Author Topic: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??  (Read 1132 times)

Offline vintman

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Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« on: Wednesday 20 January 21 12:28 GMT (UK) »
Hi Folks,

On our Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society website we provide a free old car identification service and I have in the past provided a number of car identifications to this forum. This time I would appreciate assistance from any of you experts on uniforms. On the photo below we know the vehicle is a Rover Ambulance. From the indistinct numberplate it looks to be a SG registration which was Edinburgh after December 1920 (strangely a lower SC was later, after 1927!). This would mean that the photo was well post WW1. Our enquirer from Germany investigating Rovers, who thought the photo was during WW1, would like to know if the uniforms were military or ambulance civilian?? Would much appreciate any help please.

Vintman


Online ShaunJ

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 13:14 GMT (UK) »
I see 5 soldiers and 2 civilians (the driver and the man in the suit with the white cap).
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Online arthurk

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 15:49 GMT (UK) »
Could the number be something like -O61-- ?
Researching among others:
Bartle, Bilton, Bingley, Campbell, Craven, Emmott, Harcourt, Hirst, Kellet(t), Kennedy,
Meaburn, Mennile/Meynell, Metcalf(e), Palliser, Robinson, Rutter, Shipley, Stow, Wilkinson

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Offline vintman

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 18:33 GMT (UK) »
Probably not. Early plates had either a single letter or double letter prefix followed by up to  max four numbers.


Online arthurk

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 19:25 GMT (UK) »
That's what I meant, with the dashes/hyphens standing for hidden characters. (And it was letter 'O', not zero)

With extra spacing, my suggestion was: - O 6 1 - -
Researching among others:
Bartle, Bilton, Bingley, Campbell, Craven, Emmott, Harcourt, Hirst, Kellet(t), Kennedy,
Meaburn, Mennile/Meynell, Metcalf(e), Palliser, Robinson, Rutter, Shipley, Stow, Wilkinson

Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline barryd

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 20:46 GMT (UK) »
Is the man on the very left a Doctor?

Offline mazi

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 21:33 GMT (UK) »
Not much help but paging thro lots of pictures of ww1 ambulances suggests that in wartime use they did not carry registration plates.

Think we need Max on this one  :) ;)

Mike

Offline mazi

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 20 January 21 21:51 GMT (UK) »
This same photo appears as an Alamey stock photo on a Google search for “British ww1 ambulance”

It is captioned as a Red Cross ambulance but who wrote the caption I do not know.

Mike

Offline waynenort

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Re: Just after WW1; army or ambulance staff uniform ??
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 21 January 21 08:01 GMT (UK) »
The 5 militaries appear to be in their service dress.
British WWI jacket breast pocket flaps typically were straight across.
These are V shape - more common in WW2.
The ambulance looks WW1 era
NORTON (Kent), KEECH (Dorset), MOOR / MOORE (Kent), HOCKING (Dorset / Somerset), LEVI (City of York), SANDWELL (Kent), CHAFFIN  (Dorset / Somerset), STRONG (Dorset)