Military Parade Photo: Who? When?

[Guest Rick Research]

From the field gear and so on, can anyone give me an idea of where and when this might have been taken? Not a thing written on it for a clue.

I can't enlarge any greater details for cap badges or what I take to be a regimental standard in the middle--this IS as sharp as it is.

1914? 1936? Canada? Britain? ...

[Tony]

Hello Rick,

It's hard to tell from the pic but they are wearing 1908 pattern webbing as opposed to pattern 37.

Can you see if any ribbon bars are being worn?

Tony

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope.

[Tony]

Rick,

Do they have the long 07 bayonet? I believe they were shortened between the wars (I'm not sure though) and just before WWII the spike bayonet and MKIV rifle were being manufactured.

Here are some scans showing a member of the AOC in 1913 and one from a German booklet marked secret from 1914. Maybe you can tell if the men on parade are wearing the 1902 tunic or the one that came out in about 1922

The1902 tunic had two pleats on each side of the collar and was changed to one pleat on each side in 1922. Also a seam was added to each side of the front which ran between the breast pocket to the skirt pocket. The new tunic was tight fitting and had a tailored look.

I don't suppose you can see any of that on the photo though.

Tony

[Tony]

From the German booklet

[joseph barrett]

The picture could be anywhere between 1908 and 1938, I have seen pictures as late as 1940 in France were they are still wearing service dress, as Tony said you would need a more detailed look at the uniforms to narrow it down

[jagwca]

Rick,

As a new member just brousing through the site and looking at your picture from the general outline of the cap badge it looks like the Gloucestershire Regt,and looking at the building just visible over the trees and the old style of lamps maybe taken when the 1st batt. was in Germany in 1922.Only a guess.

John

[Guest Rick Research]

It's a blurry postcard sized shot and what you see is what I see, alas. My first impression was perhaps the Irish Civil War, since looking at this I could almost convince myself it can't be the lighting, but their trousers are all darker than their tunics-- "Black And Tans?" I also thought all the pouches appeared to be leather rather than webbing.

Doesn't look like we'll ever know, from what is visible.

[jagwca]

Rick,

The shadows play wierd tricks but the tall man to the left of the colour and the fourth man to the right of the colour appear to have khaki trousers.The equipment looks to be standard 1908 pattern(was there a leather version?).Who knows .

John

[harribobs]

.The equipment looks to be standard 1908 pattern(was there a leather version?).Who knows .

a leather version? here's a volunteer in 1914

[Graham Stewart]

Rick,

The "Black and Tans" wouldn't have carried a Colour as this unit is doing. John's theory about it being Germany could possibly be right, and as they appear to wearing collar badges on their Service Dress uniforms I would also say it was post-WWI. I also have to agree that the lamp post does have more of a continental look than those we had in GB. Sadly the camera is too far away to give clues as to which regiment, nor can we concentrate on the Colour.

Graham.

[Guest Rick Research]

Sometimes a blur is always going to be a blur! Actually, the lamp post is of a type still extent (though turned off) here as recently as my own yout'-- don't recall when they were all taken away for scrap in the night, but at some point they were replaced by the 87 meter tall with a Martian lightbulb sort which are apparently navigational beacons for aircraft rather than anything pedestrians can read newspapers under while waiting for a bus.

[leigh kitchen]

Has anybody got any photos / postcards of the Victory Parade in Paris to compare this photo to? just wondering...

[The Saint]

The leather equipment as worn by the Volunteer is the 1914 Pattern. There was just not enough web equipment to equip the newly raised battalions, so a updated/simplified version of the 1888 Pat Slade-Wallace equipment was produced in brown leather. Packs (large and small) were still made in webbing, with leather tabs.

I seem to recall that collar badges on SD were reintroduced something like 1922, but I may be wrong.

Eric

[zipperheads9]

There is only the Regimental Silk , no kings color . So how many units would parade like this.There was a copy of the 08 pouches and combined the leather and webb. I was wondering if it was the PPCLI as they were granted there regimental flag to a color as they carried it through the war 14-18 .I am not positive on that , would it be a Yeomanry unit?

mark

[Ulsterman]

The lamppost is a British council lamppost from the Victorian era. odds are at the base you'll see a "VR".

How do I know? Because my parents bought two in 1971 when the council sold them off. They still have them in their back yard.