Uniforms
Notes
regarding the Odell's uniforms: Bert Odell died in 1979, at the age of
93, and his clothes were either thrown away or sent to charity, and ended up in the
dustbin. Rescued, however, by the dustmen, and sold for a few pence to a local
antique shop. My keen eyed Mother who was visiting the shop, knowing that I
was keen on militaria, bought them 'unopened' and soaking wet in an old sack for
£5.
The
sack contained: 4 jackets, 5 trousers, 3 hats, 2 whistles, 2 puttees (non matching), 1 map
case, French money, worn pencils, and a shorthand note depicting telegraph poles. Lastly 2
pr long officers riding boots.
I
found a name in one pair of trousers, A.E.Odell, and obviously the MC+Bar ribbon on two of
the jackets.
For
20 years I owned them, knowing nothing more about the man. One day I simply decided that I
could not -not know, and I started the research that you see here.
It
turns out that two of the uniforms are Bert's, and the other two are his brother George's
who was also Royal Engineers, in the 'L' Signals Battalion, who built and administered the
third army telephone network. A Great War version of the G.P.O.
Better
full uniform pictures coming shortly, digital camera willing.
