Unit photo - Dorsets, 1st Air landing or Reconnaissance?

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by Chotie's Daughter, Jan 22, 2012.

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  1. Chotie's Daughter

    Chotie's Daughter Chotie's Daughter

    Can anyone help me identify the unit in this photo? Richard Williams is 3rd from the left in the bottom row so it could be the 6th (1940) or 70th (1940 - 42) Dorsets, 1st Air Landing Squadron (1942), 43rd Reconnaissance (1942 or 43), 61st Reconnaissance (1943 - 45), 52nd Lowland (1945) or something to do with Intelligence (1941-42).
    :sign_question:
     

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    Chotie's Daughter, Jan 22, 2012
    #1
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Any chance of a larger scan of the photo ?
    Looking like they wearing GS Caps , they came into use in 1943 , and also looks like they wearing open collar with ties that dates it to late war.
    You can narrow it down a bit but a close up of cap badges would be good, if possible.
    Looking again , are they in fact wearing cravats & berets as opposed to GS Caps ?

    No help but least this post will bump the thread for others to see.
    ;)
     
    Owen, Jan 23, 2012
    #2
  3. Chotie's Daughter

    Chotie's Daughter Chotie's Daughter

    This is the highest resolution I can scan to at home. Have taken these to the Tank Museum at Bovington and they will have made better copies. They spotted that the uniforms are censored which makes it quite an unusual photograph. The cap badges have been covered with individual patches on the caps (not censored on the photos but actually covered before the photos were taken) and the men have also removed all other badges and signs of rank.
    R K Williams is 3rd from the right in the bottom row (left as you look at it)
    which makes Intelligence in 1941/42 or 1st Airlanding Squadron in the first half of 1942 a possibility (he was definitely in 1st Airlanding Squadron from April to July 1942). 1st Airlanding was so secret then (the war diary hasn't even been open for long - National Archives, Kew) that they may have covered their badges in a photo.
    In Intelligence eg 'Phantom', men kept their original uniforms and regiments so they would have looked like a much more motley crew!
     

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    Chotie's Daughter, Jan 23, 2012
    #3
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I wouldn't say the badges were covered looks more like a cloth backing.
    With the white bits on their epaulettes , I'd say they might be Officer Cadets.
     
    Owen, Jan 23, 2012
    #4
  5. Chotie's Daughter

    Chotie's Daughter Chotie's Daughter

    Thanks Owen. Richard Kelner Williams did his pre-OCTU from March to May 1943 as 5731671 P/CDT Williams R.K. 30.0 Tp 'A' Squadron No 1 Pre OCTU R.A.C. Alma Barracks, Blackdown, Hampshire.Then Sandhurst from May to November 1943 as 5731671 Officer Cadet Williams R.K. 77 Troop 'B' squadron 100 (Snadhurst) OCTU RAC Royal Military College, Camberley, Surrey. Can you move a copy of the photo to a suitable thread in case you're right?

    Chotie's Daughter
     
    Chotie's Daughter, Jan 30, 2012
    #5

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