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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: Bee on Wednesday 03 August 16 10:22 BST (UK)

Title: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Wednesday 03 August 16 10:22 BST (UK)
Found this among a lot of inherited photos and would appreciate any help in dating the photo and identifying the uniforms.

Bee
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Wednesday 03 August 16 11:21 BST (UK)
I would guess at 1946 or 1947
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Wednesday 03 August 16 11:26 BST (UK)
Are the two younger women TWIN sisters, as there dresses seem identical.
Or had they been Bridesmaids?
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: t mo on Wednesday 03 August 16 11:32 BST (UK)
hi bee
have you any idea who they are , any names may help find more info .
regards
trevor
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Wednesday 03 August 16 11:36 BST (UK)
Had the two young women been in the ATS, WRNS or WAAF?

They could be  wearing "de-mob". Outfits possibly?
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Wednesday 03 August 16 20:54 BST (UK)
No idea who any of them are, I'm assuming one of the ladies is called Ruth as the little card folder that the photo is in says "love to all, Ruth", though I can't find anyone by that name in the extended family tree.

The 2 ladies look as though they could be twins and they look a bit like two of the bridesmaids on the mother in laws wedding photo in 1949, but there is no one alive who could help, that's why I'm hoping that the uniform identity might help. 

Thanks for any help/suggestions
Bee
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: macintosh on Thursday 04 August 16 04:48 BST (UK)
My thoughts are the Sergeant is Home Guard (only because he looks older) and his medal ribbons are possibly ww1. pity the arm insignia can't be enlarged, it is either a divisional patch or trade patch, could it be the crossed bombs of Home Guard Bomb Disposal?

So for what it is worth I would say Sergeant and his wife with two daughers and their boyfriends or husbands.
If it was post war perhaps the others would be wearing medal ribbons (just a thought).
It may help if the pic could be enlarged, it just pixelates when I do it.

James
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Thursday 04 August 16 09:56 BST (UK)
My thoughts are the Sergeant is Home Guard (only because he looks older) and his medal ribbons are possibly ww1. pity the arm insignia can't be enlarged, it is either a divisional patch or trade patch, could it be the crossed bombs of Home Guard Bomb Disposal?

So for what it is worth I would say Sergeant and his wife with two daughers and their boyfriends or husbands.
If it was post war perhaps the others would be wearing medal ribbons (just a thought).
It may help if the pic could be enlarged, it just pixelates when I do it.

James

Thanks for you input, James.

Not sure if the photo can be enlarged anymore, it's a small photo about 3"x2" and I scanned it in at 600, but I don't know much about that sort of stuff.

Bee

Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Treetotal on Thursday 04 August 16 10:20 BST (UK)
An 800dpi scan might be better...it looks 1940s to me.
Carol
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Thursday 04 August 16 11:03 BST (UK)
An 800dpi scan might be better...it looks 1940s to me.
Carol

Thanks, Carol

The next option on my scanner after 600 is 1200, nothing in between.  Would that be worth a try?

Bee
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Treetotal on Thursday 04 August 16 12:21 BST (UK)
Yes it would Bee...although you may have to reduce the physical size to get it under 500kb.
Worth a try.
Carol
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Thursday 04 August 16 18:55 BST (UK)
The young man in the middle  seems to be wearing a black uniform  (or dark blue)   and he also has a badge   on his  breast pocket.     He could have been Royal Armoured Corps,  or alternatively   Air Raid Precautions   or fire Service?
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: jess5athome on Thursday 04 August 16 20:04 BST (UK)
Enlarged the photo a little and had a look under the magnifying glass, I agree with the elder gentleman being Home Guard for the reasons already stated, age, medal ribbons etc.

The chap on the left of the photograph "May" be wearing the badge of the Artillery on his beret but its still a bit blurred.

The chap in what appears to be darker attire has what I can only describe as a Sheriffs badge on his tunic  :-\ obviously it's not, I will continue looking  ;D

Frank.

Added:- The chap in the dark attire may be wearing a "A.F.S" or "N.F.S" Patch / Badge on his tunic.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Thursday 04 August 16 20:15 BST (UK)
The Home Guard  were stood down in December 1944

It  sounds logical that the  Fire Service  would have black uniforms   to differentiate them from the Armed Services
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: macintosh on Friday 05 August 16 07:48 BST (UK)
The soldier with the "beret" is wearing the 1943 pattern Cap GS (general service) first approved by Army Order 1943 also known as "Cap Ridiculous"

Cant see the badge at all


James
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Friday 05 August 16 13:01 BST (UK)
My thoughts are the Sergeant is Home Guard (only because he looks older) and his medal ribbons are possibly ww1. pity the arm insignia can't be enlarged, it is either a divisional patch or trade patch, could it be the crossed bombs of Home Guard Bomb Disposal?

So for what it is worth I would say Sergeant and his wife with two daughers and their boyfriends or husbands.
If it was post war perhaps the others would be wearing medal ribbons (just a thought).
It may help if the pic could be enlarged, it just pixelates when I do it.

James
          I follow your reasoning,  But   the medal ribbons   could be for WW2  or, if he had been a regular in the 1930s,  he may have been awarded  medals   during the 1930s.         Or he may have been a police officer  before the war, and they  were police service medals.

 
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Monday 08 August 16 23:14 BST (UK)
Sorry for the delay in replying.  Thanks to everyone for their input. I'm attaching the photo again but this time it's scanned at 1200. just in case it makes any difference.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Saturday 13 August 16 18:49 BST (UK)
I think the young man in the middle has a Civil Defence (CD )    badge on his pocket.    I have just been watching Dads Army   and the Warden  was wearing a similar  uniform.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Saturday 13 August 16 23:00 BST (UK)
Thanks, Scouseboy, that's given me a bit of an idea.

Thanks to all who have made suggestions.

Bee
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Saturday 20 August 16 20:44 BST (UK)
I have watched "Dads Army"    again tonight.     Just one more thought,  could your photograph  have been reverse printed?   in other words,  have they printed from the negative   in reverse of what it should have been.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Bee on Saturday 20 August 16 21:01 BST (UK)
I have watched "Dads Army"    again tonight.     Just one more thought,  could your photograph  have been reverse printed?   in other words,  have they printed from the negative   in reverse of what it should have been.

No way of knowing.
All I know/assume is that the photo was sent by someone called Ruth to someone in my OH's family tree. I still haven't traced anyone called Ruth and I'm assuming (I know I shouldn't) that the people are relatives but I suppose they could just be friends

Thanks for your interest and help

Bee
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: jess5athome on Saturday 20 August 16 21:07 BST (UK)
.................................................... Just one more thought,  could your photograph  have been reverse printed?   in other words,  have they printed from the negative   in reverse of what it should have been.


I don't think so, the buttons on the tunics appear to be on the correct side for fastening.

Frank.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: ScouseBoy on Saturday 20 August 16 21:09 BST (UK)
.................................................... Just one more thought,  could your photograph  have been reverse printed?   in other words,  have they printed from the negative   in reverse of what it should have been.
Thank you for that.   I was just  "brain storming"

I don't think so, the buttons on the tunics appear to be on the correct side for fastening.

Frank.
Title: Re: Unknown family
Post by: Meelystar on Saturday 27 August 16 23:29 BST (UK)
Looks like a Mother with her four children to me, they all bare a resemblance. I think the the man at the end could be the Father or alternatively given his position just an older husband of the daughter. I also think it could be friends just as easily as family.