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Opinions needed: Have I identified the soldier in this unnamed portrait?


RDUNE
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Hello all,

 

About a month ago I was in an antique shop in Bedford and picked up a nicely framed portrait for $20. I figured he was likely a local, maybe 116th. As soon as I got home I popped the back off and it's blank, no name. I started working through the available photos on findagrave for Bedford KIA's and might have found him. I've posted the portrait, the clipping from findagrave, and a reversed close up of the clipping. I feel like I've got a match but would appreciate the opinions of several other sets of eyes :)

 

Thanks

 

-Ryan

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It's tough to tell. The soldier in the portrait is smiling while the one in the clipping isn't, which could change some facial features. Like another member said, it if the clipping wasn't so unclear it would be easier to tell. To my eyes anyway, it seems the one in the clipping has a longer face than the portrait.

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plus old habits he wears his hat at a different angle... :) then again the other is reversed. I think its a maybe...his eye brows are the same, hair recedes in the same place, same squint in the eyes. chin looks the same to me..I give it a thumbs up JMO

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This is just my opinion of course but I believe it's an exact match. Personally, I can't find anything about the sets of pictures that would lead me to believe it's anyone other than the same person.

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Many thanks to all for providing opinions :)

 

I think my next step will be to get my hands on a high school annual from Bedford and hope he's in there. That image might be clearer and make a positive ID more likely.

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I believe it is mistaken to assume one of the photos is reversed.

 

The large tinted photo shows the "US" collar brass on the wearer's right side, which would be correct. The newspaper shows the SSI on the wearer's left shoulder, which also would be correct as the photo looks like a stateside, early war photo.

 

Comparisons of the hairline are being made with different sides of the head.

 

Scott

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Looking at physical similarities/differences is of course not very reliable in of itself, but in lieu of further clues it seems like you are on a good track to seek more examples for comparison.

 

I do not suppose the photo has a studio name on it? There are sometimes stamped in ink on the reverse, and sometimes embossed on the front (in a corner naturally).

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I believe it is mistaken to assume one of the photos is reversed.

 

The large tinted photo shows the "US" collar brass on the wearer's right side, which would be correct.

 

Scott

 

I agree with what you said, but would caution that some of these type photos tend to be so highly retouched that the 'US' collar disk is possibly even an addition. I have family images like this where the uniform was completely retouched to change the uniform and add patches, and I have even seen examples where it appears a photo of a uniform was added to a civilian portrait in order to have a 'photo' of the person in uniform. The only thing I would feel pretty certain about is the head/face.

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I am rooting for finding a match :) but his ears do not look like a match to me.....can you tell me how you connect the clippings to a KIA soldier from A/116, or Bedford...?

 

Also, there is no Floyd A. Burnette (name on the clipping) listed in the 29th ID morning reports-- if he was a KIA on 6 June there would most likely be an entry....there is a Floyd Burnett (sp) listed but he was in D/175th.

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I agree with what you said, but would caution that some of these type photos tend to be so highly retouched that the 'US' collar disk is possibly even an addition. I have family images like this where the uniform was completely retouched to change the uniform and add patches, and I have even seen examples where it appears a photo of a uniform was added to a civilian portrait in order to have a 'photo' of the person in uniform. The only thing I would feel pretty certain about is the head/face.

 

 

I know what you're talking about and have seen/ own images that are overly retouched and most details are obscured or created.

 

This particular example doesn't seem to be one of those.

 

Scott

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I am rooting for finding a match :) but his ears do not look like a match to me.....can you tell me how you connect the clippings to a KIA soldier from A/116, or Bedford...?

 

Also, there is no Floyd A. Burnette (name on the clipping) listed in the 29th ID morning reports-- if he was a KIA on 6 June there would most likely be an entry....there is a Floyd Burnett (sp) listed but he was in D/175th.

 

There is no 116 connection, or at least none that I've established yet. I was just hoping there would be when I picked it up. I started going through the Bedford KIA's listed in the Gold Star Honor Roll of Virginians in the Second World War book and checking the names against Findagrave looking for photos. Obviously not all of the names had a photo available but of the ones that did, Floyd Burnette looked the closest to the portrait, at least to me. There were a couple of others that looked vaguely similar but Burnette looked the most similar. And to be realistic, the soldier in the portrait might not have even been from Bedford, or KIA. He could have been from Roanoke, Lynchburg, Richmond, Tuscon... I just started with Bedford KIA's since that's where I found it. My plan is to call or ride out to the Bedford museum when they open today and see about an annual, and anything else they might be able to provide to solve this mystery :)

 

-Ryan

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Good Luck RDUNE. Hope you find something to confirm one way or another. If that portrait is Pfc Floyd A. Burnette, I'll eat my turkey, along with all the other fixin's. Looking forward to it.

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