what would a BEF Soldier carry in august of 1914 in france.

airtruck63chev

airtruck63chev

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Irish Guards in france just as they were reformed in aug - sept 1914

Great Great Grandfather part of recon group in france died of wounds and would like to find rifle similar to what he was issued as part of tribute

any info as what rifle would be appreciated , have found lots of info on battles and where he was laid to rest, but not much on kit. Could have been marksman as he

was orginally a gameskeeper.
 
However, there were other patterns of short rifles issued beside the SMLE Mk. III. There were CLMLEs issued as well.
I would assume that a units like a Guards Regiment would have received the most up to date issue, which would have been the SMLE Mk. III.
 
Kipling's history of the Irish Guards is a good read.

1st Battalion Irish Guards preparing to leave Wellington Barracks for France.
24deflk.jpg
 
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tiriaq said:
However, there were other patterns of short rifles issued beside the SMLE Mk. III. There were CLMLEs issued as well.
I would assume that a units like a Guards Regiment would have received the most up to date issue, which would have been the SMLE Mk. III.
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The BEF would have been issued with the MkIII. Territorials would have had the earlier marks of SMLE and CLLE.
 
Web gear would have been the latest type: Pattern 1908.

Underwear, 2 prs socks, spare shirt, singlet, housewife.

Rifle would have had Pattern 1908 sling (as in photo), cleaning gear in Butt Trap. You carried spare 4x2s in your pack. Canteen and carrier, bayonet (Pattern 1907, likely with the hooked quillion ground off, else the latest type (w/o hook), frog, web belt. Shaving gear in pack. Towel.

It's all in INFANTRY REGULATIONS - 1908 as amended 1914. I'll look it up.
 
In 1914, Irish Guards in particular, you would be looing for a non-refurb No.1MkIII made between 1908 and 1914 with volley sights installed. Or possible a No.1 Con'd IV or an earlier SMLE MkI, though that would be more uncommon.
 
Ghillie's (gaelic for "gameskeeper's") would have been more accustomed with taking the uppercrust out fouling/birding (dogs and shotguns). Depending on where in Britain he's from, there were still "Red Stag" to be hunted but this would have cost an astronomical amount of coin and would have been a rarity at the turn of the last century.

A Ghillie was a trusted farmhand type of individual, who was well acclimatized to outdoor activity and were skilled trackers/hunters. Sniper like marksmanship was not a prerequisite, but fidelity to the landowner certainly was.

I also have a Ghillie relative way back several generations.;)
 
Andy said:
Do you have what's available of his official military record?
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have most of his records but it took many trips over and lots of requests, can try and scan and post some of his papers

have pictures too of the house he lived (still stands) on the castle grounds , story goes the Lord rounded up all the men from his grounds and off they went.

he was a gamekeeper at Park Lodge in Vinginia County Cavan Ireland.
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Steppenwolf said:
Kipling's history of the Irish Guards is a good read.

1st Battalion Irish Guards preparing to leave Wellington Barracks for France.
24deflk.jpg
Click to expand...

Was it not the Irish Guards that Kipling's son served with and was subsequently killed in France with? I was reading a bit about his propaganda works during the war, and IIRC the man pulled strings to get his boy enlisted by friends in the Guards after initially failing the medical exam. He spent time in France/Belgium during the conflict trying to find the graves of first his friend's fallen son followed by his own.
 
well looks like i have a few years to setup my 100yr tribute because in 1917 everybody seems to write the 7's like 4's, upon further review of all the docs he died closer to the end of the war in 28th day of 8th month of the year 1918 , he joined in 1915 at the age of 35 and did 3 tours to the front
 
airtruck63chev said:
well looks like i have a few years to setup my 100yr tribute because in 1917 everybody seems to write the 7's like 4's, upon further review of all the docs he died closer to the end of the war in 28th day of 8th month of the year 1918 , he joined in 1915 at the age of 35 and did 3 tours to the front
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So close to the end. Two of my great grandfathers were there as well, though they started out carrying a Ross. Both gassed, one would recover, the other never got over the resulting respiratory ailments but held out until about 1930 before passing.
 
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