The chap with the x over his head was a high ranking policeman in Durham at the time on the back of the photo is wrote Durham castle inspection by king and queen and it says Attlie prime minister.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Durham Castle on 8th April 1943 as part of a tour of the Industrial North-east, which also took in Newcastle, South Shields and Sunderland. Despite the fact that somebody has written Attlee's name on the back, I suspect that this is the occasion in the photograph, as it would it account for the battledress being worn by some of the men, which is suggestive of a wartime visit. Of course. Attlee may have been present during the visit in his then role as Leader of the Labour Party, though I haven't been able to confirm this.
