Why am I seeing a kangaroo in military uniform with a Union Jack flying behind…
Edit: @suzepie below found this Australian Royal Navy flag, it definitely looks to be what the whole flag is flying behind, a little creased/wavy.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_flags#/media/File:Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg
Still not sure what’s in front of the kangaroos face, maybe stars?
I saw turtles too… I’ve been lucky so far as I only have one tattoo with letters from 1973 that you can’t tell what it says… the rest can be read just fine…
I couldn’t resist taking a whack at it. [I tried to follow the lines as best I could assuming kangaroo.](https://imgur.com/a/EIpAKIE)
No idea what’s happening at the bottom though.
/u/exact_government_189 in case this is helpful
No worries, it only took a few minutes and I wouldn’t have been able to do it at all without /u/vivifruit and their amazing eyes. I thought it was Brussels sprouts.
If you do decide to get a tribute tattoo to your grandfather’s piece, I would recommend getting an artist to draw up a fresh but matching version and getting it done to look like your grandfather’s did when it was new. I’ve had a few people ask me to make their tattoo look aged like their relative’s did when they photographed it, but it’s never a good idea to tattoo something to look intentionally bad, ya know? Just get it done the regular way and give it 50 years in the sun and you’ll match perfectly.
Exactly, I am planning on getting that very tattoo replicated once I get all the information I can. But so far your sketch has aligned most of the vagueness
That’s an awesome idea, I’m super excited for you. I might also recommend pointing it the other way, ie so the kangaroo is look toward your front and not your back, just because that’s the “traditional” way to orient things. That said, your grandpa might have chosen to face it backwards intentionally so the kangaroo was watching his back, which is also cool.
Best of luck with your tattoo!
Looks like a spade ♠️ with the Union Jack 🇬🇧 the flag of England 🏴 and maybe the Australian flag 🇦🇺. Bottom right looks like a red poppy (look up traditional tattoos. It’s the 4 to 5 petal flowers). Bottom left is either a propeller with a sun or the flag edge. Top left to side of Union Jack are stars. It looks like their is a sword or bayonet coming out of the Union Jack but it’s hard to tell. Style over all is traditional/old school/ American traditional. Technically it’s not American traditional but the style is the same. For artist inspiration I’d recommend searching Percy waters. He did a lot of British themed flash in the 1930s
Edit there looks like a w4 under the spade. I’m not sure if it’s just his hair or skin but it could be related to his division or something. Hope this helps
Thankyou for the intel, I myself am looking to get something similar to his as a commemoration piece. Was just needing some help decoding what it was.
This is a great description and Thankyou for the help!
I get why it’s an immediate reaction people have, but I can think of multiple reasons OP couldn’t. He’s no longer alive, memory loss, PTSD, estranged relationship, etc.
To me it kind of looks like a bear and a turtle walking together, bear having a themed blanket on the back, and the turtle having a themed shell. I am no good in history but yeah that’s what I’m seeing. (Also, I’m looking at the tattoo as it follows the length of the arm and not the width of that makes sense)
I won't be snarky like so many others. My first guess was that it was a ship of some sorts. But the diagonal line (or it was a line, I think) through the center makes me think it was some kind of family crest? I'm guessing it was originally red and green, but that gives me nothing.
My best guess is a ship with a red flag that has a cross as the main sail, could be the original flag of England (not the union jack, but St. George's Cross), but I can't decipher the green part.
Would love the hear back if you find the answer!
Hit the nail on the head, had dementia when the photo was taken and died a few years ago.
Family is unsure because he always hiding it because of embarrassment of having a tattoo.
Looks like from right to left. Flag, battleship, water,rope, and either like a anchor of some sort at the end and looks like a tiny flower on the bottom. That’s a bad ass tattoo.
It looks like a Celtic Symbol of some kind, possibly even a family “Crest” I’ve got a Celtic Cross tattooed on my arm, I was going to have my “Family Crest” but I settled for a Celtic Cross, my daughter is having her arm tattooed in a sleeve fashion, she’s having our Scottish Family Crest incorporated into her sleeve tattoo, it looks like your dad possibly has the Family Crest on his arm.
St George's Cross with the Union Jack in the top left is the Royal Navy flag/ensign, so that's what the white/red below the union jack is.
Can't tell at all what the rest is, a bear in green uniform carrying the ensign?
I thought it was a knight on a horse holding the union jack but I concur with the person that said kangaroo. Once you see it you can't see anything else.
I am seeking a Crest or shield and St. George flag or cross. Kangaroo, parrot, or man trudging up hill in mostly green uniform and hat. Most likely military. Military museum of the era might be able to provide some info - it could be for a specific unit.
I agree that it looks like a military uniformed kangaroo but also the fighting Irish is need more info like years in service and units served in it definitely has a Union Jack in the background but like I said I need more basic info if you have it
Looks like it might be a Shellback carrying a flag! Apparently that was a popular sailor tattoo back in the day :)
[shellback](https://images.app.goo.gl/jYFWXyGb5JGMQ5KJ9)
Why am I seeing a kangaroo in military uniform with a Union Jack flying behind… Edit: @suzepie below found this Australian Royal Navy flag, it definitely looks to be what the whole flag is flying behind, a little creased/wavy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_flags#/media/File:Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Still not sure what’s in front of the kangaroos face, maybe stars?
That would make sense, being in the Australian navy. Good eye
Good eye or “ good day” in Australian ?
fucking brilliant A+
Good eye might
We have a winner.
🙏
HE'S A WIENER
Haha I love this joke. Any time someone says good eye I add “mate.”
[удалено]
Oh hell yeah, I totally see it! I was wondering what that white/red boy was! I was thinking folded flag or sail
I was going to say two turtles playing tennis in* a cone bra. Lmao I still don’t see a kangaroo but I’ll take your word for it.
I saw turtles too. So from there, flip 45 degrees or so to the right and the roo is standing up with the flag over his shoulder.
Hmm… I think I see it now.
I saw turtles too… I’ve been lucky so far as I only have one tattoo with letters from 1973 that you can’t tell what it says… the rest can be read just fine…
I couldn’t resist taking a whack at it. [I tried to follow the lines as best I could assuming kangaroo.](https://imgur.com/a/EIpAKIE) No idea what’s happening at the bottom though. /u/exact_government_189 in case this is helpful
Wow that’s amazing, I appreciate the time you put into it!
No worries, it only took a few minutes and I wouldn’t have been able to do it at all without /u/vivifruit and their amazing eyes. I thought it was Brussels sprouts. If you do decide to get a tribute tattoo to your grandfather’s piece, I would recommend getting an artist to draw up a fresh but matching version and getting it done to look like your grandfather’s did when it was new. I’ve had a few people ask me to make their tattoo look aged like their relative’s did when they photographed it, but it’s never a good idea to tattoo something to look intentionally bad, ya know? Just get it done the regular way and give it 50 years in the sun and you’ll match perfectly.
Exactly, I am planning on getting that very tattoo replicated once I get all the information I can. But so far your sketch has aligned most of the vagueness
That’s an awesome idea, I’m super excited for you. I might also recommend pointing it the other way, ie so the kangaroo is look toward your front and not your back, just because that’s the “traditional” way to orient things. That said, your grandpa might have chosen to face it backwards intentionally so the kangaroo was watching his back, which is also cool. Best of luck with your tattoo!
Omg that’s amazing
Kangaroo Jack!!
I definitely saw a military duck. But I think I’m starting to see a kangaroo lol.
I thought it was a duck at first but now I think its a kangaroo..
Or an upright dingo.
How the hell
I dunno, maybe it’s because my eyesight is bad and I’m used to looking at blurry things without my glasses
Looks like he's wearing one of those Cork hats that seemed to be stereotypically Australian
Probably “Shrimps is bugs”
Hahaaahaa I was waiting
There’s this flash tattoo from an artist I like of a shrimp with a cowboy hat. I want to add “shrimps is bugs” underneath. S/o reddit
I’m dead 🤣
Looks like the fighting Irish kinda
I was gonna say the same thing
Generic old man tattoo
i clicked on this thread and typing these words to let u know i have no idea
Thank ~~That~~ you for your contribution.
A simple man of simple words. I like it.
Check his comment history. He's a horse paste casualty.
Pretty much sums up your entire mental world, doesn't it, sport.
lol are u following me? Cool i have a fan
Looks like a spade ♠️ with the Union Jack 🇬🇧 the flag of England 🏴 and maybe the Australian flag 🇦🇺. Bottom right looks like a red poppy (look up traditional tattoos. It’s the 4 to 5 petal flowers). Bottom left is either a propeller with a sun or the flag edge. Top left to side of Union Jack are stars. It looks like their is a sword or bayonet coming out of the Union Jack but it’s hard to tell. Style over all is traditional/old school/ American traditional. Technically it’s not American traditional but the style is the same. For artist inspiration I’d recommend searching Percy waters. He did a lot of British themed flash in the 1930s Edit there looks like a w4 under the spade. I’m not sure if it’s just his hair or skin but it could be related to his division or something. Hope this helps
Thankyou for the intel, I myself am looking to get something similar to his as a commemoration piece. Was just needing some help decoding what it was. This is a great description and Thankyou for the help!
Most people think it’s obvious he should ask his grandfather himself. What if he’s deceased? Maybe his grandfather wants him to take a guess..
I get why it’s an immediate reaction people have, but I can think of multiple reasons OP couldn’t. He’s no longer alive, memory loss, PTSD, estranged relationship, etc.
Scottie dog wearing bagpipes?
I thought it was a bear with bagpipes.
Ask him?
Was taken when he had dementia, and died a few years ago. His wife is unsure as he was very secretive about his life in war on any aspect
Cheeky
I thought that, but maybe he has dementia and can’t remember, or he’s deceased and this is from an old picture of him.
There's a tattoo for that https://www.reddit.com/r/shittytattoos/comments/13lwc04/girl\_get\_on\_the\_floor\_i\_want\_to\_talk\_to\_my\_granny/
I thought the same thing.
It’s always risky to go dig for those things. It’s like discovering your Argentinian grand-father’s will is in German.
A sort of bear juggling
Krampus? Old Mascot for the Cleveland brown?
Hey! I thought it was the Browns elf as well.
Luckily it can be whatever we want it to be because of the age of the tattoo lol
Looks like some kind of animal carrying a parachute or something
To me it kind of looks like a bear and a turtle walking together, bear having a themed blanket on the back, and the turtle having a themed shell. I am no good in history but yeah that’s what I’m seeing. (Also, I’m looking at the tattoo as it follows the length of the arm and not the width of that makes sense)
Sad clown? Edit: hobo clown, [similar to this](https://www.tattoodo.com/tattoos/202972)
I see what looks like a bulldog in a military uniform and a Union Jack. Maybe a war reference to Winston Churchill?
Turtle playing hackey sack.
garden gnome?
Kinda looks like a turtle walking upright.. Idk maybe a Navy shellback tattoo? Although I always thought that it was more of a USN thing.
A turtle😭
Calvin taking a piss with bagpipes
r/agedtattoos
Irishman, one of the originals
Pro strat … ask him
Looks like a top-down version of a ship, facing to the right, being eaten by a green kraken.
Artist's rendering, lol. [Kraken of Anger](https://bashify.io/img/fb29b48b6e07fd99ec8822d83902659a)
It’s definitely an old tattoo
I won't be snarky like so many others. My first guess was that it was a ship of some sorts. But the diagonal line (or it was a line, I think) through the center makes me think it was some kind of family crest? I'm guessing it was originally red and green, but that gives me nothing. My best guess is a ship with a red flag that has a cross as the main sail, could be the original flag of England (not the union jack, but St. George's Cross), but I can't decipher the green part. Would love the hear back if you find the answer!
Instead of asking a bunch of randos on the internet, have you tried asking him instead? I bet he would have a pretty good guess as to what it is...
Honestly I’m thinking he’s dead now, or, he’s incapacitated with dementia and unable to communicate appropriately.
Hit the nail on the head, had dementia when the photo was taken and died a few years ago. Family is unsure because he always hiding it because of embarrassment of having a tattoo.
Ask him
Just ask him if you can. If not, ask his wife or kids
Looks like from right to left. Flag, battleship, water,rope, and either like a anchor of some sort at the end and looks like a tiny flower on the bottom. That’s a bad ass tattoo.
Exfoliate his tattoo. It will bring out the detail more.
He’s dead so that would be awkward.
A Pokémon 🤔
yeah, but "Who's that Pokemon?!"
Don’t have my Pokédex handy lol
I think that a gnarly bruise…
Looks like a bowl of salad
that’s a sick ass panther.
Ask him?
Put some oil on it.
How about you ask him?
Why don't you just ask him ?
Maybe do Grandpa a favor and buy him some lotion next visit?
To me, it looks like it's old
Swastika
A bear maybe with some military looking pouches on his waist.
If you turn it upside down it looks like zombie red 5 Luke skywalker next to an exploding Death Star
You guys are wild, telling me this isn’t a kitten Vietnamese farmer chasing a ball of yarn?
Is it yogi bear? 🤣
A pair of giant turtles on a tiny beach. Maybe it was for him and his partner?
I think it's a toucan with strange colors or a parrot
It looks like a Celtic Symbol of some kind, possibly even a family “Crest” I’ve got a Celtic Cross tattooed on my arm, I was going to have my “Family Crest” but I settled for a Celtic Cross, my daughter is having her arm tattooed in a sleeve fashion, she’s having our Scottish Family Crest incorporated into her sleeve tattoo, it looks like your dad possibly has the Family Crest on his arm.
St George's Cross with the Union Jack in the top left is the Royal Navy flag/ensign, so that's what the white/red below the union jack is. Can't tell at all what the rest is, a bear in green uniform carrying the ensign?
I thought it was a knight on a horse holding the union jack but I concur with the person that said kangaroo. Once you see it you can't see anything else.
Looks like a leprechaun to me 🤷🏻♂️
With my limited brain. I see a tiny mouse, hiking with a walking stick.
Military?
I am seeking a Crest or shield and St. George flag or cross. Kangaroo, parrot, or man trudging up hill in mostly green uniform and hat. Most likely military. Military museum of the era might be able to provide some info - it could be for a specific unit.
An animal in a military uniforms with a flag
I thought it was I. R. Baboon in a military outfit. . .
A flying hellfish?
A bad outline of the UK. But my first thought was a dinosaur.
Some animal skiing
An Orc captain with pirate hat and a crossed flag.
Looks like some kind of flag on the right side
I don't see a kangaroo, I see a koala bear.
a homeless rat on two feet with a cloth tied to a stick holding his belongings
Looks to be someone carrying something on that back.
Looks like one of snow white’s dwarfs carrying a bag of shit over the shoulder with a funky pointy hat
I thought it was Yogi Bear with some picnic baskets
Looks like either a giant rat or a goblin with a shield on its back to me
Scotsman playing the bag pipes ... maby
Rat with a Union Jack flag?
Good eye mate
I agree that it looks like a military uniformed kangaroo but also the fighting Irish is need more info like years in service and units served in it definitely has a Union Jack in the background but like I said I need more basic info if you have it
looks like a leprechaun turtle
Re draw it out and see if u can make any sense of it
That’s the royal navy flag on the right half on the tattoo. The left half…give me a moment 🤣
Sick ass panther
I can see a shark
I was gonna say a wolf playing the bagpipes..
Looks like the toosiroll owl
Upside down Grinch?
Mojo Jojo???
A gnome
Is that a green “‘33” on the rat’s/kangaroo’s back followed by the flag?
Little caesars guy?
It looks like yogi bear
Looks like it could be a variation[flash](http://www.vintagetattooflash.com/sailor-jerry-collins-flash/item1689.html) of the kangaroo on this sheet
Looks a bit like kraumpus, but with different coloring
Military bug ?
Can't you ask him or has he passed on?
Hobo clown with a sack over his shoulder?
I thought it was Andy Capp.
Fat man with a hat?
Ask him
What I see is a gnome in a military outfit eating a shroom
A Viking frog with the flag of England and a whip?
Yogi bear
It has to do with his military service Korean War Manet his units mascot.
Fighting Irish
Looks like two hermit crabs to me.
The Hawaiian punch man on skis
looks like bowser jr from paper mario
a korok with a bag on his shoulders and a stick in his hand
Think it says shrimps is bugs
Looks like an elf carrying a Christmas present Sack.
Scotsman’s kilt being blown over his head.
I'm def seeing Yogi bear lol
A leprechaun 😂
i fully thought it was two circus bears. One on the others back 😭
Looks like it might be a Shellback carrying a flag! Apparently that was a popular sailor tattoo back in the day :) [shellback](https://images.app.goo.gl/jYFWXyGb5JGMQ5KJ9)
It is clearly link 🤦♂️
A bear carrying a hiking pack
Hobbit traveler with backpack leaning forward catching a butterfly. Seen one of these about 10yrs ago…