Brian Wolfe

Hi 1812 Overture Thanks for the warning, I'll make room in the freezer to store the bodies. ? Regards Brian

If anyone saw my collection and wanted to rob me they would probably write me a cheque out of pity and leave. ? Seriously there is little sense in posting any photos of where I store my collection as the medals are all in shallow drawer units that I build in my shop. I counted the drawers once and there was over 300 of them. What the Hell were you thinking; my wife often asks. Regards Brian

Oh, well no matter we are all "well aged" here on the GMIC, good vintages each and every one. Regards Brian

Hi Peter, I do hope you meant to write your "aged brain" and not "aged brian". ? Regards An aged Brian.?

I find it interesting how "regulations" were not always adhered to in use. At lot had to do with the personal preferences of the individual officers. Basically the introduction of the 1854 hilt (no folding section) did not mean that all officers either purchased a new sword or had the old one fitted with the new regulation hilt. I think the Gothic style is the British Infantry sword most often encountered. With the number of different rank insignia, branch of service and Monarch's ciphers found on these sword's hilts it can become a whole collecting theme onto itself. I have found infantry hilts fitted with cavalry blades; as long as the hilt and scabbard "looked" to fit the current regulations there seemed to be no official discouragement. I recall when I started collecting all of this was quite frustrating, we only had one or two books to draw information from and, of course, no Internet and therefore no forums to look to for advice and information. Regards Brian

If it were mine I would spend the time and money (?) to restore this interesting sword. Another possibility might be that this was ordered "shorter" to be used as a levy or "walking out sword". Levies were official events such as balls and Royal functions. A walking out sword would be a sword use worn when not of duty and yet still in uniform and out in public. Either way I would certainly restore this sword. Just be sure not to use a steel wire wheel. better left "under-cleaned" than ruin it by removing more metal or leaving scratches in the surface. On the topic of Sergeant's swords, the Sergeant's swords of the George IV era would most likely have pipe backed blades and not fullered. The Pattern 1854 is found with the pipe backed blades while officer's swords had the new Wilkinson Pattern (P.1854) fullered blade. Since Sergeants were issued swords I am assuming it was a matter of using up the old pipe backs as it would make financial sense since there would have been a lot of them in existence in warehouses that could not be used on officer's swords. It's been a while since we had a sword post, thanks for posting this intriguing topic. Regards Brian

I doubt this as, taking some measurement from my examples, if this had been ground down the distance from the fuller to the tip would be about 2 inches. The example shown here has a proportionate distance from the end of the fuller to the tip which would indicate that the blade is as manufactured. IMHO, of course. Regards Brian

It is not a sergeant's sword as they were without engraving on the blade what-so-ever. There is a possibility for the short length and that is in the practice of rank purchase during this time period. A young man with "means" could purchase a entry level officer's rank and at times this could well result in the fine young officer and gentleman being of a shorter than average height compared with other officers. While it would appear that "regulations" were hard and fast rules when you read Robson and other experts work they are giving the reader what the regulations said but not necessarily what was always practised in the field. You can imagine a shorter than average young fellow with the regulation length blade looking quite odd so a shorter blade would make sense. There are examples of Royal Navy swords being shorter than regulation as these shorter bladed swords were worn by midshipmen who were often quite young. I would add that your sword is most interesting and well worth a place in your collection; had it come my way it would surely reside in my collection. Well done. Regards Brian

Well from what I've seen being gay and happily married (same sex) is about as difficult as being straight and happily married. So, either way, good luck with whatever your choice. Regards Brian

Peter, your opinion is worth at least a gold tuppence; right on target. This is a fantasy term created by not only dealers but family members of the soldier well after he, or she, had gone to Valhalla. It's right up there with Ninja swords and unicorn horns. Of course that discounts that the original owner simply had a hate on for everyone regardless of national affiliation. They are interesting in that it shows what one soldier thought important and relevant and took the time to collect them. Ah, collectors "Bless 'em all, the long the short and the tall". Regards Brian

Hi ccj, Thanks for your comments. Funny how, for me at least, coffee has become a habit more than a conscience choice. It's the old, "Well if you having one (coffee) pour me as well". When I get together with my son-in-law, a former Brit, it's tea all the way. Thanks again. Regards Brian

Since I posted this I have made some changes that works better for me. The original stands hold the sword and scabbard vertically and it was difficult to photograph. I made new stands that hold both the swords and scabbards at an angle to make taking the photos a lot easier. I used wooden blocks to hold the supports as once cropped they didn't show anyway so even though I like the first ones as being all Plexiglas these new ones work so much better. The photos show the stands, the stands with the sword and scabbard ready to photograph and the sword and scabbard once they have been cropped. With a little playing around with Photo Shop it is possible to remove the part of the stand that shows up in the sword and scabbard. Regards Brian

Thanks for your reply Patrick, just in case some might not know what the Belgian WW1 Medal you were referencing looks like I have included one here. I understand that the small crown on the ribbon denoted the recipient was a volunteer.

Many thanks JustinG, I have modified these a bit since this post and should add those pictures. Regards Brian

Thank you for sharing your story, it was most interesting and greatly appreciated, it makes this blog well worth the time to post. Regards Brian

Thank you for your most interesting comment. The thrill of the chase didn't interest me in the beginning but over time it started to overshadow the act of simply adding yet another medal or group to the collection. Regards Brian

The British and Their Tea. History is not just about the dates of battles, there is the consideration of planning, tactics, and supply, as well as establishing objectives and the logistics in general to be considered. All of these factors and more could never take place or even be considered by the British Military of the Victorian era without the key ingredient; tea. Some background: Before we get out the Brown Betty let’s consider tea and the way different counties enjoy this beverage. I understand the British like their tea with milk and in some areas of the UK with the addition of sugar; this, along with the offer of “I’ll be mother”, a non-gender specific nor indicative of any genetic kinship, offer to pour the brew when ready. Those in Canada who, like me, hail from the far Northern regions of Ontario take our tea black. This is often made in an old tin pail over the noon-day camp fire (during hunting season), using water from a beaver pond, hello Guardia, (also known as Beaver Fever, which sounds like an emotional obsession of a teenage boy; only it’s much worse) after skimming the green pond plants from the surface of the boiling water. No wonder you can’t poison a Canadian from the North. From what I have read the Americans like to bulk soak their tea in questionable harbour waters before the drink is prepared. The only reference to this comes from the Boston area so they may no longer practise this strange behaviour. Exactly how the Australians take their tea remains a mystery though I suspect water from a Billabong may be involved. If this is so then they too might be like Canadians and difficult or even impossible to poison. I asked a friend from Australia this question and was bluntly told to f**k off. I may have touched on a violation of the State Secrets Act. The question in the minds of many readers, unless I have already “lost” you, is when did the British stop transporting loose leaf tea on campaign? If you never thought about it, then you might just be doing so now. It’s OK, you can admit it, we’re all gentlemen here; it’s in the Club’s title. While reading the book “In Abor Jungles” by Angus Hamilton, chronicling the Abor Expedition into North Eastern India, 1911 to 1912 (see page 180), I came upon this interesting fact. A warning about the book in general: if you are not into in-depth studies of relatively obscure military actions then this book may not be for you. Mr. Hamilton covers the traits of the different tribes in infinite detail and these sections are about as exciting as the list of “Begets” found in the Book of Geneses. Just to be fair that section of the Bible is actually quite important as it sets out the lineage of a certain family. Just so I don’t spoil the ending I suggest you read the Book. The Quote from “In Abor Jungles”: “The tea was Liptons of very good quality and the subject of a somewhat daring experiment, as the well-known firm had been permitted by the Government of India to provide supplies of compressed tea for the use of the expedition instead of loose leaf that hitherto had been favoured. A special machine was sent to India for the purpose of compressing the tea; and, as it was the first time that troops on service in India had been given compressed tea, the military authorities were taking a keen interest in the experiment. Happily the departure from the customary methods of carrying tea was a great success and it was pretty well certain that compressed tea will be employed in future wars. The advantage in transport was very obvious, a chest of forty-five pounds only measured 20 inches by 15 inches by 8½ inches”. -First printed in 1912 I say old boy, never thought your life would be enriched by an article regarding tea here on the GMIC, did you? Regards Brian Photo below is from the book, “Military Ink: A pen at war”, available through IMA (International Military Antiques Inc.

Interesting how that statement and your avatar picture complement one another. ? Regards Brian

I have just compared yours with the only one I have in my collection and I believe yours to be authentic. Well done. Regards Brian

Interesting. It seems ages since I took out my collection of Indian Police Service Medals and looked them over. I'm sure adding the COVID19 service medal to my collection will not be something that I'll see anytime soon, perhaps not even within my collecting lifetime. Thanks for this new information and the excuse for me to go over my medals collection once again. Regards Brian

Well done Chris, a very impressive display. Regards Brian

Very nice sword and the history that comes with it makes it a one of a kind. He may have had the final guard installed as the Pattern 1897 guard had the inner edge turned down to protect the uniform from wear commonly caused by the guard of the Pattern 1895. I would assume that he anticipated that he would only be using the sword for ceremonial purposes during his retirement. Not that it couldn't have had the guard changed as a gift, that is totally possible. It also, of course depicts the cipher of the reining monarch of that time. The leather scabbard is the field issue and I would bet there was a steel version in his possession for parade duty. Thanks for sharing this exceptional sword and its owner's most interesting history with us aussiesoldier. Regards Brian

Peter, I have been following this thread and was also looking in my WWI material for photos of these "masks" to no avail. On the other hand if I had been a betting man I would have made a small (very small) wager that these were fairly modern remakes or even fantasy items. After reading Bayern's reply I'm happy I didn't waste my money, once again proving, "Wagering bad, collecting good" is the best motto.I also wish this was the first time I was wrong. A few years ago I passed by a really nice supposed British sword at a show thinking there was never such a thing only to find out recently that it was a very rare experimental Pattern. It is so hard knowing everything while I lack so much knowledge. ? Regards Brian

No problems Spasm, Colin's work is indeed awe inspiring. Regards Brian

Thanks for the kind comments Brett and Peter. An additional tip of the hat to Peter for setting the record straight regarding the Asian flu. I like my writing to be as accurate as possible and anything medical is a long way from my comfort zone. Regards Brian