Robin Lumsden

Thanks, Joe. There is an Egon Voss, born in Magdeburg in 1938, who is a musicologist and Wagner specialist. I wonder if he could be related to the Hauptmann Voss ................... especially in light of the Magdeburg connection. Father and son, maybe? Anyway, another eBay find. Thanks again.

Egon ???

Just picked this up. Faded ink inscription to the base. Can anyone decipher the word circled ????? 'Weisser Sonntag Kriegsjahr 1940 von Hptm. xxxx Voss' Whitsun 1940 from Hauptmann xxxx Voss. What is the 'xxxx' word ???? Thanks in advance !!

$50 was a steal !!! These old chain-stitchers are very rare. I believe they came with qualification docs like the one shown here. The modern woven ones (with inscription) go for about $1 on eBay.

That's a very nice early TK swimmer! There are very few of them around. The HJ certainly wore these in the 1930s, so I'm interested in the U-Boat connection.

Fife also carried over their whistles from one generation to the next. Back in the early 1980s, when I was based at HQ-Admin, we often issued old Victorian whistles to the latest recruits. The less lucky ones got 'spanking new' 1940s whistles marked 'ARP'. Happy days.

Don't know who it is. But it isn't Doenitz.

Chris. To protect their eyes during the strike demonstrations.. You'd be amazed what gets chucked at the polis during riots. I recall the time I was petrol-bombed in the early 1980s ........................... The 1926 strike battles in the UK were like something out of the Freikorps era ........................... These pix show what I mean.

My great-uncle on my mother's side, a miner, was a sapper in the Royal Engineers and was one of the men who tunnelled under the German lines to lay huge subterranean mines. He was killed in action at the Somme in 1917. Unfortunately, I don't have any mementoes of him, other than a photograph. My grandfather on my father's side fought in the infantry and was wounded by artillery fire at Arras in 1917. He carried the shrapnel in his wrist until the day he died, in the 1970s. Although I have his medals etc., the best military thing I inherited from him was this. Picked up during his post-1918 service with the police. It's a British army issue Brodie helmet with cruise mail visor, re-issued to the police during the General Strike. It still has the original army paintwork inside the shell and the liner is standard army pattern. I believe these cruise helmets are not easy to find. Other photo shows one in wear during WW1.

Looks OK to me. I have a similar photo which I got from Kumm personally many years ago.

Same guy ........................ different headgear !!

I love that skull cake !!

Here's a closer comparison. There are obvious slight differences, but it's clearly the same pattern of badge.

Pete. Spanish items aren't my 'thing', but I believe there were legitimate variants of these ............... both pin back and sew on types.

Chris. Spanish anti-tank badge. Skull and BIG crossed bones over PAK.

Chris. Maybe you are right ................. if Tatort was being broadcast in 1919 !!

I posted this in another thread, but it really belongs here. Cost me £2 ................... plus £5 postage !! 19th Century hand-coloured lithograph. eBay is a wonderful place !!

The CLTB on the photo above looks very much like style of the one on this memorial .....................

The black skull ................ there's a blast from the past. It's now 5 years since the black skull and his twin brother made their appearance ....................... and no other siblings have turned up since. So, still only two known. I'm sure they will be explained, some sunny day. Here's another skull item for the thread .......................

I'm normally a purist, but these things are works of art. Real talent there!

Pete. No problem. Here's another 'extra' ........................

Nice badge !! I found this to sit beside mine ...............

Might simply be a manufacturer's variation ..................... like the oversized 1939 EK2.

Hello Chris. Yes ............... hand-coloured. A little foxing round the edges, but that is now hidden after framing. As an aside, I actually won the thing at auction for £2 !! The postage was £5, hence the £7 total.

Similar oversized example shown on page 157 of Angolia's 'For Fuehrer and Fatherland' Vol. 2 (1978). Photo came from Mohawk Arms. So .................. at least we can say that this type existed in 1978. Earlier than that ??? Who knows. Certainly well made. .