Avitas

I would hazard to guess it might be a children's toy helmet from the period, or maybe made shortly after the war as a souvenir. It looks too small to be an actual combat helmet. I have never seen the tricolour shield decal on the inside like that. The rolled edges and air vent construction look pretty accurate for an M35, maybe it just looks smaller than it is? It is kind of interesting though, if it was indeed a period toy I would leave it in its current state as a historical oddity. Maybe someone else can weigh in. Cheers, Pat

Also some pertinent information I forgot to mention was the sign is double sided and it is 48" by 16" at its widest to give some scale. Later, Pat

Yes I believe it is for the 8th War Loan as well. It had previous series of war loans painted on it previously as you can see the silver paint and bumps from the earlier writing under the current paint job, so I assume it was practice for local store owners who sold war bonds to just paint over the sign when the next issue came out. I purchased this close to home here in Southern British Columbia so it may be a Canadian issue, I had just thought it was American because of the colour scheme. Thanks for the responses and hopefully someone else has some info on this cool sign! Pat

Just bumping this up, hoping for any info on this cool item. Thanks, Pat

There is also a good militaria shop in Victoria by the name of The Command Post of Militaria downtown on Government Street if you are ever on the island.

Thanks for the clarification, much appreciated! I got most of the items in a lot so it great to get some more info on them as this is not my area of collecting. Later, Pat

Thanks Bernhard, I have a couple of these DAF books now, maybe the start of a new line of collecting for me. In the past I have stayed away from paper items but it is interesting to decipher the stories that are attached to the books. Later, Pat

Right on, I am getting better at ID'ing the makers. When I first started on the site back in 2006 I had so many fakes in my early collection that I learned a harsh lesson in looking at the details, not the dealer's story. It's thanks to this site and all the great help that I am now learning more and more about different designs and makers etc. in this exciting and sometimes heartbreaking hobby. About the zinc pest, how much vasoline should I add? Maybe apply a small amount to a cotton swab and apply that way? Thanks again, Pat

Well Mervyn, Kelowna is about 3 hours drive inland from Vancouver, BC. It is known as the summer (and winter) playground of Western Canada with the beautiful hot weather, multiple lakes, wineries, ski hills etc. It is the biggest city in the Okanagan Valley, kind of a cross between California with all the summer tourists and Florida with all the retirees who live here. A great place to visit if you're ever in Canada. Cheers, Pat

The painting itself matches the romantic views of the Fatherland that would have been celebrated in Nazi circles at the time so that part makes sense. Apart from that view I am no expert on art but it would appear the stamp would have been to catalog certain items for domestic use in the Waffen-SS, maybe hung in a mess hall or Officers quarters? I would not expect it to be stolen art considering the frame and topic of the pic, but that is just my opinion. Fascinating piece though, hopefully someone else can chime in. Cheers, Pat

A belated thanks Don, Nick, that cased example is an extraordinary example. It looks as good as the day it was made. I have seen one with the green paint on it but the red and gold is striking. Does anyone else have one to share? Pat

That is a nice grouping of documents. Documents of any kind from the TR period are almost impossible to find over here on the West Coast of Canada! Not many made the trip across the Atlantic I suppose. Very good find! Pat

Hey guys, I have scoured the documentation to find these corresponding facts: He served 1 year and 158 days in theatre of South Africa (21 days of Service in England and 7 days after returning for a grandtotal of 186 days served.) F.W. Fleet was in South Africa from March 23, 1901 to August 27, 1902. Fleet was awarded the QSA, with the C.C., O.F.S., Trans., S.A.1901+2 (actual abbreviations on documents in handwriting)clasps. He was discharged at the rank of Trooper as a member of the 32nd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry. This explains how he received the Transvaal as he would have transferred from the 63rd Company of the 1st Battalion. I think a further look has solved the mystery gentlemen. P.S. He was a fireman in civilian life with tattoos on his forearms at the time of enlistment, and he was discharged with very good conduct. Pat

Hi Paul, Thanks for the compliments on the buckle, it was a nice example. It only has the metal clasp and no leather tab unfortunately. I have a couple with the leather tabs and they are definitely a nice addition if you can find them. Pat

Thanks for the info Pikemedals, much appreciated. To answer your questions, the research I have doesn't have any specific battle information, just his sign-up sheets and medals he was awarded. It does show he was awarded all five clasps in the documents, including the Transvaal so that is an interesting piece of information. Perhaps he was "loaned" to another company for a spell, I wish the documentation was full, but it does have a fair bit of information. Thanks again, Pat