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Some time ago, I bought a small suitcase, marked X.X.X. which contained several officers uniform and equipment items. I would love to think that all items belonged to the same person, but in some cases this is very difficult to trace back.
Two battalions of the Royal Berkshire (PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES) fought in warm climats but not in the middle east. The 1/4th Bn (Territorial Force) was in the 145th Brigade, of the 48th Division, and went to Italy in Nov 1917. The 7th (Service) Bn was in 78th Brigade of the 26th Division and went to Salonika in November 1915 and ended the war at Hamazill Pass near Strumica in Macedonia.
The Regiment earned 55 Battle Honours. 2Lt Alexander Turner and LCpl James Welch of the Royal Berkshires were awarded the Victoria Cross. The cost in deaths was heavy. The Royal Berkshires lost 6,688 men.
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'British merchants were bringing great quantities of
Opium into their country and the Mandarins of
Canton stole and destroyed vast quantities of the
drug. When this happened a force of troops were
detached from India, amongst them the 49th
Regiment, to carry out reprisals. It is very difficult
to justify this action on any moral grounds, but
commerce was important and this case mercantile
expedience appears to have outweighed all other
considerations.'
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In all the 49th fought in six battles. Even so the fighting was rarely severe and battle casualties were far outnumbered by those caused by disease.
In his despatches General Gough, the commander, frequently referred to the dash and courage shown by the 49th.
As a result of its efforts in the ‘Opium War’ the 49th Regiment was permitted to adopt a China Dragon as its crest and to place the word ‘China’ on its Colours and Accoutrements.
Text and picture copied from : The Wardrobe
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The khaki drill foreign service tunic had pointed cuffs and 4 buttons down the front.
Rank insignia was worn on the shoulder straps instead of around the cuffs or the sleeves.
This leutenant has two rank crown on the shoulder straps.
The Tunic and trousers are WW1 pattern. Note that with Officers uniforms, the instructions for
patterns were less specific in the dress regulations so variations
could exist. Regulation said that no
regimental insignia was worn on these type of tunic. They were replaced by a regimental
title on the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps have two sewn holes to receive the regimental title,
but these are not present. The collar however, has also two sewn holes containing the regimental
insignia. The collar insignia features the wording : PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES,
which matches with the tunic buttons.
The ribbon shows the War Medal and Victory Medal. Both of which were issued immediately after the war. The other two medal ribbons are presently unknown. The tunic is WWI vintage, but probably bought in the 20's or immediattely after the war. The owner may have seen duty in India after the war and the uniform could have been used then.
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Many smaller uniform effects and equipment came with the above uniform. The following section
provides an overview and picture of each item. In order to view a larger picture,
please click on each photograph.
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| Foreign Service trousers | Tropical Helmet cover | Black cap with regimental insignia of the Royal Berkshire | |
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| Cap detail | Small glass bottle with disinfection water. The bottle is kept in an aliminium canister. | Officer Canteen with cover | |
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| ID tag. Has the following inscription :
16. Cambray RD Balham S...W.. on the backside : ' T 5 L F ' The Army List for November 1918 has no O Chandler, the only one Chandler with an initial O was EO Chandler, a 2Lt in RE Territorial Force (gazetted 14Jan1917). The Army List for June 1914, June 1922 contains no O Chandler. The Army List for August 1915 has an OS Chandler who was a Lt originally with 5th Bn Bedford Regt (gazetted 28 Apr 1915) and serving with the Cyclist Company of the East Anglia Division. |
Webley holster marked HS With arrow sign of the War Department. |
Brown leather cross strap Marked HS and with arrow sign of the War Department. Sam brown belt |
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| Shirt, marked with a manufacturer label : The summit shirt Austin Reed of Regent Street Marked with a label of the owner F.H.Kendall The Army List for November 1918 contains an FH Kendall, a 2Lt in 1st & 2nd Bn Dorsetshire Regt (gazetted 29 May1918). The Army List for June 1914, August 1915, June 1922 contains no Kendall's. |
Shirt overview | The book of Common Prayer Written note : To Gladys 5-10-15 |
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| Raisor in small carton box, marked HOLLOW GROUND |
Watch Ingersoll Crown With arrow sign of the War Department. |
Spures One is marked : 1918 With arrow sign of the War Department. |
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| Officer breadbag | UK WW1 measurement and conversion tool |
A site devoted to Great War Militaria (WW1) and collectibles. We have many topics covering the following studies : World War 1 Steel Helmets, Spiked helmets, various headgear including peaked caps or képi 's , (Schirmmützen), uniforms, gas masks, infantry troops and equipment , badges, uniform and equipment of many nations, including Germany, France, Belgium and the UK. We also have links to reenactment groups.
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