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Some Special Interests => Occupation Interests => Topic started by: alveleyhistorian on Saturday 07 September 13 23:08 BST (UK)
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Hi there, just wondering if anyone can recognize the occupation from these uniforms ?? ..possibly WW1...??
any help much appreciated :)
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Suggest you do a close up scan of the 2 different cap badges. Also are those numbers rather than badges on the second man on the front row. Looks as if there are about 3 different designs of coats. Also there are some of them with a chain on. A lot have the same badge on their sleeve as does the man standing up in the rain gear but some seem to have it on different sides which I find strange. It will interesting to find out what is. One on the front has one stripe. Some of the coats look a different shade. Notice the upside down horseshoe at the back. I presume the man with the cane is the senior.
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I'll have a guess: raliway marshalling-yard guards or night-watchmen...port authority officials or customs, pilots? (The gent in the white looks to be their cook or steward.) The gent with the sou' wester and rainwear may be providing an example (to the recipient of the photograph, etc.) of what these gents have to wear in foul weather...which may further provide a clue, in itself.
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Blown up to 400%, the items on that chap's collar look like I II on his RHS lapel, and II I on the left one.
Some of the other men have just the I on each side.
So I'd say it's some sort of seniority pin, in whatever service they are in.
Dawn M
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Look like Police of some kind to me and with the senior man (Chief Inspector?) looking younger that most of them I'd say he was a full-time career man and the rest Specials maybe. The chap in the oilskins is puzzling. :)
Alan
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Maybe fire service. It is odd how some have that band on their left arm and some on the right.. The chap at the front with the chevron on his sleeve also has "two pipps" on his collar. Very odd. Maybe somesort of naval outfit (Lifeboat),
I am very curious now. Hopefully someone can help.
Susan
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I checked the RNLI (Lifeboats) which are a pre-victorian institution but just could not get any clues. From the men on the left and right of the photograph the photograph seems to have been taken out side of an oceanside, working base/residence something like a fire station, lifeboat station, customs station and whatever it was they ate there with the cook/steward preparing the food.
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I am thinking aux fire service and ww2, looking at the hut they are standing in front of. The "officer" in the centre could be a regular fire officer placed in charge
mike
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Could be Firemen see http://www.bhsproject.co.uk/photo_firemen_1944.shtml there are some similarities
Stan
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Only one of the Brentford firemen has a jacket without the two rows of buttons. He looks like the senior officer. But did firemen have "a stripe" like an army lance-corporal which is on the man next to the senior officer on the unidentified photograph. I believe that our photograph was taken prior to WWII. Its starting to look like firemen. But no women could be another clue as to a photograph taken prior to WWII.
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Presumably the guy in the souwester was working at the tower, draining hoses?
Skoosh.
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Query to *alveleyhistorian*. Is the place you mention in your screen-name anything to do with Alveley, Shropshire.?
I ask because there's the River Severn nearby and my further thoughts were that these could be Severn River pilots.
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Interesting - there are barely two of those coats that are identical in terms of buttons, collar, cut etc. It's a bit like a spot the difference competition! Their armbands are also on different arms - it all looks decidedly non-military.
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To be honest it does look as if someone in the background has shouted "Come on lads! they want a group photograph" and they have put on the coats etc for the picture, the "Main man" so to speak, sat in the middle with the walking stick looks more professional, perhaps he was on some kind of inspection visit.
Frank.
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What is on the back of the card?
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My guess is coastguards. It's an official uniform and it's by the sea (or water at least).
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Hi
I have been a serving member of the fire service for 32 yrs and associated with the service since birth (59yrs) ( my dad was a fireman) and I do not think these may be firemen.
I would venture that the uniforms may have a European flavor with the horizontal arm band and design of the cap badge.
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The horse shoe is hanging downwards which isn't the way it's usually hung in the British Isles.
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Hi,
I have no idea what these Gentleman are - Firemen/ Coast Guard etc - but think the inclusion of the chap in the Sou'wester could indicate Coast Guard/Life Boat crew.
I also think the picture is more likely to be before WW2 - maybe circa WW1/1920s and I also agree with NDRFT , I don't think they are British. I think they are European.
Looby :)
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Surely they must be some sort of security personnel, such as already mentioned. I've been wondering about the chain which, when worn by an old fashioned policeman or railway guard, usually had a whistle on the end of it.
As for the horseshoe, I think it depends which part of the country you live in. One belief is if the horseshoe was nailed up as in the picture a witch could ride anywhere on top of that to cause mischief. Whereas in another area, it's unlucky to nail it upside down because it could catch bad spirits which would cause mischief and bring bad luck.
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e picture is more likely to be before WW2 - maybe circa WW1/1920s and I also
Definitely pre WW2, probably between the wars more likely after looking at the pattern of the 'officers' tunic, seated centre front
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As regards badges: the gent with the stick has a different badge to those of the remainder of the men: to my mind, he LOOKS like a police officer.
The other cap-badges seem to have what looks like a rosette? with a scroll beneath, surmounted by a crown - or it even may be a thistle.
I'm guessing that the arm-bands with the 'flash' and sliding? buckle? are there for purposes of visibility. (Could it be that some are 'port' men - and some are 'starboard' men, if they have a connection to vessels?).
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New to the site and interested in the photo. Don't know the occupation, but would suggest they are not English men. Look at the horseshoe, it is fixed downwards, English would say the luck runs out, but up the other way, the French would say it is a seat for the devil. The guy on the left also looks typically French. I wonder.
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Just looking at the faces and moustaches, I'd say they could be French or Belgian and perhaps rather more modern than it first appears, maybe even 1940/50's.
I note the man on the left of the officer-type in the centre is wearing what look like woollen gloves. This suggests an outdoor job but not one which is heavy manual work, as that would wear the wool away.
The style of the armbands with oblong buckle is unusual.
Could they be the security team or watchmen from a large factory/depot/docks?
Any chance of seeing an enlargement of the badge?
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PS- is the chap on the left in the white jacket wearing wooden clogs/sabots?
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just a thought ireland 1917 to 1922?
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Wish we could get a better look at the cap badges.
I think the officer in the middle is different from the rest of the men. His uniform does look like that of a British police officer or perhaps fireman and yet I don't think rest of the men are British.
The men are not very regimented in their uniform :-\ . Different coats, some with shirts, some with scarfs, armbands on different arms. The chap bottom left has a bit of a Hercule Poirot mustache ;D. And what about the chains attached to the coats....whistles or watches ??
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That is it the officer is the regular of this party and if you can get a look of his cap badge might give you a clue. There is a mix and match of the rest of the party they guy with the white coat is saying Belgium? but then you look into the others and there is a cross section I looked at their shoes/boots which is saying to me just after WW1 when after the conflict those who went home may not have got jobs so they looked into areas in which their past service could help them? which is why I said the Irish troubles and I am sure the officer is a police officer and the badge is the clue.
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That is it the officer is the regular of this party and if you can get a look of his cap badge might give you a clue. There is a mix and match of the rest of the party they guy with the white coat is saying Belgium? but then you look into the others and there is a cross section I looked at their shoes/boots which is saying to me just after WW1 when after the conflict those who went home may not have got jobs so they looked into areas in which their past service could help them? which is why I said the Irish troubles and I am sure the officer is a police officer and the badge is the clue.
Hi, I totally agree, that is what I was trying to say in reply number 13.
Frank.