Help Identifying Unit

[DDEV]

A few years back I purchased a couple of photo albums that had belonged to a veteran. The antique dealer was selling the photos individually and many had been peeled out of the nicely captioned albums. This vet maintained a correspondence with another soldier (Allan). Allan is the topic of this post. It would be nice to uncover this gentleman’s regiment and last name.

Photo 1. On the back it says “somewhere in Africa” Oct. 1940.
An earlier post card, however, (28 Jan 40) states he is in Pretoria and a series of camp life photos were stamped by a company in Capetown.

Photo 2. This one is embossed Addis Ababa and captioned (from the left) “L/Cpl Millar, myself, Cpl van Geden, Sig. Marsberg. No date.
Again, there is another photo that says, “in tent at Hargeisha Br. Somaliland 1/9/41” This one also provides Allan’s initials – ARG (ARC?).

Photo 3. This one is captioned “full dress without helmet” No date or location.

Photo 4. Captioned “Cairo Zoo.” The badge on Allan’s slouch hat while fuzzy doesn’t seem to resemble the badge on the hat in the first photo at all.

Other photos in the collection show him playing soccer (football I guess) for the “Rising Sunsets”, “the dog”, various group shots including “the boys” in the desert and a German grave.

[leigh kitchen]

The badge in the first image looks like Royal Corps of Signals.

[Hawthorn]

The webbing gaiters are of a strange pattern in image three, haven't seen the like before.

Simon.

[DDEV]

I can definitely see Royal Corps of Signals. One of the soldiers in image two is identified as part of signals.


Couple of addition questions:


Any significance to the dark cap in image one?


Could he be in a South African unit?

[Alex Rice]

The second photo has guys with what are probably the South African 'red tabs' which were worn by service people who volunteered to serve overseas. Some SA units did wear slouch hats and the pith helmet looks like the SA style, so may be an SA chap.
Cheers,
Alex

[DDEV]

Thanks Alex. Good tip. Didn't take much of a search to see that the 1st SA Brigade helped capture Addis Ababa and went on to North Africa.