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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: walksoftly on Wednesday 02 January 13 18:57 GMT (UK)

Title: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Wednesday 02 January 13 18:57 GMT (UK)
Wondered if anyone can help with the dates on these photos. In the RC Clifford photo I believe it dates to around 1895 - 1908.
There are differences in the uniforms even though they are both stokers.
Any info on the uniforms would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: gortonboy on Wednesday 02 January 13 21:35 GMT (UK)
hi,,do you have names and years and places of birth for these sailors?  ;)
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Wednesday 02 January 13 21:46 GMT (UK)
Most likely one of them is George Thomas Nankivell, Chief Stoker RN
Born 1874  159083
I have his service records.
Not sure on the other man but most likely a Nankivell.
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: Salty on Saturday 05 January 13 18:35 GMT (UK)
I would say very much pre WW1 and both are Stokers, top one has a good conduct stripe on his left arm. What would the medal ribbon be for the bottom one? I am pretty sure that it is not the China war medal 1900 or the Queens or Kings South Africa medal, the colours do not look right.

Salty
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Saturday 05 January 13 20:08 GMT (UK)
I would say very much pre WW1 and both are Stokers, top one has a good conduct stripe on his left arm. What would the medal ribbon be for the bottom one? I am pretty sure that it is not the China war medal 1900 or the Queens or Kings South Africa medal, the colours do not look right.

Salty

Hi Salty

Thanks for the info on the good conduct stripe.
As for the ribbon on the other gent, could it be the Albert medal second class sea?
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: Salty on Saturday 05 January 13 21:34 GMT (UK)
I am in no way an expert on medals, but having looked on line at the Albert medal, see here

http://www.naval-history.net/WW1MedalsBr-AM.htm

I don't think so.

The only one that comes close for me is the Sudan Medal 1910 see here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Khedives_Sudan_Medal_1910.png

Which to me would put it in a fairly good time frame with the uniform. As I say not an expert and have very little knowledge for medals.

Salty
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Saturday 05 January 13 22:55 GMT (UK)
Hi Salty

I don't think it's the Sudan medal, the second stripe from left looks white not green.

Have a look at this link for the Albert Medal Ribbon Bar

http://www.petergh.f2s.com/medals.htm

Thanks for taking the time to respond & research this, I appreciate it!

David
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: crimea1854 on Monday 07 January 13 07:28 GMT (UK)
Hi

For my money George Thomas is in the bottom of the two photographs wearing his Queens South Africa Medal ribbon for service on HMS Forte.

Martin
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Monday 07 January 13 17:15 GMT (UK)
Hi

For my money George Thomas is in the bottom of the two photographs wearing his Queens South Africa Medal ribbon for service on HMS Forte.

Martin

Hi Martin

I agree that according to George Thomas's service record he was on board the HMS Forte, however the Queens South Africa Medal ribbon is tri colour none of which are white. I modified a colour image of the QSAM ribbon to gray scale & it does not match the one on his tunic.

I've attached a close up full colour close up of the ribbon
The Albert medal ribbons blue/white sea & red/white land
The Albert medal ribbons in gray scale
QSAM in gray scale

David
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: crimea1854 on Monday 07 January 13 20:28 GMT (UK)
David

B&W film of the time does funny things to colour, and I may be seeing something that is not there, but the thin middle stripe of the QSA  looks to be present in the original.

Martin
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Monday 07 January 13 20:56 GMT (UK)
Thanks again Martin for your input.
I found a crew list of the Forte on line But G T was not on it nor any stoker's with a similar name.
Now it leaves me real confused.
Do you know of any crew lists for the Forte?
Also where I could find a list of Albert medal recipients prior to WW1?

David
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: crimea1854 on Monday 07 January 13 22:10 GMT (UK)
David

If you do a name search on the following site it returns a GT Nankivell http://angloboerwar.com/name-search (http://angloboerwar.com/name-search) , I then did a search of the medal roll on a well known pay to view site and found his name incorrectly transcribed, but with the same service number.

Martin
Title: Re: help please on dates on two R N sailor's photos
Post by: walksoftly on Wednesday 09 January 13 23:53 GMT (UK)
Thanks for your help & input Martin.

I think I'll keep an open mind on this until I can confirm who it is.
One has to be careful not to make the evidence fit the mystery.

Cheers

David