Can anyone identify this cap badge

[Michelle79]

Evening All,

I think I may be asking the impossible but could anyone identify the cap bade from this photo.  I know it's not the greatest photo and I've tried to pick out as much of the shape as I can.

The photo is of my Great Grandad who served in WW1, as yet i have been unable to locate his service record (Probably destroyed) but if I could just figure out what regiment he was in it may get me a little closer to finding any information thats still out there on his activities during the war.

My Great Grandads name is Samuel Edgar Key and he was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire which is where is lived his whole life.  I have compared the Staffordshire cap badge to this but don't think it looks even close.

Many thanks

Michelle

[mmm45]

Looking at Medal Index Cards i came up with following possibilities If he served overseas.
He isnt the Samuel E Keys on the cards in the RFA as he was killed in 1918 so if he served overseas then he wouldve enlisted under Samuel Keys the outline of the badge MAY be a Royal Engineers one the other possibilities are Army Service Corps or East Yorkshire Regiment so its pretty difficult.
Do you have any info if he was wounded?

Ady

[Michelle79]

Hi Ady,

Unfortunately I have very little to go on as not much information has been passed down the family.  I only knew he was in the army as he wrote 'ex army' on one of his childrens birth certificates in 1920.  I was only able to confirm it after my aunt gave me the photo, it's the only one we have of him in uniform.

I'm not sure if this would help but his brother also signed up for the army, I have him serving in 1919, at least thats what his marriage certificate says, his name was George William Key.

Many thanks

Michelle

[philipsearching]

Working on the hypothesis that Army records could be mis-spelt, there are the following possibilities on the medal cards at the National Archive:

Samuel J Kee (x2 )- Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Samuel Kee - Royal Army Service Corps
Samuel G Keay - Somerset Light Infantry, then RASC
Samuel Key (x3) - Army Service Corps
Samuel W Key -  Army Service Corps
Samuel Key - East Yorkshire Regiment
Samuel Key - Norfolk Regiment
Samuel Key - Army Pay Corps
Samuel G Keys - Royal Fusiliers
Samuel Keys (x2) - Royal Irish Rifles
Samuel Keys - Notts & Derbys Regiment
Samuel Keys - Royal Engineers
Samuel Keys - Royal Irish Rifles
Samuel E Keys - Royal Field Artillery
Samuel Hey - East Yorkshire Regiment

(source: - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp)


Pictures of badges can be searched at: http://www.militarybadges.org.uk/badget11.htm - this could at least narrow down the regime nts whose badges are the wrong shape, but (as Ady rightly says) it's pretty difficult!

The forces-war-records.co.uk website has a wealth of records, but as it's pay per view it could get rather expensive unless you could narrow the search down to a few possibles.

I don't think that George William's record would help as there are more Georges than Samuels and there would be no guarantee that they served in the same regiment or corps.

[barryd]

When did he marry and to whom? I am interested to see if he had any children during his time in the army. There may a be a name, rank and number and regiment on the birth certificates and possibly on the marriage certificate. My own birth certificate has my father's name, rank and number and regiment and my parents marriage certificate has both my father's army details and my mother's in the WRAF.

[Michelle79]

Firstly thanks for the list and links, it may take me a while to rule any of the records out but I'm guessing the more I rule out the more chance I have of finding the correct record.

Here is the info regarding marriages/births etc...

Samuel Edgar Key married Naomi Gertrude Bennett 23/10/1910

The certificate where 'Ex Army' is shows is from there second child Hilda Key born 26/01/1920.  The only other child they had previously was my grandad born 07/02/1911 and there was no mention of the army on his birth certificate.  I have also checked the other 5 childrens birth certificates and no mention of army is shown on these either.

George William Key married Annie Reid 06/09/1919, this certificate shows his occupation as 'Serving with HM Forces' there is nothing else recorded such as a service number.  They had 2 children Dorothy Key born 1920 and Donald Key born 1925.

I guess that if there was going to be any information it would most likely be on Dorothy's birth certificate but as yet I haven't got these and didn't really plan to but I suppose it may just be worth shelling out the money for.

I'm going back to start strawling through pictures of cap badges again to see what the most likely matches are .... wish me luck

Michelle

[barryd]

Assuming he was in the army in 1915 the best possibility for information on a birth certificate would be for his child [?] Mary E. Key registered Stoke-on-Trent, September 1915. However there is a KEY/BENNETT partnership with children registered in Stoke-on-Trent from 1913 to 1930 and then elsewhere in England. Two fairly unusual names! Could the Stoke-on-Trent entries be for two couples with the same names? Free BMD.

[John915]

Good evening,

The Royal Marines is also a possibility. Not 100% sure but think their records are with the Navy.

John915

[mmm45]

Hi John
I too thought about RM but couldnt see any matches with Records online I also checked RND too no joy

Ady