Brian Wolfe

I think your idea has merit. Personally, I seldom, if ever, check the For Sale of Wanted sections. That being the case, it would be more benificial to me if such items were in their specific catagory. I'm not sure I have the authority to carry out such a change but I know it is beyond my abilities to do so. Perhaps a PM to Nick will answer your question. For whatever reason I missed your original post so it is possible Nick has missed it as well. Regards Brian

Over the years I've seen several either for sale at militaria shows or in museums but I've never seen a photo os them "hot out of the oven". Thanks for posting this very interesting photo. Regards Brian

My jaw drops at viewing your collection of wound badges, as I sit here with only one in my collection. I've said it before and I'll say it again. What a great post and the range of your collection of wound badges is fantastic. Thanks again for this top notch post Nick. Regards Brian

Hello Brian, Your post (above) is a very excellence reference and a most welcomed addition to this post. Many thanks. Regards Brian

Hello Zulu57, Thanks very much for the identification, it is much appreciated. Regards Brian

Hello ioway1846, This section is not for the identification of medals etc. Please reenter it under the proper evaluation and identification section. If you are a guest then the section would be Guests Valuation & Identification Forum, or if you are a member there is a section for that as well. You have a better chance of one of the members seeing it if it is in the correct section. Regards Brian

Craig, We shall have to wait until the annual review, then write a report and take it before several committies first. We will keep you update, please do not call us we'll call you. Ha ha Regards brian

I was born in a place in the Northern part of Ontario that no longer exists as a name place, Fort William. No, it was not razed to the ground during the French and Indian Wars, I'm not THAT old. Fort William was amalgamated with its sister city, Port Athur, to become the City of Thunder Bay.You will find this city on the map at the north western tip of Lake Superior. I grew up in a small town in south western Ontario and presently live in an even small in Central Ontario. I would not mind one more move in my life possibly closer to Ottawa as the terrain is more like that of my birth place, which I am told looks much like the Scottish Highlands, please do not imagine me in a kilt. However, I fear the next move I shall make will only put me six feet closer to sea level. The small town I grew up in underwent an urban renewal movement a number of years ago spurred on, I believe, by the threat of a large shopping mall being proposed just beyond the outskirts (you're still thinking kilts aren't you) of the county line. We've seen downtown cores of both cities and towns become ghost towns in the past because of the allure of these mammoth shopping Mecca's so the threat was not unfounded. The first building to fall under the blade of the bulldozer was the town's library. This demolition had been contested because, as the conservationists argued, this was a Carnegie Museum. The protest was withdrawn when it was pointed out that Carnegie was not an architectural style but had been a fund set up by the Carnegie Foundation for the construction of libraries throughout the United States and Canada. In fact the architecture of the whole town is what is known as Ontario Vernacular, a polite way to say, "hodge podge". The new library turned out to be a very nice modern facility that was well designed to serve the community now and well into the future. The next building, and right across the street, that was slated for the wrecking ball was the town hall and its surrounding neighbourhoods in order to make way for a new downtown shopping mall with the municipal offices on the second floor. The old town hall was truly Ontario Vernacular in the strictest sense. A conglomeration of additions built on through the years, the quality of which depended upon the economy of the times. It sported the letters TH within a rectangle which were constructed of white bricks set into the red brick of the original building. TH, of course, stood for Town Hall; oh God, shoot me now, it all looked quite amateurish and...well..."vernacular". In the front of the town hall sat the cenotaph, which is the focus of this report, and you thought I would NEVER get to the point. The cenotaph was not the spectacular structures seen in many cities. It was rather plain, a basic obelisk with the dates and names of the wars for which this monument represented as well as for those from the community who had served and those who had fallen in those wars. It lacked any such embellishments as seen in large cities. There were no statues of unimaginative inspiration such as those copying Michelangelo's Pietà (1498 - 1499) so common in these monuments, nor even polished marble. Just a plain pale gray obelisk. The proposed plan was to remove the cenotaph and relocate it to a designated park well outside of the downtown core, there to be the focus of the Remembrance Day ceremonies and, no doubt, the hand of every vandal and half-witted would-be graffiti artist with a can of spray paint for miles around. This is the gensis of the protest that started over the relocation of the cenotaph. It started with a petition bearing the names of a few WWI and WWII veterans then more people came forward, then more and more. Doctors, lawyers, grocers, labourers, men women and school children put their pens to paper in support. What had started as a modest effort engulfed the whole community and the outlying areas for miles around. The protest had begun. Unlike today, no one pitched their tents on municipal property, no cars were overturned or put to the torch. It was not necessary to call out the constabulary in their riot gear, which in those days amounted to a bull horn used to advise people to remain calm and orderly. The very thoughts of that, in those days, would have been...what can I say...unthinkable. No it was quiet and dignified and an attribute to the vetrans who fought so that we might petition government without feeling the need to resort to senseless violence. The night of the council meeting held to discuss the fate of the cenotaph arrived and the council chambers had never seen such a turn out. Someone jokingly remarked that the last time there were so many people at a council meeting was the time they tried to pass a By-law to licence cats. However, the story of that horrendous protest is for another time. The gray haired old ladies (God bless them all) of the , now infamous, Cat Crusades were joined by citizens of all ages and from all walks of life. They filled the council chambers, the hallway and out onto the steps of the town hall and even into the street itself. Two years later when the confusion that seems to rein supreme over large building projects and the dust of construction had settled, there in front of the new modern downtown mall stood a simple , unadorned, plain light gray obelisk. The same obelisk that had served to remind us of the scarifice our community's sons and daughters had made so that we might live in peace and have a say in how our government was run. I think those who gave their all would have been proud to have known that their sacrifice assured that the voice of the people can and will be heard without the neet to resort to violence. So tomorrow, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, if you can't join me at a cenotaph please turn off your cell phones, minimize the computer screen and take two minutes to reflect in silence on what others have done and given up for you as will, I know, the people in that small town. Respectfully submitted Brian Wolfe

Hi Nick, No, I have not forgotten the chat, but if you are referring to me not using your name, that I had forgotten. I wrote it down, (old age and failing memory) but I am in my office early this morning and the "memory book" is in the Home Office. Great work and I look forward to the document portion of this post. Regards Brian

Hello JapanX, This is an invaluable reference. I knew there were more than one variation but so many? Fasinating to say the least. Thank you for putting so much effort in this post, I know many of us will benifit greatlyu from it. Regards Brian

Hello Everyone, This morning I attempted to launch my blog "News From the Home Office" and somehow after a good deal of work I hit the entry function and it was lost. This ticked me off to no end and I must say I took it out on a couple of my good friends and some bidders on eBay. I still have my friends and two new items for my collection, too bad I was angry as they really cost me, but so be it, let the low bidders hang their heads in shame. The title I have chosen works on a couple of levels, I hope. First the blog is sent from my office at home and the Home Office in the UK deals with diplomacy, espionage and police matters, all of which interests me. I will attempt to keep the entries topical but be warned that, unlike the regular posts, this area may see a lot of opinon and conjecture. So, lets see if I have this figured out or will I have to beat someone else up on an interenet auction this evening? Regards Brian

A fantastic collection and one you can indeed take pride in. Thank you for showing it to the membership. Regards Brian

A nice group and once you have made the corrects as per Mervyn's instructions it will be a great group. I think you did very well on the price as well, though I usually don't dwell on price, the group is the thing. Regards Brian

Thanks Brian. The tight forage caps that some officers wore here left a mark on the forehead as well and once the hat came off it looked like they had under gone some mad science experiment. Regards Brian

Hello Brian, Thanks for the input, unless you have worn one, as you have, others would have no way to know this. It's the kind of information I was going for when I started this thread. Regarding forage capes: Here there are two schools of thought regarding the forage cap. The "old" school is that it should be very tight and in time will stretch to where it is comfortable. The other opinion is, of course, to get one that is comfortable from the start. I've worked with officers who claimed that a new hat would cause a headache until it streatched out, which explains some "attitudes". Me, I don't like headaches or "attitudes" so it was new school thinking for me. Regards Brian

Les, Thanks for your input into this bayonet. You bring back memories of my youth, before anything was faked (except Third Reich stuff) and there as an abundance of material at good prices. Too bad this one is a reproduction, but better to know before it was purchased. Once again the forum has foiled the fakers, you may have saved Georg some hard earned cash. Regards Brian

I see what I thought was a response to a PM actually shown above. No Matter. Here is a photo from Paul Liesling's book, "Bayonets of the World" which might be of some assistance. Regards Brian

These were never issued so there will be no acceptance marks. See the forum under your post for full details of what I have found. Regards Brian

Hello Georg, From your post I am assuming that you consider this a fake. Years ago my collecting passion was restricted to bayonets and I would have to say, without actually handling this bayonet, that this looks to be authentic. It is for the German Car. 98 and was made as a bayonet/trench knife combination weapon. I very nice piece. Please let us know if this is indeed a copy as it is a very good piece of workmanship if it has been made to fool the collector. Thanks for posting this interesting bayonet. Regards Brian

Hello Brian, Welcome to the GMIC. Thank you for the interseting link, the photo gallery was well worth looking through. I especially liked the photo in the upper right hand area of the photo gallery showing two bearded officers with one holding what looks like an emormous truncheon. Now that generates instant respect! I hope to see a lot more of your posts on the forum. Regards Brian

Hello Mark, Thanks for that information, and seeing one actually in use as in your photo above is great. Regards Brian

Hello Mark, Another great post, very well done and exceptionally interesting. You pose an excellent question as to where did all of these Great War trophies go. I do hope others will add to your post with their material. Regards Brian

Up until now I would have said "leave them as found" but you have changed my mind. A very nice job of restoration. I would like to see the Vichers MG as well, I hope other members would too. Regards Brian