A superb sepia studio-portrait

of a British officer in 

The Somerset Light Infantry

set in a large 

Royal Flying Corps Propeller Tip frame

c. 1914-1917.

Raised in 1865 

The Somerset Light Infantry was one of

9 Regiments of Foot recruited by James II

in response to the Monmouth (or 'Pitchfork') Rebellion

when Charles II's illegitimate son landed at Lyme Regis in Dorset

with a small army, 

intent on overthrowing the Catholic King James.

In succeeding years it fought in

The 9 Years War, The War of Spanish Succession,

The Anglo-Spanish War and the Austrian War of Succession,

Coming forward into the 20th century,

it found itself as a 

Territorial Regiment

and known as 

Prince Albert's Somerset Light Infantry

when War was declared in 1914, set off for the Western Trenches

and as 18 Battalions fought at

Mons, Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Cambrai, Passchendale, 

Bapaume and The Menin Road

amongst many other battle honours.

(It also served  In Mesopotamia & Palestine..)

WW-II would see The Regiment serve in Europe again as a 

Airborne Forces

dropping on Normandy on D-Day 6th June 1944

and fighting in 

The Battle of The Bulge

in the Ardennes Forests of Belgium,

then taking part in the largest single day's airborne drop of WW-II in 

Operation Varsity on March 1945.

In 1959 The Regiment amalgamated with 

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 

to form

The Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry

Pictured in his WW-I service tunic & cap and wearing 

his Sam Browne belt with cross strap,

the sepia photo is set within a

large-size laminated wooden (Spruce?) propellor tip

measuring some 15" tall

and approx 10" across the base.

Beautifully made & presented,

(with just light wear a few scratches to the front surface)

this is a good looking and evocative souvenir of 

an Infantry Officer's service in The Great War.

 Thanks for looking..!