Archive for The Royal Marines Band Service On-line Community Bringing the serving and ex serving communities together          The Royal Marines Band Service On-line Community Forum Index -> Introduce yourself evie Hello Hi All I have just been given this link to try and sort out a query. I have a postcard which was sent to one of my ancestors dated 1914. I have posted the picture on Roots Chat but we are not sure whether he did or did not belong to the Royal Marines band. Where would be the best place to post my question and is it possible to add the photograph by using the attach file at the bottom of the posting box. Many Thanks Evie Wee Mac Re: Hello evie wrote: Hi All I have just been given this link to try and sort out a query. I have a postcard which was sent to one of my ancestors dated 1914. I have posted the picture on Roots Chat but we are not sure whether he did or did not belong to the Royal Marines band. Where would be the best place to post my question and is it possible to add the photograph by using the attach file at the bottom of the posting box. Many Thanks Evie You can post on this site and yes, use the attach file evie Is he with the Royal Marines Band Hi This is the photograph I mentioned in my first posting. His name was Leonard Sexton. If it is the chap we are thinking about I have found his relatives and apparently he was also an excellent piano player who used to play for the silent films. Hope someone can help. Thank you. Evie Pusser Evie, Records of Royal Marines Musicians for the 1914 era are held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovil. Go here and make a call: http://www.fleetairarm.com/ you will be invited to write in with your request but, if they are having a quite day, may tell you if they hold records of anyone with that name. Break a leg.............................. evie Thanks Pusser Will have a go. Do you recognise the uniform at all? Evie admin If you can do a close up of the cap badge it would be a great help... In fact his whole head and shoulders. You should be able to select an area and scan it at 400% evie Hi This is the best I can do with my scanner. Hope it helps a little. I have attached two but they are about the same quality. Thank you. Evie admin Doesn't look like the Royal Marines Cap Badge to me, it looks too 'round'. evie Hi Thank you for taking the time to look. Now I'm stuck as to what to think next. I am confused. Is the Royal Marines Band different to a member of the Royal Naval School of music? Evie admin They are one and the same... the cap badge was similar to the one today but the shape just looks too round to me. I'm only stating my opinion and not saying as an expert... it just looks too round. The collar on the tunic also looks wrong... ours are red or blue and I believe that in the 1900s they always have been. Wee Mac I've just googled the Military badge ID site and it shows the cap badge, to be of the Royal Engineers. Hornblower In which case - the photo could have been taken at Chatham!!!! Wee Mac Probably? Would someone else like to check the same site as i did, just to confirm i got it right. evie Hi Thanks to all for your help in this as I am completely out of my depth here! What was the link for the Military badge ID please? I'll have a look later got to rush out now. Evie MrJpig Nice looking Bass Wee Mac evie wrote: Hi Thanks to all for your help in this as I am completely out of my depth here! What was the link for the Military badge ID please? I'll have a look later got to rush out now. Evie Just type in Military Cap Badges and then scroll down to Military badge ID web site. Hornblower It also just COULD be the Royal Marines Light Infantry. What I'd do (if I were you) would be to zoom in on the cap badge and then the collar dogs (badges) and scan them at the same resolution, or better, as the head and shoulders shots above. That may reveal exactly what's on them.   MrJpig Hornblower Nice looking bass   evie Hornblower wrote: What I'd do (if I were you) would be to zoom in on the cap badge and then the collar dogs (badges) and scan them at the same resolution, or better, as the head and shoulders shots above.   I tried to do that before but I cannot get any nearer. So I tried with photoshop, scanned the picture, zoomed in but then I don't know how to rescan that bit. Maybe my scanner is not up to it. The photo above is a different uniform altogether to my chap so does this discount the Royal Marines Light Infantry. jackbarker Cap badge Well done Hornblower It could possibly be 1 of 2 cap badges Royal Marine Light Infantry with a hunting horn over the old Globe & Buster or Royal Marines School of Music which had a lyre over the old g&b Niether had crown and lion I have 1 of each in a collection left to me by my father. On ispection they are both more rounded than the more modern badges Could be??? admin Re: Cap badge jackbarker wrote: Could be??? Any idea on the collar? It doesn't look like any that I've seen before... I am NOT an expert of course   evie I've had a look at both badges on the Military badge ID website and although they look similar I feel there are four gaps between the centre and the outside as opposed to three on the badges you mention. Is there a website for uniform identification so we can see about the white collar which seems to be out of character. Evie bootybandy How about this one then. Again it looks similar.. jackbarker The collar (If it is a R.M. uniform)  is most likely buff (pale yellow) Which would represent th Duke of Albanys Maritime regiment of Foot from whence we all came. 1664 and all that. Uniforms changed greatly pre both world and Crimean wars. R.M.L.I. uniform tunics were always red and thier artillery counterparts blue. Hence red or blue Marine Mess dresses were nearlly all blue faced with gold hence the band featured in the seccond picture. What we called monkey suits or bum freezer jackets. I am not FULLY convinced that it is a R.M. uniform but will do some more research. I must get out more!!!! evie It's a good job I have some experts on the job. I have tried looking for the uniform but without success as yet. The last badge has no gaps like the one on my chap's hat. Very similar shape though. I wish I was better with my scanner it would make your jobs a little easier. Sorry. Evie Wee Mac Two things! 1.  I did not think that Royal Marines from that time wore white peaked caps ?? 2.  The collar looks all wrong for a Marine tunic of that time. Errol Wee Mac wrote: Two things! 1.  I did not think that Royal Marines from that time wore white peaked caps ?? 2.  The collar looks all wrong for a Marine tunic of that time. I agree, I believe that before about 1958 they were dark blue and had white covers, to be replaced by the present plastic ones. Could be a case for Col. Jim. evie Hi All I am still trawling the web to see if I can find a tunic with a white collar but still nothing. Keeping my hopes up for you experts to come up with something Evie Wee Mac evie wrote: Hi All I am still trawling the web to see if I can find a tunic with a white collar but still nothing. Keeping my hopes up for you experts to come up with something Evie Evie, I still believe it's the Royal Engineers. Have you tried contacting them at Brompton Barracks in Chatham? They will at least be able to discount them and maybe, point you in the right direction. Mac petej Hello, I am certain that this is not RM rig. As I understand it, in 1914 bands of the RNSM wore a plain globe and laurel cap badge without the bugle of the RMLI, the lyre above the globe and laurel was not introduced until 1921. So this cannot be RNSM as there is something above the laurel wreath. RMLI cap badges had the bugle over the laurel wreath and RMA band had the flaming grenade that we see with the present day Portsmouth band. RMSM bands wore lyre collar dogs and I think RMLI and RMA wore globe and laurel, the badges in the picture don't look like either. The tunic is not RM in my opinion, I have not seen any pictures of RM ceremonial tunics with breast pockets and as far as I know the only tunic with light coloured facings was the short lived Garter Blue rig used briefly in 1921. What a little know-all I am. I am quite willing to be corrected if anyone knows differently. Cheers, PJ. Bomber Well I've searched tinternet and cannot find this uniform anywhere. Although it does look like an engineer cap badge there is no reference to the uniform. Could it possibly be of foreign origin? Stumped.       evie Hi Guys Very sorry for not replying but I must have missed notification of new posts. The only other military connections that I am aware of was Canadian. My husband's Grandfather was in the CEF but that wouldn't have been him as he was called Charles and he would have been too young for this date. I was trying to look at the backgound building to give me some clues as to where it was taken. I did try to ring a museum I forget exactly where now possibly Brompton Barracks but at the time they were closed. Must follow this up again. Evie        The Royal Marines Band Service On-line Community Forum Index -> Introduce yourself Page 1 of 1