The Gun badge for SNCO

[Donny B.]

Just one more question before the thread ends.

If this chap is the Abram Stansfield, of the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column, as badgecollector's research appears to indicate, what should his colour patch look like?

I do not collect colour patches and my only reference is to my ancient "The Herald and Weekly Times" supplement from way back. I am never sure just how complete a record that is or if I even interpret read it correctly.

[fairlie63]

Hi Donny,

The other forum has identified the photo as from a photographer in the north of England, Thirwell and Co I think it was.

The Abram Stansfield only made it to Egypt, being sent home in July 1915 with a hernia. He was then allotted to the 17th Reinforcements, 1 Aust Div Amn Coln, but was discharged in Victoria as medically unfit in March 1916.

His colour patch is a rectangle, obliquely divided from bottom front to upper rear, crimson being the front/upper colour, royal blue the trailing colour.

Cheers, Keith

[Lancer 17]

Hellow guys

BC thats a great result on the service history.

Lets have a look at the uniform, he is wearing the early pattern battle dress jacket, it has collar Rising Suns and Australia shoulder titles, as normal. lt also has the cloth waist belt with a tongue and buckle, the buttons are the flat 4 four hole buttons.

Later jackets retained the waist belt ( it was still part of the jacket in WW 2), however the tongue and buckle were done away with. This would be due to the fact that they wore a 3" / 75mm webbing waist belt that supported the equipment and the cloth belt tongue and buckle under this would have been quite bulky. Also the flat 4 hole button was replaced by the domed blackend brass button with the map of Australia on it.

His trousers are of a jodhpur type as worn by mounted troops, they have a leather inner leg from the thigh to the calf and he is wearing heavy leather leggings as worn by the light horse, he is therefore a mounted soldier and cant be infantry. As the Ammunition Train drove waggons to bring up the ammunition they would have dressed as mounted troops. To be infantry he would have worn puttees.

Cossum shows the UK style Artillery badge as being introduced in the 1930 to 42 period, so an Aussie could not have worn the Artillery gun during WW1. The Aussie badge has the word Australia on the scroll under the wheel of the gun, however whilst the badge in the photo has a central scroll we cant see if it has Australia on it or not.

I hope that this helps.

Regards

Phil.