Identifying Regiment/Group etc?

[ali.]

Hi all,

Can anyone help identifying the uniform/badges found on these soldiers? What regiment might they have belonged to? One of them is my great grandfather, and he served in Egypt during the Second World War (where this photo was taken). Anything else is unknown. He was from Manchester, but it might not help.

I'm going to start the long process of getting his service record, but maybe you can help me sooner!

Thanks so much,
Ali

[MaecW]

Hi,
As nobody has responded yet, can I just comment on the photo ?
Nearly all seem to be wearing the same cap badge, which appears to be a thin upright one which I don't recognise. Only one officer but I can't make out his cap badge at all. Many, but not all, of the group are wearing dark coloured flashes on their shoulder tags. This might denote an officer cadet but is not something I have seen before.  Then there is the corporal in the dark uniform and his hat (?) at an unusually rakish angle on the far left of the group - is he perhaps from Allied forces, Free French or similar?
I know I'm not being particularly helpful here but might perhaps provoke a few responses to help solve the problem.
Maec

[MaecW]

Looking at it again, I don't think it was taken in Egypt. Look at the forested hills in the right-hand background. 

[ali.]

Yeah it’s a bit confusing isn’t it! As far as I’m aware the only place he served is Egypt, though I am going to request his service record so I should be able to find out for sure, though it could take months. There was one possible record that could be him serving in British Palestine from around 1945-1948, but again this is just speculation.

They do seem to be wearing a hot-weather uniform (the name escapes me) but any info beyond that is lost on me lol. Thank you so much for trying to figure it out. I massively appreciate your input.

Ali

[Andy J2022]

Parts of Egypt do have wooded hills, especially along the coast and around Alexandria so I don't think that factor alone rules Egypt out. But more to the point, after May 1943 when the German and Italian forces in North Africa surrendered, the Eighth Army took part in the Italian campaign, so this photo could also have been taken in Italy (which definitely has wooded hills!), without contradicting the story that Ali's great grandfather served in Egypt.   

[ali.]

Parts of Egypt do have wooded hills, especially along the coast and around Alexandria so I don't think that factor alone rules Egypt out. But more to the point, after May 1943 when the German and Italian forces in North Africa surrendered, the Eighth Army took part in the Italian campaign, so this photo could also have been taken in Italy (which definitely has wooded hills!), without contradicting the story that Ali's great grandfather served in Egypt.

That definitely could be true, as the only story I have of his time in the military was a necklace given to him by an Italian soldier, so he definitely had contact with the Italians at some point! You could be onto something.

[Andy J2022]

And Ali, in answer to your earlier question, the pattern of uniform is KD - Khaki  Drill. In this case it's the pale tan version which was worn in the Western desert in WW2.

[Crumblie]

It is odd that they are all in KD apart from the corporal on the left hand side who is in a much warmer dress and puttees/gaiters as well. He is the only one with his legs crossed, strictly a no no in formal photographs and what would then have been known as an effiminate pose to put it politely.

[Andy J2022]

It is odd that they are all in KD apart from the corporal on the left hand side who is in a much warmer dress and puttees/gaiters as well. He is the only one with his legs crossed, strictly a no no in formal photographs and what would then have been known as an effiminate pose to put it politely.

I think MaecW was onto something when he suggested this person might have been attached from another unit or even another nation (I think Polish is more likely than Free French). The anomaly is that the photograph appears to show a platoon or troop sized sub-unit (1 Officer and 27 other ranks) and therefore would be unlikely to have any attachments from outside the unit.