Could someone please offer an opinion on what they think that letters in the signature may be as that should help to solve this mystery? Are the initials I.T.E. or H.E. or something different? Is the first letter of the surname an L or a P or something else? Are the two identical letters in the middle of the surname the letter double L or does the horizontal stroke that runs the entire length of the surname, make them double T?. I have tried searching the 1944 Army List for the following names which all exist, but none seem to match. Latten, Lattin, Lattey, Patten, Pattin, Patton, Pallen, Pallin, Pallent, Gatten, Gatton, The closest match that I have found is an E. Pallent of the Suffolk Regiment but I am not convinced that he is the man.
K C Gallis (K C Gall??) No certainty about any of it, the last letter(s) of family/surname especially. Stick with it, you'll crack it eventually. Kind regards, always, Jim.
There more than a few versions of this signature. I am wondering if the first letter of the surname might be an R and the two identical letters are in fact double L.
Tim, many thanks for the suggestion. Pally is a proper surname but it is not a common one, I cannot find any on the FreeBMD website with the initials I.T.C. I will look further. There is a Major Lucas John Ralli, (158125) Royal, Corps of Signals, who was awarded a M.I.D. for service in Burma but, I do not think that was him who owned the maps. Simon.
I think we have to wonder what that long horizontal line is supposed to be crossing (my guess being a capital T). In this example, both that and the long loop of the final y are more evident. An 'F' would seem to be the only other option.
Thank you for that. Fally is a proper surname but again, few few in number. I am of course looking only at the U.K. FreeBMD and the man that I am looking for may have been born abroad, perhaps in India, as many of the officers of Indian Regiments were. Tally also exists as a surname and is more common than Fally, but still not widespread.
This one has made me cross eyed (but not cross!) Last go from me for fear of muddying the waters further, and surmising that final flourish of pen (tail cut back to horizontal line) is a signature embellishment only. K.C. Pallin. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Jim, I have found a George Roland Alexander Pallin (118657) R.A.S.C. but no K.C. Pallin. I think that the double L in the middle of the surname narrows down the range of possible names considerably. I have searched for Pally, Polly, Pully, Pallley, Polley, Pulley, Tally, Tolley, Tully, Talley, Tolley, Tulley, Jally, Jolly, Jully, Pallen, Pallin, Pallun, Pollen, Tallen, Tollen, Tullen, Fally, Folly, Fully, Fallon, Rally, Rolly, and many more using the London Gazette, the 1944 Army List and a 1942 Indian Army list. I am not sure that the waters can get any muddier. Simon
Could be the first three letters of the surname are an elaborate T followed by an A then a W. Not sure about an ending but the surname "Tawn" may work. Some examples at Free BMD. Tried "Tatt" and "Patt" and variants without success. Good Luck !
HW, does it have to be a British officer? Possibly Indian? Opens up a whole new can of worms for you!! Lionboxer
LB, I have considered that he might have been Indian Army but there are so few Indian Army Lists on line, I have a downloaded copy of a 1942 one and have been through it with a fine tooth comb. Simon