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    John Burchell

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    Everything posted by John Burchell

    1. Many thanks, Matt, for this information. You sure do know your history! Much appreciated.
    2. Thank you.. for your response, Andreas. I have now posted this tag in the appropriate Imperial forum for further comment.
    3. Showing here one that I am told is a WWI Erkennungsmarke (aka: "Hundemarke") as issued to one Emil Kanzler, born 12.8.92 in Neudorf.Elbing. If I read this correctly, he belonged to Reserve Infantry Regiment 210 as a member of the 2nd Machine-Gun Company 219. The tag was already broken in two when I received it.
    4. Ref.: Showing here the "Erkennungsmarke" once worn by Emil Kanzler - presumably father of Herbert Kanzler referenced in the small newspaper clipping from 1941 pictured in the referenced thread. This ID tag was already broken into two pieces and looks to be of the type worn by German soldiers during WWII. One can see that Emil Kanzler was born in Neudorf.Elbing in 1892. He would have been 47 years old at the outbreak of WWII in 1939 and apparently served in Reserve Infantry Regiment 210 as a member of Machine-Gun Company 219. He may also have served in the military during WWI, then being 22 years old in 1914. I would appreciate confirmation as to whether this ID tag is WWI or WWII vintage. As well, any and all additional information will be appreciated. Thanks and regards, John
    5. Refreshing this thread with some additional information on a family member of the above-referenced SS-man. Showing here the "Erkennungsmarke" once worn by Emil Kanzler - presumably father of Herbert Kanzler referenced in the small newspaper clipping from 1941 pictured above. This ID tag was already broken into two pieces and looks to be of the type worn by German soldiers during WWII. One can see that Emil Kanzler was born in Neudorf.Elbing in 1892. He would have been 47 years old at the outbreak of WWII in 1939 and apparently served in Reserve Infantry Regiment 210 as a member of Machine-Gun Company 219. He may also have served in the military during WWI, then being 22 years old in 1914. I hope that members might find this additional information to be interesting, and would welcome any comments and feedback. John
    6. Wow is right! Nobody sorrier than me to hear this...but it is what it is and I thank you, Matthew, for your informed response...now on record and documented here for future reference by others.
    7. It has now been nine years since I posted this award. I am herewith reviving the thread to see if there might be any further comments on assessment of this example as to period originality or otherwise. Thanks for looking, Best regards, John
    8. Pictured here is a recent acquisition which I thought I would add for reference. The known maker is listed in the Jan.1, 2008 post #54 by "Jabnus": Gbr. D. L. (im Kreis) unbekannt unbekannt (Swords).
    9. Gentlemen: In order to obviate any confusion whatsoever, I now wish to post a clarification / correction regarding information which I included in my posting in this thread regarding the surrender of the U-190 off the coast of Newfoundland in May of 1945. Initially, in my posting ID4 I noted that after the "... unconditional surrender on May12th...the U-190 was escorted into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland by two RCN corvettes on May 14th...." I then wrote in my posting ID19 about..."the submarine being towed toward Bay Bulls...[and] subsequently boarded...some 150 miles out at sea...." The latter comment contains the incorrect information which has recently been brought to my attention by the then Chief Engineer Officer on the U190 in May 1945, Werner Hirschmann (also referenced above) who read this thread and expressed concern to me. I agreed to correct my words as stated and will quote his words here: " Two things: Nobody boarded our boat 150 km out at sea....The first boarding happened just at the entrance of Bay Bulls where we were received by a Fairmile. And we entered Bay Bulls very much on own power. There was no need to tow us. I felt a bit hurt by the insinuation that I didn’t keep my Diesels going until the end. I guess this is, by now, quite clear to you, but to read it now on the Internet was a somewhat unpleasant surprise....". He added that, "U-190 did not fly a black flag as requested by our superiors....we didn’t have a black flag at hand and there was no point in looking for one since a black flag has never been in the inventory of a U-boat. U-889 must have developed some ingenuity in creating the black flag that is shown flying from its periscope." And a further note that, "While scrolling through some of the U-190 items on the Internet, some highly inventive author told the world that Canadian crews could not enter U-190 because of a terrible stench in the boat and had to wait until it was “fumigated”. I’m not sure they needed pest control for removing odor but the whole story is pure nonsense. Every night, while snorkeling, the diesels sucked all the bad air out of the boat which was then replaced by the fresh air coming from the snorkel. While I had the Canadian sailors on U-190 on our two-day trip to Bay Bulls all of us at times went on the conning tower and back into the boat without ever noticing any smell whatsoever. But stories will always be repeated and kept alive." So there you have it, gentlemen...straight from the man who was there at the time. I am happy that this has now been corrected for posterity.
    10. Thank you very much, Ed. If this was in use from the 1940s-1960s, I am guessing that it is currently somewhat desirable as a collector item...to the right person, of course. Can you perhaps estimate the worth of this Berlin District patch for me?
    11. Here, for information, are pictures from the original user manual that came with this kit:
    12. These two machine-embroidered patches came to me in a mixed bag of military items and I am unsure about their affiliation, time period and and significance. Both would appear to be German - ie. Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and gold oakleaves. The first perhaps a unit patch and the other possibly a rank patch? Can anyone assist with identification, please? Thanks and regards, John
    13. Sharing here some feedback which I received on the WAF: Quote: To be exact they are RCNR Sub-Lt Engineering Branch and as for value in near relic condition not much. The translation from civy rank to military was odd to say the least as at that time ranks where not as standardized as today. On civy street he would have been a Fourth engineer/third assistant engineer or in other words the lowest commissioned working rank. Unquote
    14. Well, that nicely takes care of my request and clarifies the matter. Thanks very much for the responses. Much appreciated. I assume that, given the King's Crown on the button, that should date them to pre-1953. Anyone care to venture an opinion as to the approximate value of this pair?
    15. Here is a pair of shoulder boards for which I require some confirmation of details and dating, please. They certainly appear to be Royal Canadian Navy judging from the small brass buttons sewn to them. The King's Crown could indicate that they are WW2 or possibly WW1 vintage. My first reaction was that they belonged to a Chaplain of the Jewish faith, given the Star of David design of the bullion tape sewn to the board and the purple rank stripe. However, my research to date led me here: http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1845.html and I note that in terms of WW2: "5) There were 9 full-time Jewish chaplains serving in Canada’s military after 1941; CASF and RCAF – no RCN Jewish chaplains. There were also several part-time Jewish chaplains who served in various cities in Canada. Jewish chaplains during WW2 (there were none in service after the war until recently) came under the administration and establishment of either the army’s or RCAF’s Protestant chaplain services. 6) After 1941, the RCAF and RCN were given their own officially recognized and separate chaplain services. These chaplains reported to either a Chief of the RCAF Chaplain Service or a Chaplain of the Fleet. As with the army there were parallel organizations for RCs and Protestants. Prior to that point, the army supplied chaplain resources, or civilian officiating chaplains were supplied (an officiating chaplain is generally a civilian under contract to the military) to the navy and air force. Obviously, these services were much smaller than their army counterpart. After the war, the RCAF and RCN chaplain services continued as a separate entity to the CCS and later, the RCAChC (after 1948) until the three services unified in 1968 under a Principal Chaplain or Chaplain General (RC or Protestant)." This leads me to think that the boards may date from WW1, but I have found no references to corroborate that. The condition and ageing of these epaulettes certainly would seem to indicate that they are of early vintage. The buttons are sewn to the epaulette. The reverse underlay is a type of burlap material which is deteriorating. I would be grateful if any member of this Forum might be able to shed some light on these shoulder boards for me. Thanks and regards, John
    16. Thanks, Chris. Very long time, no see...not since you lived over in the Fatherland! Nice to have your input from this side of the pond. Now I have sufficient information to research and try to put a value on this "pinhead"!
    17. Thank you, Dave. Very helpful. Do you perhaps know the relevance of the letter "L" surmounted by a crown?
    18. Danke vielmals! Uwe. Thank you so much for the quick response. The link provides quite a bit of clarifying information and gives me a good basis for further research. However, perhaps some other knowledgeable members can chime-in with feedback zeroing-in on the maker, period and country of manufacture....and perhaps an estimate of approximate value. Cheers and thanks, again, John
    19. I would greatly appreciate advice and comments on an old revolver which I have just acquired. It appears to be a very early .45 calibre, cartridge-loading revolver and old enough, I think, that it is not considered a restricted weapon so the gun laws should not apply...at least here in Canada! The barrel is 4-1/2 inches long and the revolver overall measures 9-1/2 inches. British-made, perhaps? Hallmarks/proofmarks are visible on the cylinder, being the letters "ELG" or "ELC" above a small star within a circle, surmounted at the top by what appears to be a letter "J". Below that is a letter "L" surmounted by a crown. It was obviously at one time rusted/corroded and cleaned-up...but fortunately the detailed scrollwork-engraving remains. Underneath the black, bakelite (?) grips (showing no cracks or other damage) are stampings to the metal in two places, partly illegible, but what looks like "I D" or "MD", perhaps? This appears to be repeated at one spot on the barrel but only faintly visible just in front of the cylinder. The spring and firing mechanisms are still in working order from what I can tell. Interesting to me is that there is no firing pin on the hammer. It would appear that the cartridges were detonated somehow through the rectangular opening directly above each of the six cartridge cylinders. I would certainly not try firing it due to the age and metal fatigue factor. Once I have some details I will try and research a value for this revolver...unless a member would be kind enough to also mention that. Thanks and regards, John
    20. Here is an example of one of numerous types of military wristwatches, this type ordered by and made for the Kriegsmarine and issued to personnel - officers, I believe. The navy watches had a white face dial. Over the years this example has acquired a patina which makes it look yellow. Gordon Williamson in his book, "Torpedo los!" on page 308 states, "Though the casing was fairly utilitarian (usually silver-plated brass) and plain, they contained high-quality jewelled movements...". On page 309 in describing KM pocket watches he adds that, "Class II watches were often devoid of the naval issue marking, but may be identified by the small letters 'K.M.' on the watch face." This model is signed on the face, "K.M. / Siegerin". The reverse backplate bears a serial (or issue) number 126444. The inside of the backplate has the lettering "Edelstahlboden" which I believe translates in English to "Stainless Steel Base". On the face of the inside movement is stamped a number "595". I hope that this is of interest to forum members. Regards, John
    21. Here is an update, based upon a website showing a very similar item which is listed and described as being: "A mid-20th century Moroccan carved wood powder flask and cord. VG original condition. 6 1/2" tall." It is priced at $110. Pictures can be seen here: http://www.antiqueswords.com/product-1097-Moroccan-Powder-Flask.htm John
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