military police uniform

[phillomax]

Hello, I have been sent this photograph of my grandfather apparently taken during ww2. We know that he was in the 3rd king's own hussars from 1919 to 1929 and served in the military police in ww2.

The photo has my gf on the left with three stripes (chevrons) on his left forearm. The man standing next to him has two stripes on his left upper arm. I presume the two stripes are for a corporal and three for a sergeant but I've not seen them on the lower arm before.
Any suggestions?

[Hackstaple]

Those are long service stripes for 12 years service not sergeant's stripes. In that pic he is a private soldier.

[ShaunJ]

long service stripes

or Good Conduct?

[phillomax]

Hello, anyone know why they are wearing different caps?

Rgds phil

[phillomax]

Sorry Hackstaple, I hadn't read your reply correctly 12 years service - he did 9 years & 137 days in his first stint. I don't suppose being in the reserves counts so this would date the photo at approx 1942.

[alan o]

Militart police did not have Ptes- the minimum rank was LCpl.  I think he has a set of Cpl's stripes on his right arm only.

[Hackstaple]

Militart police did not have Ptes- the minimum rank was LCpl.  I think he has a set of Cpl's stripes on his right arm only.

That is assuming we are seeing him in the RMP in the pic.  The cap badge appears to be the wrong sort as far as one can tell from such a small pic. The RMP badge is an open scroll-work. However the puttees and belt appear to be white, not sand-coloured -  and that might again lead to the police.

Wiki tells me that At the beginning of the Second World War, the CMP had several branches:

    Special Investigation Branch (SIB);
    Red Caps, who were responsible for general policing;
    Blue Caps (Vulnerable Points), responsible for security of static locations and establishments;
    White Caps (Traffic Control); and
    Field Security Wing (Green Caps), which was separated from the CMP in 1940 to form the Intelligence Corps, and who wore the CMP cap badge, but without the scroll.

Our man has a cap with no coloured top.

[alan o]

He would not be RMP but CMP in WW2.  The Royal prefix was post war.

The whitened belts and gaiters was perculiar to the CMP and the policeman's whistle chain in the left breast pocket seals is a bit of a clue. 
They wear a mix of unifroms.  the soldier on the right has the 1940 pattern Battledress and what could be a beret or a late war GS cap.

the one on the left has a mid/late war econony tunic (exposed buttons on tunic) and a pre/early war cap.  The CMP were one of a minority of units to retain this cap post 1943.

[phillomax]

Hello all,

Thank you for your interest and valuable information.
I have attached another photo of him in the same uniform but his cap does look very similar to one he wore before WW2. Maybe he just liked wearing it? Would he be allowed?

Rgds Phil