Mystery photo in need of a better look!

[scrimnet]

I'm afraid there are no West Indian officers of that period with those medals and decorations!

In fact I would be VERY surprised if there were ANY West Indian officers in that period at all...

Some West Indian Flt Sgts came to prominence during WW2 but anyone of an ethnic background in that position at that time in the Regular Forces was as rare as rocking horse poo...

If what the consensus date works out to be true, it was only 10 yrs since the first black officer was commissioned into the British Army ( 2nd Lt Walter Tull, a professional footballer for Northampton), so the ethnic diversity of todays populace and Armed Forces just wasn't there at that time...

[scrimnet]

Here is the man himself...although he was of mixed parentage and was bought up in an orphanage with his brother...He played for Tottenham for a while, but the taunts against him made him move to a more tolerant area...Northampton



Al that not withstanding, he did enlist in the Sportsmans bn of the Middlesex Regt and was killed in action 25th March 1918.

Such was the popularity of him that several of his men made vainglorious attempts to save or retrieve him...They did not, and his body has no known grave...

[PaulaToo]

Fine looking man. What a sad story.

[scrimnet]

Indeed it is...

Wars are full of such stories...

He is commemorated in Northampton with a not very nice "sculpture" by the new football ground,



And the road down to the new ground at Sixfields is called Walter Tull Way.

At Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham, there are several pictures and some int on him

[Rabbit B]

Hi Everyone,

As Paula says a very sad story on all counts! Thanks for telling us though!

Rabbit B

[scrimnet]

Apart from being the first black officer in the British Army, he was almost the first black player to play for England...

[PaulaToo]

...and I would never have known about him, if it hadn't been for a photo of a bloke with a valve on his head....
Just goes to show how good this site is.

[scrimnet]

Got loads of stories like that to keep us all entertained whilst we wait out for a definitive answer on the photo...

Like the former captain of Northampton Rugby Club, East Midlands and England who founded his own battalion in WW1...

[LoneyBones]

I was reading recently about the Pals Batalions (Regiments??)
where friends, co-workers and team mates could enlist together. This, I believe led to the Leeds regiment and York regiment etc. The York regiment was known as the York commercials. I think 
I'm sure Scrimnet will be able to put me right if I have it wrong.
Leonie.