Identify Uniform please

[ozgirl]

We think this photo is of OH's grandfather who was a gunner in the RFA in WWI. Can anyone confirm that this would be the correct uniform? Or it could be RGA

Thanks,

Linda

[don.t]

Hi Linda,
Not RGA but RFA if you look at his shoulder tab it has the three initals RFA.

[ozgirl]

Thanks don.t, I have another photo of him in uniform, this one was very dark and shiny, but I've managed to get a copy which shows most of his insignia. Can you identify this uniform please



Thanks again,

Linda

[don.t]

Hi Linda,

When this 2nd image was taken your OH's grandfather was serving in a Pioneer Battalion, this is shown by the pick and rifle badge on his collar, his regiment would have been one of the Fusilier's but which one is hard to say. Does the photograph of him show his shoulder tabs at all as this may give you a clue to which regiment he was in, also what was his full name?

don

[ozgirl]

Hi don, I have managed to track down his military record in Ancestry (William James Farrow, b 1898) and he was in RGA and after the war it looks like he was in the 6th Battalion Northumberland fusiliers, possibly as TA, if that makes sense. The records themselves are in an atrocious condition, and it is very difficult to read a lot of them. Unfortunately there is a large scratch over the shoulder tabs in the picture, so they are just a big blur. Do you think the above uniform could be the Northumberland Fusiliers - he would have been about 23-24 years old at that time (ca 1922).

Thanks again for your help

Linda

[don.t]

The badge of "the fighting fifth" shows St George on horseback facing left and as much as I look at the cap back I still can not make it out properly but with what you have found from the records so far I say that it matches up. I am also glad to be corrected on the RFA/RGA thing as it now saves you from putting the wrong information on your tree. Whilst looking for information on something else I found the following site which may or may not be of help to you (hope that the link below opens ok).

http://military-genealogy.forcesreunited.org.uk/278/Northumberland_Fusiliers

don

[ozgirl]

Thanks again for all your help don, I know absolutely nothing about uniforms and regiments. It would appear that he was lucky in his war service as he was posted to Orkney Islands Garrison, and never actually saw any fighting - he did however meet his future wife in Orkney so that is a nice link to find out (we never knew that before).

The link works fine, thanks very much.

Linda