WWII US Officer Identification (Southern England 1944)

Hi Dave,

This officer is not USAAF. The crossed rifles indicate infantry and the cap badge is a standard US Officer's badge.

His rank would be identified by the shoulder insignia which are not visible. There was no rank of Brigadier per se but there was Brigadier General or One Star General. That is not a star on his shoulder but something rather larger. I'm guessing at Captain but I could be way off there.

You could well be right about the overlord connection.

Hope this helps,

Jim Tennet (Curator)
Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Association
http://www.381st.com/

Dave ...

I am trying to identify the US officer in the attached UK Civil Defence group photo (and enlargement) from 1944, taken in Hampshire, and would welcome any assistance.   The cap badge is distinctive and seems to suggest a USAAF officer, with other details pointing to the rank of Brigadier ?
 
One possibility might be the 438th Troop Carrier Group, arising from the proximity of the scene location - Steventon near Basingstoke - which is less than 15 miles from Greenham Common, the nearest US HQ where the 438th was located at the time ?
 
The interest arises from my contact with the Civil Defence Association (www.civildefenceassociation.org.uk), and the possibility of a journal article on the photo, and so I am presently trying to identify the various senior officers present.   It has been suggested that the presence of a US officer may have been related to Operation Overlord (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord).   TIA.
 
Regards,
 
Dave (UK).
 
PS My personal interest is family-oriented, in that the William Asbury in the photo is my grandfather (Deputy Regional Commissioner for the Southern Region, 1942-45), and the photo was passed to me about 10 years ago without any further information after my Uncle died (Asbury's son, an RAF Flight Sergeant during WWII).

Just found another Infantry unit that was in the area, this time in December 1944, the 273rd Infantry Regiment of the 69th Infantry Division was at Oakridge Farm west of Basingstoke.

The Basingstoke Gazette plan to do a follow up article about Steventon Manor on the 22nd November 2010 and have asked me for information about my father, Frederick John Ridley  who is sitting in the front row 5 places in from the right of the picture.  He was a member of a unit of the Civil Defence but that's as much as I know apart from the fact that he was based in London throughout the blitz, then moved to Steventon Manor, attending Southampton and Portsmouth when they were being bombed day and night by the Germans.  I have only recently discovered there may have been more to Steventon Manor than at first appears to be the case and in fact it may have been related to planning or perhaps the aftermath of D-Day, maybe if things had not had gone as planned but I am only guessing here.  It would seem to fit in with why there were both British and American service personnel based in the same facility.  My late father actually met and later married my mother who was in service as Ladies maid to the Lady of the Manor who still occupied part of the building at that time.  Its quite sometime to know that many of the people in this photo probably attended their wedding reception, I know this because my father referred to them when celebrating his golden wedding anniversary to my mother at Steventon Church some years ago.  Steventon is where Jane Austin was born and spent her childhood, her father was Rector of the Steventon Church which is over 800 years old and is next to the manor.  Both my parents ashes are interred in the grounds of the church, I am extremely proud of both my parents and the part they played in fighting for the freedoms we take for granted nowadays.