Trooper_D

It is! That is a lesson for us all, Jason, for when we are taking photos of our own collections.

Thanks for solving the riddle, Paja. Thanks also for the link - although I fear that I am going to spend much of the rest of the afternoon browsing the web site it links to

Thanks for these photos, Paja. I find these 'pretenders' (in every sense!) fascinating. btw what does the Order with the red ribbon, which they are all wearing, purport to be, do you know? If he does, they will have to widen it - Sir Nicholas is rather well nourished

This is a great photo, Paja. It has so many similarities - including but not restricted to the folds on the sash - with the left hand portrait you posted in post #10, I can't help but think that it was the official photographic portrait on which the painting was based. It follows that, if you know the date of the painting, you have the latest date of the photograph.

Do you happen to know what this photo is showing, Chris? Are the Germans (or the Portuguese, perhaps) POWs or is this after the Armistice, do you think?

Thank you, Paul ... ... and thank you, Paja, for the visualisation.

Is this the correct ribbon, Paja? If not, what should it look like, please?

This is correct. The Order of Malta's full title is the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta. It is no surprise that this epaulette should be made in Vienna as there were, and are, many knights in Austria who would have had their uniform made locally.

Thanks for posting these, Donkeykong15. These are the epaulettes of the uniform of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Compare them with this image from Wikipedia, Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Epaulettes_Sovereign_Military_Order_of_Malta.jpg This image, from saleroom.com, gives a better view of the button (go to the link below and click on the image shown on the linked page for a full size version), Source: http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/czerny-international-auction-house-ltd/catalogue-id-srcz10002/lot-89e102fc-105f-4cbe-91b5-a44200cbc006

A fascinating subject, WJT, so thank you for starting this thread. Do you have tentative dates for your photos?

Wraith42 has given a better analysis than I could, Urlaub, so I will simply comment that it is a nice photo and an even nicer moustache! Thanks for posting it.

Fascinating, Paja. I know that we are all equal in death but, for our purposes, it is a shame that no ranks are stated for these soldiers.

On receiving an item (not military-related, as it happens) won on eBay, I was rather surprised to find it was wrapped in a page from an edition of the Picture Post commemorating aspects of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. On reading it, I was delighted to discover the item I have attached. I hope it is of interest to other members of this particular forum. I wonder if the highly admirable Trooper Bart is wearing his original uniform?

Thanks for your post, Philip. Perhaps you or a moderator could reformat it as it is a bit confusing (to me, anyway) as it currently is. Some of your comments are contained in quotes from previous posts, I think.

Thank you for this fascinating contribution to the thread, Poison Dwarf. However, I don't quite understand this bit: Do you mean 'James' rather than 'Charles'? You can't, of course, mean Charles Richard Bedingfeld as he was only 4 years old in 1807. Did you post a photo of the sword in question on another thread, as a matter of interest, and, if so, would you be kind enough to post a link, please?

What a truly magnificent photo, Christophe, not only for its military interest but also for its artistic execution. Does it have any information about the studio or photographer on it, by any chance?

Nice job, Alli - well worth the effort! Have you tried it on, yet

What a lovely piece! This area is new to me and I am looking forward to your forthcoming posts. Do you know what the animal trying to climb the tree, and its symbolism, is please?

Thanks, Alli - all now clear.

Fascinating! This is the first time I have seen the inside of a bearskin, Alli, thanks for posting it. What kind of lining should it have?

Nando The Royal Veteran battalions lasted longer than some of the sources suggest. For instance, the copy of the London Gazette dated 25 October 1825 (no. 18189), linked to below, has numerous references to transfers into and out of Royal Veteran battalions, including the 3rd (see, for example, Ensign Freame, second page [1974], half way down first column). https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IhBKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1973

Thanks for that, Stogieman. I wonder if anyone else can shed some light on this?

Stogieman May I ask, please, why these are on Austrian-style trifold ribbons? Was this a Saxon custom for non-Court mounted medals?

What a fascinating - and chilling - read!

I have taken the liberty, Locktsar, of directly posting the image we are discussing as I believe you are more likely to get an answer if people can view it without having to download a .pdf file.