Spasm

Really nice, and I know how much time and patience these take. Well done. The little Type 95 car is just great. The hammered flat twisted wire reminds me of Triumph speedo cables.

I've also really liked this image. The old grizzled veteran and his wife. I think the wife is wearing her best (looks to be a paisley patterned shawl) and is almost smiling (not common at that time as it was a serious matter to go get your photo taken). The Paisley design first appeared around 200AD in Persia - during the 1600s the Paisley pattern started to appear on shawls imported by the East India Company. In the 1800s the weavers in the town of Paisley, Scotland became the primary producers of the pattern due to their skill in producing the design in more than two colours. The wife's shawl looks to be more than a two colour design - probably a very expensive item at the time. The old man is wearing his best - albeit well worn and obviously old at that time - but still wearing a jacket with waistcoat and a chain . No doubt a timepiece in there somewhere. The medal doesn't seem to be attached to the chain but has not just been pinned onto the overcoat - it may be pinned to the jacket/waistcoat and then folded onto the coat just before the picture was taken. No idea why the overcoat and shawl were not taken off. Maybe it was cold, or maybe the wife wanted her bonnet and shawl to be in the photo. But I still can't pinpoint the medal. The clasps do definitely look to be a MGSM with 6 clasps. But the medal and hanging bar just isn't quite right. And I can't really see the Queen's head there - although I remember reading that at some time the medals were worn differently - ie displaying what we would now call the reverse. So I gave up checking all the medals I could think of and settled on the MGSM: Maybe one of us will find it, thanks all, Steve

Paul, This is an ambrotype photo - a positive photo on glass - (ie there's only one, like a polariod or a print on paper). They were started to be used around 1850 and were superseded by the Tintype process around 1860. Produced in that 10 year period then. The MGSM was approved in 1847 (which had to be retrospectively applied for) and awarded for campaigns between 1793 and 1814. So our man in the picture above could have been 18ish in 1793 or 18ish in 1814 to give his age between 56 and 87. I'd put him in there somewhere. Cheers, Steve

Alex, thanks for that. It seems to be the only choice as I really can't find a match with any other medal given the close up of the photo. Which is why I went for the GSM in the painting. Cheers, Steve

Looks to be matching turtle pattern camo rather than the 1918 Ludendorff black (finger width) outlined angular camo. I assume done post war rather than all from the same unit ignoring the helmet camo order. See, you've got to be careful with those supposed wartime camo helmets. Even Walt Disney said he painted them up after the war to shoot full of holes and sell onto collectors.

Given the dates (1850-60) of the ambrotype in my posting about the unknown medal, I've taken the decision to go for the Peninsular War. He's now propped up in the workshop/cave.

I've posted this picture previously but was never really happy that the medal was nailed down. The picture is easily found on t'tinternet and has various captions associated with it. The seated gent is always seen as a veteran but it varies from Waterloo, Peninsular Wars to the Crimean and the US Civil War. It's an Ambrotype photo on a glass plate from around 1850-60. It was found at an auction (Christie's I think) by Bruce Bernard in the 1970s who later tracked it down again for inclusion in his book "photodiscovery". The caption in this book reads "Veteran of Waterloo and his wife". I've played with the photo a bit First of all I think the photo is backwards (these etched glass plates were supposed to be viewed against a dark background) as the medal should be worn on the left and now his coat buttons up correctly - it sort of looks more natural this way round. Then crop our hero out - he looks like he's had a pretty nasty crack on the nose at some point And then zoom in on the medal Although the bars are similar to the clasps on the Peninsular War GSM the medal itself does not. For one thing it looks to be a swinging type - the medal is not central to the ribbon - and it neither looks to be either side. What could it be?

This is just astounding, I can see why it took so long, how is it possible to match the places so well

I suppose he could've fought for both sides - maybe lost a finger to the Russians and another to the Germans - now that would've been a story not to miss. Steve

Ravs Try the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester: https://www.keepmilitarymuseum.org/history/first+world+war/the+dorsetshire+regiment Steve

Brian, sorry, not a comment on your blog just an amazed reaction to Colin's first ever oil painting on canvass. Colin, just wow my man. Applause all round I think and other superlatives from someone who's tried to paint for many years. Bugger.

Thanks Peter, hope your retirement is going ok. No idea how I ever had the time to go to work, but retirement is miles and miles better. Otto Carius of 2.sPzAbt 502 - the ones with the painted woolly mammoths - and another Tiger destroyed 17 tanks including a JS-1 in a 20 minute action in Malinava (Eastern Front). He is credited with over 150 kills and the only Tiger to have shot down an aircraft! He said it took his gunner two shots before he got one though - good grief. After the war he gained the qualifications and opened a chemist called 'Tiger Apotheke'. His book "Tigers in the Mud" is worth a read. Here he is getting another gong and some other cool pics (saves you having to look him up)

It's been hanging around in a rather large box for a while, so while I'm waiting for the Triumph spares shops to catch up on deliveries: Looks quite good perched on an old ammo box

Too late

Martin Don't bother, these are relatively cheap so wait and get a good matching numbers pair. They are fairly easily obtained from most dealers or shows. Steve