Date & uniform identification please?

[livinengland]

I wonder if anyone has any idea of the date of this photo? The subject is my g.grandfather who I know fought in WW1, but I'm not certain this is of him in his actual military uniform. Could it be a 'staged' shot, taken in a studio well before WW1?

Can anyone tell me if this is a likely 'real' army uniform of the time? It's probably impossible to tell from the cap, given the low resolution, but a regiment would be useful too 

I have a possible match of a medal card of him in the 13th London Regiment and Middlesex Regiment. Could these be possibilities from this uniform?

Many, many thanks.

[apwright]

The cap badge is neither 13th Londons nor Middlesex. Nor is it any of the regiments of any other Fred/Frederick Codd in the Medal Index Cards on Ancestry.
It looks to me like the sphinx of the Lincolnshire Regiment.
When was your Fred Codd born? He looks very young!

Adrian

[livinengland]

That's what makes me think it was a studio shot with him dressed up - he looks so young in it!  He was born in 1892, so should have been 22 in 1914.

Just had a relative confirm that on his daughter's birth cert in 1918, he was listed as a private in the Royal Fusileers, with his actual occupation in brackets. That suggests he was only in the army for the war and not a career solider. Does this look anything like a RF uniform?

[mmm45]

Its definately circa WW1 Uniform can you do a zoom of the cap badge?
You say Royal Fusiliers but just to confuse you  a lot of the London Regiments were affiliated to the RF but had different cap badges!
They are sometimes referred to as RF ...He does look young though

Ady

[livinengland]

Hmmm. How intriguing... Thanks to both of you for helping so far. The photo I have is scanned from an aunt's original copy, so I will try to get a better shot. In the meantime, here is my zoom attempt in case it helps:

[forester]

The photographer, Henry Bown, appears to have been operating in Deptford between 1906 and 1921 and Walworth 1906 to 1913.

I would be interested to know what is on the medal index card for the Frederick Codd, 29th Bn London Regiment. I know they were a Home Service unit, but there appears to be an affiliation with the Royal Fusiliers and their cap badge was the same, although obviously not a match in this photo.

Phil

[mmm45]

He looks very young...maybe its the cap badge of a Young Soldiers/Training Reserve Battalion before been sent to Royal Fusiliers?

Ady

[livinengland]

@mmm45 - that is my suspicion. The family legend has it that he lied about his age to get in. He wouldn't have had to lie if he'd joined up in 1914 - he'd have been 22!

@forester - I know he saw front line action, so I don't think he'd have been just on the home front (if that is what your post implies. Sorry if I've misunderstood). He was gassed at some point and suffered on his return from poor breathing. He is also said to have been punished for punching an officer - oops! - while in France, so am hoping to corroborate this story somehow.

There's a possibility that the medal card for F Codd serving in the 44th RF, MGC and Dorsetshire refers to him, and he was transferred from his joining-up regiment to the Dorsetshire before going abroad and therefore picking up one of the medals. That still leaves him with an unidentified cap badge and an underage face.