Approximate date of photo?

[Bay Horse]

I haven't a clue who this gentleman is, but he appears he was quite close to a member of my family - possibly. I'm intrigued.

WW2?

There don't appear to be any badges to identify him either - or a flag on the flagpole he's leaning against.

 

[Bay Horse]

And the reverse.

You can see how this stood out.

 

[AnnB]

Bit of a pose isn't it And Monkey Face

I would have thought WW2, I thought he had a fancy belt holding his trousers up, but I think it might be his braces which have been utilised as a belt.

Any relatives with the initials H. H.?

 

[Archie's Mum]

I don’t think he is very old, maybe mid to late teens.

 

[arthurk]

I'm not an expert, but as far as it's possible to tell from a B&W photo, the colour of the shirt reminds me of some WW2 RAF photos I've seen. Or possibly RAAF? - I seem to remember reading their shirts were darker than the British ones, and it was an Aussie I was researching at the time. (But I might be wrong.)

 

[Bay Horse]

Any relatives with the initials H. H.?

Not that I can immediately think of, Ann. It could even be a pet name.

I'm not an expert, but as far as it's possible to tell from a B&W photo, the colour of the shirt reminds me of some WW2 RAF photos I've seen. Or possibly RAAF?

Yes, I think you could be right, Arthur.

 

[Ma-dotcom]

He reminded me at once of a dancer. perhaps part of an entertainment troop?

 

[Archie's Mum]

RAAF dress shirts were light blue.
I think he is an apprentice maybe especially when you take in the way his pants are held up.

 

[Archie's Mum]

Those belt keepers are rather large. Double pleated pants. I’m thinking 40s blue collar worker.

 

[MollyMay]

He is leaning on a flag pole, with a single storey building behind, with some sort of contraption leaning up against the wall, could that be farming related? He looks tall in comparison to the building. Can you tell if he is wearing boots or shoes? I wonder if he is wearing a 'bib and brace' the trousers do seem to come an awfully long way up (I know around the 40's the trousers were highwaisted but these seem too high) and what is around his middle is the bib and the braces, the bib folded down and the straps then holding them up.

 

[Archie's Mum]

I think that’s his shirt all wrinkled up around his middle.
Do bib and brace have belt keepers?

 

[MollyMay]

Pardon the ignorance but what is a belt keeper?

 

[Archie's Mum]

The little tabs that hold the belt in place. You thread the belt through them.
Or loops...

 

[MollyMay]

The little tabs that hold the belt in place. You thread the belt through them.

I thought that is what they might be - never heard them called that - belt loops here.
Back to your question, I think they did.

 

[Archie's Mum]

One thing for certain. Unless it was a weekend, he wasn’t the local bank manager. But he still looks quite young.

 

[MollyMay]

I am thinking more agricultural worker than military (but I could be way off the mark), nice looking young lad with curly hair.

 

[Archie's Mum]

I think he is looking down at the camera which makes him look tall. Perhaps he’s on a platform or porch of some kind . I don’t know why but I keep coming back to the thought it might be a railway station.

 

[arthurk]

A few more thoughts:

Are the trousers about 4 sizes too big, or just a baggy high-waisted style? They're in good condition, which suggests they haven't been worn for manual work for any great length of time, if at all.

Chap is wearing a wrist watch - would a manual/agricultural worker? He also looks as though he has a ring on the 3rd finger of his right hand.

Off to the left - there looks to be the top of one of those angled concrete posts that they sometimes use for barbed wire etc round a secure area. Just next to it I think there might be coils of barbed wire.

So could this be a POW camp? Or maybe just a military base?

 

[Archie's Mum]

Wedding ring right hand, could be European. My Aunt married a Dutch fellow and wore her rings on her right hand.
The pants fit quite well around the waist, just baggy legs as was the fashion then. They look newish but the shirt isn’t. Nor is it pressed well if he was in the military. The watch. My Dad was a boiler maker and always wore one when at work. He would be about the same age as my Dad. Maybe a bit younger.

 

[Bay Horse]

Wow. You have all noticed far more than me. You're good.

Arthur, my dad was a guard at a PoW camp early post-war - he was given a compassionate transfer from his overseas regiment as his mother was unwell. That's possibly taken it in a different direction.

Dutch... there is a link with Holland in the fifties.

As an aside, AM, I call those 'keepers' too.

"H.H." I can't think who that might be.