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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: genealogistsykes on Thursday 16 August 12 12:59 BST (UK)
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Found this picture in a box and have no idea who it is. I know of only two ancestors who fought in the First World War, Samuel Stanley Sykes who we've already identified and Arthur Esme Carteret Green who lived in Australia.
Could this cap badge be australian or is it English?
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I believe it to be the cap badge of the Warwickshire Yeomanry.
Tom
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Brilliant, thank you very much. It can't be Arthur Green then, sigh. Is there anyway of trying to identify the soldier?
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He is wearing an Officers uniform so that will narrow it down a bit.
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He has at least two pips on his shoulder thats a Leutenant if three a Captain.
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I always thought that this chap was my great uncle, but my father said it wasn't. He's right though seeing as my great uncle was in the Yorkshire and Lancaster Regiment in the Second World War.
Hmmm okay, is there a database for the Warwickshire Yeomanry Regiment that would tell you their officers?
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That medal ribbon may help if it is a bravery award. But not being anexpert on them so not sure what it is.
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I can't see any pips on his epaulettes so I presumed that he has the style of jacket with rank on its sleeve cuffs.
You could try these people.
http://www.warwickshire-yeomanry-museum.co.uk/
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I've emailed the Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum, hopefully they can help me out. Ah, so he won a medal. Could of been a campaign medal? Not sure.
There is a reference on the back but i'm not sure if it has anything to do with the officer. Here it is anyway:
13596 C
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The pips could have been my imagination. ::) Cannot see them now.
Try this site for medals, as I said I am not an expert but could be any one of a few. My favourite is the African General Service medal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_campaign_medals
Perhaps if we are lucky one of our experts will come on here tonight and ID it straight away.
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I don't know how anyone can identify the medal ribbon. I can only just make it out haha.
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Good evening,
Try this site for the medal ribbon; http://www.worldmedals.co.uk/Rib/Britrib/britribb.htm
I don't know but would say the uniform is later than WW1. He could be a warrant officer as no pips are showing but they later wore the same uniforms as officers and still do.
John915
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I'd guess at an Officer as he has the "Sam Brown" belt accross the chest and the cap looks like the officers pattern.
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If I was a betting man I would put money on the medal being the Queens South Africa Medal, for service during the 2nd Boer War. Two companies of the Warwickshire Yeomanry served in South Africa (5th and 103rd Co. 2nd Battalion IY).
I did not find either of the men you named on the nominal list of IY produced by Kevin Asplin, but a search of other family names may provide an answer:
http://www.britishmedals.us/kevin/impyeomanryl.html
Martin
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I've gotten an email back from the Warwickshire Yeomanry Regiment Museum and they also seem to think that the medal ribbon has a high chance of being the Queens South Africa Medal. They found out that a Charles Henry Sykes served with WYR for a while and also was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal.
I'm having a look at all of the GREEN'S seeing as the photo came with everything else that belonged to Elizabeth Gayton Green and her family (Green).
So you don't think this photo is from WWI? you think it's from the Boer War?
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I think this photograph is from WW1.
Martin
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The style of uniform and the ribbon would be after the end of Boer War. Excatly when between that date and the end of WW1 is harder to determine.
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Oh I see, his uniform looks the same as my great grandfather's - WWI. See pic below:
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What is the writing on the front of the photograph? ( I've had a look, it's the name and address of the photographer.)
There is a Charles Henry Sykes b 1876 Lees, any relation?
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Yeah the writing is just the address of the photographer. See, that's the thing I have no idea if he is any relation. He is not on the family tree.
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There maybe Warwickshire Yeomanry officers groups photos at the museum he maybe on them I'd say Great War earlier than 1916 when the officers started wearing pips on shoulders and agree Boer War medal.
There's a forum member on great war forum who specialises on Warwickshire Yeomanry. Maybe worth posting on there.
Ady
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I was wondering if he was a cousin. Have you got all your G'grandfather's cousins etc ?
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Yes, I was thinking that he could be a cousin of my g' grandfathers.
He may be the son of Edwin Stanley Sykes (priest) - (1855-1912), I haven't found a marriage for him yet. He wasn't a Catholic Priest meaning that he could of married but i'm not too sure.
The soldier could also be a GREEN? It's a pain in the backside really. Usually they write the name of the person on the back of the photo. I refer to him as ancestor no name.
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It's deffinetly not Rev. Edwin Stanley Sykes or his sisters Lucy Sykes and Kate Sykes seeing as none of married.
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Does he look the same as the person in the photo that I posted at the start?
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It is now 2019, I believe I know who it might be - John Gilbert Gillespie, son of Major-General Robert Rollo Gillespie. See link below:
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1765714
Gillespie married a cousin, Mabel Sykes, which explains why it's in our possession, and it appears he served in the Warwickshire Yeomanry during the First war.
Success.