16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) looking for info on old photo

[Steve Ashton]

This is also possible that a photographer came around or was brought in to take photos of the troops to send home. Those at home would not care or even notice the missing insignia but would look at the face.

So it was common for the photographers to have, or borrow, a few different sizes of kit and have the guys dress in their 'loaners' as it was also common that uniforms were not worn in hospital or for them to be issued new uniforms without insignia while awaiting shipment back to their units.

I remember a time on a Hospital ship where a photographer had a small studio and a rack of uniforms. If you wanted to send a nice photo home showing that you were still alive you would go see this person. The loaners they had were permanently fastened in front and cut up the back. This allowed the uniform to be put on over casts and bandages. A trick yes, but a way for a guy to send photo home without showing his wounds.

[Jock Scot]

I seem to remember my Grand Mother, who was a nurse on the Western front and back in England at various military hospitals during WW1 showing me pictures of some of the recovering casualties and they all had a very different uniform. Not at all like the "Battle Dress" of the time. I seem to recall that some of the pictures were in faded colour and the uniform was blue with a sort of white edging around the tunic, with trouser legs like normal trousers and not with puttees.

So yes, troops returning to the front after convalescence, must have had new uniforms handed out before leaving hospital and it stands to reason that Unit insignia, medal ribbons, badges of rank, etc., would not have been on individual tunics as they left the hospital.