Could anyone date these photos please?

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

These photos are of my hubby's great grandad, George Nelson. I believe the lady in the first picture was his first wife, who died in 1925. So I am trying to work out when these photos were taken. What rank was he at the time of the photos? Also his brother married his wife's sister, so do you think any of the group look related?




Any help would be much appreciated.

[don.t]

From what I can make out George held the rank of Captain (Can not make out the Regiment from the cap badge) and the photograph was taken after 1912 as that was the year that the open necked patten tunic came into being for officers. By 1917 officers fighting in the trenches abandoned cuff rankings as these were easier for snipers to pick out and wore shoulder ranking instead. However officers on home based duty (those that never went to the front) and members of the General Staff carried on wearing cuff insignia. The permanent wearing of rank insignia on the shoulder tabs as opposed to cuff insignia was made official by a general order in 1920.

don.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks Don. He was in the Cheshire Regiment & became acting Captain in 1917. he retired in 1919, but did serve in reserve in 1921.

Does anyone have any opinion on whether any of the people are related? Or the ages of the women in the pictures please?

[Trixie]

Lynn,
Could it be possible that all the ladies in the second photo are related? They all have similar mouths. The lady in the top right and the the lady in the bottom left look particularly alike. Are these the same four ladies in the third photo? Their faces are not as clear in that one so it's more difficult to tell.
Trisha

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Hi Trixie. I think that the lady in the top pic is his wife, Mary Annie and her sister Amy was married to his brother James. I think that James could be the man on the front row of the 3rd picture. So I am hoping that one of the other 2 younger women, is Amy his wife. The older women at the back could well be George's older sister, another Mary. But there were no other girls in the family for the other lady to be.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Bumping up for more opinions please.

[brenmac]

i would say 1930,s brenda xxx

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks Bren. I was hoping for earlier than that, as the lady I am looking for died in 1925. Perhaps it is not her afterall

[Just Barbara]

The ladies hats are quite a bit earlier than 1930, off the top of my head they look about the end of ww1...........

[vikki brace]

My guess is between 1921 and 1926, I have a few group pictures with the ladies in very similar style clothes.

Also just a side line, My Great Grandfather Charles Christopher and his brothers were all in the Cheshire Regiment during the Great War. He was wounded in 1917 and sent home, but his brother Thomas was killed in action.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thaks Barbara & Vikki, I was hoping it would be sometime just after the war, particulary as he is in uniform. It looks perhaps like he was celebrating being home, I don't know if he was the type to keep wearing the uniform after he had left the army, so it would probably be fairly soon after the war.
Thanks for your help.
Vikki, do you know where your g grandfathe served? George was injured at Sulva Bay, although was able to go back to fight afterwards.

[vikki brace]

I don't know alot about his service.
Charles Christopher was a Lance Corpral with the 1st Bn Cheshire regiment, and according to the Pension file he served in France (Boulogne), Italy and then spent the last few months of his service at Grovelands Hosptial, (which is now the priory rehab clinic)

He recieved a Shrapnel would to his left thigh, lower leg and hand on the 2nd September 1918 and spent 5 monts in hosptial.

When I have the money I am hoping to get his file.

His brother Thomas who was killed in action was serving with the 2nd Bn Cheshire Regiment in 1915, He is remembered along with so many others on the Menin Gate at Ypres

[Just Barbara]

There's an old australian homestead
with the roses round the door
where a girl received a letter
from a soldier boy at war
with her mothers arms around her
she gave way to sobs and sighs
for as she read the letter
the tears came to her eyes

Oh why do I weep why do I cry
my loves asleep so far away
he gave his all that August day
and lies asleep now in Suvla Bay........

1st world war song..........

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

George was in the Cheshire regiment, prior to the war & appears to have been in various battalions. He was with the 7th batallion that went to Palestine & was awarded the DSO at the Battle of Gaza