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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Uniform ID - Poss Royal Sussex Regiment?


tgrubb

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Hi

Can anyone tell me whether the attached man could be Royal Sussex Regiment? I am pretty sure that he is John (Jack) Boreham who according to his Ancestry Pension record joined up with the 2nd South Downs Battn in 1914 and when discharged was with the 12th (s) Battn Royal Sussex. I have other relatives in the Regiment but this uniform looks nothing like theirs.

Thanks

Tim

post-8948-1230634162.jpg

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He wears the Kitchener Blues uniform which was issued in 1914/15 in lieu of khaki uniforms being available. These were only worn in the UK, and I have seen other Royal Sussex photos of soldiers wearing this type of uniform. Without any badges or shoulder titles it is difficult to confirm if he is RSX as the uniform was universal, not purely a RSX pattern.

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Thanks for the replies.

It is definately a studio portrait - I cropped it to post it on the forum. Taken at Thomas Morgan and Co. Bexhill on Sea with the caption 'For King & Country' underneath.

Tim

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Jon

If it is who i think it is he was posted Private 9/11/14, appointed what looks like Lance Corporal 18/2/1915 and promoted Corporal 20/7/1915

Tim

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That, perhaps gives a rough date for the photo then. I have a couple of photos of Sussex Rgt men in Kitchener Blues who have just been issued with their cap badges,

Jon

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I have a large number of photos of men in the South Downs battalions. Quite a few have this background. All three South Downs battalions were issued with Kitchener's Blues, and wore them well into 1915.

There was no TF camp at Bexhill; Cooden camp nearby was built by the South Downs battalions in 1914 and was later used by the RFA, RGA and CEF. The Olympic size swimming pool they built there in 1915 existed into the early 1980s, and much of the buildings used as their HQ are now part of Cooden golfclub. Ramps built for unloading stores and later 18-pounders also remain on the railway station.

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