Who the Dickens Is This?

[Melancholy Man]

I was going through some old family photos, when I discovered one of a new face. A picture card from Ball Photographer of 11 Winton Street, Victoria Station SW (late of 17 Regent Street) showing what appears to be a sergeant in the uniform of a regiment I don't know, wearing at least two Victorian era medals.

There's a third medal which looks like a bloke, but even if it were Edward VII, he's facing I think the wrong way.

Could anyone offer clues as to the medals and this unknown relative's regiment? As an aside, I've included another picture card of a similar but younger looking man in Edwardian clothing... does it look like the same man, or maybe a son?

[Mark]

The third medal is the Natal Medal issued for the Natal or Zulu Rebellion of 1906. Unlike most other medals the bust of Edward VII does indeed face a different way - but it is all correct. The second medal is the Queen's South Africa Medal for the Anglo-Boer War while the first medal looks like the Coronation Medal 1911.

I am unsure of his uniform but someone here will no doubt be able to answer that one.

Mark

[FROGSMILE]

He is definitely a Colour Sergeant and seems to be wearing an India Pattern Frock (5-buttons), although similar frocks were also worn as 'undress' on home service. The eye formed by his collar lace (as a Colour Sergeant was entitled to) is unusual. His regiment (which is infantry) appears to be the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment going by his collar badges. Two other regiments also wore plain shaped shields, the Essex Regt and (initially) the East Surrey Regt. The shape of the 'clipped' top corners (which the other two regiments did not have) has led me to make the ID that I have. He seems to have the standard non-Royal, English Line Regiment off-white collar and shoulder straps, which would be correct for all three regiments mentioned.

To confirm, a close up of the collar badges would be useful.

[FROGSMILE]

And here are the collar badges of the other two contender regiments for comparison.

[grumpy]

Also of interest is the rendering of the scarlet [which it surely is] frock. I don't think this is orthochromatic film, the norm for the period, because that renders the red orange yellow end of the spectrum very dark, shading to paler green and blue.

We cannot read much into this because of intermediate processes, of course.

[Brett Hendey]

I suspect that the man in the photograph served in the Durban Light Infantry. The collar badge matches that of the DLI. The first medal in the group is the 1911 Coronation Medal and the DLI was represented in the South African contingent to this event. The second medal is a Queen’s South Africa Medal with two clasps. In the case of the DLI the clasps are most likely to have been ‘Natal’ and ‘Transvaal’. The third medal is indeed the Natal Rebellion Medal. A total of 632 men of the DLI were awarded this medal.
Perhaps the photograph was taken in London at the time of the 1911 Coronation.
Brett

[crimea1854]

Further to Brett's post DLI collar badge.

Martin

[FROGSMILE]

Brilliant deductions Brett and Martin, I think you have it. The shallow curves of the Durban LI collar badge shield look much more like those in the OP's photo and the medals seem to clinch it. Grumpy made a good point about the appearance of the colour rendering in black and white too. I wonder what the Durban LI dress regulations prescribed.

For Melancholy Man: The above deduction would explain how the photo of a man in a Foreign Service frock came to be taken in London. As regards your final question I think that the younger man, seemingly from an earlier period depicted in the other photo, is indeed the same individual as he in the military uniform.

[Mark]

It certainly all seems to fit! A great picture and a great bit of detection work from members!

Well done all

Mark

[FROGSMILE]

It's interesting to note that the collar badge must have changed at some point from the British coat of arms to that for the Union of South Africa, as was shown previously. The 'similarity' of other insignia with the Durham Light Infantry is obvious!

[Melancholy Man]

A belated thank you to y'all; after a computer failure, it's taken me a while to follow-up all the online trails I'd left.

[Burgher]

http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/74192899 ... NTACT.html