• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Military Uniform help pre WW1

Den

Den

proper brummie kid
This is a photo of my great grandfather take abt 1885. Can anyone please identify the uniform?
His name is William Eggington b. 1858 d 1925 I have no record or account of any war service.
I understand he worked most of his live at the witton gas works
 
Hi Den. I'm not a uniform expert so can't help there. There are a number of Eggington's with Medal cards (but few sadly with service records). One of the cards attached shows service with Royal Warwickshire Regiment and Royal Engineers which at least is a local Reg but not definite.
 
I can't either.
Den, could you possibly convert your psd. file to jpg. or some other more common type of file. I haven't got a professional photograph processing program installed. Thanks, David
 
Thanks Aidan and Amanda.
Indeed a handsome fellow !!!
..... now I can't get them to enlarge ..... oh,well ..... at least I can see the uniform! Thank you both, David;)
 
Last edited:
I noticed that the pic was called William Henry so possible it is this chap in the Royal Field Artillery - got a feeling that artillery had those corded jacket sleeves?
 
Aren't the crossed guns from a Light Infantry of some kind? My grandfather had crossed guns on his uniform and that was the Warwickshire Light Infantry. Shortie
 
Shortie said:
Aren't the crossed guns from a Light Infantry of some kind? My grandfather had crossed guns on his uniform and that was the Warwickshire Light Infantry. Shortie
Click to expand...
Hi Shortie, in my army days crossed rifles was a Marksmans badge, I used to wear crossed axes over my
sripes which meant I was a assault pioneer, glad I am not doing the job in Afganistan nowadays,
Bernard
 
Hi Bernard, I realised when I read your comment that I had typed before putting my brain in gear. The bugle on the cap was from a Light Infantry, but for some reason I had forgotten that. I am sure you are right, considering my grandfather was shot through the arm, and the story was he was holding a rifle at the time - so he could have been a marksman after all. The story about holding a rifle was an explanation for his crippled hand, which now I believe to be Dupuytren's Contracture. No-one had ever mentioned that he was a marksman, but that is possibly because he never ever spoke about the war. Shortie
 
The uniform is the standard issue for the period the cross rifles denoted musketry master at this time which would mean he was a member of an infantry regiment, or light Co, or " the rifle brigade".
 
Does anyone have any idea as to the regiment/period of this uniform? The soldier, my Dad's G.G. Uncle Tom, died in 1880; probably ten to fifteen years after this photo'was taken (?)

On the reverse of the photo' is : died 1880 - ship-wrecked off Bluff (or Duff ?) Island, NewZealand. Buried Portrose Cemetery. NewZealand. Soldier of Fortune in France.

I have no idea as to the 'Soldier of Fortune' bit. Tom ran away to join the army as a drummer-boy when he was ten. His father caught-up with him five days later and brought him home again. He ran away again, when he was twelve, to join the army; and was again brought home by his dad. At fourteen he succeeded; perhaps his dad had had enough by then, and let him go.

After leaving the army he went to Australia, prospecting for gold. After many adventures he decided to return home, with what gold he had found (we still have his golden-nugget/quartz watch-fob-thingummy) and chartered a ship, which he and his partner filled with passengers from Australia and New Zealand (a cash-crop!). However, during a violent storm the ship was driven onto a reef and the boats were lowered to save the passengers. However, a young girl fell into the sea and Uncle Tom jumped from the boat to rescue her...but both became separated from the boat and he had to hold her up for some considerable time until they were eventually picked-up by another boat. The young lass was got safely into the boat but Uncle Tom then suffered a heart-attack and died.

He was awarded a posthumus medal for gallantry, by the New Zealand Authorities.

Now for the terrible and tragic irony ... following the storm, the ship was discovered to be STILL in one piece, wedged on the reef! Had everyone stayed on board, there would have been no loss of life. All the passengers belongings, and cargo, were saved. Uncle Tom's possessions were returned to his mother. I have a pair of great, black horns, from a buffallo Uncle Tom had shot; which were rescued from his cabin.

Until relatively recently we had several newspaper reports of the incident; together with details of his life, and posthumous award; but they were lent to a relative who then succeeded in losing them! Of course, there were no copies....:(
 
Great stuff John a real soldier of fortune...what an adventurer:).
The French soldier of fortune,is sure to be The French Foriegn Leigon a favourite for runaways,5 years service earned you,French citizenship.
The uniform on the photo.looks like the Grenadier Guards...evenly spaced buttons and a white plume in his hat.
 
Ray & Alf - thank you both! After I'd entered the above post I had a wee bit research on the net, and discovered that most of the information given above appears to be wrong! The details written on the reverse of the photo' were in biro, so clearly added sometime within the last fifty years only. I couldn't find any 'Portrose' in either Australia or New Zealand; but discovered a small whaling-station/settlement called 'Fortrose' in South Island, New Zealand. However, it seems to be the right place as it was the scene of New Zealands most tragic ship-wreck: the S.S. Tararua left Bluff on route to Melbourne (I'd always been told it was the other way about) and struck the Otara Reef, not far from the shore. This was in 1881 and NOT 1880 as stated on the phot' ....but the rest of the details partially fit ... of the 151 passengers and crew, only 20 survived! 74 bodies were recovered, 55 of which were buried in a near-by plot that became known as the 'Tararua Acre...three graves-stones and a memorial plinth remain there today. Unlike my version of the story, many passengers DID stay on the ship, believing that it would be the safer option than attempting the surf in the ship's life-boats. However, hours later the ship was swamped by even higher seas and all were lost that had remained aboard. The disaster had occured at night, and the following morning the ship remained on the rockS, but broke-up twenty hours later.

There was a court of enquiry that found against the captain, who had believed himself to be somewhere other than where he had actually been; and further blamed an able bodied seaman who should have been keeping a look-out, but hadn't. Similarly, the Tararua carried only 12 life-belts! Following the accident a light-house was built at near-by Waipapa Point.

I'm now going to attempt to find the newspaper reports of the tragedy; anyone any ideas/suggestions/links for New Zealand newspaper archives???

Yet another example of never trusting supposed 'evidence' until it can be confirmed from more than one source!
 
Wreck_of_the_Tararua.jpg
 
There are 272 hits just on the boat - would be interesting if you found a mention of him (don't know his name or I'd look myself!)
 
Aidan, I've now found several references to Uncle Tom; it's going to take a lot of reading-through. MANY THANKS for your help! Yet again, the story differs from the 'family story' - apparently he wasn't returning to Britain, but was taking a pleasure jaunt!
 
Good stuff. I wish the UK Newspapers were so well served. We can easily search & read a good selection of historic ones from New Zealand from the other side of the world for free!!! Makes you think, well makes me think & not too hard...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top