Mouseover faces of the men below in the above photo.
Back row -
5th from left (C.T. Jones)
Middle row -
2nd from left (R.J. Miller)
Front row -
1st from left (A.C.F. Dann)
2nd from left (J.A. Bates)
Very little is known about the above photo. Gunner Jones (back row, 3rd from right) has been identified by his great grandson, Paul Jones. As Gunner Jones was listed on the active list between 1889 and 18941 and moustaches without beards were only allowed from March 18922, then the photo would have been taken after Mach 1892. We believe that the photo shows officers from both the permanent Naval Force and the part-time Naval Brigade.
John Wilkins, who is very knowledgable on Victoria's colonial navy, points out that Admiralty Dress Regulations 1891 removed buttons from the cuff lace. Given the time allowed to comply with regulation changes and that some of the officers (e.g. front row 1st from left & middle row 3rd from left) still have buttons with their lace, this would suggest a date of June 1892.
Peter Williams, who has a fantastic knowledge of the Victorian Navy, has identified two men in the above photo. Friends of the Cerberus is very grateful to Peter for sharing this information with us.
We would naturally like to learn the identity of any of the other officers.
As this photo also appears opposite page 151 in the book Deeds not Words by Wilson P. Evans, it is possible that some copies of this book might have had names hand written next to the photo similar to what was the case with C.T. Jones. Please tell us if you know of such a marked copy.
1Victorian Defence Forces Lists 2The Argus, 19 March 1892
