Cpl Percy Hague's Squad, Machine gun guards

[chrishoggy]

Hi all,

I'm trying to research in to my great grandfathers history in WW1. This is the only image I have and info is VERY sketchy at best. I have no details of any medals or where/when he was posted in the war. I know he was found alive in a blast crater along with one other man, after being reported as missing in action. He was shipped home and suffered with shell shock for a long time.

If anybody can give me any info from this photo, it would be much appreciated. My grandfather was Cpl Percy Hague, and the rest of the men in that image I have no names for. The Image was very badly damaged and un-viewable. I've spent hours restoring it, and bringing back as much detail as possible (I digitally restore photos for a living). If anybody would like a high res copy of the image for themselves, I am more than happy to Email it to anybody requesting it. The current file size is 8914 x 5630 pixels, but I can resize it to any size requested.

Thanks in advance for any help

Chris

[the gunners dream]

Dear Chris,

For starters the link below will take you to his medal index card (MIC). I'm guessing he's the Coldstream Guards one.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...r=1&querytype=1

Is this him? If it is, you can download the MIC for £3.50 and it will tell you what medals he was awarded. You could then post that onto the site and others should be able to decipher anything you're unsure of. Although I've provided another link to help you understand what an MIC will tell you:

http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad.htm#medals

It would help if you knew what battalion he was in, but I've provided a few links for you below to guards sites:

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/guards/f-2CG.htm

http://www.1914-1918.net/coldguards.htm

Like I said any extra info you can provide will help members of this site.

By the way, the image is excellent!

Steve

[chrishoggy]

Thanks for the info, it has narrowed the search down quite a bit. I'm going to check with my grandmother to see if she can remember any more detail and give me a little more info to work with.

For those wanting a closer look, I've compressed the jpeg file down quite a bit and halved the size. The image is still just over 1MB in size, but you can see a bit more detail even though it is on high compression

Click Here for larger image

[Stebie9173]

Nice work on the Pic.

Percy L, the Yorks & Lancs man can be eliminated from the list as he died in 1917.

Steve.

[olosangus]

I am sure there are some Guards experts out there but I believe that each Guards Brigade had a Machine Gun Company which might consist of men (certainly officers ) from more than one of the Guards Regiments. I have a DCM to a Sjt in the Coldstream Guards who served in the 1st guards Bde Machine Gun Company.

If your relative was wounded he may well have recieved the Silver Wound Badge and this may give you more information about the unit he served in, although this is at the PRO it is not yet available on line.

Simon

[delta]

Chruis has provided some info on The Long Long Trail has some info ; see http://www.1914-1918.net/guardsmgr.htm

[chrishoggy]

Would like to thank you all for your help, I can now confirm that this is my Great Grandfather Here I'm sure that this info will lead me to all the history I can find.

I'm now working on a colour version of the photo, this is it now at 60% finished

Thanks again for all the help and links

[the gunners dream]

Chris,

That new image is amazing!

Steve

[Steven Broomfield]

Interesting to see them wearing the Machine Gun Guards cap badge and MGC-style collar dogs. I didn't realise they wore the latter; I thought it might have been a later photo (collar dogs for o.r.s becoming common post-war), but the date is plain and clear.

Wonderful picture - and don't they look like Guards!

[Coldstreamer]

Hello

The number is such that I am 99% certain he is only due a pair and not a star

Ian

[Simon Furnell]

An absolutely wonderfull job you have done with the photo,Chris.

Do you have a web address?.

Many thanks for sharing.

All the best.

Simon.

[squirrel]

Superb photo and thanks for posting it.

Just a quick mention on the wearing of collar badges.

I have a photo of my uncle who was MGC taken between November 1917 and April 1918 and he is wearing collar badges so while perhaps uncommon it was not unusual.

[chrishoggy]

Thanks for all the comments on the photo. I've Emailed Chris Baker (OWNER OF THE FORUM) about doing photos for forum members at a highly discounted price. I don't want to brake the rules of the forum by advertising on here, so I will see what Chris says first. My site is under reconstruction after moving hosts, but you can contact me direct via Email on : photohospital@blueyonder.co.uk

[Staffsyeoman]

In fact, it has been argued that the 'MGC-style collar badges' were originated by the Guards machine gunners for other ranks' wear. There are numerous pictures of the MGG and the GMGR (particularly the latter) with them up.

As a general rule, the MGC were forbidden from wearing them, but we have enough photographic evidence of MGC men - usually from the 33rd Battalion - wearing them, but probably away from the line and beady eyed Regimental Police.