coldstream

Paul The khaki coloured beret you have purports to be for a Non commissioned rank of the Scots Guards and dates from the mid 80s up to the present day. A few things that worry me regarding this beret are the extremely shoddy way that the blue, red, blue badge backing has been sewn onto the beret, no Guards Regiment would allow this standard of tailoring, The Scots Guards cap badge does not show wear in line with the wear on the inside of the beret which I know does not mean much but could indicate that this has been put together for a quick sale. Most issued berets would also have maker and size stamps on the inside but if this a privately purchased example that may well not be the case. Guardsman would often want a beret with a leather band as opposed to a cloth one and so this could be a commercially made beret bought for that reason. Hope this helps and best regards Simon

Cant tell from the scan if there is anything above the chevrons, a crown would indicate a Colour Sergeant. The pascal Lamb collar badges obviously associates him with the County of Surrey. Does the back of the card have any studio details? Possibly a Volunteer Rifle Regiment from Surrey. Regards Simon.

Mike, A stunning display, you know how to make people jealous!!! I would imagine that collecting examples with all the bars would be a very difficult and expensive task now? Regards Simon.

Brad, My mistake, please accept my apologies. Simon.

Brad Regimentals have a pretty good reputation (guessing this is the same cap they had listed?) so that's a good start. Would like to see the cap with the badge removed, some of the staining seems larger than the badge and would be interesting to see if there are any id marks within the folded part of the cap liner. Think you will have to wait until it arrives for a definite answer. Regards Simon.

Arthur, Many thanks for that information. Simon.

Mervyn. many thanks for the additional information. Regards Simon.

Paul, Many thanks for your reply, I thought this would be the case with such a Unit. Couldn't resist the medal though! Regards Simon.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I was recently lucky enough to obtain a Queens South Africa Medal in a local auction awarded to Private 28928 Robert Thiwell of the Rand Rifles. The medal has no battles clasps as I believe that this Unit was generally employed in guarding the area of Johannesburg and the local mines. Would anyone know of any published histories surrounding this Unit and its activities during the war please? Regards Simon.

John My opinion would be that its some form of sweetheart jewellery item based on the hallmarked back plate which resembles a horseshoe, a well known good luck symbol in the UK. Regards Simon.

Hello JH, A nice tunic, could you point out what has given you the date range 1895 - 1902? Is it just the 'WD' stamps or something else? Regards Simon.

Matt, I wonder if the B stands for burns, ie a first aid bag with contents purely for burn victims as against shell dressings for bullet and shrapnel wounds. Regards Simon

Robin Would be fascinating to find out if these were indeed official issue to Police at this time however I wouldn't know where to start with Scottish Police research. Do you think re-posting this thread in the Police section would help! Regards Simon.

I thought saw back bayonets were against the Geneva Convention!!!

Robin As we both know British Police Forces have always been slow in equipping Officers with adequate protective clothing, remember seeing dustbin lids, short wooden truncheons and tall helmets in the late 70s early 80s in riot situations! I would imagine things were much the same in 1926, perhaps your Grandfather found his old helmet and thought 'that would be useful'! Even if military style helmets were officially issued I doubt it would have been the rare 'Cruise' helmet. Simon

Robin, a rare photo, we just need to find one being worn by a Police Officer! (hens teeth perhaps!) Simon.

Try this escellent site for starters! http://www.hussards-photos.com/UK_home.htm hope it helps. Regards Simon

Eric An excellent link, thanks for posting. Regards Simon

Robin This is a Cruise helmet designed for the infantry late in the the Great War by Captain Richard Cruise. Rare and valuble, found this one currently for sale http://www.rubylane.com/item/802481-843/WW1-Mark-I-Second-Pattern Cheers Simon.

A silly question perhaps but would he have recieved the War Medal in silver or the bronze version awarded to the Chinese, Maltese etc? Simon

Never seen anything like this but there appear to be three 'bombs' or 'shells mounted in some form of cage to the top of this contraption, an improvised bomb thrower or form of spigot mortar? Can't see why a balloon cable would have these or the need for such an ability to traverse the base. Regards Simon

Hello Mervyn, hope you are well and a very Happy Christmas to you and your family. Regards Simon

Many thanks for the additional information on this photograph. Regards Simon

Gentlemen Just noticed this and can confirm that it is indeed a QE11 version of the Regimental Sergeant Majors rank badge. Of interest though is that the manufacture of this type of badge was changed when the Number two dress uniform was simplyfied and modernised in the mid eighties (if memory serves me right on the date!) The newer versions are much more brightly coloured and, to my mind, look and feel inferior, this example however is pre this modernisation and would have been worn on Number two dress and also on the combat jacket. Regards Simon

Paul This uniform is known as Number 2 dress and is worn by many Regiments as their parade uniform due mainly to budget cuts. As with everything regarding the British Army the dress distinctions for each Unit vary considerably. The belt for this uniform would be either the green or on occaisions white plastic belt although I have seen some Units not wearing a belt at all.!!! The time taken to reach this rank would again vary on the Unit and Mans ability but I would say that at 8 to 10 years excellent service would be required. If you are after trousers for this look on Ebay UK under 'no 2 dress trousers or uniform,' there are normally loads on offer and are usually very cheap. Regards Simon