Help:french Or Brit 1940 Soldier Uniform?

[sapper]

One thing is stone wall certain, that is a British army uniform, I do know, I wore it. it is exactly the same as mine. Because he had a French calender and and other French signs about, does not mean he is French. We were always surrounded by French signs. Why not? when in France. We did not bring advertising with us!

I personally doubt very much that he was a French/British Liason representative? I doubt it very much.

Why? because he would have had to liase with British officers, and he would have been an officer of more or less equal rank. The uniform he is wearing is standard British private soldiers issue, there is not the slightest doubt of that. He certainly is not an officer. abd British army officers are not going to laise with a private...believe me!

The sign on your Fathers uniform Angie is the same sign for the Welsh Infantry Division. Not at all surprising! He did not have to come from Wales...like all the infantry divs, they got what they were sent, no matter where they came from. my company was a Welsh Company, and had the greatest variety that could be imagined.
Sapper

[cllmda]

[quote]One thing is stone wall certain, that is a British army uniform, I do know, I wore it. it is exactly the same as mine. Because he had a French calender and and other French signs about, does not mean he is French. We were always surrounded by French signs. Why not? when in France. We did not bring advertising with us!

Many Thanks for your help !

The presumption of him being french comes from his name and surname+the fact that he joined the Free French after being evacuated to the UK from Dunkirk (this is certain)...not on the french calendars etc in the room...as you rightly say this would the case for any soldier posted in France at that time...The only thing one could presume from these elements is that the photo was probably taken somewhere in France

Also,in early 1942 in London this soldier wrote a pamphlet called"free french africa" , one of a series of pamphlets called"Fighting France pamphlets" published by Oxford University Press at that time.Inside there are a few lines "about the author",ie:"these pamphlets are written by members of the Fighting France Movement ,the author is a 27 yr old Parisian,born and educated in Britain,where he worked for a number of British papers and news agencies.In 1939 after a period in the Maginot Line he was posted to British GHQ at Arras as Agent de Liaison.Escaped from Dunkirk on june 1 after waiting 7 days for a ship,joined the Free French at the first opportunity and early this year(1942) was appointed Press Attaché at General De Gaulles London HQ.."

All these elements make me think he's french,thats why i cant understand about the uniform...
I dont know how reliable these Oxford University pamplets are as far as the author's Bio is concerned. Time and Life co. also had some bio info(for obits) that confirmed this info,but perhaps they both got it from the same source...
Im trying to piece together this fellow's military/war history from 1939 to 1945 but all the elements seem contradictory, because of this uniform problem.All my sources seem to be confirming that the uniform is British so i certainly believe all of you here on this forum when you assure me of this...
Ill have to keep digging..
thanks again to everyone !

[sapper]

Hi.
I do find that trying to go back raises a multitude of problems. I have searched high and low for my old friends. All to no avail. It seems as though as the years proress they fade away even further in the background.Some even look as though they had never existed, for there is no trace, Not even of men that I knew as good friends, the sort of friendship that is born out of the fires of war. yet when you seek and look? nothing,just as though they had never existed.
Sapper

[cllmda]

thank you to everyone who responded and helped me with this...
I will try contacting British army archives to see if perhaps they have this soldier listed anywhere...
However when i called the British embassy here to find out the address they told me that this soldier would hardly have been enlisted as he wouldnt have been considered a british national ie,at that time being born in the UK of a British mother wouldnt have been enough : only the father counts(or did at that time) for establishing nationality so the fact that his father was French and grandfather in the paternal line was french would have stopped him from being considered a British national.
The female side and line counted for nothing at all....
Still,in view of the many responses ive had both here and elsewhere concerning the uniform i will try contacting Brit military archives anyway and see...