Chris Boonzaier

last year I was in a shop on manitoulin Island. They had a small display of stuff used in WW1 by one of the owners. Included was a Brodie with a cool painted badge of an indian head. I seem to remember the guy was an officer in an arty unit formed with many men from manitoulin Island? Does anyone have an idea of how rare the insignia is? I would love to get a helmet like that. Best Chris

Nice... did you get any of his other goodies? Best Chris

Hi, did all the 1st Division men then get the SS after the review process? Best Chris

Hi, I heard.... 1) In the 1 ID in WW1 a silver star citation was given to anyone who was wounded... would that mean that many 1ID Silver Stars were not for bravery, but simply a seconf goodie for being wounded? 2) That not all victory ribbon silver star citations were considered to merit a real Silver Star? Thanks if anyone can confirm those thoughts.... Best Chris

Nice display! Did the South Australians werar a sword in the 60s?

Soon baby, soon...... :-)

I used to have a cheaper one, a printed one. Stupidly when I was in the army I traded all the souveniers I got for WW2 German cröp. Also had some really cool presidential guard stuff from Bokassa which I picked up in Central Africa... some Leopard spot cammo from the congo with numbered jump wings, tons of Bosnian and Serb stuff.... All traded for WW2 Germanstuff that is now looooong gone. Man, I wish i still had the souvenirs.... :-( Have never regretted trading away bits of militaria... but the souvenirs bite!

Fezzan? That must be rare? Have never seen one.

Hi, I think they are heavily plated. I assume they are bought to be given as gifts to influential people. The ones I saw had been gifts to the Egyptian royal family. best Chris

Nice toys, I saw a bunch of these in a museum in Cairo... must be a middle eastern fashion statement....

I MEAN IT..... Keep an eye on this space....... Complete but one!!! Coming soon.... Just keep an eye on this space.... OK??

Just found this.... It will definately be THE book on the subject... Recce: A Collector’s Guide to the History of the South African Special Forces - P. Matthysen, M. Kalkwarf & M. Huxtable "The quintessential professional - prepared to die for his country, but not trained to … this is the elite 'Recce' soldier" This book has been some 15 years in the making and can claim, with some justification, to be the definitive publication on the 'Recces', unlikely to be topped for many, many years. The South African Special Forces have invariably been portrayed as a sinister force, used in covert operations locally and abroad but this is pure political expediency and media propaganda. The unit's operators are shy, humble soldiers, whose primary role is intelligence gathering, although they will take offensive action, ruthlessly, if necessary. Highly trained professionals in class of their own, these elite troops have garnered for themselves an international reputation par excellence. Book includes a comprehensive history and training methods and a plethora of memorabilia, actual-size badges, insignia, collectibles etc. The 'Producers' Paul Matthysen - Author. An ex-army platoon sergeant in the infantry corps, Paul also trained with the Hunter Group. Being interested in things military from a young age, he became a specialist in the field of insignia and uniforms, especially South African militaria. His speciality is World War II German insignia, for which he has won numerous awards at various exhibitions. Paul lives in Johannesburg and helps out in his daughter's bookshop. Matthew Kalkwarf - Co-author, Photography & Research Assistant. A qualified instructor NCO at the Army Gymnasium, Matthew later served with 2 South West African Specialist Unit. He retained his interest in the military after completing his service. His extensive sales experience has equipped him well to assist in this project, where excellent inter-personal skills are vital for research and interviews. His technical intelligence has proved invaluable during this process. Matthew lives in Johannesburg and manages his own company. Michael Huxtable - Layout Artist. With a keen interest in the military, Mike served two years' national service in the South African Defence Force Intelligence School during 1988/89. In 2003, he joined the SANDF Reserve Force, serving as Intelligence Officer with the Light Horse Regiment. His dream to publish books on South African military insignia came to fruition after meeting Paul Matthysen. He lives in Johannesburg. Softback, 384 pages. Over 1000 colour images, maps. Planned Release Date: Nov 2010

I remember an Austrian Braggart when i was in the Legion.... He saw me with the book "Knights cross winners of the Waffen SS" and went on and on about his grandfather being an SS KC winner. In fact.... he would show him to me in the book! His name was... Schmidt!... Yup indeed... cant go wrong with Schmidt!... or can you? When he took the book to show me this "KC Winner" grandfather... murphy law... there is none! ;-) Maybe he should have chosen Müller!

Go for it!!!! I am sure there is a magazine who would love it. When its long off the shelves and you want a final resting place, I would be very happy to post his story on the kaiserscross.com site. The is a growing French section there... best Chris

Aaaargh! Ralstona.... you make me mad with envy! Not only a killer doc, but from the family as well!!!!!!!!!

What a killer of a group! All I can say is .... WOW!

A nice group indeed! what is the citation for the Valeur Militaire? Best Chris

How can you NOT wonder?? :unsure:

I wonder if she was good lookin?

Hi, mine is the thin cotton uniform which I suppose was not worn in europe? probably when he got back from the States...?

fantastic!!!! nOW YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OVER HERE AND WE CAN VISIT THE AREAS WHERE THEY FOUGHT !!!!!! sorry, caps lock and I am too lazy to retype it all again........ :whistle:

is "XXXX Fulda" a possibility?

I think Chip nailed it... I had overlooked the typed text until now....

Here is one from Februar 1919... Blank shoulder boards.

My mother always said, never trust anyone named Westarp or Schlotheim! This just goes to prove it... EH3aX or EH3bX were my sign ins for bigandbouncy.com, I paid the years subscription but could never get in... :-(