Uniform Identification

[Lindylu]

Hi

I'm new to the forum and am hoping somebody out there will be able to help with this problem. I would like to know which regiment my husband's grandfather served with in WW1. With a name of Christopher George Smith it has been impossible to identify anything from the National Archives and this particular Smith is not in the burned records! All I know is that he was with horses and that he used to sleep with them to keep warm. I have two photos of him wearing different uniforms and wondered if anyone can tell how I could go about trying to identify the regiment from these photos. Clutching at straws really but one lives in hope! Thanks.

 

[sterico]

Hi,
Welcome to the F.H.U.K research forums,
We hope you have success in your research and please do not hesitate in asking us for help, all you need to do is select the appropriate forum, and post your question/s, with as much relevant information that you have in your possession, then our members will endeavour to find, or at least point you in the right direction of those answers.
You will find all our members helpful and very friendly and only to willing to help. If you post the pictures , someone might be able to identify the regiment by the uniform,

Best regards Sterico .

 

[juliejtp]

Hi Lindylu,

A warm welcome to FHUK.

Please post your pictures and we will have a look and hopefully someone will be able to indenfify what section of the army he was in.

 

[Lindylu]

Hi

I was going to post pictures with my first message but couldn't see how to do it. I can see the sign for inserting image but am then stumped when asked for URL. Advice on how do this would be much appreciated.

Linda

 

[p.risboy]

If you have the picture on your PC's photo suite, just click the browse button and search for the right picture and click 'select'.
Then when selected click 'Upload' and wait for a while.

Steve.

 

[Lindylu]

Thanks Steve for the advice. However, when I post a reply, at the bottom of the screen it says on the posting rules that I may not post attachments so it looks like I have not been allowed for some reason to do this. Perhaps you have to have used the forum for a while before permission is given?

Linda

 

[juliejtp]

Hi Linda,

Newbies have the first 3 posts moderated, you have reached 3, so try again.

 

[Lindylu]

Hi everybody

Hurrah! Now I can post my photos! It's not very clear but in the one sitting on a horse there is a plume on his 'hat' (sorry can't think of the right terminology!). The second photo is said to be taken after he had been wounded. One other piece of information that may or not be useful is that Christopher Smith lived in Cardiff. Oh, and also I found a photo taken in 1944 which shows he only had 2 medals so can't have joined at the beginning of the war. May look at the Christopher Smith medal roll again and see if that whittles it down at all.

Linda

 

[Lindylu]

A qualification to my previous post - don't know that it makes any difference but I like to get my facts straight. The two medals on the photo appear to be the 1914 star (based on the fact that it seems to have the bar) and the Victory medal so I reverse my earlier statement and now assume that he was in the army at the beginning of the war.

Linda

 

[juliejtp]

The second picture ties in with what you said about Christopher being wounded. I think the hospital uniform would have been blue and white.

 

[juliejtp]

I would say that the first picture is the Hussars.

 

[leefer]

Brilliant Photos.

 

[Lindylu]

Thanks for that information. The hospital uniform would explain the puzzle as to why the men were wearing different cap badges which had mystified me. I'll look further into the hussars and see what I can come up with.

Linda

 

[jon]

Hello Linda the uniform in the photo looks like the Royal Hores Artillery fulldress the tunic is different than Hussars hope this helps

 

[Lindylu]

My husband and I were inclined to the Royal Horse Artillery based on what little we know of Christopher. I have just found another photo taken in 1944 of him wearing two medals - the 1914 star with clasp (I don't think the 1915 star had a clasp - please correct me if I am wrong, someone) and the Victory medal. Why he wouldn't be wearing the British medal I don't know as surely he would have that one if he had the other two? Anyway, I looked at the medal rolls on Ancestry for someone in RHA with 1914 star and came up with only one so got really excited until I found it was based in Ireland - hardly likely as he lived in Cardiff. Does anybody know how reliable Ancestry is for the records? I looked at Christopher G and just plain Christopher.

 

[p.risboy]

My husband and I were inclined to the Royal Horse Artillery based on what little we know of Christopher. I have just found another photo taken in 1944 of him wearing two medals - the 1914 star with clasp (I don't think the 1915 star had a clasp - please correct me if I am wrong, someone) and the Victory medal. Why he wouldn't be wearing the British medal I don't know as surely he would have that one if he had the other two? Anyway, I looked at the medal rolls on Ancestry for someone in RHA with 1914 star and came up with only one so got really excited until I found it was based in Ireland - hardly likely as he lived in Cardiff. Does anybody know how reliable Ancestry is for the records? I looked at Christopher G and just plain Christopher.

Hi LL,
There could be more than one person with the same name on the medal rolls.
Unless you have his Service Number, it will be difficult. And thats the problem you have.
I've had same names and regiments, but if there is service and demob records for your man on Ancestry, there might be addresses and next of kin on them. Then you will get his service number.
It might take a bit of 'trawling', but also the records could have been destroyed.
He lived in Wales, but was he born there. More questions.

Steve.

 

[tiddy30]

hi have you looked on his medals to see if his service number is on them,it sometimes says the reg on medals issued.My gt gt grandfathers medals have his name,number and reg around the edge of his medals.

 

[Lindylu]

Unfortunately, I don't have his medals. Am currently trying to contact some of my husband's cousins to see if any of them has got them.

Linda

 

[p.risboy]

Unfortunately, I don't have his medals. Am currently trying to contact some of my husband's cousins to see if any of them has got them.

Linda

Hi Linda, any luck with the medals.

Steve.

 

[Lindylu]

No, not yet. I've tried one cousin who hasn't got them and he has given me the tel nos of other cousins I might try but have not been able to contact them yet.

Linda