Military Photographs & How to Date Them: Unlocking the Secrets of Your Family's Military History (Family History) - Softcover

Neil Storey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846741521 ISBN 13: 9781846741524

Publisher: Countryside Books, 2009

Synopsis

This fascinating book is packed with more than 230 evocative military photographs, including individual portraits, battalion ensemble shots and informal photos of military heroes from the past. Compiled by military and social historian Neil Story, it is both a riveting walk through history, looking at some extraordinary and compelling imagery, and a useful guide for anyone wishing to unlock the secrets of their ancestors' military past. 

Anyone who has come across an old military photograph in a family album will know that these pictures instantly stand out as different and distinctive. The sight of an ancestor in uniform stirs thoughts of what he or she did and where they served. However, because of the passage of time, or the reticence of many old soldiers, the family historian can be left with many frustrating puzzles to solve when faced with an unlabelled photograph.

But there are always clues. Here, author Neil Storey offers advice on identifying military uniforms, badges, insignia, ranks, medals and the equipment worn by our military ancestors. These items can provide a wealth of information about the person or people in the photograph and can lead to many new avenues of research.

The book covers Britain's military history from the 1870s to the 1940s, with chapters on Soldiers of the Queen, the Edwardian Soldier, the First World War, the Inter War Years, and the Second World War. Each chapter has an introduction, followed by a wide range of photographs showing a good cross-section from all the services, corps and line infantry, with helpful sections about how to interpret the clues revealed by uniform details.

CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: Soldiers and Sailors of the Queen; British Military Forces 1865-1900
• Chapter 2: The Edwardian Era 1901-1913 
• Chapter 3: The First World War 1914-1918
• Chapter 4: The Inter-War Years 1919-1938
• Chapter 5: The Second World War 1939-1945
  
• Appendix I: The 99 British Line Infantry Regiments in 1865
• Appendix II: County Designations of the Home Guard in the Second World War
• Select Bibliography
• Internet Resources
• Index 
  

About this title

About the Author

Neil Storey is a professional military and social historian. He has written and lectured on the interpretation of military photographs and memorabilia for many years and is a regular contributor to Family Tree and Practical Family History magazines.

Edition details

• Publisher: Countryside Books
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1846741521
• ISBN 13: 9781846741524
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192