Red Tabs

[PhilB]

I assume this is an intelligence officer interviewing a PoW. Green tabs = intelligence? Any other colours? Phil B

[armourersergeant]

Blue also, logisitics I think!

Nice pic never seen it before, where did you get it.

Arm

[CROONAERT]

Dark blue with crimson "rope" - medical staff oficer

Admin staff oficer - dark blue with red "rope"

RFC staff - Sky blue with red "rope"

Green and green - as you said - Intelligence

Dave.

[Chief_Chum]

And some Brown Tabs too - for the Volunteer Force...

This tunic belonged to Lt Col H S Marriott, Commandant of Group B (3rd, 4th and 6th Battalions), The Suffolk Volunteers, 1918.

The tunic has Lt Col cuff ranking and standard GS buttons. He was one of five Volunteer Officers (he was 2VB) to serve with 1/Suffolk in South Africa in 1899-1900, hence his QSA ribbon.

Cheers,

Taff

Hey... where's the option to add a picture gone?!!

[wainfleet]

It's an excellent picture; is there any more of it? And are there any more where it came from?

[susanhemmings]

have a look here. you will need to scroll down the page a tiny bit once the link is made.

click here for francis dodd info.

you may find other paintings of his

susan

[PhilB]

As Susan says, gents, it`s a painting, not a photo! Phil B

[Chief_Chum]

Hi Phil,

None of us said it was a photo!

Cheers,

Taff

[PhilB]

No! I thought "picture" meant "photo". Actually it is a photo/picture - I took it of the representation of the painting in the book. Apologies to anyone who is miffed! As a peace offering, here`s another by him. Phil B

[Chief_Chum]

I was only joking Phil!

Here is the picture of the Brown Tabs of the Volunteer Force Commandant at last...

Cheers,

Taff

[wainfleet]

Not miffed, but I did wonder if you had any more of his paintings handy. Went to Susan's link, but couldn't see a lot there (thanks all the same tho S). Tried googling, but apart from quite a nice page on Orpen, there wasn't much online of Dodd's.

[Jon Haslock]

Green tabs were Intelligence, but also District Barrack officer, Assistant Inspector of Recruiting, Recruiting Staff Officer, Officer employed on recruiting duties, Officers attached to the General Staff for Musketry duties at the Headquarters of Commands and Divisions, Officer attached to a Brigade for Musketry duties, Staff Officer (Musketry Camp), Inspector of Gymnasia, Assistant Director of Military Transport, Inspector of Catering and Assistant Inspector of Gymnasia. I got all this of document A.O. 92, dated 1916. Hope someone finds it interesting. It's also got the lists for red and blue tabs, but I'm not copying them out at this time of night!

(Perhaps the officer in the picture is from catering and is asking how the POW liked his soup.)

[PhilB]

Not miffed, but I did wonder if you had any more of his paintings handy.

I could only find a few sketches on google images. Phil B

[PhilB]

Managed to brighten up the photo a bit:-

There must have been a lot of tabs about of various hues. Surprising we only hear of the red ones. Perhaps it`s only the red ones that got to the front?

[PhilB]

Surprising we haven`t seen more of Dodd`s work. Perhaps he was fully employed painting portraits of the brass? Are we to assume that`s what he was sent for?

"In 1916 Charles Masterman, the head of the War Propaganda Bureau (WPB), recruited Dodd to replace Muirhead Bone, as Britain's official war artist on the Western Front. While in France he produced more than thirty portraits of senior military officers."

Phil B

[pittorf]

As to green.....the Canuks refer to their Intl officers as "the green slime"

DrB

[Staffsyeoman]

... as do virtually everyone else (British Army CERTAINLY does..)

[Graeme Heavey]

Just out of interest, and a certain degree of self interest at that, would staff officers of the Rifle Regt's ( or greenjacket regiments such as Rifle Brigade and KRRC and all their affiliates ) wear red tabs? I know they do now but would they then?

[pbrydon]

Apologies for the quality of then picture and it is not necessarily WW1,but does anyone have any thoughts on the tab in the picture. The colours are those of the Kings Liverpool Regt and there is a gilt mounted button of the kings Regt at the top. The tab has a clip for putting on the collar of a tunic. I have had the item for a considerable time but have never been able positively identify the period or use.

Peter Brydon

[Tony Farrell]

I understand that pattern tab to be RAMC.

[Staffsyeoman]

Not unheard of for 'regimental' buttons to appear on 'staff' tabs - but let's clear this up, they are 'officers of the staff', i.e. the General Staff, not/not of the 'regimental staff' who would NOT wear red tabs. I have several tabs in my collection (admittedly mainly WW2) which carry, variously, Guards buttons and Rifle regiments. These are on the standard Colonel/Brigadier tabs. In the modern era I have seen ex-Gurkha Generals wearing black buttons on their General's tabs.

Unusual that a full Colonel RAMC - which is what that would signify - would be wearing a regimental button, perhaps suggesting service (former service?) as a Battalion MO. Too senior for an RMO.

[PhilB]

I can`t imagine that, say, a major general would wear regimental buttons on his staff tabs. In fact, even a brigadier probably wouldn`t want to demonstrate a regimental attachment which other regiments in his brigade might not appreciate. A full colonel or below might get away with it. Do you reckon regimental buttons on tabs might have been for lower ranks only? Phil B

[Staffsyeoman]

Well, I think it's a custom rather than an allowed practice; I have certainly seen General's tabs with Guards buttons on - but these were the smaller, clip-on ones worn on WW2 battledress. And I could go so far as to identify the General whose service dress had black Gurkha buttons on the tabs (on his service dress) when I saw it in the late 80s, but I won't, to spare blushes, as he is still alive!

Perhaps a 'lower rank' (e.g. a Staff Captain) would be less likely to get away with it. But if anyone's ever seen - and better got photos - of a WW1 staff officer's uniform, with the full-size tabs, with a regimental button on it, be very interested to see!