Ulsterman

A subject near and dear to my heart. In the 1980s I interviewed a few surviving "Tans". There actually have been four books on the subject-if one includes the RIC one (and there's a separate one about the Northern Loyalists) and a few articles here and there. The really rough troops were the "Auxis"-mostly ex-officers in the army. Many had decorations and in some photos almost half have the MC on the uniforms. This area of history is, as was mentioned above, rarely viewed objectively. The IRA men who wrote their memoirs had a vested interest in making themselves and their cause sound heroic-and demonizing the enemy. One thinks of "Guerrilla Days In Ireland" or "The Singing Flame". Many of the Auxis went home and went into normal life, were recalled in the 1940s and served in the war. Many of the records from this era are still sealed-mostly to protect intelligence sources (and their families) from embarassment. I'd start with "The Green Flag"-a superb book.

Great stuff Ed!! A treasure.

By 1937 the "new issue" of the wound badge was applied for by @500,000 veterans of WW1. 10% did not get one because they had been invalided by sickness-not injury. See Frankfurter Zeitung, Sept. 10, 1937

I had no idea that someone without a Royal Commission could have an MC. I am speechless. What English equivalent rankings are "Subadars...etc?"

All lost forever-such a shame and a loss of a lifes' work. Any chance Mrs. Seymour still has the notes? Who consigned the medals to Thies anyway?

I picked up a book last month written by a sometime acquaintance in the Great War Society-B. Cory Kilvert of New Hampshire, USA. He has written a small privately published book-long out of print apparently, about his medal collecting research into a series of British WW1 medals. The book reads like a familiar detective novel-familiar in that it delves deep into the War Graves Commission (before it was on-line), The Imperial War Museum, "Officers Died In the Great War", local museums and regimental depots-all very familiar to those of us who try and find out about the names on our medals. One of his men was a Srjnt. Major William McNally of the Wofrs.. In 1915 he was awarded the MC-AS an NCO (Rgmntl Srgt. Major). In all these years I did not know that 2% (781 out of 40,261) of all WW1 MCs were awarded to senior NCOs and WOs. Good stuff. Has anybody else perchance ever seen a non-officers' MC?

OK, I was wondering if its some sort of motherhood badge. How about this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/Iraq-Iraqi-Army-Unknow...1QQcmdZViewItem

Dear Ed, Do you know perchance what this is? I am curious. http://cgi.ebay.com/Iraq-Iraqi-Baath-Party...1QQcmdZViewItem

There is a very serious Vatican collector on the OMSA site whom I believe Prof. Haynes is acquainted with. He seems to have everything.

Thank you! No, it has no battles-merely Gewehr 98 etc., conduct, Stamrolle # 4900 1916, etc. There was more pasted in the back-but mere shreds remain. No wound badge entry-but I'll bet he got his in 1935 on the reissue. He wouldv'e been just old enough for recall in 1940 too.

Here's a nice photo I just got. I thought Deruelle might especially appreciate it:

This is the second part. I hope I don't run out of filespace.

Militarpass Help: Gentlefolk, here is a Militarpass I bought a while back. It looks to me to be a reissue upon return document to a young man, Pvt. Wietbrock, (born Oct. 1898) who went into Ersatz Battln. IR 15 shortly after his 18th birthday. All the front personal information appears to have been added later and in summary form. As near as I can make out he was awarded the EK2 in 1918 and the Lipp. Verdeinst cross in 1917. It appears as if he went into POW status in Sept. 1918 and returns in 1919. However, my sutterlein is not "sharp". Can any kind, gentlefolk out there help me with this? My thanks.

RE: Paul's bar: You might also want to think "chaplain" as they were often awarded the Red Cross medal, the Prussian war aid cross and I have seen a few with noncom EK2s in photos. I have seen WW2 shots of chaplains with HKs, but have yet to see an HK award doc to a Priest serving as a chaplain during WW1. I have also seen these types of doc groups to Asst. Arzts back in the homeland.

St. Henry's ribbon?

That level of violence in Europe suggests a Neo-Nazi or Russian mob connection. However, having said that, there are good reasons not to use ones real name and to "trust, but verify "others here on the open forums. I have been collecting for many years and heard many, many, many horror stories within this hobby. It was by the grace of God himself that Angolia did not end up similarly situated as the man above only a few years ago. By its nature it is not stamp or Teddy Bear collecting and although there are good folks here, a few of whom I have met at one point or another, there is always reason to be cautious. It is too easy to track down people these days.

Jens and Jason: Those are wonderful bars. I have seen wartime SA photographs with men wearing the KVM on their medal bars.

I just saw this thread! Ed I am stunned. That Lucknow is great!! Certainly worthy of an article (hint hint) once you have researched it. But for my money the First Seikh war gongs are the best. Having read about the battles those were as hard won as the Waterloo medal. Casualties for british imperial regiments were what-50-60%?

What a great group! I did not know that women received a noncom. campaign medal.

Hamburg Hansa cross-"close enough, I've run out of replacement ribbon" sort of thing?

Oh I don't know about all that. Maybe as a war all in all, but I know a few chaps who shot POWs they couldn't keep in the kneecap or thumbs so they couldn't be a bother anymore, but let them go.

Same here Ed. Very interesting stuff. Do you have award docs at all? Any idea as to where to find spare ribbons?

Great thread!! Anybody ever try and track down his denazification papers in the US National archives? It would be interesting to see his questionaire. Indeed-more interesting to talk to some of the older folks in his town about him.

A wonderful thread. I would add two smaller works though- Knussert's "Orden In Bayern" " and Holzman's "Badens Orden" . Both republished by PHV Verlag. Both out of date by 1914, but filled with info nuggets and small gems, like the service dates and places for the Sudwestafrika denkmunze.

Hmmmm... so construction and context point towards originality. The man who owned it must've had a very interesting career.