MILITARY PICTURE ANALYSIS
Can you tell me anything about the soldiers in this photograph?
Q This postcard is from an album that my grandfather kept from a young age. I think it might show Boer War soldiers. Any information you can give might help me work out if any of them are relations.
Bernard Ashpole
A This is a group photograph, probably taken in Mesopotamia, Egypt or possibly Salonika, in 1916 or slightly later. The general clothing suggests the Middle East. It is most likely that they are infantry.
This means that your search window is at least 15 years later than you thought. One good point is that every man in the photo must have a Medal Index Card (MIC) and appear on a medal roll, since they served abroad.
Start with the surviving service records for the First World War, which are searchable on Ancestry ( ancestry. co.uk) and Findmypast ( findmypast. co.uk). If you’re lucky, you’ll find a in one of these areas, although 60 per cent of the records were destroyed in 1940. If you can’t find anything, search the MICs on The National Archives’ (TNA’s) website at bit.ly/tna-mics using first name and surname.
The MICs may include the front that men first served in (at the bottom left of the card), sometimes by name, but often by number – these are listed on TNA’s site. Downloading MICs from TNA is currently free, but they’re also free on Ancestry, even to non-subscribers.
Then, using the MIC name and regimental number(s), search the medal rolls at ancestry.co.uk/search/ collections/5119. You should get the battalion number, and online searching should usually say where they served. This page of The Long, Long Trail website may help: bit.ly/long-ww1-reg. Also, the local newspapers available via the British Newspaper Archive ( britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) or Findmypast often give details. This is likely to be a long search.
1SUN HELMETS 4
Sun helmets, resembling these, were worn in the Second Boer War, but these are ‘Wolseley’ helmets, standard hot-climate wear after 1902. On the Wolseley, the regimental badge was cloth, sewn to the side. Unfortunately the men here are all looking at the camera. 2STEEL HELMET
Steel ‘Brodie’ helmets were introduced in 1915, but it wasn’t until the middle of 1916 that every unit in France was fully equipped. Only a few were issued elsewhere this early. 3CAP
He’s wearing a ‘gor blimey’ cap, issued in 1915. There’s another behind. This is probably 1916 or early 1917, before the soft Special Duty cap replaced it. Both badges are sadly indistinct. 4 SHORTS Several men are in shorts, suggesting summer. Even in the Middle East it can be cool in winter. 5EQUIPMENT
The men have shed their equipment and rifles, suggesting that it’s a working party. The rifles have covers over their breeches to protect against sand. These are experienced/trained soldiers.