identification of army regiments

[Rod In Sussex]

Buttons can tell you a lot about which regiment etc. The regimental emblem is often on the buttons as well as on the cap badge. So units have black buttons, others silver or gold. In the Guards the buttones are arranged differently for each unit. You can sometimes identify the date of a picture by the number of bottons on a tunic.

It is like every thing else that can be seen, there is far more information available than most people know or realize.

Rod

[mrk82]

I tried the site suggested but couldn't find the cap badge of the seated gentleman so I have sent them an e-mail to see if they can help.

Marc

[Taidquest]

hi all, i am trying to attach a photo of my grandfather (john joseph owens)in the hope that someone may be able to identify the british army regiment his uniform comes from.
he was originally from wales but lived in dublin from age 14,he was in the army in the early 1900s then left and enlisted or was recalled at the time of the first world war.he was gas poisoned in france.i would be very grateful for any input on this subject  because of  his common surname its been difficult to find his exact place of birth,so i am hoping if i can identify the regiment it may be easier to track details of his younger days.
                               heres hoping,anne
this uniform has been identified as that of a private in the  3rd northumberland fusiliers,john was wounded(gas poisoned) in la basseé in august 1915,
please see link below details of medal card explained by the great manmack
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,78838.msg328019.html#msg328019

[Rod In Sussex]

Anne,

the collar badge is most likely one of the Fusilier regiments, but please remember that the "grenade" was also used by the Artillery, Engineers and the Grenadier Guards!

The uniform appears to have a light piping and this is similar to that used by the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers for example, but the style is common across many units around 1900. Is there any other information of other details on the full sized picture?

Rod

[Taidquest]

hi rod,thank you for the prompt reply to my query .unfortunately no more detail on my g'dads photo,its a copy of the original as well so i think maybe thats why the detail on the buttons is not clear.the fusiliers sounds interesting. because i knew nothing about military matters i checked out some websites and 'collected' pictures of the grenade badge(have also heard it called a'pineapple' and 'bomb burst' badge,i wanted to see if i could see slight changes in the shape that might distinguish one regiment from another but failed .another comment from my brother who is a retired irish soldier is that the uniform appears to be what he calls a'walking out uniform' as opposed to a 'dress uniform'  and that a soldier of lower rank would be less likely to be photographed while wearing uniform.
                                         thanks again,regards,anne

[Rod In Sussex]

Anne,

we now move into the realms of an educated guess!

If you turn your head sideways and squint at the picture, I can almost make out an "A" or an "M" on the grenade. That would rule out the Guards, the Artillery and the Engineers. If he is Irish and it is an "M" try the Royal Munster Fusiliers. A long shot, but it gives you a starting point. If he is an Owen, he should not be hard to find in an Irish unit.

Trust you know about this site for basic Regimental information.

http://www.regiments.org/about/index.htm

I agree about the uniform. Think of three types of kit, full dress for parades and field Khaki for real soldiering; then there is smart uniform for going out of barracks and this is what we have. It is smart, but not that smart or expensive.

Good luck

Rod

[Bob2399]

Hi. I believe that your relative was in the Royal Irish Fusiliers or the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. First the 'bomb' with the spurt of flame is for sure a clear indication of being in a Fusilier regt. Next, although the 'looking sideways' bit is questionable. the Royal Irish captured a French Eagle and this was remembered by an eagle on the 'bomb' The eagle has outspread wings which, in a fuzzy copy of a photo could look like an 'M'
The 'Dubs' had a castle battlement on their buttons and bomb which could also look like an 'M'
There are another couple of names given to the bomb but they aren't printable! My Granddad was in the Royal Irish and I have checked a few of the buttons etc
If you look on ebay under militaria/royal irish etc you will see a few examples of the buttons & bombs
Hope this adds a bit  for you
Bob

[Taidquest]

hi, fusiliers it is!! i'm delighted to say after all the head tilting and squinting by myself and my sister we got an appetite for some 'rummaging' and amazingly my sister picked on a box with old birthday cards and was flabbergasted to find my g'dads certificate of service,although in a sorry state most of the information is visible. in case the attached cert is not readable here it says" john owens entered active service on 4th of august 1914,private. 3rd northumberland fusiliers,wounded ......... la bassee august 1915".
i am very grateful  for the interest showed by both yourself and rod  from sussex  and as i always say rootschatters are the most helpful people on the 'net. i now feel that we have a real chance of getting more details to add to what we already know about my g'dad.
                                                            regards,anne     
quote author=Bob2399 link=topic=3011.msg263495#msg263495 date=1118384493]
Hi. I believe that your relative was in the Royal Irish Fusiliers or the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. First the 'bomb' with the spurt of flame is for sure a clear indication of being in a Fusilier regt. Next, although the 'looking sideways' bit is questionable. the Royal Irish captured a French Eagle and this was remembered by an eagle on the 'bomb' The eagle has outspread wings which, in a fuzzy copy of a photo could look like an 'M'
The 'Dubs' had a castle battlement on their buttons and bomb which could also look like an 'M'
There are another couple of names given to the bomb but they aren't printable! My Granddad was in the Royal Irish and I have checked a few of the buttons etc
If you look on ebay under militaria/royal irish etc you will see a few examples of the buttons & bombs
Hope this adds a bit  for youBob

[Bob2399]

Well done & good luck