mickey

sorry gordon i used your surname in a previous answer

service number 730298 pte p low rhasc (rhodesian army service corps) 

hi craig 730298 falls in the regular army white other rank or nco i have a feeling the independance medal was seperately numbered 

the service medal with the R prefix and the T after the service number is for the rhodesian defence regiment (territorial) the other medal is bsap regular african male serial numbers between 0001-28178 the numbers became longer after computerisation ie 6 digits i had some notes that hugh bomford put together on rhodesian serial numbers you should be able to google his info   

sudan  khartoum district native police cap badge 1914 to 1945 havnt seen a brass one the native officers badges were silver and marked firmin the senior officers badge was also silver marked firmin with the khartoum scroll in blue enamel maybe a lower rank cap badge or a modern knockoff ??

I recently purchased  this period  plate commemorating captain(later baron) fukushima Yasumasa solo horseback ride from berlin to vladivostock in 1893 bit of a recce of the trans Siberian railway that was under construction he was a very interesting man who also served in the satsuma rebellion, boxer rebellion and the russo Japanese war and became very popular in japan

the blue enamel and brass name and number plates were in use from the 1950s thru the sixties and probably into the 70s and later, the plates with the pre 94 flag attached later 80s into the 90s (pre 94) they have a lucite covering but really need a photo

thanks nick hope you are keeping  well

I believe these types of cases made it easier to carry ones medals while on service I have seen a couple for multiple medals but not one for a single medal before

hi mike its naval the navy ensigns have 16 rays and the offcenter red sun maybe flight suit patch but never seen one cant help with dating

 as always many thanks nick

hi all picked up this very common red cross special membership medal but it had the less common miniature medal with it which is very well made and includes the reverse nicely made wooden case with some writing on the back just wondering if these sets were specially made 

rarotongan (cook island) defence force

interesting as most of the writing is sideways maybe it was hung in a downwards position it certainly gives meaning to the word yosegaki (sideways writing)

hi martin my 2 cents worth most period Japanese military armbands are of a fairly heavy material with hand ties or holes for hand ties at either end also the red sun is usually printed (silkscreened) not sown and all of the ones I have are marked with identifying numbers or characters on them the only genuine collaborator item I have seen was a saki cup and I have noticed the word collaborator is becoming popular with sellers to me the material just doesn't seem right I might be wrong it may be some type of late war item but I have my doubts

military reservist assoc badges the 4 coloured ones are for officers the blue one is the highest rank the orange one the lowest, the star over the anchor on these badges usually indicates reservist items

the small badge with the rising sun and anchor with the pink cherry blossom is a naval institute special member badge

rhodesian stocks of camoflage uniforms were worn by the zimbabwe army until 83/84 then replaced by a new design featuring green and brown vertical stripes on a khaki background for the dry season and a pale green background for the wet season in the 1990s zimbabwe reintroduced the rhodesian brushstroke pattern but with brown printed over green as chris correctly noted as a collector of bush war items i have never seen the vertical stripe pattern for sale it may well be in storage or destroyed i have heard some references call it the monkey hand pattern

hi all i have a number of japanese ship launching items all if which i have been able to trace their history except this one japanese mint made medal for the cargo liner akatsuki maru launched in 1936 kobe yard(mitsubishi) just unable to  find any history of this ship using the usual references i have been through the us navy records of japanese ships sunk during ww2 but no joy mind you many ships sunk were unknown if anyone has any info it would be appreciated, note there were 2 other ships named akatsuki a destroyer and a tanker both sunk during ww2 just to confuse things (thanks rich catalano for translations)

Hi Nick many thanks for taking the time on a translation it is very much appreciated

Looks very much like a European copy of the. British made Webley known as the bulldog based on the well known Webley ric revolver many of these copies were made in Belgium some of ok quality and some downright dangerous calibers varied from 32 to 45 the Webley made revolvers are of superb quality and have the winged bullet Mark on the body some of these copies were made in the UK and this style of revolver was very popular carry gun due to its size and heavy calibre

hi all just wondering if this document is related to the imperial army airforce not looking for a translation but if anyone could pick up anything related to the airforce it would be appreciated it comes with a series of detailed japanese military maps

hi jim the lugs on the wheel rim are for rope placement in case the gun was in a position that had to be manhandled ie stuck in mud or in a position that did not allow a vehicle to move it a hook was placed in the hook ring and the rope wound around the lugs which made it easier for the wheel to turn and be pulled manually

rhodesian general service medal issued to members of the security forces and the police (bsap) for service during the bush war which ended in 1980 the pr prefix and number indicates his national service number the pr prefix fell away after the 100000 number was reached cant help with his unit 

modern version

hi all just another bit of info regarding the hato no tsue its a traditional gift for those over 80 in japan the presentation was first practiced in ancient china and later in japanese courts its seen as an appropriate gift as the characters that make up the word hato(pigeon) can also mean 80 it is also said that pigeons do not choke a serious problem for elderly japanese