A very fine movie clip. My father was in the 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment from 1939-1946. He went through Madagascar as part of the 29 British Brigade and Burma with his Brigade being part of 36th British Division, being demobbed in India before he sailed back to the UK and into Liverpool. Being a Scouse, he looked for the Liver bird as he came in.
@@Claret1882 Sorry to hear that. The Lancashire Fusiliers served with Calvert as part of the Chindits. Was your grandfather killed during one of the missions?
@@iancooper9278 He died 03.06.1944. "A detachment of sixty men under Captain G. Butler was sent eastwards to Tapaw ferry, where they remained until the fall of Mogaung on 26 June. On 3 June a Japanese force at Launn attempted to hold up the advance, and there was a sharp encounter in which many Japanese were killed." On the 3rd, Loihinche fell to the Chindits and Mike Calvert established 77th Indian Infantry Brigade headquarters there. Elsewhere that day, two commando platoons from the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers captured Tapaw Ferry on the Mogaung River, should Calvert need to retreat eastwards, while the 3/6th Gurkhas seized a nearby settlement, renamed it "Gurkha Village," and built another liaison aircraft airstrip there. Capt Butler was a company commander in 1 LF at the time of his MC action at Tapaw. Incredibly, my grandfather is mentioned in the 77th Indian Infantry HQ War Diary. This is very unusual for Other Ranks.
@@ste2442 A lot of Lancashire regiments were in Burma and several contingents were in Singapore arriving just in time to be taken into captivity due to Churchill's military meddling and complete lack of understanding of 20th century warfare.
Very nice window on the past. You can be sure that everyone in the East Lancashire Regiment (except the officers) is actually from East Lancashire and not from elsewhere.
So sanguine & cheerful. Different times too & some of these guys were recalled in July 1914. Never seen such a film before & no doubt it was a pleasant day for all...
What I find interesting is that these soldiers, who are the “real deal”, march with less precision and perfection than what we see depicted in movies. There’s a genuineness about this film. Actually, it would have been even better without the music dubbing. You can’t help but wonder how many of these men survived their military careers.
My Great Grandfather was in the Grenadier Guards in the Boer War. Joined the East Surreys in 1914. Died of wounds in the village of Lorgie falling back from the canal. He lasted 10 weeks. Left 4 kids.
If they’ve just returned from the South Africa then there wouldn’t be parade ground marching order. Let the men at ease for gods sake, precision and perfection is not needed
Firstly they are in field service order, not parade order, secondly the 2nd was not a regular battalion but a volunteer battalion recuited inthe Burnley Area, so thier drill standards would have been lower than a regular Btn - as a volunteer Btn they were not eligible for overseas service only home defence, but in the Boer War and WW1 almost all Volunteer Btns signed up very quickly for overseas service, the home service only was dropped after WW1.
Firstly, the film is old and poorly synchonized, secondly, it's quite clear that there are many injured and slightly wounded in the ranks. Thirdly, these men had just completed a sea jouney under less than comfortable conditions. You aren't fit to judge them or their military bearing. You simply weren't there. As far as the music, i've certainly heard worse and enjoyed it.
Seems to be a mix of Metford Mk1/1* (visible hand groove on forewood, no buttstock sling swivel, and sling mounted to swivel forward of the magazine) and later Enfield rifles, or possibly Metford MkIIs (no hand groove, sling mounted to buttstock swivel). even within the same group of soldiers. They don't appear to have cleaning/clearing rods, which would make sense by 1902, having been officially ordered to be removed by 1900. The Resolution is not quite enough to really pick up much more detail.
Judging by the length of the Lee Metford Rifle they were all quite short by modern standards. Grandfather was in that one with the Kings Liverpool, career soldier. Died in 1919 after losing 2 sons by his first marriage in WW1.
What a lovely insite into a past era that doesnt invovle somebody getting shot although i am aware that they had been shot at but not in this film nice to see people doing things people do for a change incidentally the little old dear looks so pleased that her son/grandson has returned home safely she seems so proud however he only looks 16-18 which makes him 28-30 at the start of the great war i do hope he survived that as well, i doubt we will ever know. much love to all.
"The Thin Red Line" was composed by Alford in 1908, so it would not have been played here. The March of the East Lancashire Regiment in 1900 was "Lancashire Lads". "Colonel Bogey" wasnt composed until 1914.
Four different types of headgear can be seen in the ranks. Even their kits are not always the same. It gives an unique sense of reality so seldom available.
A London Regiment in which I once served, sent out to South Africa a detachment as reinforcements for the Imperial Volunteer Yeomanry (IVY) of which they had photographs of the detachment on board their troopship. The ship looked a rust bucket just a bit bigger than a tramp steamer and the conditions looked rough and the men looked rough. It was for sure tough times to be a soldier in those days and these men have my admiration.
@@tatumergo3931 But none the less life in those times was not all what the punters would have you believe mainly for political purposes. This is reflected in photographs and original cine film which show quite well dressed, well fed and happy folk. My father was a boy on Edwardian times and always said it was the best time to live and the countryside was beautiful and quite before the mass production of the motor car from the 1920's. He did an apprenticeship as an engineer draughtsman.
@@tatumergo3931 But the fact is industrial workers earned a competive wage for the day and as my father said they had the freedom to spend it as they wish. Some spent their wage on their home and family but regrettably drink was the biggest problem of the Victorian and Edwardian age with pubs open all day with drink at affordable prices. An analogy coud be made with present day workers earning the minimum wage and benefits with massive loans but still being able to afford to go on holidays even abroad and of course, the must have, a mobile phone. It was a matter of choice in my father's early days, as it is now. My personal experience is similar. When I served in the army beer was 4 pennies a pint (about 2 1/2 pence) pay for most was 5 shillings a day (20pence a day) less stoppages, barrack damages etc. also secretive gambling (three card brag, pontoon etc) Pay on Thursday broke by Saturday, then borrow. Not all did this but a fair number. I did not drink or gamble. It was a matter of choice in Victorian and Edwardian, times as it is now. Political pundits blame the conditions for drinking. Not so, it was amatter of choice. It was what they wanted to do, drink and sing at the old joanna! But not all did this!
@@tatumergo3931 You should not be quite so flippant with your remarks. The people you refer to are human beings but some like to live for the moment and spend what they have the pity is and I have seen it many times in my life they just not have any ambition to better themselves but just prefer the easy option. Minimum work for maximum pay. It is not a lack of education, I left school the day before I was 14 years old with zero qualifications and the week following working a 48 hour week starting at 8.00am finishing at 5.30pm and Saturday mornings till 12.30pm for 16 shillings (80p)a week. Some boys could not do it then and certainly would not do it now. I know not what the answer is. But a nanny state does nothing to discourage them to change as unfortunately so many take the easy option.
interesting is the variety in uniforms, like some men are wearing their equipment differently, some have 1877 pattern Foreign Service helmets, some are wearing slouch hats, a fair few are wearing side caps, i think i spotted one officer with a Wolseley Sun Helmet. Some have helmet badges, like the variety in the colour of tunics is remarkable despite technically being the same "pattern". Some are even wearing what would seem to be tan leather instead of buff leather, Even those wearing the same headdress are wearing it differently, like the chaps with Pith Helmets have their chin straps worn or pulled up over the helmet's brim in numerous fashions. The cut of the tunics differ greatly from person to person, the skirt section seems to vary from being rounded off in an almost Scottish fashion or a straight right angle, i spotted one gentleman with a really short tunic that almost resembled a drill jacket. It just goes to show that even though it was technically a Uniform it was anything but uniform across all soldiers, even those in the same regiment.
I used to work closely with one particular corps of the army. In the mess there might have been 40+ officers, all from this corps, and you would have been hard pressed to find two dressed exactly alike. Some of the soldiers looked relatively old, although having drooping moustaches probably didn’t help. Fascinating imagery, my own grandfather probably paraded in much the same way on his return from S Africa (2nd Battn Manchester Regiment).
@@wizardapprenticeIV from what I know of the military pre WW1, this wasn't unexceptional. So far as I'm aware, the only units that had public money spent to keep thier uniforms the same were ceremonial units or units on ceremonial guard like the Grenadiers, Welsh Guard etc. Or those of the wealthy (cavalry units). The officers generally didn't care so long as the solider fought well, you'd get the occasional officer that insisted on complete uniformity, but they were the exception rater than the rule. Makes me think of stories of fresh troops all in red with thier sharp collars drawing blood marching into Spain during the Peninsula War, passing veteran units strolling the other way, none of those veteran units had a single red coat(they'd either been sun bleached or binned) or indeed any matching pieces of clothing.
@@tatumergo3931 actually my dads cousin was one. Her father John Robinson was killed in mid 1918 she was born after. My brother does genealogy and found my grandfather had a brother. He was killed in 1916 but they never talked about him. My grandmothers two brothers were killed, the one above with the child and also one killed in 1916, actually MIA.
I think the minimum height for recruits was 5ft 3 in before WW I, when it was dropped to 5ft and eventually 4ft 10 inches for Volunteers in Bantam Units.
Yes, they are allso short. Nutrition in childhood was very poor in industrial Lancashire. The soldier talkingbyo the old lady is hardly taller than his rifle!
You see that in Indian reservations in America today. When you see photographs of 19th century Native Americans who lived athletic lifestyles and ate a low fat high protein diet of Buffalo they're intimidatingly large and muscular. Whereas given the low quality diet and generations of addiction today, they're usually short and often overweight.
Yes, the presence of the camera would have been highly conspicuous and distracting. You can see that the soldiers and civilians present can't help looking at it. It was quite a novelty.
I struggle in 20 degree C with no layers. Sweat like a…….. How did they cope back then wearing all those heavy layers of wool. What’s that? Summer sunshine? Better put on the overcoat!
Boer War! No heros - today we must say murder. in the past - yes, they would be seen as heros but today? If you say, those people are heros, you must say all russian heros in the ukraine and not war criminals.
@@Peter-lm3ic I have served, so I don't need any lecturing from you. I would be grateful if you could enlighten us to the good reason for Britain invading the two Boer Republics?
It’s strange seeing them parading with various different types of headgear worn, most with the regulation issue Pith Helmet but some wearing side caps and some wearing what we would call nowadays a slouch hat and a couple of the officers wearing what would be classed as Solar Topee’s, that variation in headgear on parade would give a modern Sergeant Major a heart attack.
At that time, the differing headgear is for soldiers from DIFFERENT regiments seconded and serving in THIS regiment. A soldier kept his home regiment (a regiment he wasn't assigned to by an Army HQ but actually joined by going to the front gate) uniform (mainly headgear in the field) during TDY. Units that were under-strength could send out an army wide request for volunteers from other "home" regiments and so get a scattering from other units. If a soldier permanently transferred to the new regiment, he would adopt the new regimental uniform. When two regiments happened to bivouac on the same ground they were termed a "brigade" and the brigade commander was not the highest officer but the longest serving officer in either brigade. Under commission purchase, this meant two regiments under Lt. Colonels could find themselves under the brigade command of a captain who had 25 years of service but was too poor to buy his way up the ladder. For this reason regimental commanders did almost anything to find separate camp grounds for each regiment.
@@tatumergo3931 Women don’t need to cover their whole body and wear those ridiculous outfit. Elegant is wearing a dress that shows a little bit of skin and a beautiful 😍 😍 😻 dress. The dress that they are wearing in 1902 you can’t see anything except their face. Would you wear a dress 👗 👗 👗 like theirs???
A hard marching battalion. I was amazed to see how casually they moved , no bawling NCO’s , yet every man kept his place. When they marked time there was no knees drawn up high to the waist. Did I spot several men , in the ranks , without headgear ? Surely a chargeable offence, especially when the Battalion was “ on parade “ .
I think they're all wearing head dress of some sort, looks like some are wearing side caps and one or two have slouch hats on. Bit hard making it out but it is 120 years old 😁
They appear to be wearing side caps. It could be the occasional medical exemption (head injury?), or something as simple as the helmets were lost in or before transit and could not be replaced before the parade back to barracks. Such things happen today, though the soldiers with the irregularity would parade together so they look uniform.
It was likely they are 'attached'. They are most often from another corp, or unit, with different head dress. Noticeably they also wear slightly different kit, such as the belts.
Massive army in those days with a Lesser population Half a million were deployed in Boer war Same as vietnam 65 years later Yet usa had problems fielding With a much larger population The standard of living was better In the 1960s not many were keen On being sent to asia so the draft Was instituted!
Towards the end of the war it was half a million against 20 000. And yet the Brits still had to resort to locking up Boer women and children, poisoning drinking water, slaughtering livestock and burning crops in order to effect a surrender.
Due to a range of factors including sustained, lifelong periods of malnutrition and low healthcare coverage for most individuals prior to the development of the welfare state, the average height of the British soldier, even going into WWI, 12 years after this footage, was 5 foot 2 inches tall. The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) Mk III/Mk III* with Pattern 1907 (Sword) Bayonet affixed was roughly the same height as the average British soldier. In the interwar years, major leaps forward in the early rise of socialised healthcare (for all it's later, deep problems, it began in sincere earnest as a gift to the nation for their sacrifices in WWI; social evolution had caused massive paradigm shifts due to the impact of the war, both on the cultural identity of the British people, and their outlook on imperial expenditure) Amongst many other matters, the matter of women working in the factory jobs men no longer could due to being on the frontlines in their millions, meant that inevitably, along with the Suffragette Movement, the British were going to move towards a more liberal society. Women were now allowed to vote and to work more often in jobs they weren't previously thought capable of. The rise of socialised healthcare was really concurrent with the end of WWI and the 1920's. The NHS didn't just emerge even then, it still took until the post-WWII late 1940's - by which time, Labour Socialism and welfare reforms were in full-sway. Long story short, the average height of the British soldier was noticeably taller within a generation of the First World War, as there were better ideas about nutrition and calorific intake, as well as far better healthcare and welfare for the general public. The average Boer War soldier was from a very different time when very little existent to protect people at all.
@@CoalMiningTown Well yes, but that was about nutrition. It wasn't just that they didn't get enough good nutrients, it was that they had come from backgrounds where it was very common multi-generationally and it left it's impression on them. But public health standards greatly improved for a while (privations as bad as that weren't seen again until severe rationing in the Second World War, which technically, as far as British ration books went, only ended in 1953) And no matter what is said on this matter, class gave a lot of richer people a 'free pass' unofficially in the world wars, at avoiding the privations most would. It's a tale as old as time of course. Money walks. Rich people could just bypass the rationing through their own connections and ability to bribe or pay at high rates. Meanwhile, in strictly working class communities, there was literally a phenomenon called, 'rationbook santas' where Santa Claus (or the man dressing up should we say, as that figure), were blatantly skinny men who were swallowed by their outfit. But because they were so thin and made even thinner by their hard work going hand in hand with rationing, they were some of the skinniest Santa impersonators ever to exist in the world. It took quite some time for British surpluses of food to recover and for the exact opposite problem to emerge; obesity problems.
@@ThePalaeontologist The most significant evidence of nutritional deprivation in WW1 was the physical difference between British and Commonwealth soldiers, commented on by many commentators. As you rightly point out though it would have been different for the well off, hence many officers were reasonably fit.
Right!Who is up for some square bashing? Er…Sergeant Major may i be excused? I have piano lessons! Piano lessons?! Alright off you go then. Anyone else got better things to do than bashing the square? Er…. Sergeant Major i have ballet lessons! Ballet lessons?!Right off you go then! Anyone else? Er Sergeant Major…..
@@kentimmins9171 yes I think I heard it was shorter. You think of these men as herculean giz6nts fighting off the hordes of barbarians who formed the empire.
It is billed as them returning from the War. So they had spent a couple of years of hard campaigning, followed by a long sea voyage on a cramped troop ship, followed by a long train journey to Lancashire. May explain the missing hats and the lack of enthusiasm for getting their knees up when marking time! The TA was not formed until 1908. As a volunteer battalion, they would have been formed from the various militia and volunteer battalions that were raised in the Regiments recruiting area, together with drafts of men from the regular battalions and depot. Still, they had just come back from a rather hard war, and were, despite the lamentable weakness in their foot drill, real soldiers.
The proud British, professional soldiers, were unable to defeat the Boers( farmers) in a military battle so, after a number of failures, they resorted to urban TERROR ; destroying the Boer's farms, killing livestock, poising dams and taking captive their wives and children, to a CONCENTARTION CAMP in Cape Town, some 600 miles from the front. There, about 30,000 women and children DIED. Probably where Hitler got the idea from. If you dont believe this, research it ( discount British info) ; even today, in Cape Town there is a monument to depict this brutality against DEFENCELESS women and children; "Lest we forget." Also, the British had little interest in South Africa UNTIL the Boers discovered GOLD and DIAMONDS ; in classic British colonialism they went in for the KILL on the PRETEXT of 'freeing the Black slaves'. Ironically, the Blacks were worse off under the upper crust British used to having many SERVANTS. Like in India, after conquering it, brutally, all Indians had to refer to the British as SAHIB ; meaning MASTER. Ask the British ;'were you racists?: Answer ; 'Off course not. We went to protect ( ie British Protectorate) them and improve life styles." Protect them them from what? They already had good, for them, lifestyles. As usual, the British politicians/merchants/leaders were to blame, not the ordinary soldiers. Now, did you know why, in China, the Boxer rebellion occurred? Read about it and see that the British tried to make all Chinese into drug addicts ; they made billions of pounds selling opium as they had full control of the DRUG trade. They stabbed China in the back ; SOP . No wonder they were so hated across their PROTECTORATES.
My home regiment. Proud Lancastrian.
A very fine movie clip. My father was in the 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment from 1939-1946. He went through Madagascar as part of the 29 British Brigade and Burma with his Brigade being part of 36th British Division, being demobbed in India before he sailed back to the UK and into Liverpool. Being a Scouse, he looked for the Liver bird as he came in.
My grandfather was killed in Burma by the Japanese. He was in the 1st Batt. Lancashire Fusiliers.
@@Claret1882 Sorry to hear that. The Lancashire Fusiliers served with Calvert as part of the Chindits. Was your grandfather killed during one of the missions?
@@iancooper9278 He died 03.06.1944.
"A detachment of sixty men under Captain G. Butler was sent eastwards to Tapaw ferry, where they remained until the fall of Mogaung on 26 June. On 3 June a Japanese force at Launn attempted to hold up the advance, and there was a sharp encounter in which many Japanese were killed."
On the 3rd, Loihinche fell to the Chindits and Mike Calvert established 77th Indian Infantry Brigade headquarters there. Elsewhere that day, two commando platoons from the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers captured Tapaw Ferry on the Mogaung River, should Calvert need to retreat eastwards, while the 3/6th Gurkhas seized a nearby settlement, renamed it "Gurkha Village," and built another liaison aircraft airstrip there.
Capt Butler was a company commander in 1 LF at the time of his MC action at Tapaw. Incredibly, my grandfather is mentioned in the 77th Indian Infantry HQ War Diary. This is very unusual for Other Ranks.
@@Claret1882 lest we forget your grandfather and all his mates who never came home 😞
@@ste2442 A lot of Lancashire regiments were in Burma and several contingents were in Singapore arriving just in time to be taken into captivity due to Churchill's military meddling and complete lack of understanding of 20th century warfare.
Very nice window on the past. You can be sure that everyone in the East Lancashire Regiment (except the officers) is actually from East Lancashire and not from elsewhere.
So sanguine & cheerful. Different times too & some of these guys were recalled in July 1914. Never seen such a film before & no doubt it was a pleasant day for all...
Fore Queen and country, ah no
Fore King and country!!!
Great movie! Greetings from Germany!
What I find interesting is that these soldiers, who are the “real deal”, march with less precision and perfection than what we see depicted in movies. There’s a genuineness about this film. Actually, it would have been even better without the music dubbing. You can’t help but wonder how many of these men survived their military careers.
1914 comes, a reaper if there ever was one .
My Great Grandfather was in the Grenadier Guards in the Boer War. Joined the East Surreys in 1914. Died of wounds in the village of Lorgie falling back from the canal.
He lasted 10 weeks. Left 4 kids.
If they’ve just returned from the South Africa then there wouldn’t be parade ground marching order. Let the men at ease for gods sake, precision and perfection is not needed
Firstly they are in field service order, not parade order, secondly the 2nd was not a regular battalion but a volunteer battalion recuited inthe Burnley Area, so thier drill standards would have been lower than a regular Btn - as a volunteer Btn they were not eligible for overseas service only home defence, but in the Boer War and WW1 almost all Volunteer Btns signed up very quickly for overseas service, the home service only was dropped after WW1.
Firstly, the film is old and poorly synchonized, secondly, it's quite clear that there are many injured and slightly wounded in the ranks. Thirdly, these men had just completed a sea jouney under less than comfortable conditions. You aren't fit to judge them or their military bearing. You simply weren't there. As far as the music, i've certainly heard worse and enjoyed it.
Seems to be a mix of Metford Mk1/1* (visible hand groove on forewood, no buttstock sling swivel, and sling mounted to swivel forward of the magazine) and later Enfield rifles, or possibly Metford MkIIs (no hand groove, sling mounted to buttstock swivel). even within the same group of soldiers. They don't appear to have cleaning/clearing rods, which would make sense by 1902, having been officially ordered to be removed by 1900. The Resolution is not quite enough to really pick up much more detail.
Judging by the length of the Lee Metford Rifle they were all quite short by modern standards. Grandfather was in that one with the Kings Liverpool, career soldier. Died in 1919 after losing 2 sons by his first marriage in WW1.
What a lovely insite into a past era that doesnt invovle somebody getting shot although i am aware that they had been shot at but not in this film nice to see people doing things people do for a change incidentally the little old dear looks so pleased that her son/grandson has returned home safely she seems so proud however he only looks 16-18 which makes him 28-30 at the start of the great war i do hope he survived that as well, i doubt we will ever know. much love to all.
Absolutely amazing to watch
God bless and keep everyone of them
"The Thin Red Line" was composed by Alford in 1908, so it would not have been played here. The March of the East Lancashire Regiment in 1900 was "Lancashire Lads". "Colonel Bogey" wasnt composed until 1914.
Those kids running behind the soldiers about halfway through would be old enough for service 12 years later.
Four different types of headgear can be seen in the ranks. Even their kits are not always the same. It gives an unique sense of reality so seldom available.
That’s what British soldiers used to be like, and many many regiments across the country
Before wokery made men into make-up wearing cissies! These soldiers must be spinning in their graves!
A London Regiment in which I once served, sent out to South Africa a detachment as reinforcements for the Imperial Volunteer Yeomanry (IVY) of which they had photographs of the detachment on board their troopship. The ship looked a rust bucket just a bit bigger than a tramp steamer and the conditions looked rough and the men looked rough. It was for sure tough times to be a soldier in those days and these men have my admiration.
@@tatumergo3931 But none the less life in those times was not all what the punters would have you believe mainly for political purposes. This is reflected in photographs and original cine film which show quite well dressed, well fed and happy folk. My father was a boy on Edwardian times and always said it was the best time to live and the countryside was beautiful and quite before the mass production of the motor car from the 1920's. He did an apprenticeship as an engineer draughtsman.
@@tatumergo3931 But the fact is industrial workers earned a competive wage for the day and as my father said they had the freedom to spend it as they wish. Some spent their wage on their home and family but regrettably drink was the biggest problem of the Victorian and Edwardian age with pubs open all day with drink at affordable prices. An analogy coud be made with present day workers earning the minimum wage and benefits with massive loans but still being able to afford to go on holidays even abroad and of course, the must have, a mobile phone. It was a matter of choice in my father's early days, as it is now. My personal experience is similar. When I served in the army beer was 4 pennies a pint (about 2 1/2 pence) pay for most was 5 shillings a day (20pence a day) less stoppages, barrack damages etc. also secretive gambling (three card brag, pontoon etc) Pay on Thursday broke by Saturday, then borrow. Not all did this but a fair number. I did not drink or gamble. It was a matter of choice in Victorian and Edwardian, times as it is now. Political pundits blame the conditions for drinking. Not so, it was amatter of choice. It was what they wanted to do, drink and sing at the old joanna! But not all did this!
@@tatumergo3931 You should not be quite so flippant with your remarks. The people you refer to are human beings but some like to live for the moment and spend what they have the pity is and I have seen it many times in my life they just not have any ambition to better themselves but just prefer the easy option. Minimum work for maximum pay. It is not a lack of education, I left school the day before I was 14 years old with zero qualifications and the week following working a 48 hour week starting at 8.00am finishing at 5.30pm and Saturday mornings till 12.30pm for 16 shillings (80p)a week. Some boys could not do it then and certainly would not do it now. I know not what the answer is. But a nanny state does nothing to discourage them to change as unfortunately so many take the easy option.
interesting is the variety in uniforms, like some men are wearing their equipment differently, some have 1877 pattern Foreign Service helmets, some are wearing slouch hats, a fair few are wearing side caps, i think i spotted one officer with a Wolseley Sun Helmet. Some have helmet badges, like the variety in the colour of tunics is remarkable despite technically being the same "pattern". Some are even wearing what would seem to be tan leather instead of buff leather, Even those wearing the same headdress are wearing it differently, like the chaps with Pith Helmets have their chin straps worn or pulled up over the helmet's brim in numerous fashions. The cut of the tunics differ greatly from person to person, the skirt section seems to vary from being rounded off in an almost Scottish fashion or a straight right angle, i spotted one gentleman with a really short tunic that almost resembled a drill jacket. It just goes to show that even though it was technically a Uniform it was anything but uniform across all soldiers, even those in the same regiment.
I used to work closely with one particular corps of the army. In the mess there might have been 40+ officers, all from this corps, and you would have been hard pressed to find two dressed exactly alike. Some of the soldiers looked relatively old, although having drooping moustaches probably didn’t help. Fascinating imagery, my own grandfather probably paraded in much the same way on his return from S Africa (2nd Battn Manchester Regiment).
Some of them were wearing slouch hats than pith helmets because slouch hats were better for service in South Africa 🇿🇦
@@jamesquirk4999 I'm aware of the reasoning, I'm just saying the variety is interesting.
@@wizardapprenticeIV from what I know of the military pre WW1, this wasn't unexceptional. So far as I'm aware, the only units that had public money spent to keep thier uniforms the same were ceremonial units or units on ceremonial guard like the Grenadiers, Welsh Guard etc. Or those of the wealthy (cavalry units).
The officers generally didn't care so long as the solider fought well, you'd get the occasional officer that insisted on complete uniformity, but they were the exception rater than the rule. Makes me think of stories of fresh troops all in red with thier sharp collars drawing blood marching into Spain during the Peninsula War, passing veteran units strolling the other way, none of those veteran units had a single red coat(they'd either been sun bleached or binned) or indeed any matching pieces of clothing.
@@northernnaysayer Ahhhh ok, that makes sense. I was wondering about the variety in head gear.
Good show! Amazing!!!. Though us jews in israel fought the brits for independance i admire the brits and their ways of old. The thin red line
When you see the young lads running it's very moving. In 12 years time WW1 will start, did they survive?
Commented just that and then saw yours as I scrolled down. Yep, makes you think.
Not everybody was killed in WW1 though, most survived one way or another. My grandad did or I wouldn’t be here 🙃.
@@tatumergo3931 actually my dads cousin was one. Her father John Robinson was killed in mid 1918 she was born after. My brother does genealogy and found my grandfather had a brother. He was killed in 1916 but they never talked about him. My grandmothers two brothers were killed, the one above with the child and also one killed in 1916, actually MIA.
I think the minimum height for recruits was 5ft 3 in before WW I, when it was dropped to 5ft and eventually 4ft 10 inches for Volunteers in Bantam Units.
Judging by the scale of the rifle seems most were less than 5' 5", odd mix of headdress too.
Yes, they are allso short. Nutrition in childhood was very poor in industrial Lancashire. The soldier talkingbyo the old lady is hardly taller than his rifle!
I was thinking the same thing. lol. How very short they are.
Saw that too - tho the officers i believe were taller - better diet i guess for the upper classes...
You see that in Indian reservations in America today. When you see photographs of 19th century Native Americans who lived athletic lifestyles and ate a low fat high protein diet of Buffalo they're intimidatingly large and muscular. Whereas given the low quality diet and generations of addiction today, they're usually short and often overweight.
3:54 The old lady and the soldier are talking about the camera.. haha
I was laughing about that too lol.
Yes, the presence of the camera would have been highly conspicuous and distracting. You can see that the soldiers and civilians present can't help looking at it. It was quite a novelty.
Wonderful to see
Amazing to see how gaunt they were. Not much left to those lads.
They look fit compared to the modern soldier. No double chins or swinging bellies even on the older blokes
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦Hoorah for British soldiers!
Very strange. Have anyone noticed that the officers do not carry swords and that some of the soldiers are wearing caps instead of helmets?
I struggle in 20 degree C with no layers. Sweat like a……..
How did they cope back then wearing all those heavy layers of wool. What’s that? Summer sunshine? Better put on the overcoat!
Hero's of their day and hero's now!
Boer War!
No heros - today we must say murder. in the past - yes, they would be seen as heros but today? If you say, those people are heros, you must say all russian heros in the ukraine and not war criminals.
Yes
Hero´s, going to invade two independent Republics?
@@mercomania So? There was good reason and they went out to South Africa and did their duty! Perhaps a deal more than you have ever done!
@@Peter-lm3ic I have served, so I don't need any lecturing from you. I would be grateful if you could enlighten us to the good reason for Britain invading the two Boer Republics?
It’s strange seeing them parading with various different types of headgear worn, most with the regulation issue Pith Helmet but some wearing side caps and some wearing what we would call nowadays a slouch hat and a couple of the officers wearing what would be classed as Solar Topee’s, that variation in headgear on parade would give a modern Sergeant Major a heart attack.
At that time, the differing headgear is for soldiers from DIFFERENT regiments seconded and serving in THIS regiment. A soldier kept his home regiment (a regiment he wasn't assigned to by an Army HQ but actually joined by going to the front gate) uniform (mainly headgear in the field) during TDY. Units that were under-strength could send out an army wide request for volunteers from other "home" regiments and so get a scattering from other units. If a soldier permanently transferred to the new regiment, he would adopt the new regimental uniform.
When two regiments happened to bivouac on the same ground they were termed a "brigade" and the brigade commander was not the highest officer but the longest serving officer in either brigade. Under commission purchase, this meant two regiments under Lt. Colonels could find themselves under the brigade command of a captain who had 25 years of service but was too poor to buy his way up the ladder. For this reason regimental commanders did almost anything to find separate camp grounds for each regiment.
What colour were their uniforms? Were they wearing the khaki? Were their pith helmets white,or a lighter khaki?
Amazing 😻 and sort of weird at the same time the way people dressed in those times
Elegant not the word that comes to my mind maybe 🤔 🤔 🤔 because I’m here in 2022 and their there in 1902 so no not elegant at all!!!
@@tatumergo3931 Women don’t need to cover their whole body and wear those ridiculous outfit. Elegant is wearing a dress that shows a little bit of skin and a beautiful 😍 😍 😻 dress. The dress that they are wearing in 1902 you can’t see anything except their face. Would you wear a dress 👗 👗 👗 like theirs???
Those Dutch farmers trimmed the line a bit.
Boys of the 'old brigade'
It amazes me how all the dignitaries with top hats get front stage ,the working folk at the back ,yet the soldiers are sons of the working folk
Remember the Spui Kop. Remember my friend Sus.
Where was this? They are E. Lancs but it looks like Bowerham Barracks in Lancaster. (King's Own.)
Fulwood Barracks. Preston.
A hard marching battalion. I was amazed to see how casually they moved , no bawling NCO’s , yet every man kept his place. When they marked time there was no knees drawn up high to the waist. Did I spot several men , in the ranks , without headgear ? Surely a chargeable offence, especially when the Battalion was “ on parade “ .
Exactly what I was thinking. Seems much more grown up than the very bullshitty Army I joined in the Eighties.
I think they're all wearing head dress of some sort, looks like some are wearing side caps and one or two have slouch hats on. Bit hard making it out but it is 120 years old 😁
They appear to be wearing side caps. It could be the occasional medical exemption (head injury?), or something as simple as the helmets were lost in or before transit and could not be replaced before the parade back to barracks. Such things happen today, though the soldiers with the irregularity would parade together so they look uniform.
It was likely they are 'attached'. They are most often from another corp, or unit, with different head dress. Noticeably they also wear slightly different kit, such as the belts.
Massive army in those days with a
Lesser population
Half a million were deployed in Boer war
Same as vietnam 65 years later
Yet usa had problems fielding
With a much larger population
The standard of living was better
In the 1960s not many were keen
On being sent to asia so the draft
Was instituted!
Towards the end of the war it was half a million against 20 000. And yet the Brits still had to resort to locking up Boer women and children, poisoning drinking water, slaughtering livestock and burning crops in order to effect a surrender.
Does anyone know where this took place and was filmed?
Probably Preston barracks.
It looks a lot like Fulwood Barracks. Deepdale in Preston. Still there today.
Would it be true that poverty bred soldiers and sailors in those days ?
Yes and it still does.
Due to a range of factors including sustained, lifelong periods of malnutrition and low healthcare coverage for most individuals prior to the development of the welfare state, the average height of the British soldier, even going into WWI, 12 years after this footage, was 5 foot 2 inches tall. The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) Mk III/Mk III* with Pattern 1907 (Sword) Bayonet affixed was roughly the same height as the average British soldier.
In the interwar years, major leaps forward in the early rise of socialised healthcare (for all it's later, deep problems, it began in sincere earnest as a gift to the nation for their sacrifices in WWI; social evolution had caused massive paradigm shifts due to the impact of the war, both on the cultural identity of the British people, and their outlook on imperial expenditure) Amongst many other matters, the matter of women working in the factory jobs men no longer could due to being on the frontlines in their millions, meant that inevitably, along with the Suffragette Movement, the British were going to move towards a more liberal society.
Women were now allowed to vote and to work more often in jobs they weren't previously thought capable of. The rise of socialised healthcare was really concurrent with the end of WWI and the 1920's. The NHS didn't just emerge even then, it still took until the post-WWII late 1940's - by which time, Labour Socialism and welfare reforms were in full-sway. Long story short, the average height of the British soldier was noticeably taller within a generation of the First World War, as there were better ideas about nutrition and calorific intake, as well as far better healthcare and welfare for the general public.
The average Boer War soldier was from a very different time when very little existent to protect people at all.
@@ThePalaeontologist I was aware of the height and the constenation
@@CoalMiningTown Well yes, but that was about nutrition. It wasn't just that they didn't get enough good nutrients, it was that they had come from backgrounds where it was very common multi-generationally and it left it's impression on them. But public health standards greatly improved for a while (privations as bad as that weren't seen again until severe rationing in the Second World War, which technically, as far as British ration books went, only ended in 1953)
And no matter what is said on this matter, class gave a lot of richer people a 'free pass' unofficially in the world wars, at avoiding the privations most would. It's a tale as old as time of course. Money walks. Rich people could just bypass the rationing through their own connections and ability to bribe or pay at high rates.
Meanwhile, in strictly working class communities, there was literally a phenomenon called, 'rationbook santas' where Santa Claus (or the man dressing up should we say, as that figure), were blatantly skinny men who were swallowed by their outfit. But because they were so thin and made even thinner by their hard work going hand in hand with rationing, they were some of the skinniest Santa impersonators ever to exist in the world.
It took quite some time for British surpluses of food to recover and for the exact opposite problem to emerge; obesity problems.
@@ThePalaeontologist The most significant evidence of nutritional deprivation in WW1 was the physical difference between British and Commonwealth soldiers, commented on by many commentators. As you rightly point out though it would have been different for the well off, hence many officers were reasonably fit.
what i thought was, no fat people.most of the guys were slim, and and some were real short.
They were bloody by Boers at Spion kop
Look at it this way everyone you see there has been dead for many many years .
i wonder if this is Preston Barracks?
I think it's Fulwood, yes
Does the building shown still exist?
@@gazza9463
Some of Fulwood Barracks still exists. Or at least it did until very recently.
@@gazza9463
Just googled it. It's still operational as HQ Duke of Lancaster's Regt.
Hope that helps.
Right!Who is up for some square bashing?
Er…Sergeant Major may i be excused? I have piano lessons!
Piano lessons?! Alright off you go then.
Anyone else got better things to do than bashing the square?
Er…. Sergeant Major i have ballet lessons!
Ballet lessons?!Right off you go then!
Anyone else?
Er Sergeant Major…..
They are all so short
Average male height in UK... then...I am told was about 5ft 6inches....nutrition!!
@@kentimmins9171 yes I think I heard it was shorter. You think of these men as herculean giz6nts fighting off the hordes of barbarians who formed the empire.
Drill very bad, probably TA. Cannot reconise it as Fulwood Barracks. Maybe In transit at Aldershot
It is billed as them returning from the War. So they had spent a couple of years of hard campaigning, followed by a long sea voyage on a cramped troop ship, followed by a long train journey to Lancashire. May explain the missing hats and the lack of enthusiasm for getting their knees up when marking time!
The TA was not formed until 1908. As a volunteer battalion, they would have been formed from the various militia and volunteer battalions that were raised in the Regiments recruiting area, together with drafts of men from the regular battalions and depot.
Still, they had just come back from a rather hard war, and were, despite the lamentable weakness in their foot drill, real soldiers.
When men were men.... what's wrong with today's generation?
The proud British, professional soldiers, were unable to defeat the Boers( farmers) in a military battle so, after a number of failures, they resorted to urban TERROR ; destroying the Boer's farms, killing livestock, poising dams and taking captive their wives and children, to a CONCENTARTION CAMP in Cape Town, some 600 miles from the front. There, about 30,000 women and children DIED. Probably where Hitler got the idea from. If you dont believe this, research it ( discount British info) ; even today, in Cape Town there is a monument to depict this brutality against DEFENCELESS women and children; "Lest we forget." Also, the British had little interest in South Africa UNTIL the Boers discovered GOLD and DIAMONDS ; in classic British colonialism they went in for the KILL on the PRETEXT of 'freeing the Black slaves'. Ironically, the Blacks were worse off under the upper crust British used to having many SERVANTS. Like in India, after conquering it, brutally, all Indians had to refer to the British as SAHIB ; meaning MASTER.
Ask the British ;'were you racists?: Answer ; 'Off course not. We went to protect ( ie British Protectorate) them and improve life styles."
Protect them them from what? They already had good, for them, lifestyles.
As usual, the British politicians/merchants/leaders were to blame, not the ordinary soldiers.
Now, did you know why, in China, the Boxer rebellion occurred? Read about it and see that the British tried to make all Chinese into drug addicts ; they made billions of pounds selling opium as they had full control of the DRUG trade. They stabbed China in the back ; SOP .
No wonder they were so hated across their PROTECTORATES.
Ironically the UK is swamped with South African expats now
Well not swamped but you get my drift
Sloppy.