Uniform dating for W R Binks please

[terry h]

Hi

I bought an old military reference book and found this photo between the pages.  On the back it says W R Binks, Surrey Rifles, Uncle to John Ives Binks.

I wondered if anyone could please give me a date for photo going by uniform etc.....and was Surrey Rifles the Regiment?

Many thanks.

Terry

[km1971]

Hi Terry

The birth of John Ives Binks was registered in Lewisham in Sept (qtr) 1858. This fits with the 'Surrey Rifles' being one of the Volunteer regiments of that name that were created at the end of the 1850s. The 1st, 3rd 5th and 7th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps later became Volunteer Battalions of the East Surrey Regiment, and the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th Surrey RVC became VBs of the West Surrey Regiment.

The name ‘Surrey Rifles’ was also used by the 21st Battalion of the London Regiment during WW1, but this photograph dates to the earlier period, c1880s. The WW1 regiment also had a Maltese cross as the helmet plate. The rifle appears to be a three-band Snider-Enfield. Regular soldiers received this at the end of the 1860s, but part-timers would have had to wait

Ken

[apwright]

W R Binks, Surrey Rifles, Uncle to John Ives Binks.

According to a public family tree on Ancestry, one of the uncles of John Ives Binks was William Richard Binks (1822-1883).

Adrian

[km1971]

Very interesting. He cannot be older than 40 I would say. The Volunteers were established in the late 1850s. Maybe the photo experts can give you a better date from the technique used.

Ken

[terry h]

Hi Ken and Adrian,

Thank you both for all the genealogy and military information you have given me.

So, as I understand it, W R Binks was born in 1822 and these rifles were issued in later 1860's ( if he was a regular) therefore he would have to be in his 40's when this photo was taken.

I'll take your advice and go over to my stomping ground to see what further information I can glean from the photo experts.

Thanks to you both again for all the interesting info much appreciated.

Terry

[Radlad]

I've enlarged the photo as much as I can and can't determine whether this is indeed a Snider-Enfield or the Enfield rifled musket which preceded it ( I have both in my collection) . The Snider was actually a conversion of the latter so the view from underneath is very similar. From the information known, I believe the photo could date from the very late 1850's to the early 1880's . Quite a wide spread.

The inscription on the back could have been written at anytime after the birth of J.I.Binks and the photo taken before he was born.

My mother went through our family photo's in the 1980's and wrote on the back the names of anyone she recognised or remembered being told about. Some of them dated to the 1890's so were almost 100 years old when inscribed.

Personally I would guess at about 1860-65. A further clue might be the card/type of paper the photo is printed on.

[terry h]

Hi Radlad,

Many thanks to you also for the information given, I think your guess at photo date would need to be correct for this to be W R Binks.

It is an old photo and on quite thin photo paper, it looks like it should have been put onto a card.

Again your input is very much appreciated, thank you.

Terry

[Radlad]

Could the picture you have be a copy of the original? I would expect a photo as early as that one to be lighter and more sepia toned. It reminds me of some copies I did years ago, before digital, where I used filters to boost the contrast?

[terry h]

You may be correct, it could be (and probably is) a copy of an older photo but certainly not anything very recent.

Again, many thanks for the help.

Terry