As a none WWI buff what's wrong with the stripes ?

I don't know about the others but to me they look too sharp an angle Steve. Too V shaped might be a better way of putting it.

Roger.

Ah yes I see what you mean I was looking at the stripes themselves not the angle got you Roger
Thanks
Steve

Jimbo, what correction would you make with stripe mate?

The point about the rank chevron for the Lance Corporal in the box art photo is that it's lacking detail.

As you see from this photo of the sergeants chevrons, each chevron is actually made up of many smaller white chevrons surrounded by a light khaki border on a darker khaki/ green background. The rank chevron on the box art version shows the rank chevron painted white with none of the details added.

A good opportunity for some fine detailed painting.

Great work!
Really love Yong's busts.

This is a very poignant release for me. My great uncle was a member of the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment, The Accrington Pals. He was killed on the Somme on the 1st or 2nd July 1916. I only came across his story a few years ago when a local radio station read the following extract from his last letter home as part of an Armistice Day Commemeration of the Accrington Pals; "I can duck the hooks and sidestep the straight lefts, but I know I stand no better chance than any of the other boys. I have only once to die, but should I steer clear I will come down our street singing 'Are we Downhearted?' - 'not likely while the Kid is floating about."
He was a coalminer and a promising amateur boxer known as Harry Kid Nutter, hence the boxing references in the letter. I only knew the reading was about him when his name was mentioned at the end of the letter. He had never been mentioned within the family, not even by my grandfather, his younger brother. Although at certain times I would hear him whisper "Over the top and the best of luck mate". By the time I came across the story any relatives with any possible further information had all died.
Accrington was the smallest town to raise a Pals Battalion and had to rely on recruits from surrounding smaller towns and villages to make up the quota. Of the 1,000 strong Battalion 234 were killed & 350 were wounded in the battle. Accrington remains very much unchanged in many respects since the early 20th century and it is still possible to recognise locations from old photographs of the Battalion on parade in the town. Those streets and houses still exist. It is all too easy to visualise those desperate days when households received the dreaded telegrams informing them of the fate of their loved ones, when perhaps one house at the end of the street was seen to receive the news and those further down the street waited to see if their house was to receive the visit. The community was that tightly knit. It was reported that the local Town Council tried to suppress the news for several days fearing the public backlash but was forced to admit the truth under intense public pressure. It had been the Council which had been instrumental in pressuring for the creation of the Battalion.

Reference to old photographs shows a range of ages in the faces staring back & I have no problem with the expression of this bust. I just need to find references for the correct divisional insignia etc and this one will become either a private or a lance corporal of The Accrington Pals perhaps imagined as he might have been at the end of the first couple of days fighting.

Geoff

Hello Geoff I dont know if you have read it but there is an old book Called First Day of the Battle of the Somme by an author called Martin Middlebrook .....I read it many years ago and was extremely moved by it ...it also has many references to the Accrington pals ...If you havnt already seen it it's worth aread if you can get hold of a copy...Gibbo

Great subject and a great face although I think I can see what Marc means. We've got so used to seeing gaunt and 'haunted' images of WW1 soldiers we have that sort of 'look' in mind.
Cheers
Derek

I

I just assumed that at the scale those differences probably wouldn't be noticeable or that back then they just used plain material... Serves me right for assuming I guess. Certainly in my day we just had plain tapes like these on everything except our No2 dress

Steve

Young doing a Tommy, of course! U might as well figured Young's Tommy has this face. Not a British face. I am not asking for Simon Pegg'd face. Jude Law is pretty British to look at. David Beckham too. U also have Middleton or that guy playing Sherlock in the UK tv show. But nah, u are stuck with this face, as far from German ad it is from British. What do u do about it?

This is a link to a copy of The Western Front Association Despatch which contains some further information on my great uncle. His photo is in the bottom right hand corner of the first page;

http://www.wfanlancs.co.uk/despatch/May09PDFs/FinalMay09.pdf

Geoff

Thanks Carl for the div badge.

Geoff

I've read accounts of how some troops had triangles of metal (tin?) attached to the rear of their backpacks. I think the idea was that the sun would glint off the metal and permit the rear echelon staff to follow the progress of the attack. Does anyone know how common this was and how long the metal triangles were worn?

Geoff

Geoff I'm sure the Div. sign Carl posted was only used on vehicles and sign boards etc not on the uniform but I can check that and get back to you.
The tin shapes you refer to were cut out of biscuit tins and were different shapes for different platoons iirc. 1st Lancs Fus wore them 1st July 1916 and I have a record of the London Irish Rifles using them on a trench raid in 1917, don't know how universal this practice was though, I'll have a dig around.

You can certainly see them being worn by 1 LF in the Battle of the Somme film (IWM World Heritage document that can be found on youtube). I thought they worn were so the artillery spotters could detect the reflections, guage battalion progress and adjust the schedule of bombardment lifts if needed.

BTW Geoff - I recently saw a two part pgm from BBC on the Accrington Bn on youtube. Have you seen that? It was a local show that had interviews with family etc. I downloaded it if its no longer there.

Looks like you and I are treading parallel paths on discovering our relatives' invovement in WWI and the Somme in different Pals units. Its certainly an interesting ride. Thanks for your link.

Colin

This clip mentions some of the Accrington Pals names at the end Geoff maybe it's of use ? also there is this Geoff I am guessing you have it already though http://www.pals.org.uk/pals_e.htm

Steve

This will help Geoff,
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/f...=0&p=1746107&hl= 31st division&#entry1746107