Research

Can you help ID this man’s unit?

I have recently been asked to identify the unit that this Canadian sergeant served with and I am wondering if any of our visitors can help.

It seems that he is wearing a Boer War issue forage cap and the badge indicates he was with the “10th”. The photo was taken at a studio in Toronto, where the man lived, probably between 1903 and 1914. Any guesses as to which unit he was with?

David Fuller

PS: I have since learned that this fellow, A.J. Smith, was a member of the 10th Regiment Royal Grenadiers. His son, William J. Smith was the founder of the Toronto Baseball Association (1913) and the Ontario Baseball Association (1918). William donated a trophy to the TBA in honour of his father. The feature image for this post is a comparison of this photo, restored and colourized, with the original.

Here is the full size version for closer viewing.

David Fuller

Writer, historian and baseball guy. Also managing editor of the branch magazine, The Maple Leaf

One thought on “Can you help ID this man’s unit?

  • No sooner did I post this, than I found the unit. It’s the 10th Royal Grenadiers (Toronto), now perpetuated as The Royal Regiment of Canada. Because of the cap badge showing he was with the 10th (and the photo studio only opened in 1903), it dates the photo to between 1903 and 1914, when it became the 123rd Battalion, CEF.

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