Military Picture Analysis
Which regiment did my great great grandfather belongg to?
QThis is my great great grandfather, Arthur HC Evans, born 1849 Haydock, Lancashire, died 1896 Oberammergau. The writing on the reverse of the photo says, “My father as a volunteer.” Can you shed any light on his uniform? Elizabeth Jackson
AThis is a studio photograph of an officer in the 2nd Lancashire Engineer Volunteers (LEV), probably taken in 1875 when he became a captain.
Volunteers were unpaid parttime soldiers originally recruited in an emergency in the 1860s. Although the majority of the Volunteers were infantry, there were Volunteer artillery and engineer units, gathered into corps based on their county.
The London Gazette lists officers’ commissions and details subsequent promotions. At thegazette.co.uk, I found he resigned his captaincy in the 2nd LEV on 5 March 1879. Strangely,
I can find nothing more about him in the Gazette although I’ve searched between the late 1860s and 1880. According to the Army List, Arthur became a captain on 1 December 1875. Perhaps he joined as a captain, but was never properly commissioned so had to resign?
Any surviving records are likely to be in Lancashire. The 2nd LEV were based in St Helens, so try the archives there. The best source is the local and county newspapers; some are online, others are in libraries. They are certainly mentioned, as is Arthur Evans, who lectured on Oberammergau and is the subject of at least one obituary. Phil Tomaselli
1 FACIAL HAIR
Full beards became popular in the late 1850s, and remained so until the mid-1870s.
2 BADGES
Two badges are visible on his collar. One is certainly a star, the other probably a crown. This combination indicates he’s a captain.
3 SASH
The sash he wears from his left shoulder to his waist shows that he’s a commissioned officer; non-commissioned officers (sergeants etc) wore theirs from the right shoulder. The wavy pattern indicates that he is an engineer.
4 CUFF KNOT
His officer rank is also indicated by the braided Austrian knot on the cuff.
5 PHOTOGRAPHER
Brussels-born Augustus Lafosse first appears in Manchester in the 1861 census; by 1876 he’s running a gallery in Victoria Street.