Saw this in the British Imperial War Museum today...

[calibre2001]

One of the world War 1 display was this banner from Beijing circa 1910. The description (in English) said nothing about what the words mean, so I took it down by hand. Please help translate:

管騎驍

拾

搶

七

隊

I'm not particularly sure if 管 is correct but the bottom 官component is definitely there.

I'm not sure about 驍 too. It definitely has the 馬 radical there (it wasnt easy for me to read the banner)

[skylee]

In the past Chinese was also written horizontally from right to left. If it is a banner then I think actually the characters are (now read them from left to right)-

驍騎營

For 驍騎, take a look -> http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/cgi-bin/agrep-lindict?query=%C5%BB%C3M&category=full&boo=no&ignore=on&substr=on&order=all

營 is a battalion. Take a look at the first definition -> http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/cgi-bin/agrep-lindict?query=%c0%e7&category=wholerecord

So 驍騎營 = cavalry battalion

[skylee]

Re the four characters put vertically in #1, I think they are 拾七槍隊 - the 17th rifle squadron, although 拾 usually goes with 柒 instead of 七. Note that I've swapped the position of the 2nd and 3rd characters. Also note the different left radical of 槍.

PS - but if the four characters are really arranged as in #1, then it could mean the 7th squadron of rifle collection, which is strange.

PPS - oh but perhaps 拾 here means "carry". If so then perhaps they mean the 7th rifle carrying squadron (of the cavalry battalion).

[calibre2001]

Thanks. I don't doubt your knowledge but the vertical characters were really arranged in that order. But i guess the meaning is more or less there.

[achiese]

I think it should be 抬槍七隊.

抬槍 has been a major firearm in qing army since 19th century.