Help on Uniform and Cap Badge Identification

[Paul2018]

The attached photograph is of my great grandad William Robson who died sometime during WW1. I am currently attempting to find his roots but have scant details to go on.

New link to photo...
https://ibb.co/hsdxz7

I have posted this on a couple other sites where one person seems certain he is of the Northumberland Fusiliers and is a Private.

It seems however that the cap badge he has is quite different from a typical NF badge. I want to know if different regiments of NF had different badges, and if possible could someone accurately identify this cap badge regiment and dress to confirm what has already been said on other sites.

Also he has some type of chain in his pocket and I wonder if this is also relevant.

Many thanks for any help you can give.
Paul.

[Bill A]

Hello Pual2018, welcome to the Forum. Your account is active and open for posts.

[manchesters]

WW1 Private in the NF.

regards

[ebro]

Northumberland Fusiliers Private.

[leigh kitchen]

I can't be sure of the badge (looking at it on a phone) other than that it may be NF, I can't really be sure of the flame silhouette.
I wondered about Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
At least one William Robson of that regiment died during WWI.
A quick records check shows a number of Northumberland Fusiliers named William Robson who died during WWI.

The pocket chain will just be a watch chain or similar.

edit - I'm veering more towards R. Innis. Fus. from what I can make out of the flame silhouette and the design on the ball of the grenade, but still not sure.

[Paul2018]

Thanks for the responses.

I have been asking on a couple other sites too and most are saying he is indeed NF Private. However, I am a little worried that his cap badge appears quite different than other WW1 cap badges pictures I have seen. As Leigh here has pointed out it looks more like the Inniskilling regiment than NF. Another person pointed this out on another forum too, but still goes with the NF Private, which seems likely the case.

I will still leave it open that he could be Inniskilling too. As you say the pocket chain is not likely significant.

The problem seems a little compounded with the picture being so badly damaged, so we are possibly not seeing what the badge really looked like.

I have a list of William Robson's to go through who died in NF. I have a difficult time-consuming job trying to eliminate unlikely ones but will continue as have been this past year trying. Its a challenge.

Just want to be as certain as I can of what regiment he was in...NF or Inniskilling is a good bet so far.

Many thanks for the info offered by you guys. Any extra info I get I will post here.
Paul.

[leigh kitchen]

A higher resolution scan of the cap badge may help, it's unfortunate that the photo is damaged in that area.
I take it that you have no personal details other than the name?
Otherwise parents or widows names and addresses available on sites such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site may assist.
The tunic worn is quite neatly tailored for a WWI squaddie rather than a post war one, I wonder if that could be an indication that he's a member of a TF battalion rather than a wartime enlistment issued a baggy but more practical for field wear garment?
Looks like the puttees are bound to a personal walking out or unit preference rather than simply wrapped overlapping.
A little bit of walking out swank, tailored tunic, watch chain, swagger stick and criss cross puttees.

[Phil2M]

It does look like an Inniskilling Fusiliers cap badge to me. Can see the bottom scroll.

[Paul2018]

Another person on other website suggests prior knowledge for way in which puttees are stylised, suggesting possible Territorial Force soldier, maybe in medical area.
I doubt I can get the resolution any better am sure that was 600DPI scan. Photo is in poor condition.

This is what I have. His name William Robson on his daughters birth certificate. Approximate age via photograph and rumours that he was 20 when died. He lived in Byker, Newcastle Upon Tyne at time of war....His partner was Martha Bain nee Harrup and its possible in 1913 she was still married to prev hubby Alex Bain stopping her and William getting married. In 1913 she had daughter to William Robson called Victoria Mary May Robson. Martha on daughters birth certificate is named as Martha ROBSON but no marriage can be found.
THE BEST RECENT BIT OF INFO I HAVE IS THIS....My own Aunti who was born in 1937 was visiting the Robsons - specifically the very old mother of William Robson - in HARVEY STREET, BYKER, NEWCASTLE, between 1945 - 1950 when she was around 10 years old. She remembers several older women and his mother specifically was the oldest, very much so and possibly in her late 70s or 80s.

I then browsed all the electoral rolls for any Robson families in that street for 1939 to 1960. Only found TWO families of Robsons there and thought I had found his true family. Wrong. Turns out these are young couples. One called Henry Hope Robson and wife Annie both in 1939 register aged around mid 40s (off top my head). Other was Albert C Robson with wife Violet Robson nee Johnston. The last couple would be more likely to be the Robsons she visited as no more Robsons were in that street after 1951 to 1960. However, this couple are even younger in their 20s. I found that out by using 1939 register search on findmypast, but am not a subscriber and am going to need use library to find out full information on them.

So decided to spend couple weeks mapping out their family tree to find a William Robson that fits. I have couple candidates left in that tree to check on but its not looking good.

I am now thinking the mother of Willliam Robson who my aunti visited, didnt even live there at all, but maybe lived in surrounding area and only visited some relative in that street. She would be in her 80s acc to my aunt so any williams I find in the mapped out tree has to have a mother DOB to match living in the 1950s.

I am gonna take break for while and rethink this if I get nothing more using the current searches. Actually am gonna visit library in Newcastle again to see what else can find as am getting nothing on him online searches.

Royal Inniskilling regiment is defo looking possible.

Will post update over next few weeks when I find out more.

I will keep popping in now and then just to see if any more posts been done.

Thanks for all the help.
Paul.

[Alan O]

The Inniskillings did not have a Territorial Bn in WW1.

As your man is from Newcastle then and you believe him to be TF, he would be a Northumberland Fusiliers.

If he enlisted in 1914/15 then he would be likely to be NF as they were the local battalion. Regional recruiting faltered as the war went on and people were posted to bns where they were needed rather than where they were from. However in all likelihood he is NF.

[Paul2018]

Thanks Alan. His occupation in his daughters birth certificate is simply General Labourer, so this would rule him out as being full-time soldier in Royal Inniskillings, but it could fit if he did part time TF in NF. It points away from the Inniskillings then and more to NF, or others if later in war as you say. There is only one valid William Robson who died serving in the Inniskillings and he is worth a look just to eliminate him from my list, and simply because of the badge similarity. Thanks for input.

[leigh kitchen]

His parents names could be useful to know.
There are a number of William Robsons, Northumberland Fusiliers recorded as died during WWI

A quick look around has found two William Robsons with Newcastle addresses who died during WWI while serving with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
I'm still inclined to think that the badge worn is R Innis Fus rather than NF.

[High Wood]

Name. Birth Location. Death Date. Regiment. Regimental Number
Thomas William Robson. Newcastle-on-Tyne .8 May 1915. Northumberland Fusiliers. 9324
Thos. William Robson . Durham. 15 Jan 1915. Northumberland Fusiliers. 25/570
William Robson. New Hartley, Northumberland. 26 Sep 1915. Northumberland Fusiliers 18660
William Robson. South Shields. 27 Apr 1915. Northumberland Fusiliers. 3376
William Robson. Chester-le-street, Durham. 5 Oct 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers. 7777
William Robson. Newbiggin, Northumberland. 9 Oct 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers. 13358
William Robson. Choppington, Northumberland. 1 Jul 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers. 20/893
William Robson. Bedlington, Northumberland. 1 Jul 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers. 23/589
Frederick William Robson. Newcastle-on-Tyne. 23 Dec 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 28/7
John William Robson. 12 Nov 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 32/120
William Robson . Blyth, Northumberland. 3 May 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 202885
William Robson. Brandon Village, Durham. 5 May 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 35505
William Robson . Kirkstall, Yorks. 26 Oct 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 201800
William Robson. 22 Jul 1917. Northumberland Fusiliers. 200810
William Robson. Newcastle-on-Tyne. 11 Apr 1918. Northumberland Fusiliers. 266252
William Dunn Robson. Marley Hill, Durham. 1 Jul 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers. 23/300
William Hutchinson Robson. Sunderland. 8 Apr 1918. Northumberland Fusiliers. 36698
William Ninian Robson. Alston, Northumberland. 11 Apr 1918. Northumberland Fusiliers. 292242
William Charles Alexander Robson. Blyth, Northumberland. 1 Jan 1916. Northumberland Fusiliers 19485

[High Wood]

20 years old and from Newcastle upon Tyne


https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/c...bson,-william/

[High Wood]

Royal Inniskilling Fusilier from Newcastle on Tyne.


Name:
William Robson

Birth Place:
Newcastle-on-Tyne, Northumberland

Death Date:
16 Aug 1917

Death Place:
France and Flanders

Enlistment Place:
Newcastle-on-Tyne

Rank:
Private

Regiment:
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Battalion:
8th Battalion

Regimental Number:
18610

Type of Casualty:
Killed in action

Theatre of War:
Western European Theatre