15THPACAV

Italy was an ally of Great Britain in WWI & a British Army Corps was sent to Italy in late 1917, I believe, to help stabilize the situation after the disaster of Caporetto. Perhaps these two gentlemen served together.

I have seen them occasionally on Ebay UK.. In fact, there is one for sale now, item # 284610241505.

I believe the plate may well be that of a SNCO; perhaps he attached the boss as a personal affectation. It's been on there a long time.

Looks like it might read Stab; staff or HQ of IR ( infantry regt}. 115. BobS

I managed to acquire this other ranks review order czapka for the 9th ( Queen's Royal ) Lancers on Ebay. It has a Victorian plate, so it is pre-1902 issue. Bob S

Yes, indeed, a great and comprehensive study; looking forward to it's completion.

I must say that I do not understand collecting only Victory Medals, as opposed to the recipient's full medal entitlement, be it a BWM & VM pair, a 14-15 trio, or a 14 trio. Many fine WWI groups or pairs are still very reasonable in price, and can be found all over the internet, from dealers to auction houses, to Ebay. Personally, I would be most unhappy with an incomplete pair or group.

Blue piping is the arm of service color for the Luftwaffe Medical branch; no direct correlation to officer candidate rank insignia. The shoulder boards are for rank of leutnant; perhaps the owner wore his branch piped cap for some time after being commissioned. Officially, he should have an all silver piped cap. Very nice cap; LW officer candidate caps are quite scarce, especially with the bullion insignia.

Cap is actually for an officer candidate, as all Luftwaffe officers had silver piping on their dress caps, save generals, who had all gold insignia & piping. It was common for nco officer candidates to upgrade their arm of service caps, here blue for medical, with officer's bullion badges and silver chincord & side buttons. These officer candidate caps do seem to be quite scarce; I cannot recall seeing one for sale in many years.

No RZM tags in authentic Waffen-SS caps. In Allgemeine-SS caps, yes.

There are a number of examples of this badge for sale on Ebay UK currently.

Congratulations, a great pick up. This medal also appears to be in very good condition. Now, if you can locate his Waterloo Medal.......

Apologies for the delayed response. Looking at the cap in question in better light, the shade of blue now looks more blue grey in shade, and not a true pale blue. I am befuddled, given the hussar type silver side buttons, as I am no longer convinced that the cap is for the Northumberland Hussars. A complete reference source on Yeomanry uniforms seems to be nonexistent. BobS

A belated question; is French grey actually just a shade of light blue, or is it more of a blue grey shade? BobS

I just acquired what is described as a senior officer's dress peaked cap for the short-lived Glider Pilot Regiment, on Ebay. Sorry about lack of photos, but the cap is dark blue, with a light blue band & piping, and gold edging to the peak, for major & above. The badge appears to be correct, but the side buttons are plain silver domed, hussar-type buttons. I assumed that this regiment wore only the beret, even in full dress, a la the AAC. Methinks the cap may actually be for the Northumberland Hussars. Any opinions appreciated.

A very nice officer's cap, but the top cockade should have a red center, correct for the Reichskokarde, seen on all caps. The silver & black lower kokarde is correct for Prussian officers.

I presume you are referring to the Bavarian Leibgarde der Hartschiere? Here is my peaked cap for this very small unit; the only one I have ever seen. BobS

The Bavarian Army actually used a lighter shade of blue than that of Prussia, Saxony,and the other German States. A very good online uniform resource is The Kaiser's Bunker.

This group was posted earlier this year on this forum; I acquired it at an online auction. Attributed to Lt.Col. Dennis Daybell, The Life Guards; only the U.S. Bronze Star is named. BobS

If I may add, if you are looking to add to your collection, I believe that now is a good time. The prices of "common" TR-era headgear have dropped, and there are some good buys out there, such as Heer infantry & artillery visor caps, Luftwaffe Flak & Signals caps, and even Luftwaffe officer's caps, among others. Scarce and rare headgear appears to be holding it's own. You probably will not see more " realistic" prices on dealers' websites, but I've seen some great deals on the for sale sections of various militaria forms

Three fine examples; the bahnschutz cap is scarce. Who are the makers of the caps? Interior photos would be great.

If I may add, here is a cap that was almost flat when I received it, and I used the sponge to bring it back to shape. It will hold it's shape pretty well without the sponge, but I still keep one inserted, for display purposes. The cap is a 1920's U.S. Army Cavalry enlisted dress visor. BobS

I agree with Leigh; no need for more drastic action. I have had good success bringing caps back to shape by tightly inserting a common sponge, that I buy in auto parts stores here in the states. Over time, the shape returns; if the cap is a small size, I cut down the sponge to fit. With patience, this cap should return to the correct shape, although it may take at least a month or two, based upon my experience. Good luck. BobS

Still trying to comprehend those prices. My friend's collection consists of only officer's regimental badges, with some jetons as well, and I know he didn't pay that much for the badges. Admittedly, that was 15-25 years ago. I shudder to think what his collection is worth now; he has at least 50 badges, perhaps more.

THIRTY thousand dollars ????? For a badge? I could buy a nice car for that amount, or one hell of a medal group, etc., etc. I know these Russian Imperial regimental badges are not cheap, but I thought most were in the $500-$1,000 range. A good friend of mine, now in his 90's and a recluse, has a great collection that he amassed in the 80's & 90's. Have prices increased THAT much?