Help requested to identify regiment

[Stephen Riddell]

Hi,  could someone assist in identifying this man’s rank and unit, he is believed to be a relative of my wife, the photo was taken at Alnwick, Northumberland .

thanks, Steve 

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. Calling the experts such as @FROGSMILE and @CorporalPunishment. I can’t see any stripes of rank, and he has grenade badges on his collars. Pre Great War I would guess. Maybe Northumberland Fusiliers, but that’s a shot in the dark.

[FROGSMILE]

Michelle is correct, he is private soldier of the Northumberland Fusiliers (formerly 5th [Northumberland] Regiment of Foot) at some point between 1881, when the white collar and cuffs were introduced, and 1894, when the type of cap shown was changed.

He is wearing a full dress tunic and dressed for walking out of barracks.  Soldiers at that time were only permitted to leave barracks as a privilege that had to be earned, and when they did so it was in uniform, as civilian clothes were forbidden.

It’s entirely possible that he might have served during WW1 as an older man. 

Edited 10 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[DavidOwen]

To try to establish a ww1 connection could you please provide all the details you have on the man?

[Old Owl]

Could he not be Royal Scots Fusiliers?

Only a thought.

Robert

[FROGSMILE]

4 minutes ago, Old Owl said:

Could he not be Royal Scots Fusiliers?

Only a thought.

Robert

No, the RSF, as a Royal Regiment since very early on in their existence, had dark blue collar and cuffs (facings) and after 1881 wore a Scottish style upper garment known as a doublet to replace the tunic that they’d previously worn.  It led to them being the odd ones out among the nine fusilier regiments of the British Army.

Edited 10 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Old Owl]

2 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

No, the RSF, as a Royal Regiment since very early on in their existence, had dark blue collar and cuffs (facings) and after 1881 wore a Scottish style upper garment known as a doublet to replace the tunic that they’d previously worn.  It led to them being the odd ones out among the nine fusilier regiments of the British Army.

Many thanks for sharing your vastly superior knowledge--I have learnt quite a lot from your in-depth description.

Best, Robert

[FROGSMILE]

20 minutes ago, Old Owl said:

Many thanks for sharing your vastly superior knowledge--I have learnt quite a lot from your in-depth description.

Best, Robert

This is how they looked Robert.  It wasn’t unanimously popular at the time, it almost took them out of the fusilier club, as it were, and foisted on them some items of dress traditionally associated with their erstwhile enemies, the highlanders (battle of Culloden,etc.).

Edited 10 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Stephen Riddell]

50 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

Michelle is correct, he is private soldier of the Northumberland Fusiliers (formerly 5th [Northumberland] Regiment of Foot) at some point between 1881, when the white collar and cuffs were introduced, and 1894, when the type of cap shown was changed.

He is wearing a full dress tunic and dressed for walking out of barracks.  Soldiers at that time were only permitted to leave barracks as a privilege that had to be earned, and when they did so it was in uniform, as civilian clothes were forbidden.

It’s entirely possible that he might have served during WW1 as an older man. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks a lot for the reply, and as the photo was taken in Alnwick, it would be assumed that he would have been in Alnwick barracks, given the restrictions?

We will be trying to establish who this is, as we now have a date to work on and a couple of candidates, and hopefully a WW1 connection to explore 

[Stephen Riddell]

31 minutes ago, DavidOwen said:

To try to establish a ww1 connection could you please provide all the details you have on the man?

Yes, will do, if we can make the connection, Steve 

[FROGSMILE]

12 minutes ago, Stephen Riddell said:

Thanks a lot for the reply, and as the photo was taken in Alnwick, it would be assumed that he would have been in Alnwick barracks, given the restrictions?

We will be trying to establish who this is, as we now have a date to work on and a couple of candidates, and hopefully a WW1 connection to explore 

Yes the regimental museum is in Alnwick Castle and Alnwick long associated with the regiment, but the depot and headquarters was in Newcastle (Fenwick Barracks).

Edited 10 October , 2023 by FROGSMILE