Guest jpstoks Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 Merry Christmas! I am searching for the identity of my Great Grandfather. My grandmother was born out of wedlock in Maldegem, Belgium on 1899. She came to America with her mother in 1907 with this photo as the only link to her father. I'm having trouble placing the uniform. Seems like a mishmash of styles. The only real insignia viewable on the uniform is the belt buckle. Can anyone identify this soldier? Time period? Anything else this picture reveals to a trained eye? Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 Hello Jeff The Belgians certainly had a uniform of this type in the latter part of the Great War, made from khaki cloth supplied by the British. In "Army Uniforms of World War 1" by Andrew Mollo and Pierre Turner there are illustrations of Belgian uniforms but unfortunately they do not show the metal buckle clearly. Can you have a closer look at the cap? The Belgians wore a circular national cockade on the upper front (above the cap band). Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 Do my eyes deceive or is the motive on the buckle a rampant/heraldic dragon or similar with maybe title underneath ?"MO" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 Do my eyes deceive or is the motive on the buckle a rampant/heraldic dragon or similar with maybe title underneath ?"MO" Looks like that to me too - if Belgian isn't it likely to be a lion? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 indeed a lion on the buckle Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 25 December , 2007 Share Posted 25 December , 2007 I should have asked Jeff, I know (and I have already contacted him through PM, that was an hour or 3 or 4 ago, but he has not received it yet). But thinking that members of the Dutch WW1 Forum may know the answer, I have opened a Topic there too, with a link to here, and the photos. Some have already replied. "Unfortunately" in Dutch of course. For those who read and understand Dutch : http://forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopi...p=183325#183325 Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 The uniform looks very much like that worn by the Belgian armoured car unit that fought in Russia - although the dates do not match your story - there is a possible explanation - see bottom of this posting. http://renarosselt.20m.com/images/russia_27.jpg http://renarosselt.20m.com/images/russia_05.jpg http://renarosselt.20m.com/images/russia_03.jpg The unit was evacuated to the USA from Vladivostok arriving in California. They seem to have spent some time there before leaving for Europe via the US East Coast - one of the above photos is taken at Niagara. Is it possible that the photo reached your relatives family in this way? The photos are on this site renarosselt.20m.com/ along with others that may interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 26 December , 2007 Share Posted 26 December , 2007 Just to say that on the Dutch Forum two experts have already stated that the photo is 1916 or later. Yes, I know, this is in contradiction with what the initial posting said. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jpstoks Posted 27 December , 2007 Share Posted 27 December , 2007 Hi all, I'll try and answer as much as I can. Ron... The hat is blurred. I can't make any detail at all. There sure is a lack of visible insignia. I think maybe this was a 'walking about town' uniform, sort of speak. Chris... -AND- Montbrehain... -AND Cnock: Yes, I agree, the buckle looks to be the Brabant Lion, which would make sense. I can't make out a banner if that's what it is. Kind of like the banner on the Swedish lion symbol. Aurel... Thanks for starting me up on the new forum. I've visited it already and am making headway through the Dutch. Centurion... Thanks for the link, renarosselt.20m.com. The Rena story is surprising to me. I'll ask family members about the possibility. My Grandmother went straight to Minnesota upon arriving to America in 1907. I wonder the route they took from California to the East Coast? Back when I can. House full of family for the Holidays! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James H Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 Merry Christmas! I am searching for the identity of my Great Grandfather. My grandmother was born out of wedlock in Maldegem, Belgium on 1899. She came to America with her mother in 1907 with this photo as the only link to her father. I'm having trouble placing the uniform. Seems like a mishmash of styles. The only real insignia viewable on the uniform is the belt buckle. Can anyone identify this soldier? Time period? Anything else this picture reveals to a trained eye? Jeff He's got a Belgian buckle and a khaki uniform with stand collar, so he's Belgian, some time after March 1915. He's wearing culottes rather than trousers, which could make him a cavalry officer, although officers of other arms also opted for culottes. The giveaway is the long leggings instead of the short gaiters. He is therefore in the Cyclists Division of the Belgian Army, late War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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