hours ago, aodhdubh said:

Thank you. You've really narrowed the date range down, which is a great help. Sadly, few customers seem to have thought to note their names, units, or dates on the back of these studio portraits. At least those with full dress uniforms better enable identifying the unit. With the khaki drills, with no collar badges, and headgear usually removed, it's generally not possible. I had that precise buckle on the (modern fake-leather) Slade-Wallace belt I was issued (one of them...we were issued a white and a black one), 'till I was bullied into swapping it for one of the new regimental pattern ones, which were rubbish, fake brass I'm sure. The first of these looks to be RMLI, the second looks to be a free mason, which is about all I can say. At St. George's there is a statistically higher probability he was RGA.

Superb cartes-de-visite.  The first man is a good representation of an RMLI private in full whites as would’ve been worn in the large parade photograph that you posted earlier.

The second photo is more difficult, as the RMLI and RMA both wore the larger block letter metal shoulder titles similar in dimension and appearance to the RGA.  He wears the pre 1902 red on white stripes used for both rank and good conduct by rank and file of both Army and Marines.  The neck regalia certainly looks Masonic, but I don’t know much about their iconography and soldiers also joined Army Temperance Association groups and lodges of the Order of the Buffaloes that wore quite similar regalia.

Edited 30 April , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[aodhdubh]

18 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Superb cartes-de-visite.  The first man is a good representation of an RMLI private in full whites as would’ve been worn in the large parade photograph that you posted earlier.

The second photo is more difficult, as the RMLI and RMA both wore the larger block letter metal shoulder titles similar in dimension and appearance to the RGA.  He wears the pre 1902 red on white stripes used for rank both and good conduct by rank and file of both Army and Marines.  The neck regalia certainly looks Masonic, but I don’t know much about their iconography and soldiers also joined Army Temperance Association groups and lodges of the Order of the Buffaloes that wore quite similar regalia.

There was quite the plethora of masonic lodges and similar societies in Bermuda. There still are, in fact, and there is a strong naval and military history to many of them:

 

Broad Arrow Lodge https://www.broadarrow.bm/about-us

Lodge Civil and Military http://www.civilandmilitary.org/node/10

Bermuda Garrison Lodge http://www.provincialgrandlodgeofbermuda.com/subordinate-lodges/

There's a useful history of Bermudian freemasonry here: http://lodgestgeorge.org/2016/01/14/history-early-bermudian-freemasonry/

I've no idea yet of what Lodge the regalia in the photograph belongs to.

 

Edited 1 May , 2023 by aodhdubh

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, aodhdubh said:

There was quite the plethora of masonic lodges and similar societies in Bermuda. There still are, in fact, and there is a strong naval and military history to many of them:

 

Broad Arrow Lodge https://www.broadarrow.bm/about-us

Lodge Civil and Military http://www.civilandmilitary.org/node/10

Bermuda Garrison Lodge http://lodgestgeorge.org/2016/01/14/history-early-bermudian-freemasonry/

There's a useful history of Bermudian freemasonry here: http://lodgestgeorge.org/2016/01/14/history-early-bermudian-freemasonry/

I've no idea yet of what Lodge the regalia in the photograph belongs to.

 

I think it is the independent order of good Templars ** an organisation that supported temperance and, in association with the Army Temperance Society, encouraged sobriety.  They modelled themselves on the Knights Templar and adopted regalia and rituals with distinct similarities to the Masons.  You can see his temperance medals inside his sash collar.

** much later retitled the international organisation of good Templars.

Edited 30 April , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[aodhdubh]

3 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

I think it’s quite possibly the independent order of good Templars, an organisation that supported temperance  and in association with the Army Temperance Society encouraged sobriety.  They modelled themselves on the Knights Templar and adopted regalia and rituals with distinct similarities to the Masons.

Thank you. That is very helpful. I had seen mention of the Independent Order of Good Templars before, in connection to the 1907 drownings of Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry soldiers in the Great Sound, near Agar's Island (Army Ordnance munitions depot, leased to US Navy during the First World War along with White's Island), while attempting to reach Boaz Island (location of Clarence Barracks, one of the three  main army bases in Bermuda, from which the western military district was controlled), south of the Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island, for a Lodge meeting, but know nothing of the organisation and was unable to recognise its regalia. It appears to have had more than one lodge in Bermuda, having held its first annual meeting there in 1873.

 

18th of November 1873 and 5th of October, 1907, articles from The Royal Gazette in Bermuda are below.

Edited 1 May , 2023 by aodhdubh