censlenov

My Italian Group to a member of Red Cross Hospital 68

Does anyone happen to have a Group/Single with an Italian version of the UN Korea medal? This is a Group in my collection to a Canadian who served in the navy during ww2 and army with 1 PPCLI during Korea and eventually the RCAPC. Cheers Chris

I believe he is most likely a South African Recipient as well. Based upon the process of elimination (Not BEF/CEF/ANZAC/RAF/RFC/Navy). Cheers Chris

Noor can you post pictures of the medal naming? I have a couple theories. I'd say its safe to exclude the NZEF and Aussies as well. South African is as of right now a possibility but i've got a couple others i'm looking into. Cheers Chris

Many of us with narrow collecting themes often encounter records indicating a one of a kind award to our theme. It's these awards that we never expect to obtain for our collections. The odds of finding them are just to great and surely if the medal is floating around it would end up in a museum (regimental or public). Well let my story provide some hope to you all.At the end of April a militaria auction was held in Western Australia. I had never before heard of the auction nor do i often search Australian dealer lists as my collecting theme is medals to men from my home town of Medicine Hat Alberta (Canada) and its affiliated units. Yet two days before the auction was to take place I was trolling through the auction listings and came across two Canadian pieces the first a colonial auxiliary forces long service medal to a unit located in Ontario and the second the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officer's Decoration to Lt. Col. J. D. R. Stewart O.B.E. S.Alta.Regt..It was this decoration that made my jaw drop. There on the computer screen before me was my Holy Grail. The only such decoration ever awarded to the unit was up for auction. As Canadian collectors can attest competition for rare and unique pieces can be quite intense and so i prepared and placed a hefty pre-auction bid. A little under 48 hours later i was laying in bed with the live auction app running following along with the auction. The bile in my stomach turning at the thought of not being able to keep pace with the bidding and losing out on this Hens tooth playing over and over in my head. Then it came to my lot.... The lot opened with my starting bid quickly a second bid pushed up the increment, but was quickly countered by a second increment from my earlier bid and then i waited. It seemed like the hammer was hovering for ages and then..... fair warning ..... Sold!.... I had secured my lot without the fierce competition i had anticipated.Just under 2 weeks later a package fresh from the land down under arrived at my door. I can proudly say Colonel Stewarts decoration has found itself a distinguished place of honour among the other pieces in my collection and i look forward to writing a very interesting article about the man and the medal in the near future.So let this story give hope to you collectors out there searching for the "one of". It's out there and you just never know where and when it could turn up.CheersChris

There's no Captain T C Devlin listed in the CEF database.

The other German items in the lot. The Prinz Alfons badge with package is mint.

Received my items and took closer pics of the 12 year service document. Does anyone have any idea what the signature says? Cheers Chris

My Package finally arrived and the Waffenrock looks great in person attached are some pics of the liner.

Hi Everyone thanks for the input. These should be with me an 2-3 weeks as they have to make it up here from Florida. Once i get them i will take some better photos myself. I can say the cadet uniform is indeed from the Citadel. Think the Waffenrock stands a very good chance of being an unissued piece the quality just looks to good for theatre props and the piping and lace matches period pieces. Won't know for sure until i get it. I got the lot for Just under $400 cdn shipped to my door.

It's "Eclectic" for sure. Being a medal guy i was attracted to the imperial visit medal and i find bulk lots tend to sneak through the bulk of online attention. This one held true to trend and i got it for a steal.

We do the same thing in Canada its called unit perpetuation. Battle honours from fore-bearers get carried on the unit flag and the lineage gets track in the unit history.

Thanks so much for that it's great to know more about the unit and I've book marked the link you sent me thanks again. I've attached the picture from the auction listing.for curiosities sake. Cheers Chris

I'm awaiting the arrival of this lot of uniforms that i purchased at auction. Quite the mix mash of stuff with 2 real gems in the mix Gem one being a pre ww2 USN Chief Petty Officers (Electrician Mate) Bridge coat and Gem 2 being the Waffenrock (which i know nothing about). All i can post right now are the pics from the auction. Once its in hand i will take some additional pics. I loved mixed jumble lots Cheers Chris

I know in the first world war the RNAS, and RAF had armoured car units so perhaps the German air force did as well. I can't wait to get it in hand. I can't find another (though i can't really search in German either). There is several imperial pieces in the lots i'll be sure to do a seperate post when i get everything in hand.

Hello Everyone It's been quite a while since i visited the forum as i haven't had much to post over the past year. That all changed yesterday when i bought a couple bulk lots at auction. I'm not even sure whats all in them yet as the auction pictures weren't the most detailed. One document however caught my eye and i was wondering if anyone could tell me what it was exactly. I know its a 12 year service document of some kind but i'm not familiar with the unit. It caught my eye as it made me wonder if the service man in question could have taken part in putting down the Beer Haul putsch given the dates involved. Once the lots arrive i'll post better pictures. I'd like to pinpoint who the signature belongs to as well. Cheers Chris

An interesting link http://www.german-helmets.com/LP-GORING_HELMETS.htm The insignia on that helmet look huge and seem out of scale with what's shown in the link. It's be interesting if you could find some pictures with this type of helmet.

In addition to all those listed above i've also seen the MSM.

Thanks for the kind words gents. I was thrilled to get the pair as i had wanted a good NW Canada medal to the HPB as they served in this neck of the woods. The problem to date has been finding one. As you may or may not know when first issued the NW Canada medal was unnamed and so there is a great deal of variation in naming styles and many never were named up by the recipients. To get one with the addition of a QSA adds a great deal of provenance and makes the pair something very special (at least in my eyes). Below is a picture of his headstone and the background image i made for the frame i now have the pair residing in. Cheers Chris

Not for long service it was a campaign medal issued to the Government troops who served in the campaign.

Hello Everyone It’s been quite a while since I posted anything of value on this forum and figured I was well overdue to make a contribution. A recent eBay find has provided me with a splendid example to post. Found a little over a month ago on eBay as a “Buy it now” style auction posted by a gold and silver buyer in Nova Scotia was the late Victorian pair of medals to a Canadian militia man. Early medal groups to Canadians are hard to find on market. There are quite a few single Northwest Canada medals and even more Queens South Africa medals on the market to Canadians. In contrast there are very few pairs floating around which (in conjunction with the asking price) made the decision to purchase them a no brainer. I present to you my fellow forumites the pair of medals earned by Private Douglas L Woods. As mentioned previously the Pair consist of his Northwest Canada medal and Queens South Africa medal. The Northwest Canada medal is named “Pte D. Woods, 63rd Rifles. (H.P.B.)” engraved in a very stylish contemporary fashion and still mounted on it original suspender. The Queens South Africa medal has two loose bars for Cape Colony and Paardeberg and is named in the proper impressed style to “8174 Pte D. Woods. RL. CANDN. REGT “. A quick check of the medal roll for this QSA is annotated as having been “Presented by HRH” which explains why the bars are not attached to the medal as I was told they were later sent out to some recipients who had there medals presented by the HRH on his tour of Canada in 1902. I don’t know much about his Early life yet but I do know that Douglas Woods was born in 1861 at Halifax Nova Scotia. The Northwest Rebellion was a result of growing animosity between the aboriginal peoples of Canada’s Northwest Territory (including the Metis) and the Federal Government of Canada. The culture of the Plains tribes had been facing eradication since the late 1870’s with the near extinction of the plains bison. Many of the tribes could no longer sustain themselves in the way they had previous to this and with the spread of civilization creeping westward felt the figurative noose tightening. For the Metis the animosity had been worsening since the Red River Rebellion of 1870 with no sign of improvement. As a result on March 19th of 1885 the Metis formed a provisional government at Batoche and demanded surrender of the nearby Hudson Bay Company post at Fort Carlton. Word quickly spread to Ottawa of the uprising and on March 25th the government ordered the mobilization of Canada’s militia to deal with this threat. Troops were to be deployed to the Northwest by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. Gaps in the railways however still existed which meant wagon trails were necessary in certain areas as well. By the end of April over 3,000 troops had been transported west to see service. The Halifax Provisional Battalion was formed in Nova Scotia and was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James J. Bremner. Consisting of roughly 350 soldiers it was made up of three companies from the Princess Louise Fusiliers (66th rifles), three companies of the 63rd Halifax Rifles, and two companies of the 1st "Halifax" Brigade of Garrison Artillery, with 32 officers. The battalion left Halifax under orders for the North-West on Saturday, 11 April 1885. The Battalion was assigned garrison duty along the CPR main line that stretched across the prairies. After a short stay in Winnipeg, the Battalion was separated into four groups and sent to Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Saskatchewan Landing, and Medicine Hat. Soldiers had to remain vigilant due to the possibility of raids on their positions. The men of the 63rd contingent served primarily at Swift Current, and Saskatchewan landing with one company staying at Moose Jaw. The battalion reformed in its entirety at Moose Jaw following the cessation of hostilities on July 2nd. The battalion proceeded first to Winnipeg and finally arrived back home in Halifax on July 24th. For his part in the campaign Douglass L Woods was awarded the Northwest Canada campaign medal. It was presented to him on May 24th 1886 on the Grand Parade by General Lord Russel. Following the Rebellion Douglas remained in Halifax he married and had two children. He gained employment as a Tinsmith and stayed active in the local militia regiment. (from the Canadian war museum) On October 3 1899, with war imminent, the British government suggested that Canada provide several 125-man units for service in South Africa. The Canadian government sought to assure a strong Canadian identity for the contingent offering a single "regiment of infantry, 1,000 strong." Great Britain agreed to this arrangement later in October and soon 1,019 officers and men, were made into the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry. Members of the Permanent Force made up about fifteen percent of the total strength of the unit, included the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel William Dillon Otter. When the battalion arrived in South Africa on 29 November 1899, after an uncomfortable month-long sea voyage, it was still a fighting unit in name only. Lieutenant-Colonel Otter estimated that a third of the battalion was without prior military service, and half the men were no better than recruits. The battalion was able to train during the two months it spent on lines-of-communications duties after it arrived in South Africa. During this period there were a few opportunities to see action, including the assault on Sunnyside kopje on 1 January 1900, in which C Company, and the machine gun section, participated alongside British and Australian troops. On 12 February 1900, the battalion joined the 19th Brigade to march and fight in the great British offensive aimed at capturing Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal. The Royal Canadians (as 2 RCRI was often referred to at the time) were soon in action at Paardeberg Drift, suffering heavy casualties on 18 February, and mounting the famous attack that led to the surrender of General Cronje's Boer forces on the 27th. Paardeberg was the first major British victory of the war. After Paardeberg the battalion fought in the British advance on the Boer capitals of Bloemfontein and Pretoria, gaining in experience and reputation all the while. By the time 2 RCRI marched past Lord Roberts in Pretoria on 5 June 1900, it was considered by many observers as good as any battalion in the British Army. Unfortunately, Canadian arrangements to replace losses from battle and disease were totally inadequate and by this time the battalion was at less than half strength. With the Transvaal capital in British hands, and the war seemingly won, the RCRI took up lines-of-communications duties once again. The unit spent the rest of its tour of operations on this assignment, except for an interlude spent with a column of infantry chasing mounted Boer forces. Douglas woods enlisted into 2 RCRI on October 24th at Halifax and served in South Africa until he was invalided to England on the 13th of August 1900. He received his discharge in England on August 31st and returned home to Halifax. For his service in South Africa he was awarded the Queens South Africa medal with bars for Paardeberg and Cape Colony. Following his return to Halifax Douglas took up employment as a clerk and added a third child to his brood. Douglas L Woods passed away in 1931 and is interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery Halifax Nova Scotia. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I look forward to your comments. Cheers Chris

I'm not a fan of either medal. The star looks to be a cast fake and the MM is for 100% sure a European made copy. Cheers Chris

I recently purchased a small travel bag full of world coins dating from the late 1800's to the 1960's. The vast majority were British and Canadian but there was also a good deal of Dutch and German coinage as well. One such coin seems to stand out it's a 1927 3 reichsmark with a ship on one side. I'm working to get some scans up it appears to be a higher grade coin. My question "Is this coin a cheap commemorative or fairly sought after?" Cheers Chris

Suspension Ring and Loop. Only marking i can make out is a 6 on the very right side of the loop. Pictures don't do this piece justice. Cheers Chris

These were the markings on the reverse arms.