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  #16  
Old 19-06-22, 07:33 PM
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JT and Alan,

Many thanks for your observations, very interesting. 8th M.K.B. Company throws up nothing obvious with a Web search or within my limited reference Library however a good starting point for future research.

I do enjoy these group photographs and the research potential they provide.

Simon.
I doubt that the average V.T.C. would have their own band and I wonder if a local band enlisted as a unit and became the 8th Mid Kent Band Coy, or something similar.

The lower word on the drum obviously has some significance and I wonder if it might be the name of the town that the band came from or were based in.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to make out what the word is.
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  #17  
Old 19-06-22, 07:55 PM
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I doubt that the average V.T.C. would have their own band and I wonder if a local band enlisted as a unit and became the 8th Mid Kent Band Coy, or something similar.

The lower word on the drum obviously has some significance and I wonder if it might be the name of the town that the band came from or were based in.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to make out what the word is.
Possibly an exception but...

215.jpg

JT
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  #18  
Old 19-06-22, 08:16 PM
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Possibly an exception but...

Attachment 269411

JT
Well, that is something that I have learnt today. There must have been far more brass bands in existence then than there are today and therefore much easier to form one for a V.T.C. regiment. Probably very useful for recruitment purposes too.
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  #19  
Old 19-06-22, 08:20 PM
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Well, that is something that I have learnt today. There must have been far more brass bands in existence then than there are today and therefore much easier to form one for a V.T.C. regiment. Probably very useful for recruitment purposes too.
Simon,

This could well be an exception. The City of London National Guard was, I would imagine, not short of a bob or two. I would think their resources stretched a tad further then you average VTC unit. Then again, info about this kind of thing seems so scarce; it's not so easy to gauge.

JT
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  #20  
Old 19-06-22, 08:47 PM
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I doubt that the average V.T.C. would have their own band and I wonder if a local band enlisted as a unit and became the 8th Mid Kent Band Coy, or something similar.

The lower word on the drum obviously has some significance and I wonder if it might be the name of the town that the band came from or were based in.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to make out what the word is.
Without wanting to go too off-topic, here are a couple of interesting snippets on the subject (both from 'Wright & Rounds Brass Band News' Liverpool, Feb & Nov 1916):

VTC Bands 1.jpgVTC Bands 2.jpg
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  #21  
Old 20-06-22, 07:44 AM
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Lovely picture, and lots of good suggestions...

To add some from my own research, and also quoting from Mike Obborne's brilliant "Grandad's Army":

In June 1916, the Kent Volunteer Regiment organised 48 corps into 12 Battalions, listed in GA's appendices. Some of these were KVR and some were EKVR, but the numbering followed no particular geographic pattern. This 1916 date ties in with other observations on dating the picture.

The 8th (Weald & Headcorn) Battalion included Ashford, Cranbrook, Goudhurst and Hawkhurst corps. As far as I can make out, the bottom scroll on the drum says Cranbrook. There is no record of a specific Cranbrook VTC, but Kent organised quite early under the KVF badge, so only two of the 48 corps had a different badge, and only six had a different buttonhole badge. So, not a surprise...

To confuse matters slightly, GA cites two "B Companies": 3rd Btn (Tonbridge) in the KVR, where Tonbridge is B Company; 4th Btn (Thanet & Broadstairs) in the EKVR, where Ramsgate is B Company. Could the writing on the back be alluding to the writer's own company, rather that the picture?

I can't offer any explanation of the "M" at this time, but will investigate further.

Great thread, by the way. Right up my street!

Very best regards,

Tim
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  #22  
Old 20-06-22, 08:49 AM
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Tim,

Many thanks for that and to all the other Members who have commented so far on this thread. The 'M' on the drum is interesting and hopefully may be identified in the future.

Regards, Simon.
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  #23  
Old 20-06-22, 11:05 AM
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Just to confuse things a bit more !

A WW1 Armistice Exibition by Frittenden Historical Society has the same photo/postcard but it is labelled :

Quote:
Cranbrook Home Guard - Loaned by Cranbrook Museum - Cranbrook Home Guard 1914-18
https://www.frittendenarmistice.co.u.../artefacts.php

The photo/postcard appears to have possibly been mislabelled or wrongly attributed but perhaps if you contact the museum there may be more information available.

http://www.cranbrookmuseum.org/contacts.html

.
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  #24  
Old 20-06-22, 03:01 PM
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Thought this might be of interest; a few old Fencibles having their photo taken in the Garden of England, one bright day long ago:

KVF 1a.jpg

Can't quite make out the officer's unit/cap & collar badges:

KVF 1h Unattached Officer .jpg

And we appear to have a few marksmen present too, as denoted by the cloth sleeve badges:

KVF 1f Marksman.jpgKVF 1 e Marksman.jpgKVF 1g Marksman.jpg

Cloth VTC Marksman.jpgCloth VTC 1st Class.jpg

All good men and true.

KVF 1b.jpgKVF 1d.jpgKVF 1j.jpgKVF 1i.jpg

JT

Last edited by Jelly Terror; 20-06-22 at 03:43 PM.
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  #25  
Old 20-06-22, 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Jelly Terror View Post
Thought this might be of interest; a few old Fencibles having their photo taken in the Garden of England, one bright day long ago:

Attachment 269450

Can't quite make out the officer's unit/cap & collar badges:

Attachment 269451

And we appear to have a few marksmen present too, as denoted by the cloth sleeve badges:

Attachment 269452Attachment 269453Attachment 269454

Attachment 269456Attachment 269455

All good men and true.

Attachment 269458Attachment 269460Attachment 269461Attachment 269463

JT
This is a great thread.
Is the Officer Essex Regiment?
Chris
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 0aayzhghjgfjhf9999774_21.jpg (46.7 KB, 6 views)
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  #26  
Old 20-06-22, 09:47 PM
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This is a great thread.
Is the Officer Essex Regiment?
Chris
Wot, an Essex boy goin' sahf o' the rivva?
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  #27  
Old 20-06-22, 10:11 PM
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Actually, what are these Regular Army officers doing there with the VTC? Are they keeping an eye on them to make sure they're behaving themselves and not getting delusions of grandeur thinking they're real Army, or are they maybe on like an exchange weekend, with the VTC Company Commandant in a swap, having his picture taken somewhere in a support trench in Flanders, up to his knees in mud and drinking petrol-flavoured, bomb-crater water from a boot?

Last edited by Jelly Terror; 21-06-22 at 01:03 AM.
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  #28  
Old 21-06-22, 08:58 AM
Hawthorn Hawthorn is offline
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Originally Posted by mike_vee View Post
Just to confuse things a bit more !

A WW1 Armistice Exibition by Frittenden Historical Society has the same photo/postcard but it is labelled :



https://www.frittendenarmistice.co.u.../artefacts.php

The photo/postcard appears to have possibly been mislabelled or wrongly attributed but perhaps if you contact the museum there may be more information available.

http://www.cranbrookmuseum.org/contacts.html


.
Mike,

Many thanks for the links, will send an email and see if anything further comes to light.

Simon.
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  #29  
Old 21-06-22, 09:01 AM
Hawthorn Hawthorn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jelly Terror View Post
Thought this might be of interest; a few old Fencibles having their photo taken in the Garden of England, one bright day long ago:

Attachment 269450

Can't quite make out the officer's unit/cap & collar badges:

Attachment 269451

And we appear to have a few marksmen present too, as denoted by the cloth sleeve badges:

Attachment 269452Attachment 269453Attachment 269454

Attachment 269456Attachment 269455

All good men and true.

Attachment 269458Attachment 269460Attachment 269461Attachment 269463

JT
JT,

Great photographs, another one here I picked up some time ago. Nice image with the two armbands and the Central Association VTC badge.

Simon
Attached Images
File Type: jpg vtc (2).jpg (31.7 KB, 51 views)
File Type: jpeg vtc (3).JPEG (89.4 KB, 41 views)
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  #30  
Old 21-06-22, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Hawthorn View Post
JT,

Great photographs, another one here I picked up some time ago. Nice image with the two armbands and the Central Association VTC badge.

Simon
Superb photo, Simon.

So this bloke is not only wearing the ‘George’s Wrecks’ brassard, but appears also to have attested under the Derby Scheme?

He’s suspended in a kind of paradoxical, social no man’s land on home turf… on the one hand (or arm) he’s displaying with his grey (khaki?) Derby Scheme brassard that he has been officially recognised as eligible and willing to fight, and on the other arm his red Georgius Rex armlet is telling the world he is not to be mistaken for a real soldier.

DS & VTC Brassards IWM LLT.jpg

There’s a fascinating article by Laura Ugolini titled ‘The Illicit Consumption of Military Uniforms in Britain, 1914-1918’, wherein she explores the motives behind the need for many people at that time to assert their patriotic identities through the acquisition and donning of military garments and accoutrements. An absolutely fascinating read.

JT

Last edited by Jelly Terror; 21-06-22 at 02:45 PM.
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