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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: matt94 on Wednesday 31 October 12 10:35 GMT (UK)

Title: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: matt94 on Wednesday 31 October 12 10:35 GMT (UK)
Hello,

I have been sent these photographs of some members of my family during the First World War but I am trying to identify the Regiments, ranks and dates, etc, to try and see who could be in the photographs.

The first photograph we know the man in the middle was Joseph Jesse Smith (1884-1948) and on the left is Frank George Ford, on the right is a mystery man. The other photographs we know nothing about.

Any information would be great!
Thanks
Matt
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: matt94 on Wednesday 31 October 12 10:36 GMT (UK)
Two more here.

Matt
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: macintosh on Wednesday 31 October 12 19:27 GMT (UK)
The last pic looking at the shoulder flash looks like post ww1 RAF, one of the group has medals, which were issued around early 1920s

James
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: alan o on Wednesday 31 October 12 19:56 GMT (UK)
The cap badge needs enlarging due to pixelation but jess is Berkshire yeomanry I think.  Is there an IY under the cap badge?  It should be a Berkshire iron age chalk carving horse with a berkshire scroll underneath.
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: macintosh on Thursday 01 November 12 07:35 GMT (UK)
I agree wiith alan o re Berkshire Yeomanry, a stylised horse.
The second pic appears to be a cadet camp, all the front row are boys perhaps 12 -16 years.

James
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: matt94 on Saturday 03 November 12 10:04 GMT (UK)
Thanks for the replies.

I am afraid the photographs don't belong to me so sadly I can't put them up in higher resolution. In the photo with Jesse - is there any sign of the rank of the soldiers? I ask as I'm trying to identify the man on the right.

Thanks again, that's great
Matt :)
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: macintosh on Saturday 03 November 12 11:00 GMT (UK)
Jesse is showing two chevrons of  a corporalthe other  person  sitting shows no rank.

JS image -1 looks to be the same person standing at left in JS image-15 none in this image show any rank indications.
JS image- 9 shows some sergeants in the older soldiers at the rear,
The Berkshire Yeomanry were in Gallipoli and Egypt in 1915

James
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: Pete Keane on Saturday 03 November 12 17:27 GMT (UK)
Guy in civvies at the back has an armband - any idea what he did?

Pete
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: macintosh on Saturday 03 November 12 18:14 GMT (UK)
Well spotted Pete, These khaki armbands with red felt crown were issued under authority of Army Council to volunteers in early ww1 because of a shortage of uniforms.

James
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!q
Post by: matt94 on Monday 05 November 12 19:45 GMT (UK)
Hello again,

Thanks for the detail on the armband. I was wondering about that myself.

I found the medal card of Joseph Jesse Smith, he was a Sergeant in the Royal Berkshire Regiment. His medal card records that he landed in France on 07-08-1915 and the 8th battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment landed on France 08-08-1915. Could he have been in the 8th battalion? And it was an error?

Thanks
Matt
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: mmm45 on Monday 05 November 12 22:10 GMT (UK)
Matt it does point to 8th Batt he may have been advance party or whatever?
The Medal roll at Kew MAY record his battalion

Ady
Title: Re: Info on these photographs, please!
Post by: BerkshireYeoman on Tuesday 06 November 12 08:58 GMT (UK)
Hi Matt
In regard to your first photo, It was taken after outbreak of WW1 as the men do not have leather leggings which were replaced by cloth putties seen here on the men. The IY below the capbadge is easily explained - With a large increase in men joining the regiment supplies of the existing cap badge were soon exhausted and before new ones could be made, the old Berks Imperial Yeomanry capbadge (worn 1902-1908) was issued instead.

I recognise FG Ford, a Corporal shoeing smith in 3rd Troop B (Reading) Squadron of the Berks Yeomanry, and from memory lived in Upper Basildon. I would guess the chap on the right is also from the B Squadron. I will check our archive to see if I can spot his face.

I enclose another one of Frank Ford.

Should you or your relatives wish to visit our museum in Windsor to learn more about the Berks Yeo, please let me know.


Regards

AndrewFrench
(Asst Curator - Berks Yeomanry Museum)