Picture of Soldier in uniform - is the WWI?

[stratasfan]

Picked this photograph up some years ago and it has been in my desk drawer ever since! Would love to know if this is a WWI soldier. I am not good enough to tell by the uniform, though, so I thought I'd post it and see what some on here can tell. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Blacksmith]

Sure looks like WWI to me. Can just see a shoulder sleeve insignia on his left shoulder, and maybe overseas bars / chevrons on his left lower sleeve?

 

Smarter WWI uniform folks will be along shortly. Cool picture, I love the dog.

[Dogsbody]

I'm no expert but this sure looks like a WW1 uniform. If you look at the cover of this book by Ken Lewis ( of Norman D Landing fame) you see at the left a WW1 uniform. But more experienced forum members can probably tell you more. Ken..........?

 

 

Rene

 

 

[doyler]

Definately WW1

[stratasfan]

Here, I got a closer pic, maybe you can see more! Also a pic of the back. He wrote a note in German and it must have been taken Sept 1919.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for the help! I always assumed he was German, but then when I looked at it again, I thought his uniform looked US.

[SFC]

Hi Stratasfan

This is not German,it's Danish,

Translation.

 

Dear Paul

Congratulation with the 26th September 1919

love your mom.

Henrik

[unclegrumpy]

SFC...could he be a Norwegian as well? Also, while we don't know what the significance is for September 26, does it read like a Birthday greeting to you?

[SFC]

Unclegrumpy

He could be, but I don't think so ,despite our language is very close. I think it's a birthday greeting to him from his mother.

The 26th of September was/is the birthday of our King Christian X 1870-1947.

[unclegrumpy]

Thanks SFC...I thought it read like a birthday greeting, but having it also the King's birthday is a really interesting and neat possibility...one none of us would have ever considered!

[stratasfan]

That is so super cool! Thanks so much! VERY cool that it is Danish. I always thought it was German. Boy, would I love to find a Norwegian one! Anything Norway . . . Denmark is really cool, soo. Thanks so much again!

[Lsparks]

Under his divisional patch is a discharge chevron. Soldiers in the era were allowed to wear the uniform after discharge as long as they wanted, as long as they had that chevron.

 

Under that are TWO service hashes, each indicating 6 months.

 

We can't see the other side, but Chevrons low on the right would be wound badges, one stripe for each INSTANCE of wounding. So if you received 3 bullet wounds at one time, you got a stripe. If you then received shrapnel and a bullet later, another stripe.

His rank insignia (about the elbow on the right arm) is also hidden if he had one.

 

 

Here, I got a closer pic, maybe you can see more! Also a pic of the back. He wrote a note in German and it must have been taken Sept 1919.

 

WWI Soldier Pic 3f.JPG

 

WWI Soldier pic 2f.JPG

 

Thanks so much for the help! I always assumed he was German, but then when I looked at it again, I thought his uniform looked US.

 

[stratasfan]

Oh, thanks for the patch info! I never knew about wound stripes before. I am assuming they had done away with that by WWII? How interesting! Amazing what you can tell from a simple picture! As always, thanks a ton!

[doyler]

Unclegrumpy

He could be, but I don't think so ,despite our language is very close. I think it's a birthday greeting to him from his mother.

The 26th of September was/is the birthday of our King Christian X 1870-1947.

 

May have also been the soldiers birthday as well that coincided with the King?