Uniform/patch ID. Family photos

[GreyC]

The form of the shoulder straps differed from those of Priussia and Bavaria, too in that the upper corners (where the button is)  were flat square instead of triangular.

GreyC

[bierast]

4 hours ago, scarey said:

@bierast that's a wealth if information! Thank you, never thought I'd get to know that much about my Great grandfathers brother.

SR 108 is a favourite regiment of mine, with connections to my great-grandfather's own unit... They're a favourite of my co-author too, who (as a Dresdener born and bred) used to be able to see their former barracks from his workplace  

Note that we can now date that photo to some point between the formation of IR 192 in July 1915 and Willy going to Verdun around March 1916 (after which there'd surely be no chance of getting home leave before he was wounded).

2 minutes ago, GreyC said:

The form of the shoulder straps differed from those of Priussia and Bavaria, too in that the upper corners (where the button is)  were flat square instead of triangular.

Indeed, but only on the 'Bunte' uniform.

[bierast]

Looking at this photo again I was struck by how new Willy's Feldgrau tunic looks... then I remembered he had originally been in SR 108, which had the Grüngrau uniform. The difference from the Feldgrau worn by most other German units is quite dramatic... as seen here in this photo of my Great-Grandfather Arno Bierast (second from  left, second row) and friends from various units of the 23. Inf. Div. The Offiziersstellvertreter (third from right, front row) is from SR 108, and his Grüngrau tunic really sticks out.

So maybe Willy and the other men transferred from SR 108 into the new IR 192 were issued brand-new Feldgrau tunics for the sake of uniformity? He definitely isn't wearing his old SR 108 tunic with new '192' shoulderstraps in that photo, or else his uniform would visibly clash with the Feldgrau which Fritz is wearing.