Stuart Bates

Mervyn, you must continue these memoirs as it is such a personal and, therefore, a fascinating insight into the life and times of a small boy during crisis. Don't worry too much over the readership as I am sure that many have read your story even if they have made no comment. Not too many of us take the time or make the effort to recognise such valuable insights into our collective history. As has been said several times, "Keep 'em coming." Stuart

BTW: Mark welcome to the forum. Stuart

Mark, my Wolseley example is as you describe i.e. tucked up inside the helmet. In an SD cap that might have been rather uncomfortable so extending it over the cap badge may have been a better alternative. Stuart

Mark, it was not uncommon for soldiers to have two chinstraps. The one in the regulation "up" position and the other to be worn "down" i.e. under the chin.The reason being that the soldier didn't have to fiddle about resizing the chinstrap when moving between the two positions. I have an example of this to a Wolseley helmet but have never seen it with the SD cap. Stuart

Hi Lee, well that extra bit of material attached to the leather headband is a dead giveaway to a superior quality i.e. not OR's version. Can't believe that I missed it first time around. I have never seen anything but silk on a Colonial pattern before but have examples of cotton mesh on Wolseleys, see attached, so no reason to suspect that such material was not used before the Wolseley. Stuart

Mervyn, as we have discussed blogs are nothing if they have no dissenting views. Therefore I must bring up that old chestnut of area bombing with particular reference to the Allied bombings of Dresden and Hamburg. It is accepted that one cannot break the spirit of a people by such means and, indeed, your blog has amply demonstrated that fact. The failure to prosecute “the perpetrators” is reprehensible but, as always, pragmatism will have out, like it or not. There is no need for me to bring up the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as opposing forces will use any means at their disposal and justify it with whatever “moral” righteousness that they can bring to bear. It is, and will remain, a vexed issue but that does not mean that it should be “unspoken.” Stuart

Lee, Wait a minute! Looking at the helmet again I thought "this really looks like an officer quality helmet." Now what is the material attached to the leather headband where the silk would normally go? Whatever, I now think that it is indeed an officer's or possibly a "first quality" example for Sergeants etc. as officers could buy from the Army Clothing Department, Pimlico. Not all officers were wealthy enough to privately purchase from the Savile Row tailors. Stuart

Mervyn, we have all heard the story of the bombing of London, and other cities, and seen footage but your personal comments bring it all to life in a way that the others can't. Stuart

Lee, I have never collected slouch hats but have worn them ex Army & Navy Surplus stores. But what a great collection of headgear you must be amassing! Stuart

That wonderful website http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk/ shows the slouch hat in grey felt, brown felt and even a Hessian material one. The Südwester hat was worn extensively but check out the website as I don't want to pinch any material. Stuart

Mervyn, you have more than one reader and as, at least, the second I find this fascinating stuff. We all know of the bombings, rationing etc. but rarely if ever hear it from one who had to undergo this. I especially liked your description of your father's fruit and vegetable endeavours. And the spelling is Australian ( insert smile here). Stuart

Lee, initially I would have said an officer's version simply because of that puggaree but I have never seen an officer's without at least a few shreds of silk liner. Stuart

Lee, Just love that puggaree I can't see any evidence of silk to the top of the leather headband so it would be an Other Rank's version. A lovely addition to your collection and this thread. Stuart

A very interesting and informative thread Brian. Where did you source the stands for the truncheons? Stuart

The badge in post #10 would appear to be that of the Wiltshire IY which formed the 1st, 2nd and 63rd companies. Stuart

The GS rosette was worn by many units but some had their battalion number in brass over or under the Prince Of Wales's feathers.. Some units had their own distinctive patches eg. the 2nd Battalion (21st Cheshire Co) IY wore a rectangular maroon patch with XXI in brass below the PoW feathers. There are many more variations. Stuart

Neither do I.

A correction to my post #181. The 1900 DRs do not specify the goat's hair for the Grenadiers as being a hackle. The term plume applies. Stuart

According to Carman in Uniforms of the British Army, The Infantry Regiments p132 "By 1871 another fur cap was allocated to the fusiliers, this time the black racoon-skin type... Only the 5th Foot had the plume, their own distinctive red-and-white hackle... In 1892 a new pattern fur cap was introduced, this time of bearskin. There was now some pressure to have special plumes for fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers were allowed to have one of dark green. Then in 1901 the Lancashire Fusiliers were permitted a primrose-yellow hackle... The 1904 DRs quoted plumes for all." Now why did I just not scan the page? Anyway this, I trust, clears up the matter of when plumes were introduced. It would also seem from all of the recent posts that Plume was the overall term applied to such a headdress feature and hackle is a subset of that being made of feathers. But... and here we go again the DRs specify a feather plume for the Coldstreams, KRRC, Rifle Brigade, Highland Regiments probably others. A couple of dictionary definitions have the hackle defined as being of feathers so I guess the terms are, for all intents and purposes, interchangeable. But before someone jumps in, not for cavalry Damn, forgot the dear old 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys). Stuart

Interesting that the 1900 DRs show a Fusilier cap with no plume. Now this could be just a generic example except that next to it is a Grenadier Guards bearskin with white goathair hackle. On the same page the hackles for the NFs and the RWFs are shown. Here we go again, Barthorp also has a photograph on p111 of a RWF Corporal-Drummer c1904 with a white hackle to the right! Ok, just checked the 1904 DRs and this is correct. Stuart

Hi Graham, it is interesting that the DRs all decribe this item under the "heading" Plume e.g. - (1864) Plume - white horsehair, drooping from stem five inches high, with gilt grenade socket, except the 5th Fusiliers, who are authorized to wear one of red and white, the white uppermost (1874) Plume, for 5th Fusiliers -- Red and white hackle feather, 4 1/2 inches high, the red above, worn on left side (1883) Plume - For Northumberland Fusiliers only -- Red and white hackle feather, 4 1/2 inches high, the red above; worn on left side (1891) Plume - as above for 1883 (1894) Plume - as above for 1891 (1900) Plume - Northumberland Fusiliers -- red and white hackle feather, 4 1/2 inches high, the red above; worn on left side; gilt two flame socket. Royal Irish Fusiliers, green cut feather 6 1/2 inches high. Now this could be read to mean that either from 1874 onwards until 1900 only the Northumberland Fusiliers wore a hackle or may be the white persisted for all other regiments. In Barthorp's British Infantry Uniforms p96 there is a photograph of a Royal Welch Fusilier c1872 with no hackle, however in his appendix 2 he has this table of plume colours 1881-1914 :- Royal Northumberland Fusiliers - Scarlet over white, left (Plume in racoon-skin cap) Royal Fusiliers - White, right (Plume in racoon-skin cap) Lancashire Fusiliers - Primrose, left (Plume in racoon-skin cap) Royal Scots Fusiliers - White, right (Plume in sealskin cap) Royal Welch Fusiliers - White, left (Plume in racoon-skin cap) Ask a simple question and others are generated. Stuart

The 1864 Dress Regulations give a white horsehair plume except for the 5th who had a red over white. The 1874 Dress Regulations give a feather hackle as do all subsequent DRs. Hope this helps. Stuart

I think this one just makes it into this thread. It is the Commission Certificate for Frank Ibbetson as 2nd Lieutenant. He was commissioned into the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Prince Of Wales's Own (The West Yorkshire Regiment) on the 23rd November 1898. The certificate has Queen Victoria's signature and her seal. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 29th November 1899. I also have his promotion certificate signed by George V for his captaincy which took effect from the 30th September 1914. Quite a long wait for promotion! These certificates came, framed, with his Blue Cloth helmet and tin. Stuart

Mervyn, a wonderful memoir. And still more to come. Stuart

The 1964 film Zulu was probably what got me started on military history and subsequently militaria. This is a contemporary illustration of Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead immediately after the "battle." It is very evocative but like the film has several innacuracies e.g. the helmets seem to have puggarees which were not authorised for South Africa at this time and assuming Chard on the left he has a spike to his helmet and, perhaps, a helmet plate? Chard had a large handlebar moustache whilst Bromhead, pronounced "Brumhead", sported a good deal of facial hair. The dispute between Chard and Bromhead was pure fiction as Chard's Lieutenancy pre-dated Bromhead's by more than three years - Chard was commissioned Lieutenant on 15th July 1868 Bromhead was promoted Lieutenant on 28th October 1871 and the unfortunate Major Spalding had already left Chard in command when he departed for Helpmakaar. Nevertheless a fine military print. Stuart