You are up awfully early Alex or you're working the night shift ... I don't know what to say about the badge placement? The photo of the mystery officer is not the best for detail. Good work on finding Frank's hospital! I took a look for it sometime ago but didn't really know where to begin. Anyway I'm off, it's 1 AM here. Regards ...
Alex, Now that I've examined more closely other photos of Luard I agree his wing badge was positioned more to the side rather than over the left eye. There was some variation on how he wore his beret. In some photos he has it pulled down to the right and in others less so. He did return to the UK from the Far East in 1946 so he could have visited Normandy in uniform sometime after. However, the biggest stumbling block is that there is only one piece of insignia on the shoulder strap of the unknown officer whereas a Lieutenant Colonel would have two. Regards ....
Yes I did notice that on the shoulder, to me it really really looks like him! He's wearing No 1 or No 2 dress uniform hence only the wings on the arm. I'm not sure about back then but when I served mess dress or 2's uniform had very small badges of rank so might be hard to spot ? Did Andrew Woolhouse ever comment on the pic? Alex.
He is in dress uniform in one pic above, however, the shoulder strap insignia is hard to make out. ParaData claims it's H40774 but I can't find it online at the IWM. If it is two bits of insignia on the unknown Officer they would need to be fairly small and placed quite close to each other towards the bottom of the strap. No I have never questioned Andrew on the photo.13 Para were in the Ranville area on D-Day and afterwards. My thinking is this is an Officer who was either there at the bridge on June 6th or had an indirect association with the area. Of course there is the possibility Luard could have visited the area on a tour or commemoration and someone snapped his picture? Regards ...
Here are the credits used for the site for Photographs: Crédits photos Conseil Régional de Basse Normandie Office de Tourisme de Ouistreham Musée le Grand Bunker Musée n° 4 Commando Association Ovelord Léon Gautier Brigitte Corbin Photos X
Thanks brithm, I'll give 'em a shout - though I suspect many will be at the beach with Monsieur Hulot ... Regards ...
Hi Moppy, A really fine photo of your father, Major Jack Watson, with others at the 1946 Pilgrimage! Thank you so much for adding. We have a few more faces to contemplate as well. Regards ...
I'm going to hazard a guess for a couple of the Officers seen in Moppy's Pilgrimage photo above. The man to the right of Reverend Hales (homburg) in light coloured overcoat and beret could possibly be Lt-Col. Bobby Bray, GSO1. The Officer to extreme right in dress uniform is very likely Major Bob Hynds, 1 RUR. I'm not aware of any 7 Para Officers who attended the 46 Pilgrimage. There is a man with a Para Regiment badge on a diamond cloth backing as worn by 7 Para just behind James Hill and Jack Watson. Regards ...
That is Bob Hynds on the right the only other Ulster officer is Lt-Col. R.J.H. "Jack" Carson. Thanks for posting this Moppy it is an excellent photograph.
A notice for the upcoming Pilgrimage with a schedule of events was placed in the very first published edition of the Pegasus Journal in April of 1946. Michael P-C believes the man behind with the 7 Para badge is Kennedy who was a "lance jack". Lance Corporal S. Kennedy who was fairly tall can be seen in few Pilgrimage photos. Oddly his beret badge is missing in the photo of him having a Normandy rose pinned to his breast which raises some doubt. Regards ...
