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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

regiments in and around brompton,kent during ww1


soltown

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Does anyone know what regiments were based in and around brompton,kent. My g grandfathers brother Anthony Smith had a picture taken there of him in his soldiers uniform. It does'nt appear to be a RE uniform. Could there have been an army training camp in the area which soldiers from lots of regiments went to? As the buttons on his uniform are civilian buttons and i'm told it looks like a privately bought uniform. For what regiments would he have to buy his own uniform?

Help

George

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I am not sure about the civilian buttons but certainly the Middlesex Regt had men billeted in Gillingham, Sittingbourne and the the surrounding areas for a sustained period during WW1. I have seen references to the Middlesex in either local newspapers or local history books.

See attached postcard ...

Middx_at_GILLS

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For what regiments would he have to buy his own uniform?

As an OR, he wouldn't have actually had to buy his own uniform. He could have done this under personal choice (maybe as a "walking out" dress ?), but it'd have had to conform to specifications. This was more common in guards regiments than elsewhere, but I suppose if the soldier was sufficiently "monied" then it could happen anywhere.

Regarding the buttons. I suppose they could have been issued as a stop-gap when the official type were in short supply (it happened with other insignia and uniforms - why not buttons?), late 1914, early 1915?

Dave.

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I don't believe he would have had much money, he was a joiner pre war and was married in 1911, so would have had a wife and possibly a child to support.

Thats why its mystifying me!

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