Interesting photo - any ideas?

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

Hiya chaps,

Got this great photo a while back and wondered what people think about it. He's rather SAS-like - wearing Trousers Parachutists, binos, looks like semi-auto pistol in holster, no rank insignia, Pegasus patches, poss Royal Welch Fusiliers cap badge and black back flash? Maybe 6th battalion Para Regt?

Jack.

[Mons 1914]

Great Photo Jack,

He has a Medal ribbon, which one I can't tell! could be IGS 1937-39 pre war or just the 1939-45 Star, Can't see any Officers Pips, could well be a Fusiliers Cap Badge.

Scott

[Diocles]

Sorry Jack, can't resist. Does anybody know Bruce Forsythes service history? Adam

[Adrian Stevenson]

Nice pic Jack. The Jeep is not an Airborne modified one though.

Cheers, Ade.

[SHEARING-CROSS]

Hiya ,not that this will help Jack ,but ?? a lot of the( few ) para photos i have seen showing the pants being worn were infact the welch batt: ?
michael.
JUST LOOKED AGAIN directly under his right elbow running left to right is that the hilt of a fairburn ???

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Mike, looks like the binos to me.

Cheers, Ade.

[SHEARING-CROSS]

Hiya AIDE yep can see that now !

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

Thanks for the comments guys, it's a big help

[JONNY P]

I'd go with SAS or failing that 6th Parachute Battalion. Cap badge looks enough like RWF to be logicaly combined with what looks like a collar flash. Clothing set up looks like typical SAS, I'd say medal ribbon was an Africa Star. Interesting question is why the cap badge? I'd conjecture SAS member giving it individualism in the field as they seemed generally more pre-disposed to doing thei own thing than a member of a regular Parachute Battalion where I'd also expect to see shoulder titles.

[DJT]

I see nothing to indicate he could be SAS.

[John Wright]

In trying to date the picture have reached the following taken somtime after May 1943 date Africa Star announced and before the issue of the Para Regt. cap badge to 6th(Royal Welch) Batt.have no idea when that was but do have a picture of Frost wearing his Cameronians badge in 43 when he received his DSO from Eisenhower.
This dates it mid 1943 either Sicily or Italy.

John

[JONNY P]

I see nothing to indicate he could be SAS.

I see as much to indicate he could be SAS as could indicate he could be anything else. There is no obvious rank insignia on his shoulders, nor a shoulder title, so nothing that screams officer in regular parachute battalion, though you can't tell whether he's wearing a collar and tie or just has his BD open. Non-Parachute Regiment beret badge on what appears to be a maroon beret, combined with Pegasus patches, side-arm, parachute trousers and very 'European' as opposed to UK setting says possible SAS to me, though again why the RWF cap-badge. Lack of obvious SAS things like wings could be explained in a number of ways. It's one of those cases where it seems easier to say what he isn't rather than what he is, he is presumably one or the other and I'm 50/50 more because I'm not 100% convinced he's 6th parachute Bn. than because I think 100% he's SAS.

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

Johnny, there's lots of evidence to suggest that men of the Parachute Regiment didn't always wear Parachute Regiment insignia even after its introduction.

Until the Parachute Regiment cap badge was introduced in May 1943, the 6th Battalion wore the RWF cap badge. The 6th were formed from the 10th RWF in November 1942.

Jack.

[DJT]

Jonny,

Forget the man and look at the vehicle. That's not what an SAS man would have been driving.