Australian Officer?

[High Wood]

I am trying to identify the unit that this officer belonged to. He is wearing his cap as casually as an American Army officer at a Glenn Miller concert at a U.S.A.A.F. airbase in rural Suffolk during the long hot summer of 1944.

However, he appears to have a rising sun cap badge but, what puzzles me is his M.G. cloth badge and the rectangular cloth badge above it.

Is he an Australian?

[btns]

plain buttons ...

[High Wood]

I am not sure of the significance of his plain buttons but he has the rank of Second Lieutenant and a curved shoulder title on his epaulette. He also appears to have removed the wire ring from his cap.

A very odd photograph.

[kingsley]

It certainly looks like a rising sun cap badge.

[Mike Jackson]

The colour patches worn by 5th Australian Division in WW1 were rectangles approx twice as high as wide.

[High Wood]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I wonder if I should repost this thread in the Australian section of this forum.

[fairlie63]

The authorisation in 1916 was for the letters 'MG' to be worn under the colour patch by the companies belonging to the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions. Certainly in the case of the 14th and 15th Aust MG Coys the 'MG' in block lettering was embroidered directly onto the colour patch.

I'm assuming he is an officer of either 14 or 15 MG Coys 1916. I know yellow comes out black in early photos and 8 Bde/8 MG Coy had a yellow rectangle but it was worn as a horizontal until early 1917 and by then the crossed guns in yellow had become the distinguishing badge below the colour patch.

Keith

[High Wood]

Keith,

many thanks for your detailed reply to my questions, it is appreciated. I have no direct clue as to who the officer is but you have certainly given me something to work with.

There is one other pointer that may help to identify him in that the photograph was taken in a photographer's studio in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire.

I doubt that either the 14th or 15th Australian Machine Gun Coys saw action there, though Burton can be quite a rough place at times.

I am thinking that he was possibly a first generation Australian who may have visited his family whilst on leave from the western front. He does not look as if he has just been treated in a military hospital, not that I am aware of any military hospitals in the Burton area.

Clearly he had a reason to be in the area and if I can work out the connection, it may help to identify him.

Simon.

[High Wood]

I have just looked at the C.W.G.C. website and have found that there are 14 Australian Great War dead with a Burton on Trent connection mentioned in the description. Four of these men were officers.

Lt Horace Chamberlain. 40th Btn

Lt Robert Henry Neaverson. XXII Corps. A.L.H.

Lt. Albert Thomas Parker. 60th Btn

2nd Lt. Basil White. 39th Btn

Doubtless that there are others without a Burton connection mentioned amongst the dead. There will of course be many more with a connection who survived. Luckily, the Australian Great War service papers have survived intact and they list the place of birth.

It may take some time, but I am sure that this officer can be identified.