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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: pennyworth1 on Thursday 08 March 18 18:12 GMT (UK)

Title: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: pennyworth1 on Thursday 08 March 18 18:12 GMT (UK)
I am researching a man from Ditchling, Sussex who was 39 at the outbreak of WWI.  His family have given me a photo of him in uniform and on the back it says Father in Local District Volunteers (LDV).  I looked this up and the LDV only started in WWII.  Can anyone tell me anything from his uniform please? Penny
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: Flattybasher9 on Thursday 08 March 18 18:23 GMT (UK)
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Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: purlin on Thursday 08 March 18 18:28 GMT (UK)
I think it is an Australian Imperial Force uniform. Apparently there were 2 patterns this looks like the first one.

Have a look at this link. https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/australian-imperial-force-other-ranks-uniform-1914-1918
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: stitchwitch on Thursday 08 March 18 20:27 GMT (UK)
The picture's quite grainy, but could that be some sort of LDV armband he's wearing, on his old WW1 uniform? He'd be well on in his fifties, but it's plausible. Do you know where he was in 1911?
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: MaxD on Thursday 08 March 18 22:34 GMT (UK)
I'd suggest it is his old Boer War uniform. LDV as the forerunner of the Home Guard were Local Defence Volunteers.  Haven't found it but a number of Boer War era units had Volunteers in the title.

MaxD
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: stitchwitch on Thursday 08 March 18 22:45 GMT (UK)
I've had a quick look for pictures of Boer War uniforms but without much luck. I did, however, blunder across this. What do you think?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Dress_%28British_Army%29#/media/File:Victor_Earl_Barnes,_1915_(8075456653).jpg
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: Rena on Friday 09 March 18 00:37 GMT (UK)
My English grandfather and his brothers-in-law were in a pre great war part time volunteer army set up by Lord Kitchener and judging by an article in Wikipedia it looks like Australia did the same:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Army_Reserve

Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the amalgamation of the military forces controlled by the six separate, self-governing British colonies to form a unified force controlled by the Commonwealth was an inevitable, albeit slowly realised, consequence, given that the new Constitution of Australia assigned the defence power solely to the Commonwealth.[8] Indeed, this process took some time as, to a large extent, matters of defence were not necessarily a priority of the new Australian legislature at the time, and there was also a considerable diversity in opinion regarding the composition and size of the new national army and role it would play at home and indeed within the wider Imperial defence system. Nevertheless, the official transfer of forces from the states to the Commonwealth occurred on 1 March 1901, and this date is today celebrated as the birthday of the modern Australian Army. At the outset, the bulk of the Commonwealth military force was to be made up of part-time volunteers
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: alan o on Saturday 10 March 18 16:59 GMT (UK)
I suspect he is a member of the WW1 Volunteer Training Corps (VTC).  They were the WW1 version of the LDV and formed on a volunteer basis for local defence.  They wore non-standard uniform and GR black on red arm bands.  They were incorporated in to the Army in 1917-18 as Volunteer Battalions.

The tunic and arm band are typical of early war VTC.  His on/daughter who wrote the inscription must have written it post WW2 when the LDV was in vogue.
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: alan o on Saturday 10 March 18 17:27 GMT (UK)
The slouch hat is not Australian by the way.  After the Boer War many volunteers and yeomanry
 (and even cadets) adopted the slouch hat in Boer war fashion.  Clearly his unit re-adopted it for WW1.
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: newburychap on Friday 16 March 18 09:59 GMT (UK)
In the early weeks of the war many local militias formed calling themselves whatever they wanted to - it would not be surprising if one called itself the Local District Volunteers. They were not part of the official armed forces until 1917 when, providing they met certain criteria, they were amalagamated into the Volunteer Training Corps with units affiliated with the local county regiment.
They were, in the most part, ununiformed, an armband was as far as they went - but a veteran of the Boer War who could still fit into his uniform could well make use of it.
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: pennyworth1 on Friday 16 March 18 11:55 GMT (UK)
Thanks for that.  I think having looked at the memoirs of this man's daughter he probably had an exemption from service as he was not only 39 at the start of the war, and married, but was also employed on the railways. I think it is reasonable to assume that he was a local volunteer before the official volunteer service began.  Thanks again.
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: pennyworth1 on Friday 16 March 18 11:59 GMT (UK)
Thanks to everyone for your help.  I now think, having read his daughter's memoirs that he was a volunteer locally before the official volunteer service started.  I am amazed at all the help given by you all - thank you so much.
Title: Re: WWI - What was this man's role?
Post by: alan o on Friday 16 March 18 17:54 GMT (UK)
The uniform is not Boer War but VTC so he may not have had any previous military experience.  The VTC were forbidden to wear Regular Army uniform and initially in 1915 were not even allowed to wear khaki cloth but encouraged to wear Lovat green. 

The VTCs independent status ended in July 1916 and became the Volunteer Force.  The  (unpopular) armbands were removed.

The volunteers were offered to join the Volunteer battalions of the Regular Army wearing khaki uniforms in the same pattern as the proper army.  So your picture dates 1915-early16. After that date the armband was gone and the uniform swapped for a khaki one.