Tony Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hello,I bought this photo of a L/Cpl a while back but have no idea if he's in the Rifles, Yeomanry or whatever. There's a white band around his lower right sleeve and he appears to be holding a soft cap in his hand.The photographer had his studios in Cambridge and Chatteris.Any help to dating this photo and identifying the unit would be great.ThanksTony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Is he wearing some sort of cricket-ish knee length shin protectors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gregory Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Great image!I really like his belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalCanadianLight Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Gorgeous photo! Hes a younger one too, possible military school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Saint Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Looks like a member of the Volunteers movement of the 1860s-70s, who often wore grey uniforms. They are the forerunner of the Territorial Army.Finding a unit would be difficult without seeing the cap badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Beautiful photo and going off the fact that its a Cambridge photographer, I think we may be looking at one of the University Corps as two peculiarities have caught my eye. For instance on the cross belt he isn't wearing the Volunteer Rifles combined lionshead boss and whistle & chain. Where the whistle and chain should be located he's wearing a shield with 'pickers', which is normally associated with cavalry units and I believe the 'pickers' were to help unclog breeches on cavalry carbines.Secondly the white band around his left cuff is most unusual and todate I can find no reference in Volunteer Regulations to determine its use, but it may be 'proficiency' orientated as later five pointed stars were adopted and worn on the same cuff above the uniform cuff braid.Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Saint Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 (edited) White bands have been worn by officer candidates in more recent years. Could it be a similar sign for 19th C. University Cadets ? Edited February 9, 2008 by The Saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Saint,I've seen the white band on various pre-1881 VRC photo's, most of which have no university connections and the ranks vary, but I haven't got any pre-1881 copies of Volunteer Regulations which could possibly identify its use.Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRA Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hello Graham, Saint all others in this thread!Allow me to quote from Light Horse and Mounted Rifle Volunteers 1860-1901by W.Y. Carman:"Badges for efficiency... A certificate for ?efficiency? could be issued after a year?sservice and later a badge for efficiency was worn (Vol. Regs. 1878, paras 619-620).This was a ring, half an inch wide, worn round the sleeve of the right arm above the cuff, passing under any lace or embroidery belonging to the uniform. This ring could be either silver, cloth or braid... Men who returned as efficient five times were per-mitted a star (of silver, silk or worsted), to be worn above the ring. A silver star was granted when the ring was silver lace. This star had five points and a circular device in the centre. For every five years that the volunteer was efficient, another star waspermitted."It also seems like a new efficiency badge was introduced in 1881, but that the ring andstar combination survived for some time.Greetings/GRA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Thanks for the comments everyone. It seems like it was the best 5 Euro I've spent in a while, good ol ebay.Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 GRA,Many thanks for your input, which has cleared up that problem. The stars themselves continued to be worn right up until the Great War by members of the Territorial Force, as can be seen in the attached photo of a 1909 pattern tunic from my own collection. The TF were of course the old Volunteer Force reorganised by Haldane in 1908.Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leigh kitchen Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Ooohhhh just look at those lovely Gosling Green facings......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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