Parachute Regiment Wedding photo Mystery?

If it was a DCM would it not be worn first? I think its Gallantry awards before other (but could be wrong)

 

I apologize for the wording. I didn't mean it in a negative way. This forum is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. I was writing fast and off the cuff. I'm trying to say that the whites and lighter shades of the other ribbons do not seem to be darker or not true. So for arguments sake if the tone and grayscale is true then it could still be the DCM. My first opinion was the DCM but after your insight and opinion I was swayed but I never questioned why it isn't the DCM if it looks like it. Just a thought and I'm sorry for my wording. I want all kinds of opinions and reasoning.

 

England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Albert E Etheridge
Registration Date: Oct 1945
[Nov 1945]
[Dec 1945]
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration District: Northampton
Inferred County: Northamptonshire
Spouse: Winifred J Billson
Volume Number: 3b
Page Number: 131

TD

?? Albert E Etheridge | ParaData

 

Ok. That's something that is very important to the question. It's something not contingent on colors or poor image quality. Thank you. I apologize to the forum for my wordage. I'm excited the church is confirmed but more perplexed that it isn't Albert. The odds of finding Albert erroneously through the DCM angle and then finding a church that was demolished in 1980 is very strange. It's against the odds. But it's obviously another Para Regiment fella that happened to be married in the same church in the same year as Albert and I got lucky. Maybe it's my time to play the lottery?

 

I can see how the black and white photo makes the colors blend. Although the white/light blue stands out. Thank you.

 

Order of wear - Military awards and decorations of the United Kingdom

TD

Kenny - have you checked out the Paradata link I posted above??

 

That makes sense. It is dark and as black and white/grayscale it would seem as one bar without the 3 different areas. Well identifying the church is a good step. Now I just have to find a register for that church and match each groom to see if they were in any Para Regiment.

 

On my wedding photo I see the opposite. Red(light), Dark(Blue), Red(light). But from what you say and others that the light colors are the blue and light blue in the 39-40 Star. I always have to remember I suffer bias and probably get myself on the wrong track.

 

Thanks! I can see it now. I appreciate your work and helping me. The lines you drew made all the difference. Now to figure out where the St. Edmund's records went to.

 

the church circa 1970's, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, St, Edmund's... News Photo - Getty Images

 

Pte A B James

 

First name(s) Arthur B
Last name James
Marriage quarter 4
Marriage year 1945
Arthur B James married one of these people
Irene C Hardwick
Spouse's last name Hardwick
District Northampton
District number -
County Northamptonshire
Country England
Volume 3B
Volume as transcribed 3B
Page number 121

 

According to a tree on Ancestry
Arthur Bert James
DOB 23/10/1923
Died 13/1/1988

Name A B James
Rank Private
Army Number 7022654
Regiment Army Air Corps
POW Number 75364
Camp Type Stalag
Camp Number XII-A
Camp Location Limburg, Baden-Württemberg
Record Office Army Air Corps and Army Catering Corps Record Office, Drill Hall, East Claremont St., Edinburgh 9
Record Office Number 45

Assuming details on Ancestry are correct:
From casualty lists, 21 Ind Para Regt
Missing NW Europe 25/9/44, then reported POW, then not POW, the date of last list was 6/7/1945.

 

7022654 Arthur (Jimmy) James of 3 platoon 21st Independent Parachute Coy - wounded and POW at Arnhem, "Leading the Way to Arnhem" has a photo and a good write up on him - a boy soldier in the RUR joined the Paras in 1942 joined on their return from Italy - he served post war in Palestine, later he was in the print trade and was made redundant in 1982, moved to Australia in 1986 where he died in 1988

edit -
Just to add the book has a bit more with a mention of him in the main body of the text and a little individual write up with photo (its a brilliant book with a little write up on each individual), I've just given a basic overview as I think to do a full cut and paste of a recent book may be a bit unfair on the authors and their research

 

Yes TD. Thank you for that. I was actually in contact with Paradata historians before posting on here a few weeks ago. At that time they had no known photo of Albert E. Etheridge posted. After contacting them with my thoughts they said that the 10th Battalion Coy B group photo was marked with Albert and sent me the photo you now see on their website as Albert. They say the photos are officially named so I guess that's 100%. On another Parachute Regiment website or it could be Paradata they mention that Albert was in the movie "Theirs is the Glory" 1946. Another Para historian from another website said it is disputed whether Albert was in the movie at all since it doesn't look like him, if you go by the new Paradata photo, and also in the movie the part he was suppose to be in he is wearing a K.O.S.B. cap-badge in his beret. My main problem with that is many Parachute Regiment guys were in the movie and they probably filled in as necessary for the movie and probably wore what the movie director dictated and not their own uniform. Albert's in the part where he gets water from the radiator that was blown out. Earlier I found a person that sort of resembled my wedding photo groom and the guy in the movie that was suppose to be Albert and the Coy B photo. The Paradata historians said that the Coy B soldier was Private Cramphorn. They didn't mention the "Theirs is The Glory" cameo which isn't the same guy as their Albert photo and maybe resembles Private Cramphorn a little, if this makes sense?

 

Wow! I didn't get a email with this. I'm lucky I stumbled on because this is the answer! How did you get it or what method did you use? It will help me improve with my research.