Great Grand Father
 

Hi All,

You must get plagued with requests like this, but I wonder if anybody can shed any light on this photo of my great grandfather.

According to family history, this was taken in 1902 and shows my great grandfather James Horrigan who was born on 29th August 1884.

If anyone can identify the uniform or belt buckle or give any help I would be extremely grateful!

Thanks,

Shaun

Hello Shaun, welcome to the Forum. Your account is active and open for posts.

Hi Shaun,

I know the collar badges in the picture are not clear, but they look like those worn by the 11th Australian Light Horse Regiment (Victorian Mounted Rifles) between 1900 - 1912.

Also on the side of the slouch hat you can just make out a little piece of the hat badge.

Australian eBay currently has one of these collar badges for sale, just type in 11th Australian Light Horse Collar Badge 1903-12 and it should come up.

Any chance you could post a closer image of the collar badges and belt buckle in the picture.

Cheers,

Invest

Here is the picture from Australian eBay.

hi guys
the collar badges and the hat do resemble the 11th LHR however the buckle has me stumped. looks to have the same design as the collar badge. very unusual
bc

Thanks for the replies so far.

I feel it unlikely he would have been in an Australian regiment, although I confess to knowing very little about military history!

He was born in London, to an Irish father and the photo was taken at Tower Bridge Photo Studios in London.

I don't know much about his military career at all other than having this photo, some letters he sent to his son from India in 1917 and a photo of him in uniform that says it was taken in 1919.

I do see a definite resemblance in the collar badges though!

Unfortunately, I don't have the original photo, only a scan. I've attached some snips from that at the full resolution I have.. and the 1919 photo just in case it's any help, but I'll see if I can get hold of the original photo in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again,

Shaun

Given that the photograph is a cabinet card used in the late 19th century until around 1910 and appears to have been taken in a London Studio, I would think that it is probably Boer War vintage. Possibly an Imperial Yeomanry battalion?

http://earlyphotographers.blogspot.c...raphic-co.html

Hi HW,

I'm not up to date with Imperial Yeomanry battalions, so was wondering which Imperial Yeomanry battalion has collar badges that most relate to those in the picture.

Cheers,

Invest

This probably does not answer the question posed. However, look at the appended photo of a group of badges I have. He appears to be wearing the same belt buckle. He's obviously not a British policeman. Interesting!

Dave.

Oh wow! These look to be a perfect match for both the belt buckle and the collar badge and the mystery gets deeper!

This actually now asks more questions than it answers - but is definitely something I need to follow up.


Brilliant!


Shaun

It may be helpful if I quote from a the book which I have (The Book of Public Arms by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies) which was published in 1894:-

"GLOSSOP (Derbyshire) - Has no Armorial Bearings. The Corporation represents upon a chapeau proper a lion statant guardant with tail extended, and underneath the motto, "Virtus veritas libertas". This crest is, of course, that of Lord Howard of Glossop. It would be interesting to know if any member of the Howard family sanctioned this appropriation."

The term Corporation relates to the local authority for the Borough of Glossop. The Corporation continued to utilise this "appropriated" Arms until 1919, when they obtained their own grant of arms.

I don't collect military badges. However, I've collected British police insignia since the early 1960's and can confirm that in times past the military and police in some areas used either the same or similar badges.

The gent depicted in the photo is obviously a soldier. I've no idea what regiment (or whatever) he is from. However, I would suggest that his unit has an affiliation with either Glossop or Derbyshire. I hope this is helpful.

Dave.

These are the details of all the James Horrigan's who served overseas during the Great War.

James Horrigan. The King's (Liverpool) Regiment 12697

James Horrigan. Gloucestershire Regiment, Northumberland Fusiliers 32735, 77197

James Horrigan. Royal Garrison Artillery 97078

James Horrigan. Army Ordnance Corps 023065

James Horrigan. Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, Labour Corps 44802, 76972

James Horrigan. Irish Guards 5056

James Horrigan. Lancashire Fusiliers 37784

Hi Dave,

Many thanks for posting you badges in connection to Shaun's photograph, nice to see another form of the lion.

Cheers,

Invest

I had a lion badge the same as those shown in the top left and right of number 9 above and wondered if it had anything to do with the 11th Australian Light Horse badge. I can't remember exactly what it was but it was certainly British not Australian. There may be a thread somewhere on the forum which mentions it.
Having said that, the collar badge shown on the uniform certainly looks like the Australian one not the one with the scroll.
Here is another mystery item, this one in brass, different again.

I think that the lion above the chapeau is armorial rather than military. The Chapeau is used to indicate the rank of feudal Baron in Scottish heraldry.