Chris Boonzaier

Sorry, mine was an MM... Here is a thread of interest... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/32928-british-awards-to-french-soldiers/page__hl__%2Bmilitary+%2Bmedal

I think I have an award doc to one of them, I have to check when i get home (DCM for WW1)

Just picked up another Flak Stamped bayonet... I wonder if it was only the pocket sized units that still stamped bayonets late in the war?

Just picked up a postcard written from a bavarian Leib Regt/Alpenkorps guy in the Argonne during this period. What is really cool.. in a strange kinda way... this piece has to prove itself... it is not a one looker with logical stamps. On the French forum a guy said "Hmmm... the Alpenkorps guys were not in the Argonne"... So you really need to do a little research to find out how this worked... and it makes the final result just that much sweeter... :-))

Hi, Does anyone have any idea if there are any online researchers who can do the legwork in the French archives? Thanks Chris

I read somewhere that the citations for the Legion d'honneur can be looked up online... does anyone know if this is true? Thanks Chris

I always thought that was unconfirmed... What did strike me was there are "little things" in his first book that strike me as "insider" things... he must have got that from somewhere...

Welll... now the big question..... How will it look? Australians threw in the towel when it came to trying to design good looking medals some time ago... are they going to make another go at good looking medals??? Best XChris

Hi, no point in contacting ebay... Boxes like this were not issue, they were privately bought... or the vet took a cutlery box and made one for himself... ergo... if made in 1920 or 2010... it is a "private piece"... The seller makes no statement about age.... you are buying what you see... So... technically, no fraud...

Here is his Wikipedia page... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_A._Willoughby

Well, the Kipp label torpedoes it... I called the firm... they never sold anything like this, it is according to the grandson of H Kipp for small spoons or knives... not medals ;-)

This one is pretty bad.... http://www.ebay.de/itm/Prasentationsetui-fur-das-Eisernes-Kreuz-In-eiserner-Zeit-Etui-Orden-ek1-ek2-ek-/130734404313?pt=Militaria&hash=item1e7060b2d9

Oooof.... wow... thats fantastic!

Very nice... are they privately engraved?

I thought Bernhard would get a kick out of that! :-)

can you put up a photo?

Hi, I agree... for the socialising... but (there has to be one)... as a document collector... thank god for ebay!! You would not believe how many tables I hit at shows in Germany where I ask "Do you have any WW1 Docs?"... and the seller says.."No, I didnt bring them" ...!!!!

Hi, I am guessing this is a prewar stamp? It is a (I assume) prewar torch...

Or it will lead to legit groups being pulled apart when the collector says "Hey.. he did not get a silver star according to the database... have to seperate THAT from the group...."

Very nice indeed... I blush to say it, but my only one of these is a fake :-(

They look a bit like a Hitler Youth cap with a RCMP badge on it ;-)

Here is the down side IMHO..... Can you trust the military not to screw it up? Or is some guy who was awarded a medal going to have grief because someone googles him and doesnt find his name... because some guy messed up in data entry. If you are going to have a system like this, you have to have it 100% "Right".... otherwise, for every 1 fraud that gets caught out 10 real vets are going to have people sniggering behind their backs thinking they are frauds, because of a data bank error... And the real frauds will just kick it up a notch.. "Umm... I am not on the database as I was attached to the CIA... black ops and all... you know...." ;-)

Here is what I wonder.... I would guess that vaulted cost a little bit more than flat? Maybe that was the reason that state bought were flat? I would bet that there are few higher ranks who did not have vaulted ones... What did Kaiser W wear? If the kaiser wore vaulted... but awarded flat... then I am guessing that it was simply because they cost less?

Nice, what a pity they dont have a photo of him in full uniform splendor!!

No problemo... discussion should freewheel..