soldiers or posers?

[The Q]

My grandfather, born 1892 went to enlist, but he was so small - about 4ft 9in tall and very slightly built - that he was sent home.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Both My grandfathers were born 1901 and so missed the fighting of WW1, One did national service between the wars but came out to work on the railways looking after the track at that station shown and did so till 1966.
The Other joined up in 1919 (after apprenticeship in a shipyard in Glasgow), in the Royal Tank Corps, in 1939 he was given "exceptional permission to remain in the RTC" so that he fought in Europe and was Evacuated from Dunkirk (May 29th 1940), and then in the Deserts of Africa being RSM of the 7th Royal Tank regiment at the Siege of Tobruk. He remained in the RTR until 1953 and died 3 years later.

[Mike_Oettle]

My wife’s grandfather was a short man too – five foot nothing, his family used to say. He volunteered for the Lancashire Fusiliers during the First World War, but because he was so short he and a number of others of similar height were transferred to the Royal Welch Fusiliers, where apparently they fitted in better.
He was recommended for a VC after his unit relieved the South Africans at Delville Wood (the Welch were decimated just as the Springboks were), and was awarded a Military Medal.
Regards,
Mike

[OC Richard]

I'm intrigued by the "black button" thing, which I'd not heard of before. I have dozens of photos of Great War soldiers, and have seen hundreds more, and didn't recall seeing it. It's the sort of detail that can escape notice if somebody doesn't know to look for it.

So just now I went through the dozens of photos I have on hand of Great War soldiers and not one has it.

Time for me to do a little research!

About the OP photos, the hundreds of photos I've seen of Highland soldiers always show neat even consistent wearing of the diced hosetops and flashes, so I consider this alone sufficient evidence that these guys are mere posers. Seems like whenever soldiers were given hosetops they were also given guidance of how to wear them.

"Play dress-up" photos nearly always have the diced hosetops worn wrongly, oftentimes with the seam down the front!

I cherish this photo, probably the most amazing "play dress-up" photo of them all. It rewards careful study.

[Stitchwiz]

I'm intrigued by the "black button" thing, which I'd not heard of before. I have dozens of photos of Great War soldiers, and have seen hundreds more, and didn't recall seeing it. It's the sort of detail that can escape notice if somebody doesn't know to look for it.

So just now I went through the dozens of photos I have on hand of Great War soldiers and not one has it.

Time for me to do a little research!

About the OP photos, the hundreds of photos I've seen of Highland soldiers always show neat even consistent wearing of the diced hosetops and flashes, so I consider this alone sufficient evidence that these guys are mere posers. Seems like whenever soldiers were given hosetops they were also given guidance of how to wear them.

"Play dress-up" photos nearly always have the diced hosetops worn wrongly, oftentimes with the seam down the front!

I cherish this photo, probably the most amazing "play dress-up" photo of them all. It rewards careful study.

I'm already chuckling, Richard, thank you for posting it. Dead give-away - the fellow on the left doesn't have his kilt on 'straight'.

The more I read your posts the more I learn from you. Keep it up, please, we can all learn from your keen eye.

[tpa]

My grandfather, born 1892 went to enlist, but he was so small - about 4ft 9in tall and very slightly built - that he was sent home. Anne the Pleater :ootd:

It hasn't changed today; my son at 5', though quite muscly and compact, was turned down by the Army. They would accept him for the medical Corps, but he wasn't interested.

[figheadair]

It hasn't changed today; my son at 5', though quite muscly and compact, was turned down by the Army. They would accept him for the medical Corps, but he wasn't interested.

He missed out. It's not like it was; two medics have won the Miltary Cross in recent years and not to forget the the RAMC, albeit a Corps and not a Regiment, holds the largest number of VCs if I remember correctly.

[Jock Scot]

He missed out. It's not like it was; two medics have won the Miltary Cross in recent years and not to forget the the RAMC, albeit a Corps and not a Regiment, holds the largest number of VCs if I remember correctly.

Your memory is serving you well Peter. I have just been reading a book on the battles of the Somme and one chapter was specifically about a Regiment of "Bantams" who fought in the battle. It was written by a war reporter at the front during the fighting, so no mention of the exact unit, but the point of the piece was that these brave men, small in stature, fought with bomb, bayonet and bullet equally hard and paid the price, as those of more normal size.

[tpa]

He missed out.

He did indeed - on Afghanistan!

[Pleater]

I believe that the reduction in height was never actually written into the requirement, but was an emergency measure easily inserted and then removed once conscription began to bring in more men.

My granddad did not meet even the reduced height, nor the weight, nor the chest measurement. He always had trouble getting shoes to fit him as he had size 4 feet, a boys size in length but with a fully developed adult arch and heel.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[OC Richard]

I think it's time for this photo



All of this talk of shorter men is so alien to me: my great-great grandfather was 6'4", my grandfather was 6'4", I'm 6'4", my daughter is 5'10". We all have big feet too: I wear a 14 or 15, my daughter wears a 12. Much of my life I've felt like that centre soldier above.