DATING A PHOTOGRAPH.....

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:18 am

I should have mentioned this before but although there is or was a Staffordshire regiment, your barracks local to Burton on Trent is probably a red herring. The Bride could have met her man anywhere in service and took him home to marry in the conventional way.
We seem to be spanning the globe with this man. There were probably more Kiwis here over the time period in question than Americans by dint of the time they spent at war respectively, but the hat style as shown in Davie’s photo’s is completely different to that shown in the photograph. As great a people that the Kiwi’s are, I think they should be excluded on this occasion.
Excluding the Zulu war of 1873-74, Rourkes Drift and all that, there were two Boar Wars, 1880-81 and 1899-1902. If your man were an American soldier he would not have been involved with any of these skirmishes. There are plenty of other wars to throw into the hat as it were, but don’t lets confuse things. We seem to have been in more wars with more people in more places that seems fitting for a peaceful people.
The single chevron on the Groom’s upper right arm denotes that he was a Lance Corporal. I don’t know what the other chevron on his lower arm means but I have been told that in British Army terms it represents a good conduct over time award. This latter stripe is a different colour to the former, it could be black or even dark red. This is the detail along with other insignia that will decide on the origin of his uniform more than anything else as far as I can see. I’ll try and do some more work on this. Bear with me. By the way, the grooms hat is not a trilby.Ok?
The plunging neckline seems relevant to me. Apparently it became a la mode in 1920. However, I will look deeper into this, purely as you suggest, in the interests of history. The things I do for genealogy.
When I referred to pins and stripes Sobil I was alluding to the metallic adornment of my daughter’s belly button and the stripes that pass for notional skirts. Not pin stripes. I’ve seen deeper pelmets. Me? Fashion? Corduroy’s, lumpy jumpers and boots and that’s your lot. I’ve had an ailment all my life. It’s called fashion attention deficit disorder. There is no cure. I did have pink hair once. The children spiked my shampoo. This is the sort of people we have bought into this world.
Must dash
MM

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 4:34 am

Malcolm

Thanks for my lesson. My Mother has a high resolution Jpeg... which if you have seen any of my other posts regarding her you will understand when I tell you....... it has been forwarded to my brother. I have sent him an email telling him to forward it pronto together with a low resolution one as requested by the photographers who are very kindly going to ask previous owners if they can recognise the location.

I sent a copy to my nephew who is on barracks somewhere in Berkshire but youth and impending fatherhood (today/tomorrow) is impeding my vital research. They have no respect!

I too wore courdroys, baggy jumpers and boots..... but only when up a mountain. I judge by the length of the diatribes that yours is/was a female dominated environment......?

Back when the d**ned photo gets to me.

Sobil

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 10:24 am

Hello Sobil
for diatribe read abusive or bitter harangue.
MM

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:59 pm

Hallelujah!

It is a jpeg and it looks clearer than the PDF.... but I am just the Village Idiot, please correct me if I am wrong Master

I called it Sobil WW1 Jpeg and it's in "Help with deciphering" again. I will get it right one day. [-o<

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-250

Sobil

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 7:00 am

Hi Malcolm,

I checked the UK WW1 enlistees and found the same name in:

Royal Dublin Fusiliers..... Irish doubtful
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders..... wouldn't he be in a kilt?
Royal Lancaster Regiment.... did they have a yen to look like Mounties?

All the ladies garb looks like something thrown together from old net curtains so I'm still at a loss. There's a lot to be said for mass production.

Let's hope the old photographer had your same predisposition for grouting and can give me a clue!

Sobil

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:46 pm

Sobil
here's some more diatribe to be going on with

http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?

someone here might identify your uniforms.
MM

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:51 am

Cheers Malcolm

Went there, did that and got the T-shirt....... waiting to see what they come up with

Sobil

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:28 pm

Hi Malcolm,

Wow, Fantastic site!

If it weren't for the bad analogy I'd say they were "at it like rabbits" over there. Obviously WW1 is still very popular. The verdict so far....

"The chap on the right is definatly a NZ Lance Corporal, I'm unable to deduce what unit as the cap badges are not quite big enough to see any detail.

He is not NZ Mounteds as he is not wearing the mounted rifles hat, (most likely Infantry) as the lemon squeezer was in full use by NZ troops by 1917. As mentioned, the picture could reasonably be dated from 1916 onwards.

On his right arm he apears to be wearing a wound stripe, and his left arm looks like the specialist MG badge which was crossed flags with a Vickers MG in the centre. Either that or it is the Signals crossed flags denoting the chap was fully trained."

I'm off to check the old papers to see if they printed or mentioned it.

Sobil

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 9:36 am

SUCCESS

Finally tracked a wedding down in 1918.

Thanks everyone I've learnt a lot about dating photographs during the process and found some very useful sites and some very useful people. =D>

Thanks for all your research Malcolm. it was very much appreciated.

Sobil