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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: SteffanMaria Brown on Thursday 03 May 18 14:26 BST (UK)
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Hi, I am trying to help my friend with an old photo she found in her late grandmother's photos. Sorry it’s not a very good photo, but the original is like this. She wanted to find out if he is wearing some kind of uniform and what year it could have been taken. She thinks he would be either from her Dennis family originating from Windsor, Hampshire or her Begbie family from around St Johns Wood, London. We would appreciate any help. Kind regards Maria
Sorry, I think I have posted this in the wrong place and I don’t know how to move it.
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I've converted it to Black and White, which might help.
If you click on the report to Moderator link (bottom right) and ask for it to be moved, a nice Mod will move it for you
Gadget
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Thank you Gadget for changing it to black and white, it looks a lot better and I will as for it to be moved, thank you
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Uniform is quite like this one:
https://houseoflabhran.net/2017/03/10/vintage-scots-guards-pipes-drums-photographs/
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Well he has a swagger stick under his Rt arm and two stripes on his left cuff so perhaps a corporal.
Looks like full highland regiment uniform, lovely to see.
Hope you have some luck in your search.
Viktoria.
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Perhaps removing some of the damage & distortion from the image will help with identification. Gave it a quick rudimentary cleaning. Hope it helps you.
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Well he has a swagger stick under his Rt arm and two stripes on his left cuff so perhaps a corporal.
Looks like full highland regiment uniform, lovely to see.
Hope you have some luck in your search.
Viktoria.
The two inverted chevron stripes on the left arm are Good-Conduct Stripes and were given to Privates/Lance Corporals and in this case shows at least two years service without any discipline charges.
Tony
Added: No Lance Corporal stripes on his sleeves so has rank of Private (or equivalent).
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Would agree with Galium:
A Scots Guards Piper without his pipes.
http://www.rarepostcard.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8538
Tony
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Uniform is quite like this one:
https://houseoflabhran.net/2017/03/10/vintage-scots-guards-pipes-drums-photographs/
Thank you for the link, it does look like the uniform he is wearing
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Perhaps removing some of the damage & distortion from the image will help with identification. Gave it a quick rudimentary cleaning. Hope it helps you.
Thank you so much DrDude for cleaning the photo up it looks really great
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Well he has a swagger stick under his Rt arm and two stripes on his left cuff so perhaps a corporal.
Looks like full highland regiment uniform, lovely to see.
Hope you have some luck in your search.
Viktoria.
The two inverted chevron stripes on the left arm are Good-Conduct Stripes and was given to Privates/Lance Corporals and in this case shows at least two years service without any discipline charges.
Tony
Added: No Lance Corporal stripes on his sleeves so has rank of Private (or equivalent).
Thank you Tony,did wonder why the stripes-chevrons-were on the cuff really but not knowing much about uniforms etc it was just a suggestion.
It is a lovely photogtraph and how frustrating not to know much about it
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Thanks again.
Viktoria.
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Well he has a swagger stick under his Rt arm and two stripes on his left cuff so perhaps a corporal.
Looks like full highland regiment uniform, lovely to see.
Hope you have some luck in your search.
Viktoria.
The two inverted chevron stripes on the left arm are Good-Conduct Stripes and was given to Privates/Lance Corporals and in this case shows at least two years service without any discipline charges.
Tony
Added: No Lance Corporal stripes on his sleeves so has rank of Private (or equivalent).
Thank you Viktoria and Tony for this information, would it be at all possible to tell by the photo if he would have been in ww1 or ww2, it’s one of the few photos she has that they can’t identify who he is in the family.
Maria
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Use of Swagger Sticks was pre-WW1 to 1939.
State of the photo probably indicates around WW1 rather than later.
Tony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swagger_stick
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The photo could be pre-WW1 (or around WW1) due to style of the photo with the tartan backdrop and table at the side with ornamental bowl.
Tony
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Not my field at all, but I was always under the impression that swagger sticks weren't carried by anyone below NCO rank. However, it does look like a swagger stick. Another (small) possibility is that it may be a practice chanter - the fingered bit of a bagpipe but a blow-in version to avoid having to carry the full bag kit around. Admittedly, it looks too thin to be that, but then the image isn't any too clear.
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I have seen several occasions of a private being photographed with a swagger stick, I think that they were most likely provided by the photographer, a little artistic licence.