TOPIC:

The attached photo was taken in front of the Town Hall at Eastbourne. The names of some of the shops suggest a date in the early 1900s. Can anyone pse identify them from their uniforms? It has been suggested that they may have returned from the Boar War. There is a memorial to the Royal Sussex in the town that indicates service in the 2nd Boar War but I don't know whether troops would have been recruited locally. Thanks in advance for any leads.

The uniforms look like Imperial Yeomanry......

Mike

Interesting picture - a very rag tag bunch, different tunics, hats, some with cravats. More a return parade than a departure send off.

The officer is wearing a black armband which suggests a date of January/February 1901, Queen Victoria died 22 January 1901 and officers wore black armbands in mourning.

Have you checked the local papers?

Thanks for the helpful replies. Not been able to go through the papers - alas, they are not indexed. Someone gave a date in Jan 1900 and I will check when I'm next in town and obviously report back. SWB mentions a return parade: was this something that happened regularly? How about the (presumably officer's) helmet at the front? A local directory shows 2nd Sussex Artillery Volunteers at the Drill Hall and I've seen other local photos of men thus helmeted (but black helmets) firing artillery. And how about the floppy hats? Would these have been worn by men normally in the UK? Do we know whether some of these volunteer units went to South Africa? The upright man in the centre seems to be wearing a dog collar - padre? Once again, very many thanks to all for sharing their knowledge.
SBTS

Return parades were popular - in the background to the right you can see uniforms of an army/volunteer unit which may be a band or just an honour guard.

These men could by IY or infantry volunteers/militia (Royal Sussex Rgt), I don't believe the Sussex Artillery Volunteers went out as a unit.

The officer's hat is standard issue for all arms.

The slouch hats were worn as uniform by IY and soon adopted up by all arms.

The chap with the "dog collar" is not a padre but just wearing a type of tunic with a short collar and a tall shirt collar, his hat looks to be the stetson worn by Canadian units and the South African Constabulary, again he could have acquired it because he liked it.

Let us know how you get on with the newspapers.

Thanks all round ... I'll certainly report back with anything that I find out.
SBTS