What regiment is this WW1 Cap Badge?

[JGDavies]

Hi, is this just a unknown photograph you have of a "Drummer Boy" or do you have a possible name for him?

The photo was one in a collection that had built up over 1880 - 1950 years in a cottage occupied by one Hughes family in Penybont Llanerch-Emrys a small hamlet in Dembighshire but also a stones throw away from Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, local town Oswestry. Of those in uniform so far pictures of a son: a Wheeler in the Army Service Corps; a son-in-law: a Military Medal winner in the 1st Bat. West Surreys and a 2nd cousin: a 1923 Metropolitan Policeman have been identified. I called the photo 'drummer-boy' when I scanned it but now its mentioned he could easily be older...

I don't have a specific name. There was only one son, the Wheeler, (and five daughters) he may therefore be a Hughes, or son of, say, a married niece i.e. an Edwards or a Roberts or a Williams...

[jess5athome]

Now then, that's strange because the other regiment which sprang to mind when you first posted was "The Army Service Corp" but enlarging the image I thought Royal Engineers, still do to a certain extent, here is a A.S.C badge, not sure of year tho'

http://www.desertrats.org.uk/Badges/Others/RASCBadge.jpg

and another one here, http://www.whartonmilitaria.co.uk/details.php?section=britishbadges_corps&item=BBC0001

Frank.

[spotter2015]

It's not RASC, it isn't star shaped and the top of the laurel wreath is open.

[jess5athome]

That's true 

Frank.

[John915]

Good evening,

Definitely Royal Engineers, ASC had the 8 pointed star surmounted by a crown. http://www.britisharmedforces.org/pages/nat_badges_corps2.htm

I would say he is aged 16 to 18 to look at but could be a little older.

John915

[JGDavies]

So, any suggeston of a strategy for identifying 16 - 18 year old drummers joining the Royal Engineers and who got their photo taken in Bedford appreciated 'cos I can't see one.
Jon

[FROGSMILE]

So, any suggeston of a strategy for identifying 16 - 18 year old drummers joining the Royal Engineers and who got their photo taken in Bedford appreciated 'cos I can't see one.
Jon

You needed to look up the Territorial Force register of RE units, where you would have found three for Bedford.  All three were in one of the 14 regionally based TF Divisions, in this case the “East Anglian Division”.  The HQ of the 1st Field Company, was one.  The 2nd Field Company in full was also there as the second, plus they had an additional drill station at Luton.  The third was HQ Number 1 Section of the Divisional Signals Company.  All units in Bedford were in the drill hall in Ashburnham Road.  As a drummer your subject could only have been with the Field Company.