steve milburn Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Is anyone able to identify to which unit these fine young lads belonged? Does anyone recognise any of the group? Almost seems a comical situation by the grims on some of the faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Steve, Could you please do a close up of the weapons? Some of them look like they don't have top pockets on the KD jackets. Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 I keep looking a the weapons because they look almost like Martini Henrys but I'm probably just imagining it? Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Boots, Bandoliers & Spurs suggest mounted troops. Hope this helps Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 9 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Steve, Could you please do a close up of the weapons? Some of them look like they don't have top pockets on the KD jackets. Tom McC Tony I have cropped the picture but it was scanned originally and is not of the best quality. KRRC maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 9 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Steve, Could you please do a close up of the weapons? Some of them look like they don't have top pockets on the KD jackets. Tom McC Tony I have cropped the picture but it was scanned originally and is not of the best quality. KRRC maybe? I have added more pictures if they help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Steve, You have some good pictures there. The horse is fine looking. I am not an expert on mounted troops, but all the indications of a soldier that works with horses. Do you have a close up of the service cap (peaked cap)? This can provide valuable clues along with the name of the soldier. Hope this helps Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Look like yeomanry. Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 9 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Tom (not Tony who ever he is!!) The soldier is my Grandfather William James Miller. I thought that he might have been in the KRRC but I do not have any evidence to confirm. I am pretty sure that he served in India at least. Sorry I don't have anymore photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 9 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Tom I have found a further couple of pictures that you might be able to identify. Although this person looks like my Grandfather I believe that it is probably one of his brothers. At least this picture is clearer than the previous. Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 I'm not sure about the yeomanry bit as the barracks looks like the kind that is common in photos of India. I am not sure if any yeomanry units served in India. But I could be wrong. He could possibly be a mounted infantry regiment, but I don't think it would be rifles as they tended to wear blackened buttons. There is an interesting shoulder badge on one of the photos, possibly someone on the forum may pick up on this. The upturned chevron is 2 years good conduct. This badge on this uniform was made to detach so that the Khaki Drill (KD) uniform could be dhobi-ed (washed). It's possibly a quarter-guard messing around with old rifles that were in the guardroom. Hence the smiles and laughs in the photo. The white lanyard is further evidence of mounted troops. The unfortunate thing is that there is no patch/unit insignia on the topee (foreign service helmet). Possibly a larger version of the service cap may provide clues. PS - I think it is the same bloke in the last photo as the one in Service Dress and Peaked Cap, either that or brothers that look very similar. Hope this helps Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackblue Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 The initial photos look to be pre WW1. The one of him standing next to the trough looks to be much later on, perhaps during WW1. In this photo he does not look to have a cap badge. There is William James Miller listed in the Medal Index Cards as Royal Defence Corps.....did they wear hat badges....perhaps worth a look? This said there are also 70 odd William J Millers listed. He may be a pre WW1 regular.....was he married or did he have children....as these certificates may give clues as to his occupation and unit. The last photograph is interesting. The shoulder title looks similar to the Royal Horse Guards (French Eagle). Do you have the names of his brothers? Rgds Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Steve, It looks like the cap here has been electronically tampered with. In the area of the cap badge there is a rectangular shape that has been made fuzzy and contrasts with the texture of the rest of the cap. Also the chinstrap misaligns by a pixel in this section. Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnr.ktrha Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Hello, I think the soldier in the last photo is a Terratorial. the shoulder title looks like a 3 line Terratorial title. I know the artillery wore titles like this [along with a number of other corps ie, ASC, RE etc]. It could read something like, just for example, T/RFA/Sussex etc. I can't think of an Infantry unit or Yeomanry unit that wore a title shaped like his one. The white lanyard is also worn by Gunners. It's very hard to say. The Royal defence Corps did have a cap badge, but i don't know off hand when it was introduced. Regards, Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 Agree with Stewart that it's a Territorial as you can see the three tier title of which the top letter is 'T'. Am also thinking along the lines of a Territorial gunner unit because of the leather leggings worn to protect his legs while riding in a mounted team of horses. So it he could be either T/RHA or T/RFA serving in either the Middle East or India. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackblue Posted 9 March , 2006 Share Posted 9 March , 2006 I agree. Could well be a TF gunner.....the title's second tier could well be RFA/RHA.....and I don't think the Royal Horse Guards would have been serving OS either would they? You sure the last photo is not the same bloke? The first photo could be RFA/RHA as well. Only half of them are armed....and you can see a white lanyard on one of them. The man in the last photo looks very similar the man standing next to the trough. Rgds Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 10 March , 2006 Share Posted 10 March , 2006 Graham & Stewart, Didn't a lot of the Territorial Force go out to India to release regular soldiers for the Western Front? Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 10 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 10 March , 2006 Many thanks for all your suggestions. I will have to track down my cousin and see if any more photos exist to try and settle this mystery. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carninyj Posted 10 March , 2006 Share Posted 10 March , 2006 The rifles in the original photographs are Martini Henrys or Martini Enfields. Does anyone know what date that would make them? Would they still have been in use even with territorial units by 1914? Any thoughts? Regards Carninyj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 10 March , 2006 Share Posted 10 March , 2006 Graham & Stewart, Didn't a lot of the Territorial Force go out to India to release regular soldiers for the Western Front? Tom McC Yes - the 1st and 2nd Wessex, and the Home Counties Divisions (later 43rd, 45th and 44th respectively). However, only the 45th Divn's artillery went with them - the others stayed in UK. If these chaps are artillery, then they are from (I imagine) the 2/I Wessex Bde, 2/III Wessex, or 2/IV Wessex Bdes - the 2/1, 2/2, 2/3 Hants (2/I Bde); 2/6 Hants, 2/1 Dorset and 2/1 Wilts (2/III) or 2/1, 2/2 or 2/3 Devon (2/IV). As for the rifles, I tend to agree with the earlier poster who suggested they could be out of the armoury - hence the smiles and general air of Tommies mucking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve milburn Posted 16 March , 2006 Author Share Posted 16 March , 2006 Tim Interesting suggestion re certificates etc. Hadn't considered that. William did not marry until he returned from India I believe where he served so my cousin tells me for 7 years. His brothers were George b. 1883 Charles b 1888 Herbert b. 1890 (this is the person in the second photo so my mother lead me to believe. William was born 1892 so they are all quite close. Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riflegreen Posted 16 March , 2006 Share Posted 16 March , 2006 If the pics are of a territorial artillery unit prior to WW1 they would be armed with the Martini Enfield Artillery carbine in .303 calibre , have one marked to the Norfolk Artillery . Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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