In his own words:
"To explain , a friend of mine found an envelope in an old filing cabinet which contained some 80 photographs of Lighthorsemen and various scenes which were very obviously taken during the desert campaigns of the Lighthorse during WWI. There was no identification of the individual involved, no unit or personal detail at all just some pencilled notations on the back of some of the photos.
With the help of Steve, Bill , Geoff and others of the forum we managed to identify the unit as 7th LH and through various clues within the photos eventually put most of them into a rough date order and Eventually in fact have found an individual who, I believe, is most probably the man who took the photos.
This particular one is one of the most difficult to identify or fit within the series. The troops shown are definitely foreign troops and various suggestions have been made as to their identity few of which , if any, fit within the known history or sequence of service of either the man or his unit.
Appreciate your interest as said and would certainly welcome any input from a wider knowledge base"
The photo is shown here, along with a zoom.
It certainly seems to be an event of some significance - in the distance at middle the band can be seen facing towards the camera, with a group of Australian soldiers at right observing. I like the old ladies at far right, who appear to be clapping or raising their arms.
So comment away!
The photo is shown here, along with a zoom.
It certainly seems to be an event of some significance - in the distance at middle the band can be seen facing towards the camera, with a group of Australian soldiers at right observing. I like the old ladies at far right, who appear to be clapping or raising their arms.
So comment away!
2 comments:
Matt
G'day mate
I have posted my comments regarding these pix at this address:
http://tinyurl.com/5u3eok
I suspect it is a Greek formation in Turkey during the occupation although I originally opined that it might be in Thrace around the Salonika area. Of course, there was a substantial Greek population in western Anatolia around Smyrna prior to the early version of ethnic cleansing. Some 17,000 km2 was under Greek control after the Turkish surrender. I suspect that this is where the pic was taken.
As for the Italians, they were better dressed Bersiglieri who fought as part of a
composite brigade along with the French during Gaza 3. They were also there when Allenby formally took over Jerusalem.
The "Distaccamento Italiano di Palestina" or Italian Detachment was created on 1 July 1917, just in time for the new financial year. The first commander was Lieutenant-Colonel Francesco D'Agostino, from the Bersaglieri. The formation he commanded included the following units:
1. Headquarters formation;
2. One company of Royal Carabinieri;
3. One company of Bersaglieri;
4. One company of Cacciatori; and,
5. One platoon of mounted Carabinieri;
Here is a pic of a Bersaglieri company training for an attack on the Turks. The pic was taken in December 1917.
http://tinyurl.com/5f2dq3
This is a pic of the podium and you can clearly see Lieutenant-Colonel Francesco D'Agostino among the official party:
http://tinyurl.com/5ae7m6
This is a close up of the fellow:
http://tinyurl.com/57b3jj
Apart from the Italians, the French maintained a nominal force of a cavalry regiment to keep an eye on British compliance with Sykes Picot. Initially it was bound with the Italians in a Composite Brigade but in July 1918 was attached to the 5th Australian Light Horse Brigade and consequently rode all the way to Damascus.
Cheers
Bill
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