unknown soldier

andyc · Post by **andyc** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:15 pm

Hi everyone,

I have tried to enter the URL for an image with this post, not sure if it will work as it is the first time i have done this.

Anyway, if it works i wonder if anyone can identify the badge on this soldiers cap. I dont know anything about him apart from his name is Robert and he was 40 yrs old in 1918 (this is written on the back of the photo).

If anyone can help i would be very grateful

Thanks

Andy

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... p?pos=-788

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 8:43 pm

Andy

Welcome to TalkingScot.

Not a helpful answer as all that I can tell you is that it's not a Scottish infantry regiment.

You need to go cruising the web looking for a military discussion group......

Have a look at http://www.militarybadges.org.uk/badges/badgestart.htm .

I'm not sure how far www.regiments.org have got with adding badges, - the first mentioned site may be easier to search.

David

Post by **emanday** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:08 pm

That's the Royal Artillery Badge. It was my Dad's regiment.

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/a ... sig/RA.htm

is a good site to read about them.

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:16 pm

Shame on me

, when I've got my great-uncle Alexander's own RFA cap badge carefully preserved.......... I just couldn't "see" the gun.

And the scan (or photo) isn't of sufficient quality in order to be able to read either "Ubique" {Everywhere} or "Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt" {Whither Right and Glory Lead}

- meant, BTW, to be read as a single motto, - see http://livefiring.ashst.com/artillery_h ... /Motto.htm , "King William IV granted the RA the motto "Ubique Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt" on 10 July 1832. Perhaps it was the missing comma - it resulted in confusion, and in 1833 he promulgated a second order confirming two distinct mottos."

See also http://www.militarybadges.org.uk/badges/corps3.htm .

David

Post by **emanday** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:22 pm

What you need David is a wee Microsoft digital mouse that has a magnifyer button

I love mine

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:41 pm

emanday wrote:What you need David is a wee Microsoft digital mouse that has a magnifyer button

I love mine

Naw, naw, hen, disnae help, but

, - I downloaded the image and my mouse wheel on my default image viewer dis jist that.

Somehow I managed to convince myself that it wasn't the RA, - so went looking elsewhere, to my great benefit bithiway, in terms of discovering that magnificent badge site, - and, let's face it, that's an awfy wee barrel sticking oot to the left, never mind that I'd convinced myself that the badge was fully symmetrical ...... see the power of self persuasion, but

David

Post by **emanday** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:04 pm

Although my Dad came out of the RA after the war just a couple of years before I was born, I saw that cap badge every day.

He'd made my Mum a wooden jewellery out of bits of wood from a damaged locker (something to do with the gun, but I don't know what had been kept in it). He polished it up with boot polish, then took the badge off his cap and fitted it to the lid and that wee box sat on the mantelpiece all through my life.

As far as I know, that and his paybook were the only military things he brought home when he came out to civvy street.

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:15 pm

emanday wrote:Although my Dad came out of the RA after the war just a couple of years before I was born, I saw that cap badge every day.

Understood, therefore, in terms of your immediate recognition

=D>

emanday wrote:He'd made my Mum a wooden jewellery out of bits of wood from a damaged locker (something to do with the gun, but I don't know what had been kept in it). He polished it up with boot polish, then took the badge off his cap and fitted it to the lid and that wee box sat on the mantelpiece all through my life.

Perhaps as in "ammunition locker" ?, - i.e. ammunition for immediate use, kept close to the gun, as opposed to ammunition brought up after such immediate ammunition had been used up?

emanday wrote:As far as I know, that and his paybook were the only military things he brought home when he came out to civvy street.

Have you followed up with the Army records in terms of applying for a copy of his service records? If your mother is still alive, there is no cost involved, - otherwise there's a fee of £30 or £40 (can't recall for the moment, - another

) for access by a next-of-kin. But be aware that the worldwide explosion of interest in genealogy has led to the situation where such applications to the MoD for such recent records may involve a response period of 6, even 9 months......

David

Post by **emanday** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:49 pm

David, I'm almost positive the locker in question was something that belonged to the gun. It was certainly very hard wood and the inside, which had not been "boot polished" was well finished.

I'd love to get his service record but don't know how to go about it. My Mum passed away several years ago, the paybook with his service number seems to have disappeared and all I know is that he was in the RA. He did join up as a regular soldier before the war and only came out at war's end because he was given that opportunity to do so. He could have completed his full term.

We know very little about his war service simply because he rarely spoke about it, but I always got the feeling if there had been no war he'd have been a very contented life soldier in the RA. He was very proud of that regiment.

The only real fact we do have is that he was sent home injured in 1942 with a shrapnel wound. I can definitely identify the year, because my older sister was born in the January of 1943

. She was two years old before he saw her.

andyc · Post by **andyc** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 5:06 pm

Hi David and Mary

thanks for the welcome to talking scot

I think the royal artillery is right because we were reading some letters and artillery was mentioned and after looking at the website you suggested i am sure you are right =D>

the actual photo had two people in it after checking the info on the back we now think his name was alex as one of the above letters was written by his brother saying he was trying to find him and he mentioned that there was artillery in the area where he was fighting in France

thanks very much for your help much appreciated

Andy