What Unit & Rank might this Imperial soldier have had?

[deptfordboy]

Hi Gents & a Happy New Year to All,

I have had this picture for years now as I like it. The chap looks very young and rather nervous - I assume this is of WW1 period? Beyond that, I would like to decipher more about this soldier but know very little about Imperial units, uniforms etc.

His shoulder boards (?) seem to be white and marked with a '3'. My guess would be that he is some sort of junior or cadet officer rather than an enlisted man. And the portrait was taken in Mainz. If anyone can help with identifying unit and rank that would bring him to life a bit!

Cheers,

Gilbert

[Chip]

Gilbert,

This soldier is from Fu?artillerie-Regt. General-Feldzeugmeister (Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3. This unit was garrisoned at Mainz. It looks from his sidearm knot that he is a Gefreiter. Here is a picture of what the uniform would have looked like in color.

Chip

Edited January 1, 2007 by Chip

[Guest Rick Research]

Does the brass handled bayonet suggest a period before the Gewehr 98 was in general use, say around 1900 but soon after 1897 (2 cockades)?

The older I get, the younger everybody else looks. But I wonder if this is a kid fresh out of an Unteroffizier Vorschule, signed on for 12 years-- and all of 18 or 19 with his military prep school advantage on the rank?

[Chip]

Rick,

It it hard to tell from the picture, but I suspect that the brass handle is from a Seitengewehr U/M, which is what foot artillery unmounted troops usually wore.

[deptfordboy]

Thanks for the help guys. When I get a chance I will try and blow up a detail picture of the Seitenegewehr.

Cheers

Gilbert