Chris Boonzaier

To quote from the "Medals" mailing list, which I like to read but have little to offer... BUT... to quote from the Royal Artillery Museum ... "The Victoria Cross Guns (in the R.A. Museum) have supplied the bronze gunmetal from which over 800 of the Victoria Cross medals have been made. The first VCs are said to have been made from Russian guns captured at Sebastopol during the Crimean War. These guns, however, are Chinese, and were almost certainly captured during the Second Anglo-Chinese War of 1860 and were used to supply the metal to Hancock's Jewellers, manufacturers of the VC medal since c.1914." AND... to quote from Hancock's website... "The bronze from which all Victoria Crosses are made is supplied from the Central Ordnance Depot, Donnington and all the Crosses made throughout this century have been made from the same source of metal. This was taken from captured enemy cannon. When more Crosses are required Hancocks request a supply of metal and this is then delivered to them by COD Donnington.In fact, the metal is of Chinese origin and not Russian as if often stated". So.......it looks as if even VCs are "made in China"............

No, the Russian canon were indeed Russian made.....

A very interesting bit of info on a mailing list today.... I did not know that the chinese were involved in the production of VCs!!! You learn something every day....

Hi, From what I can see the photo on the left is early 1915, just after his commission (explaining the cav sword, thanks for confirning that). The one on the right is Mid 1915. Could very well be a prop from a photo studio as you say. Do you have a clear pic of a Cuirassier Officer's pallach? Thanks Chris

Hi, wanna do a write up about him and a bit about the battle he was killed in for the site? best Chris

What a super set!! If you find another one .... :-)

Hi, much restructuring went on with supply and ammunition columns in the war... I would like to pinpoint the "Divisions Kraftfahr Kolonne 732" in mid 1917. At this stage it seems each division got one, but the numbers in no way corresponded to the division. Does anyone have a reference of some sort? Thanks Chris

Thanks, I am hoping it is easy to find. The 8th Corps thing SEEMS to be the logical line for me but you never know.

Please see this in the blades section... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28127

This gus was promoted to Lt d. Res. in january 1915 and told to get a sword. he could not find one so his CO found one for him and gave it to him. According to his diary it was not an infantry one but a J?ger z. Pferd one. This photo is 6 months later... I am not sure it is the same sword, but I cannot ID the type.... and ideas? Thanks Chris

Its post war tourist stuff. best Chris

Indeed.. but I would never have expected "Botha life"

They left the 3rd ID in december 1916... "251 divisions" has them leaving for Courland... but then lists them with the 3rd RD on the Western front. When DID they arrive at the 3RD? Did they do a short stop in Kurland before heading west? Thanks Chris

The St Mihiel Salient was the first big action of the war.... for an account as seen by the Germans see here... http://www.kaiserscross.com/41902/155201.html

See whats new :-)

Agreed, it is not uncomman to have switched boards... looking at the book on Fighter pilot RK winners, of the diamonds winners both Gollob and Lent have them on like this. I think the issue of the red thread may be a bit worrying?

This is an 8th Corps board...

Well, The guy was originally in the 68th iR which was 8th Armee Corps district... When the 78 RD div was formed the 258th came from 8th Corps area and the 259 and 260 from 10th Corps. I assume he came over with the light Blue of the 8th Corps? The X. Corps was white, so we can see it was not one of them. At an educated guess do you think light Blue is what I am looking for? Thanks Chris

Sounds like home in the bad old days :-( Thanks for the link, I had never heard anything about this before.

I saw this 1917 newspaper on EBAY... anyone know what the story was?

I have been a fan of your site for some time.... great tags indeed!

This is an unusual one, it is out of a kind of stainlesssteel, and has no number, just that he is in the Ersatz Battalion...

Maybe these were post war special troops? It was signed on the 8th of December 1918 for an award on the 8th of November. I think the Sicherungstruppe were an immediate post war thing. Maybe before the Freikorps. Maybe to look after the Crown prince? After all, daddy had already left the country... Crown Prince must have been in a slightly precarious position as well.... Best Chris

Hi, it is an EK doc to Lehr Infanterie Regiment, Sch?tzen Emil St?ssel (1st Machinengewehr Kompagnie) Best Chris

Hi Stephan, welcome to the forum :-)