Help identifying a military uniform

[m-1]

Hi all,

I'm interested to find out the approximate year this photograph was taken and also what type of uniform the man on the top of the photo is wearing.


I love the hair style of the girl standing up - very unique!! Hopefully that might also provide a clue as to when the photo was taken?!

Any help would be great - thanks a lot

http://gargaro.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/brown-elizabeth-and-albert-brown-sitting-with-two-of-their-children-standing.jpg

[macintosh]

The Teddy bear was introduced as a child's toy after 1902 and the black bear incident with President Theodore Roosevelt.
The soldier is a member of the Royal Engineers, (I think) I would put the pic at around 1905/10 but the fashion experts will date it more precise.

James

[km1971]

I am thinking a Bombardier in the Royal Marine Artillery.

Ken

[mmm45]

l agree with Ken corporal Royal Marine Artillery....if you have a name records are online at Kew website.

Ady

[m-1]

That's fantastic, thanks a lot for your help! I didn't even notice the teddy bear!!

I had a thought after I posted this that it might have been a police uniform as his father, brother and grandfather were all in the Metropolitan Police service.

Can it definitely be ruled out as a police uniform??

The man wearing the uniform is my great great uncle but I am not sure which one yet. The girl is my great great aunt but it could be one of two girls born to Elizabeth and Albert Brown (the parents who are sitting).

They had six children, the youngest and oldest children were both girls with all four children in between were boys.

Their children were:

Elizabeth (b. 1886)
Albert Edward (b. 1887) - my great grandfather
Frederick William (b. 1889)
Thomas Henry (b. 1891) - was a police officer
Charles (b. 1895)
Alice Matilda (b. 1899)

I think I could work out which daughter is in the photograph providing I can get an accurate year which it was taken as there's a 13 year gap between the two girls.

I think I'll have to do a bit of research on TNA to find the other boys listed in the Royal Marine Artillery but being Browns I think I'll have a struggle!

[macintosh]

Hindsight is brilliant, I agree with Ady and Ken re RMA, however looking at the lady, The pigeon breasted blouse became fashionable around 1902 and the hairstyle was probably called a "Gibson Girl" style, hair piled up onto a horsehair pad called a "rat".. so with the Teddy and all I would say 1903 - 1905 given that they look rather affluent and would not have kept the style until later in the decade as  others with lesser means may have had to.
I googled pigeon breasted blouse and wikipedia did the rest.

For more in depth and accurate info on the fashions  may I suggest you post this onto the Photographic restoration and dating board where Jim and China will probably date it to the month or season.

Regards

James

[mmm45]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=36&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1

If you have their dates of births and an approx year of photo it should heighten chance of finding him

As a Corporal he would have served a few years.

Ady

[rjb1984]

Mmiles1,

If you want to see if he served with the Metropolitan police, you can contact them for a FOI request. This will confirm if he served and they should be able to provide a service record.

I am back at work tomorrow so will see if I can find out who you could contact.

Regards,

Rich