Cap badge identification

[Culverhouse01]

I have been trying to identify this ancestor from his uniform, well, primarily his cap badge, but with no luck. I was hoping someone on here might be able to help. Thanks in advance. 

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. It’s Middlesex Regiment.

[Culverhouse01]

Again, thank you Michelle once again instantaneous reply. You have eased my burden as I can narrow down who this might be

 

[FROGSMILE]

As per usual Michelle is bang on the money: the Duke of Cambridge’s Own Middlesex Regiment (“the Diehards”).  It’s oft forgotten nowadays, but they were at the time one of the so-called large infantry regiments and had four regular battalions, as opposed to the more common two.  This reflected the more populous urban bounds of its recruiting area.  At the centre of their cap badge is Prince George, Duke of Cambridge’s cypher and ducal coronet from 1876.

Edited 1 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Culverhouse01]

Thank you for this helpful and interesting reply Frogsmile. Much appreciated 

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

3 hours ago, Culverhouse01 said:

Thank you for this helpful and interesting reply Frogsmile. Much appreciated 

I posted earlier, but that post along with many others today seems to have disappeared.

Basically I suggested that the colourization software may have smoothed and denoised the image excessively, removing almost all textural detail from the badge. Do you have the original black and white image for comparison?

[Culverhouse01]

and I also replied with the original picture that also seems to have disappeared. I'll try again.

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Culverhouse01 said:

and I also replied with the original picture that also seems to have disappeared. I'll try again.

That confirms Middlesex Regiment.  Presumably it must have been cold for him to be wearing his greatcoat, or perhaps he slipped it on over shirtsleeves to take advantage of an impromptu photo opportunity without getting dressed in his jacket and belt (the giveaway clue is the top button fastened).

Edited 1 May , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Culverhouse01]

Thank you Frogsmile

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Thanks for that. Yes, the colourization has definitely flattened that image.

Coloured images can look nice, but they aren't  the real thing. In this case, the Middlesex badge is a fairly unique shape and not much can be confused with it. But there are lots of similar shaped cap badges that when stripped of vital data will all look the same and colourized images of them would  be of little historical value.

[Culverhouse01]

Thank you Dai Bach, you are right in terms of historical value but I was trying to focus on identifying this man from his face initially, shape of ears etc as my great grand father had distinctive ears!. I really appreciate your comments and help.

[CorporalPunishment]

On 01/05/2022 at 16:36, Culverhouse01 said:

and I also replied with the original picture that also seems to have disappeared. I'll try again.

I note that it's a reverse image.    Pete.

[Culverhouse01]

In terms of a reverse image what impact does that have on anything? and can it be changed now?

[CorporalPunishment]

29 minutes ago, Culverhouse01 said:

In terms of a reverse image what impact does that have on anything? and can it be changed now?

Just a simple observation that's all.    Pete.

[kloughnane]

Culverhouse01,

With regards to the reverse image: Is the photo in a frame? If so, are you able to remove it? If you are able to remove it you can scan it - then flip the scanned image horizontally. Your original photo will remain reversed but you can then print off a corrected scanned copy. It should look like the one below.

Regards,

Kev Loughnane

  

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

50 minutes ago, Culverhouse01 said:

and can it be changed now?

Yes, any decent photo editing software has the facility to 'Flip Horizontal' to produce a mirror image.

 

Edited 2 May , 2022 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr

[Culverhouse01]

Just an update on this ancestor of mine. I think I have successfully identified him as George William Ward, a great grand-uncle, after realising I had a wrong death date for him. He served in the Middlesex Regiment 6th Battalion. So thank you all who contributed to this post. I could not have done this without your help identifying the badge.