leigh kitchen

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South African Expeditionary Force Brigade record card

next page - previous service in the 3rd Mounted Rifles

His Record of Officers Service

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Provisional Release Certificate

and reverse

His Active Service Casualty Form as an Other Rank.

and its reverse

His Active Service Casualty Form as an officer:

reverse of VM

My first South African WWI medals arrived a couple of days ago, "just" a VM & a BWM - a broken pair & a broken trio but I like them. Sgt LB Tedder was a member much wounded member of 2 SAI (commissioned in December 1918), 2/Lt OS Tedder, his brother, was a member of 8 Lincolnshires & was KIA 27/4/17. Sgt LB Tedders Vctory Medal & attestation papers:

Or unless you read a particular copy of "Crown Imperial" about 1984 - from an article by Andrew Chaney, a sketch of the FID shoulder title, locally made, in brass. Also worn on the slouch hat I would think? The original was on display at the INt Corps museum at Ashford, Kent - I don't know where the museum is nowadays. Field Intelligence deal with int. on the enemies organistaion, capabilities, tactics & intentions & with the geography of the battlefield & with counter intelligence to protect own personnel, information & equipmentd. Intelligence units were viewed as war raised rather than permanent requirements prior to WWII (when the Int. Corps was established in 1940), but the Anglo-Boer War showed the British that there was a need for such a corps. The FID was established to provide operational intelligence, Natal being at the forefront of such activity, units such as the Natal Corps of Guides (comprised of local white farmers & black guides) provided intelligence for the FID, which grouped guides, interpretors, scouts & native scouts into fixed grades & introduced field security & intelligence gathering procedures such as censorship, POW interrogation, field sketching, Ballon recce reports, carrier pigeons,etc. The British had sent over a small number of British officers including a Major Rimmington who formed the Rimmington Scouts who were often referred to as the "Intelligence Corps". Although the informal Int. Corps units were'nt authorised insignia, various scout units produced their own slouch hat & shoulder insignia. Medals to personnel of these units were inscribed "FID".

nah, it's Brit - a Naval Coronet.........

The red square with the 3 white seaxes is the Essex County Division.

The shoulder strap bears the cypher of King George VI in the centre of the design - so the buttons required bear that version of the cypher, slightly less ornate & more squared off than the King George V version. King George VI - 1936 - 52, but I would imagine that there was quite an overlap with the insignia change at both ends of the reign, though having said that, King Edward VIII insignia was produced for the GG, & he was only around for what - was it 18 months or less?

Possibly the St John's qualification badge, circular, about 2" diametere & of white metal, but I thought these were worn on the right upper sleeve.

"Probably taken at the same time as the photos above. I wonder if those barrack like rooms in the background are the classrooms. The old building in the left hand side background of the bottom photo looks fairly impressive. Bit of a long shot but does anyone recognise it?" Looks like Eynsham Hall, Oxfordshire, it's now an activities centre, conference centre, hotel - something like that. Just done a search on the web - there are quite a few sites on it - you can even take the missus there for a romantic weekend & some tuition in medievel axe throwing. In all seriousness, you have the chance to follow in dads footsteps but without the parades, exams & cross country runs - nice surroundings. http://www.eynshamhall.com/ I've just thought - Eynsham Hall fetured in the Roger Graf series "Police" in about 1980 - 81. An appalling series from a police point of view (a big well done to Sir Peter Imbert for that one) - Graef managed to find police officers who were a little different & less capable than the norm, but anyway - one of the episodes features police training at Eynsham Hall.

Blackened yellow metal issued to 1st Bn GG for a tour of North Armagh in 1976, according to my ex-Grenadier informant - it was produced blackened, not unit painted. I don't know if this badge is still in use.

This embroidered badge is the NCO's arm badge, issued in lieu of the beret badge proper because of shortages during the 1st Bn's 1973 tour of "Derry.

This embroidered badge was issued to 1st Bn GG in 1973 - I saw it in wear in the Creggan in @Derry that year & my ex-Grenadier mate tells me that they were a short lived badge issued for a 4 month Emergency Tour.

The gold coloured anodised aluminium issue, K&K volume 2 page 23 refers to this in text. An ex-Grenadier of Queen's Company 1st Bn in the 70's did'nt know these existed, having been issued a yellow metal one.