Postcard 72
Who are these men? Can you identify any of them?
Front
Seven soldiers pose in front of a tent.
Back
No markings.
Transcription
Blank.
Commentary
I do not know who sent this to Elsie nor when. The duffle bags in the photos are printed with 1914. They are also printed with DAC and NZFA. Divisional Ammunition Column, New Zealand Field Artillery. When I looked more closely at the photo I realised one of the bags is at the right angle to reveal a name. S Clunies-Ross. A search of the Cenotaph database leads me to think the name is actually D. S. Clunies-Ross. I couldn’t believe my luck at it being a more unusual name. Duncan Selby Clunies-Ross was born on 29 July 1895 to John Duncan and Annie Clunies-Ross. Duncan Selby was the fifth of eight children. He died in 1978.
I don’t think Duncan was the sender of the card and there is nothing further from him in the collection. It must have been sent to Elsie by one of the other men on the card, but who are they?
Dear Elsie 
A really great photo.
They are wearing the peaked felt hat (lemon squeezer) in circa September 1914. This shows that the Wellington Infantry Regiment were not the only unit to wear the peaked felt hat in New Zealand before embarkation.
Barry
Thanks Barry. You know you’ve made me think. Clunies-Ross came from the South Island, so possibly one of the men is one of her cousins from Canterbury.
Duncan Selby Clunies-Ross was my great Uncle (Selby) and lived out his later years in Marlborough, mostly Grovetown.
Oh wow, thank you for letting me know. Is he one of the men in the photo?
He is not the one standing behind the bag but possibly the next one in. I would love a jpg copy of this image for my family tree collection if at all possible, please.
Yes absolutely. I’ll get one to you later this week.
Thanks, discussed this and he is the one in the middle behind the bugler. Here he is as a youngster, once again in the middle https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152410723616449&set=a.10152243780976449.1073741833.672461448&type=3&theater
This is Selby about 1972 in the dark clothing, he wasn’t around for much longer, must check his death date. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152218917366449&set=a.10150139349336449.316506.672461448&type=3&theater
Thank you so much for sharing those. I have so many unidentified soldiers it is great to be able to put a name to one. I’ll also have a look to see if he appears in any other photos. From the bdm site I have his death date as 13 June 1978.
I showed some other family and we are now also convinced the 2nd in from the right is Selby’s btother John. My gramdfather, what an awesome sight to see. I wonder if others are also from Blenheim.
Elsie was from Longburn. Most of the men she corresponded with had some connection with the Manawatu area. I would guess one of the men in the photo is one of her correspondents but I don’t know which one. The men I’ve identified who wrote to her are listed on this page: http://wp.me/p3rlQy-je I have photos of some but not all of them.
Will get back with some more details soon.
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