Which regiment did this man belong to?

[peterstarling]

Wow, this is a revelation. The family story has always been that Robert never survived the war. It appears that this may not be the case! I’ll follow up these leads and see what emerges. Thank you so much everyone.

[macintosh]

His address of Milbank St. South Bank, Yorkshire is highly likely to be Milbank St. South Bank, MIDDLESBROUGH, YORKSHIRE.
There may be some help from the Yorkshire Board, if he moved back to the North Riding after the RAF

James

[peterstarling]

THANK YOU everyone. I have found my man 
He was not killed in the war and returned to England as an RAF observer. I now have all the associated family detail including this new family photograph. Thank you so very much for all your help.

[alan o]

He is not in RAF uniform in that photo.  The RAF were formed on 1 Apr 1918 so it may pre-date that. Int hat photo he has been commissioned and is a 2Lt but still wears the uniform of the Green Howards, The Yorkshire Regt.  He may well be serving,attached to rather than transferred into, the RoyalFlying Corps.  His observer badge is clearly shown as is one medal ribbon.  If this photo was post war he would have had at least 2.  I cannot make out which award it is but it is probably a 1914-15 start awarded for being in France (or another area of conflict) before 31 Dec 1915.

[peterstarling]

Thank you Alan for the info on the uniform. I have a copy of his certificate from when he was Mentioned in Despatches dated 7 Nov 1917. His rank then was Co. Sgt. Major. His RAF records start on the 7 Aug 1918 so does this place the photo somewhere between Nov 1917 and Aug 1918?

[MargP]

He looks older in this last photo's then the first one

Margp

[alan o]

I don't know how long it took Army officers with the RFC to buy their new uniforms on the formation of the RAF but I suspect it was not instantaneous and may well have not been before the war ended especially if they were in France. 

London Gazette 18 Dec 1918  shows the date he stopped being in Yorkshire regt.
York. JR.
Temp. Lt. T. C. W. Sandland resigns hiscommission
on appt. to R.A.F. 7 Nov.
1918. . ' -
Temp. 2nd Lt. J. Bevan resigns his commission
on appt. to R.A.F. 25 Oct. 1918.
Temp. 2nd Lt. R. Wilkinson resigns his
commission on appt. to R.A.F.


Now you just need to find the date of his commissioning into the Yorkshire regt and you ahve a bracket on the date of the photo.

[John915]

Good morning,

He's not wearing a 1914 star as that would have a rosette on the ribbon. The 1914/1915 star was authorised in dec 1918 and ribbons I believe were issued soon after. The actual medals plus war medal and victory medal were not issued until 1920 onwards.

John915

[peterstarling]

I don't know exactly when he moved from Co. Sgt. Maj. to 2nd Lt. with the Yorks Regiment but it was after Nov 1917 when he was mentioned in despatches as CSM and before Nov 1918 when he resigns his commission with the Yorks Regiment (on appointment to the RAF). Am I correct in saying therefore, that this photo was taken at some point during that 12 month period?