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Here is a photo of the soldier whose effects the jacket came from.


Here is his attestation. His first name was David. I have blanked his surname. His father was in the Royal Navy and with his Meditaranean looks it's tempting to speculate his father returned with a bride from one of the countries he visited.


An interesting photo. Does anyone spot anything in it that might might give a clue to its date?




There's another flash as well.

A-frame bergans, dunno what the SMG is, those choppers look early sixties? Tab or Got1 will know.

That flas looks like the Serb Army shooting team flash, but I could be wrong

SMG could be Australian Owen Mark 1.

Choppers early Wessex, Malaya perhaps!

Rover

Malaya was my first thought.

going back into the mists of time Malaya, the photograph of the 'Choppers', frame bergans,owen gun and looking closely at the photo I did detect the Le-Enfield MK 5 jungle carbine.I know that the SAS at that period were using frame bergan rucksacks,the helicopters 848 Naval Air Squadron entered the arena 1953 to 1956 and operated the Sikorsky S-55 and the Whirlwind Mk 1.
As for the formation patch there is nowt in the good book of formation patches 'Britain,Commonwealth and Empire,hope this snippet of info is of some use.
Aye jr

Harry - Wouldn't that be Croatian? I know it's a confused situation down there and that's probably what you meant!

Excuse my ignorance but whats the green lanyard for?

And is the medal ribbon a GSM one?

I would say that this was Malaya in the mid 1950's, looking at the troops I was wondering if they could be an Australian contingent. The lorry in background looks a bit like one of the WW2 three tonners. The Helicopters if I remember right are the Wessex type we did a lot of training on these in the 1950's

Goldie, the green lanyard is for 3 Para and the GSM could be for NI.

TomCat, I'm confused. Ref the lad in the picture, who is he?.
Is he a relative of the previous owner of the jacket? or the seller?.

got1 wrote:TomCat, I'm confused.

Now't new there then
That phot is fairly recent methinks.
GSM's as far as I know were not awarded for service in NI.
General Service Medals are awarded for a career of undiscovered crime,
Along with the Long Service Medal

Tab would know for sure

Wholley wrote:

got1 wrote:TomCat, I'm confused.

Now't new there then
That phot is fairly recent methinks.
GSM's as far as I know were not awarded for service in NI.
General Service Medals are awarded for a career of undiscovered crime,
Along with the Long Service Medal

Tab would know for sure

Bit in bold is wrong Wholley!

I agree that the photo of the para looks to be more modern, the green plastic belt he appears to be wearing is 80s issue. GSMs were awarded for NI service, and for Malaya too, so the medal is no great help.


T_T

The parafin budgies are deffo Westland Whirlwind mk 3. Mk 1 had single tail wheel for AFV recognition buffs.
I did think the smg was the Aussie Owen but the barrell looks too long and Jim`s right about the Enfield

MK 1 with three wheels



Mk 3 with four


First flight of mk 3 was in `59 so probable date of phot is early 60`s. Was the Owen still in use then?

Wholey, I earned my GSM and Bar and they were certainly not for undetected crime but for ducking bullets.
The BAR is for NI and medal was issued for Saudi Arabia, on the reverse it says For Campaign Service, not for undetected crime.

Now the oath was dated 1956, so the GSM could have been for Cyprus or Suez. The belt he wearing is a jungle green pattern that we where using in 1956/57 but we never had a walk out uniform like that in those days, as all you had was BD. so that picture of him would have been taken in the 1960's and by then he would not have been wearing the jungle green belt with that uniform.
Looking again at the pictures of the helicopters, are the troops there wearing soft hats and not berets. If this is the case could this be Borneo in the 1960's
Also the medal can't be for NI as the stripes are for pre 1960. The GSM pre 1960 had even size stripes on the ribbon the one afterwards had a bigger middle stripe and smaller ones on the out side of it.