Can anyone tell what how old they are based on the uniforms, etc?

6 comments

1. I’d say 1920s

2. Definitely not an expert on the subject, but I’m assuming the photos come from somewhere between May 15th 1919 and September 8th 1922. The “Ενθύμιον Φιλαδέλφεια” (A memoir [of] Filadelfia) is probably refering to the Filadelfia district of Izmir, Turkey. It was a district where many Greeks resided, before the mass destruction that forced them into the mainlands. In 1919 Izmir, as well as other towns and provinces mostly in Asia Minor, were passed on as greek soil, according to the Treaty of Sevrès (if I recall correctly). On May 15th, Greek soldiers arrived in Izmir as a law enforcement, basically, to better pass the idea that it’s now a Greek city, despite its diverse population. Long story short, the Turks weren’t very happy with that and the Greco-Turkish war (1919-1922) began. Eventually the Greeks lost, with Turkey taking back all of Asia Minor and almost all Greek soldiers had abandoned the city by September 8th, 1922. You can read up more on that on wikipedia as well as other sources, if you’re interested in more detail. A lot of people died from both sides, Turks and Greeks, and the living conditions were awful (you can look up αμελέ ταμπουρού about that). This photo, serving as a memoir, must have been sent from a young soldier, recently off to Izmir, to his mother, as the inscription in the back reads “A small memoir to my beloved mother”. If this is a direct relative (like a great grandfather), he is one of the lucky fews who survived and was brought back to the mainlands. If he is a great uncle or someone you know didn’t have kids to tell his story, he must have died very young and very painfully, in a foreign land. Those are just my conclusions based on what I’m seeing, but I could totally be wrong so take my guesses lightly.

3. Wow! That is a lot of information.

   My family was from Nea Fokea, Asia Minor, and also the island of Lesvos. My Great grandfather came the US in 1912 and then served in the US Army in WWI. After saving enough money, he got permission to go back to Nea Fokea in 1921, where he married my great grandmother and fled back to the US. They were married by Chrysostomos Kalafatis (Χρυσόστομος Καλαφάτης), known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Smyrna (Izmir). He signed their marriage certificate on 19 June 1921. He was brutally killed on September 9, 1922.

   I’m unsure of what relative might be in this photo, but I know that it was a photo that was saved with all of the photos of their loved ones. So, I know it must have been a special picture to them.

4. If I have to guess I would say is from 1921 and the 1st photo taken was at Filadelphia, SMYRNI, Asia Minor. The photo was send by A, Ιoannidis (Α. Ιωαννίδης) to his mother and I believe he is the soldier standing second from the left. He is also a part of the bigger group on the 3rd photo and he is standing behind the officer (sitting on a chair) at the middle. So, I guess you can check if something of the above rings a bell! Good luck 🤞

5. Assuming the average man in the photos is around 35 years old and taking into account what others said in the comments, then they are as of now probably about 135-140 years old. Glad to help

6. Peak male handwriting. Σήμερα ο γραφικός χαρακτήρας των αγοριών είναι ορνιθοσκαλισματα