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UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

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devonliz
Posts: 60
Joined: 13 Jun 2020, 20:31

UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

Post by devonliz »

My grandfather was a medical student at Queen's University, Belfast, in 1913. He joined the University OTC in 1914 and was then sent (August 1915) to report to Dublin - at first to Trinity College, and then 'direct to unit' with the King's Liverpool Regiment.
This photo has no photographer's name on it. It was clearly intended to commemorate the end of a course, so I assumed that it was taken at QUB.
On the other hand, all the (extremely) young men have different cap badges, which suggests that they had already been assigned to their regiments, so perhaps it was taken in TCD?
Can anyone suggest where this group was assembled?
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IMG_0413 a.jpg (981.18 KiB) Viewed 2568 times
VALLMO9
Posts: 757
Joined: 13 Jun 2020, 21:28

Re: UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

Post by VALLMO9 »

Based on the "PHYSIOLOGY" entrance door they are gathered in front of, the location is Trinity College, Dublin. There are modern day photos of TCD Physiology students stood in front of the same door on Internet.
devonliz
Posts: 60
Joined: 13 Jun 2020, 20:31

Re: UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

Post by devonliz »

Thank you! I have visited TCD as a tourist but never found this building. I wonder if these were all The Queen’s contingent just as they went to their various units.
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AdrianBruce
Posts: 358
Joined: 14 Jun 2020, 18:57
Location: South Cheshire

Re: UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

Post by AdrianBruce »

Well, the first row are mostly not "(extremely) young men". Looking at the rank badges on the cuffs, in the middle of the front row is a "3-ringer" (a major); to (our) right, I can't quite count the rings and then to (our) right again, it looks like two pips and one ring (a lieutenant). Most of the rest are single pip & single ring (second lieutenants) - and I presume this means that they have completed their training because they have been commissioned as second lieutenants. I'd take a wild guess that the older guys on the front row are the senior members running the OTC.

I know that from 1916 on, trainee officers went through the stage of being Officer Cadets (in Officer Cadet Units, which they were in after they'd been in any OTCs), when they wore a light band around their caps. Presumably they removed the cap bands when they were commissioned as officers. But what the pre-1916 situation was, I'm not sure.

See https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldier ... 1914-1918/

So if this is about the OTC and it's post-1916, then I suspect that these are guys who've completed their Officer Cadet training elsewhere (there was one OCU in Ireland and that was in Co. Cork, according the to link above) and have returned to the OTC for a ceremonial photo... Pre-1916 I'm not sure how it works.
Adrian Bruce
devonliz
Posts: 60
Joined: 13 Jun 2020, 20:31

Re: UOTC - Belfast or Dublin?

Post by devonliz »

Thanks Adrian - I should have said that even the men in the front row - the staff - seemed pretty young.

I am pretty sure that this can't be any later than August 1915 as my grandfather was in the Sinai within a few weeks of starting.
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