On closer look, I'm going back to the Northumberland Fusiliers. The flame pattern is much more spread out than on the Welsh Fusiliers ( just wanted to make you think there was a bit of Welsh in you!).
On closer look, I'm going back to the Northumberland Fusiliers. The flame pattern is much more spread out than on the Welsh Fusiliers ( just wanted to make you think there was a bit of Welsh in you!).
Got to admit the closest one to it is the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (first image). The grenade flame on the Royal Fusiliers (2nd image), another possibility, is completely different, and the Royal Scots Fusiliers cap badge was only worn on a Glengarry.
PS: Just because their is no family connection with the County, doesn't mean he couldn't have served with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. If he was conscripted he would have had very little choice !
My Grandfather was born and bred in Newcastle and served in the Dorsets. He had never been out of Northumberland!
As for the cap badge, I thought Inniskillians at first, then maybe Royal Welch Fusiliers, but would agree, RNF seems to be the closest.
You have covered all the options, I do agree its either RNF or RWF, its certainly not Queens Own!
Blokey is indeed Northumberland Fusiliers (they didn't become the RNF until after the Great War). Half my family served in regiments far afield from where they came from - mostly Scottish ones, despite us being Anglo-Irish.
My grandfather was in the Leicesters (his other brothers Black Watch and Gordons) despite the family being from nowhere near Leicester. Gassed at Ypres he convalesced and was transferred into the ASC before finally being stuck back into the the infantry - this time the Manchesters.
My father had thought he was in the Leinsters (which would've made more sense) and it wasn't until I'd confirmed otherwise (via the Public Records Office) that he found out he'd been wrong all those years.
There were two blokes with the same name with virtually identical service in the Manchesters and ASC. One was initially in the Leinsters and the other the Leicesters. It boiled down to one foreneame initial which nailed it. One was my grandfather and the other wasn't.
The KOYLI had nearly thirty battalions during the Great War, so you're going to have to try and find out which one he was in to determine where he served. The regiment were in Egypt at some point.
Thanks guys.
A Northumberland connection seems unlikely given that the families concerned lived in Leicester and London at the time of the war and also having gone back into my family history for generations I've not found any previous connection with that county at all.
I've done a CWGC search for both surnames and the only regiments that have popped up have been Scottish (no connection with this part of the family) or the Hampshire Regiment.
Yeah, I realise now. I'm going to do a bit more digging around on Ancestry but I've got to accept the fact that he could just be somebody's boyfriend or a friend of the family who went round for tea one day and had his picture taken.
I hope I can find out who he is though and find out what happened to him too.