dante

Nice pair of Oberst epaulettes, could these be traced to one or two, people....? many thanks, Paul

Strangely been researching this today, 

Have found him;  

Leo Hermann Paul Bothke

Birth 29. Sep 1887 (29 Sep 1887) (matches the document)

Marriage 16. Jun 1930 (16 Jun 1930) Berlin, Berlin, Deutschland (Germany)

Auguste Victor Tiffay enlisted as a volunteer in 1896,

Initially serving in 4e Regiment Infanterie Coloniale and from December 1899-0ctober 1902 he served in New Caledonia

Leaving the Colonial service in 1902

In 1903 he reenlisted back into the 4e Régiment d'infanterie coloniale and passed to the 24e Régiment d'infanterie coloniale and in 1905 passed to the 11e Régiment d'infanterie coloniale in Cochinchine from October 1905 until 1907, he passed to the 22e Regiment Infanterie Coloniale in 1908 then stationed in Madagascar serving from 1908 until 1914.

I found his death entry in the local newspaper but it gives no details of the circumstances

He passed to the 33e Régiment d'infanterie coloniale serving from 1914-1918

He passed to the 13 Régiment d'infanterie coloniale du Maroc from 1919,

He married Alice Eugénie GERARDIN in 1919

leaving the service in 1922 he was given an appointment at the Gironville post office due to his war service

He was also awarded the Order Nichan Iftikhar in 1917.

His wife Alice died in 1928  and  Auguste-Victor died in 1930

The writing on the back is Tiffay's here is his signature for his LdH

Perfect many thanks 

Small pen and ink picture, "Böttcher"  can anyone help identify his regiment and if possible confirm his forenames, as ever many thanks, Paul

Here are two from my collection

Yes I think you are correct..

any ideas on the forename ?

Legionnaire 1er Classe Johann Wagner

1904; Born 3^rd September 1904 in Ternitz, Austria, (Ternitz, Neunkirchen, Lower Austria) his father was (cannot read ? Maria Wagner

Someone in the family undertook compulsory conscription in the Austrian Volkswehr serving in the Regiment Hoch- und Deutschmeister (Group photo). The (Instructor) soldier in the centre with the moustache is wearing the Die Jubiläums-Kreuze 1908, The Crown Jubilee Crosses of 1908

1926, Enlisted into the French Foreign Legion, his “livret individual” is well filled in and complete dated 1926, confirming his date of birth, place of birth but changing his name from Johann to Jean.

Noted as Enlisting at Sidi Bel Abbès in Algeria and then posted to the 4eme Regiment based in Morocco as a Grenadier-Voltigeur, he served in Morocco from June 1926 until June 1928.

Citations for the Spanish Médaille de la Paix du Maroc & French Coloniale Medaille Clasp Maroc 1925-1926. Awarded primarily for actions against Abd-el-Krim, which culminated in his surrender on 23 May 1926 (Also confirmed in his livret individual).

In 1926 he transferred to the 1er Regiment; Company des Sapeurs & Pioneers based at Sidi Bel Abbès.

1930; (March) received his “Heimatschein” (Since the middle of the nineteenth century, Austrian citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion, were required to keep a Heimatschein, a document testifying to their belonging to a certain locality).

1930; He received his Certificat de Bonne Conduct from the 1er Regiment in November 1930 having completed five years.

1931 (February) received his passport (Passport page and photo) (Republic of Austria) 1931, with issued in Marseille.

1938; Austria was incorporated into the Third Reich and at some stage he was called up into the Wehrmacht.

1939; it is entirely possible for him to have been mobilised back into the Hoch- und Deutschmeister regiment (44th Infantry Division) this was formed on 1 April 1938 in Vienna, about two weeks after the Anschluss of Austria it surrendered in 1945 to US forces.

Within the documents is a well-used Wehrmacht “Katholisches Feldgefangbuch” (Katholisches Feldgesangbuch for Wehrmacht. Verlag: E.S. Mittker & Sohn/Berlin) with a handful of catholic prayer cards, although faded and damaged one has the date 1944 and Feldpost Number 40200 (Command 20^th Panzer Division) others have Russia and Paris

The last document is an allied Certificate of Discharge, stamped 97 Field Security Section and counter stamped US 8^th Armoured Division. (Signed by Alfred L Fein" Captain) (I have found two Doctors of that name but two old for WW2). Dated July 5^th, 1945.

Johann is noted as being married with 3 children and his civil occupation is “Eisen Arbiter” Iron Worker and served in the “Heer” Army, Tattoos on both forearms and scar on chin.

His discharge address is noted as Pottschach a three-mile drive from his birthplace of Ternitz.

I would like to research further and have tried unsuccessfully to find out his life post 1930, I have contacted the Standesbeamtin at Ternitz but he has found no details of Johann....welcome your thoughts 

Fritz Klein (* 1877 , † 1958 ) was a German officer who undertaken command operations against the British in Persia and Iraq during the First World War . He has occasionally been referred to as German Lawrence of Arabia .

Klein was the son of an industrial entrepreneur from the Siegerland. He chose the military career and at the same time he went abroad. In 1904 he went on a world tour. In 1910 he took a leave of absence from the military and spent one year at the German embassies in Rio de Janeiro , Cairo and Tehran (where he learned Persian). During the First World War, he first served in France and was wounded in 1914. At that time he was a captain . He took part in an expedition that was supposed to encourage Persian and Arab tribes to rebellion against the English and to attack the oil pipelines in Persia and the Middle East. He was subordinate to the Federal Foreign Office and wasMajor of the Ottoman Army . 70 German specialists, including the archaeologists Conrad Preusser, Walter Bachmann and Hans Lührs, engineers and merchants, took part, as well as former Muslim prisoners of war and around 300 Austrian prisoners of war escaped from the Russians. The starting point was in the fall of 1914 Aleppo . However, the Turks represented their own interests, and the tribes in Iraq again did not want to know anything about Turkish domination. He met high Shiite dignitaries in Kerbala , who suspiciously demanded large sums of money due to the lack of German troops. From autumn 1915 he was also active in Persia (where the archaeologist Friedrich SarreLiaison officer was), where it also succeeded in April 1915 to interrupt oil pipelines (with which the British fleet was supplied), but not to pull the Persians on the side of the central powers. Later in the war he was placed under the control of the Turks and lost his relatively independent command. While he was initially able to prevent massacres of Armenians in his command district, he later failed. To supply the Turkish fleethe also opened a coal mine on the Euphrates and Tigris, and he fought grasshopper plagues and outbreaks of pests (vaccinations in Baghdad). In Persia he tried to incite the population to a holy war (jihad) against the Entente. If he initially acted arbitrarily, from July 1915 the Foreign Office set up its own German Persia mission, which among other things fought the Russians in the north. However, they suffered a defeat at the Kangavar Pass in February 1916 and Klein returned to Germany in 1916.

After the war he wrote philosophical works. The historian Veit Veltzke was later able to evaluate Klein's estate (as well as the war diary and Klein's official correspondence in the Federal Foreign Office archive).

His adjutant Edgar Stern-Rubarth (1883-1972) was later a journalist (editor-in-chief at Ullstein and in the Wolff telegraph office), who emigrated to England as a Jew in 1936 and published memories of the expedition (Playing Lawrence on the other side). He had studied Romance languages and was at times advisor to Gustav Stresemann.

Thank you gentlemen as always it’s appreciated 

Most excellent...really appreciate you doing this ....regards, Paul

Service Militaire des Chemins de Fer Kepi...with engineers buttons...4th Regiment, very little information in English so if anyone can point me in the direction of any French histories or better still the Kepi being worn...thanks for looking

Lovely collection, here is my contribution , including a picture of captured vestments

This tunic has now been passed to me...welcome any additional thoughts, thanks, Paul

Further information has come to my attention that Dr Long was not awarded the QSA....which has save me time looking for it...!!

Reunite; South African medals, plus information of his Boer war service..."In command of 30 men escorting 19 empty wagons. Lt Sheringham rode ahead to find the escort he was expecting. Instead he was captured and taken back to the convoy, which he ordered to surrender. The Boers released the men after stripping them of their arms and ammunition. The Court of Inquiry found Lt Sheringham responsible for the surrender, despite his young age (18 years) and inexperience."

Just need a photograph of him !!

Good news, looks like we have a reunite with his South Africa war medals...more to follow ?

Private Sidney Harold Goodwin late 219th Battalion, severely wounded 29 June 1917 at Lens with the 85th Battalion, died 1958, the interesting element is the ER2 memorial Cross confirmed as issued to his wife in 1958

If I can add to the research of the Tiffany, engraved with the mans name W.C. Miller., William Charles Miller became the Commandant of the Citadel military academy 1926-31 and died in 1935, His WW1 service was with the  27th Infantry in Siberia. 

Good write up, glad it’s gone to a good home ?

Recently picked up a single British War Medal to 4251 A/Sgt Frederick Sullivan, 19th Battalion AIF (10th Reinforcement), Killed in Action 3 May 1917 DCM (recommended for the Victoria Cross)
Enlisted 7 December 1915. Lived 339 Alfred Street, North Sydney, New South Wales 


Served with the 19th Battalion AIF (10th Reinforcement), Killed in Action 3 May 1917, Distinguished Conduct Medal
'For conspicuous gallantry during operations. He went out and found a wounded soldier(Mackey) about 40 yards from the enemy's trenches. He then returned for a volunteer, and with Private Weaver went back to the wounded sergeant. Finally they returned for a stretcher, went out again, and brought him in. They were sniped at the whole time.'
Private Weaver mentioned in the Citation {4294 Frederick Steene Weaver KIA 12-11-1916) was also recommended for the VC and ended up with the DCM, 3543 Pte S.C. Mackey 8th Battalion. AIF. MM ..

Severely wounded 18-8-1916,the only one of the 3 to make it Home

Sullivan was born Dover, New Romney, Kent, England, 

His Father was Jeremiah Sullivan, who was a serving soldier in the Royal Artillery his mother was Mary Shay (from Ireland) his full name was James Frederick H Sullivan he was born in Dover Kent in 1883/4 

When he was seven (1891) he had moved to Portsmouth, the father was not in the picture (yet to establish why)

It appears he joined the merchant navy at some point..certainly from 1909 and I have him on various ships as a steward up to his enlistment, 

He was one of 60 recommended for the Victoria Cross

Has anyone come across any other items belonging to Sullivan or a photograph...would welcome a heads up.  thanks for looking, P

Yes...DD1911 confirmed 

Thank you Simon, would you have any photographs of the good Colonel

Ha....so back to the beginning.......help !!!!