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    Patrick Dempsey

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      The full span of British Imperial history, the first and second Indochina wars and a smattering of more recent conflicts.

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    1. Hmm.... i just tried to message you also and had the same error. Is this a minimum posts issue or a bug from the recent upgrade?
    2. Hello Paul, thanks for taking the time to reply. The thought did cross my mind but their heraldry with the star seems to involve the hunting horn used by rifle Regiments too (with the exception of the puggaree badge which has their name in a scroll).
    3. Hello all, here is a belt i have had for a while and never been able to positively identify and lives in my '?' box. The buckle design puts me in mind of the star of India... it isn't the best quality on the reverse and is devoid of any markings (the star does actually sit on its bottom two points whilst around a waist, it just didn't sit correctly for this photo however). The lace is of the type used by some Hussar Regiments and can be found on plate 74, number 27, if you have a copy of the 1900 dress regulations to hand and has become quite dulled over the years. It carries a thistle motif throughout the entire design. The rear of the belt is the usual red Morroco. I am thinking it is possibly Edwardian in date, but to whom i have little idea. Any ideas gents?
    4. Hello Mervyn, the original poster appears to have had his query answered in part via the 'Great War forum'. Having said that, this WO record set hasn't been digitised but a hard copy can be ordered here from the National Archives in the UK. He commemorated with some additional biographical information here. The Australian National Archive have his attestation papers which can be ordered, and they have a series of photos of him too which can be viewed. he looks especially dapper in his RFC uniform. His MIC does exist and can be found on Ancestry via a search of his name and service number.
    5. Hello Trooper, it was indeed remiss of me not to mention the other volumes but volume one is the place to start ideally as it decodes and explains the medal index card and its variations in minute detail with roughly 30 pages of MIC specific abbreviations alone. The section on the 1914-5 star also lists the alphanumeric codes for theatre of war and even explains why different coloured inks were used on the cards for different entries! Volume two gives you access to practically the entire lexicon of British military abbreviations of the period. These encompass ranks,trades,Regimental numbers, number prefixes, number blocks and a lot more information on the armies from across the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories in staggering detail but volume one deals with card specific codes and nomenclature outside of rank and unit abbreviations. All three volumes deserve a place on the shelf really.
    6. Hello Kevin, happy to have found some useful information for you. The single best reference for all things medal card and indeed medal related is 'The Great War Medal Collectors Companion' ( i understand postage to Australia will be expensive, but that is a good price for the book in the link and i am sure you can pick up a copy closer to home). It is simply without peer, a seminal work and will answer virtually any question that springs to mind. If it were written about Germanic items it would be lauded to the heavens...but that is a topic for another thread! I am sure you have them, but i also have what appear to be his militia attestation papers from 1897 too (these i located via 'Find My Past'. Drop me a PM with a contact e-mail and i will forward it all on. All the best from 'old' South Wales, Patrick.
    7. Splendid cap, i do have a weakness for Indian (and when the chance arises African) tailored items. I have a number of caps and uniforms which one day i should catalogue and perhaps post. The most notable tailors in India produced some superb work equal to that of anything from Bond Street. A treat to see such a thing.
    8. Hello Overthetop, you may find this book of germane interest "The Great War in West Africa" Your Grandfathers medal index card for WW1 also lists his first theatre of war as '4c' which should be for Cameroon. Interestingly your Grandfather also appears to have served in the Boer War as he appears on the medal rolls for that conflict also with clasp for 'Paardeburg' 'Johannesburg' & 'Cape Colony' as a private with the 2nd Battalion of the Hampshires. The medal rolls and index cards are all on 'Ancestry'. I have saved some copies of them if you are not a member. All the best, Patrick.
    9. A magnificent thread. These battles and the men who fought them should be as commonplace in the British national psyche as Trafalgar, the Somme, Arnhem et al. That they are not is and remains a mystery to me. It is heart warming to see that others around the globe hold them in the esteem that so very richly deserve. Perhaps writing the the Indian Military Historical Society with a view to getting this published in their fine journal may prove useful? http://imhs.org.uk/contact.html
    10. Signed through something of a red mist. My capacity to be appalled by the seemingly deliberate, relentless, dismemberment of our islands peerless historical past continues. And all planned to take place in the 4 year time frame of commemorations for the Great War. You really couldn't make it up. The fact that it is probably being done due to penny pinching and is being conducted with what appears to be utter indifference (outside of circles such as here) saddens me all the more. The disbanding of Regiments with centuries of tradition and battle honours continues, Regiments never to be seen again are lost to us forever. And now museums are the next target. At the risk of an element of hyperbole, there are times that i weep at what has become of my country and the attitudes displayed towards it.
    11. Hello Prussian, whilst i cannot comment on if these are 'the very best' ( as my depth of knowledge on the subject matter simply isn't deep enough) here are two that you should find rather helpful. British Uniforms & Equipment of the Great War, 1914-18, volume I, Clothing and Necessaries Uniforms & Equipment of the British Army in World War I Both of these will be a good introduction to the topic. Good luck!
    12. It's a magnificent tunic to a Colour Sergeant ( the crossed flags insignia) of the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers circa 1881-1902. The stars on the sleeve are efficiency stars. For each period of five years that a man was shown to be efficient (by virtue of attending/completing his training drills), and be marked as such officially, he would be awarded one of these stars. The amount of stars on this tunic would indicate a very lengthy service life indeed. It is a superb tunic that i would be delighted to own. Congratulations!
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