Brian Wolfe

Hello,

Here is the latest addition to my Special Constabulary Brassard collection. It is an aluminum disk 63mm in diameter and 78mm at the widest point which includes the belt or strap loops. The straps are made of leather and in need of some care as they are starting to dry out a bit.

This brassard is from the Berkshire Constabulary.

Regards

Brian

Hi Mervyn,

An interesting post, albeit non-military. Since you have posted this and I figured I would never get to post this item I thought I'd better jump at the chance now.

Too many years ago, in my distant past, I was a member of the Fire Department in Norwich Ontario and served as the Fire Prevention Officer. If the FP Officer is doing his (or her) work Fire Suppression (Fire Fighters) have little to do...or so the theory goes.

Here's a photo of my badge. Sorry for the poor quality photo it is in a display with the other badges I've carried in my past lives.

Regards

Brian

Hi Mervyn,

Napanee is near Kingston, Ontario, which is not too far from Perth (wife's home town) and on the way to Ottawa, where we store our politicians. As Will has said we have lots of oaks here, I believe that was one of the reasons England was first interested in Canada; oaks for ship building and masts. Beaver pelts were secondary.

Hi Will,

Might I suggest a sword-style stand that would hold the truncheon horizontally. I've attached a photo one one such stand I made a few years ago from cherry wood for a kris I have. Any wood worker should be able to fix you up. What I like about this is that the item can be removed for inspection easily and there is no chance of the wire leaving a mark from oxidization. Line the area touching the item with felt and "Bob's your uncle", you've got a pretty nice looking display stand.

Regards

Brian

1314

Shown as 'C' Fairbass and there is no 1897 bar affixed to the medal so must have left/retired before 1897 ?

I just double checked the naming and it is "C".

Regards

Brian

I meant to list the medals with the photo Bryan, I'll get around to it - the Queen's Sudan Medal 1896 -98, showing the reverse, the QSA clasp "Cape Colony", showing the reverse of the medal, the KSA with the usual double clasps, Long Service? KEVII & the Khedive's Sudan Medal with clasp "The Atbara", for the battle of 1898.

I wish I had the medals to go wth the photo........

That would indeed be a great addition to a collection, however, the photo is nothing to "sneeze at" either.

Thanks to both you and Ralph for identifying the medals.

Regards

Brian

Hi Leigh,

Can you make out what the medal to the far left of the group is? I've tried the Ctl+ trick but the medal is off my screen when the photo is enlarged and I can't adjust it so I can see the medal and its bar.

Thanks for investing so much time to produce such an informative post; I know it is much appreciated by the membership.

Regards

Brian

Great post Frank.

Very informative and an enjoyable read.

Regards

Brian

Hi Marvyn,

That is indeed an interesting article and I could see where it would have its applications in the field.

Your post and comment at the end of the post regarding heat seeking missiles and machine guns reminded my of a photo that I had on my office wall that the officers were fond of. It has made its rounds on the internet but this one is mounted on a black wooden plaque.

It always makes me laugh... but then I do have an odd sense of humour.

Regards

Brian

Hi Bob,

That is one nice piece. Would this have been worn on day to day duty or just for special events? Sorry for my ignorance; I'm not familiar with Iraq police regalia.

Regards

Brian

Is the man on the right wearing a different cap badge & collar dogs to the Royal Artillery?

Canadian?

Hi Leigh,

The hat badge does look different but all that can be made out is a round "spot" in the photo; the same is basically true of the collar dogs. The collar dogs look more like the shape of the RA badges but not exactly the same. I wonder if this was due to light reflecting off his badges that distorted this detail. My other thought is that this may have been a training exercise or experiment in the use of equipment etc. and he could have been from Royal Engineers or Signals or some other regiment as an observer or as an advisor. There sure are a number of questions that this photo posses.

Regards

Brian

Hi Bill,

While I don't collect TR buckles I do read the posts regarding them. As all of the collectors know, especially those who are reading this, it is only a matter of time until I take the plunge and start adding one or two or... to my collection.

I'm starting to drift off the topic of my intended point. I wanted to say that even though a member might have posted a topic on another forum I, for one, appreciate that you have take the time to post your buckles here as I don't belong to the other forum alluded to. I don't think members of both forums mind this and from the response you recieved my opinion seems well validated. Yet another example of what fine people this forum attracts.

Regards

Brian

I might go along with a pre-war photo with an updated topical caption. Are those trees on the left evergreens? Seems more like northern Great Britain than Flanders. Commercial postcard images of your enemy were not unusual - the source could be press agencies or commercial outfits in the neutral countries. And everyone likes a - to himself - an exotic subject. I've seen a number of continental cards purporting to show Indian troops that are obviously taken pre-war in India.

Regards,

Mark

Maryland

Hi Mark,

Yes those are evergreens. I thought the photo had the look of a pre-war photo even though the date on the front was 1914/15. The other thing is that the card was sent in 1916 so it had to have been stock that was on hand so-to-speak.

Regards

Brian

Possible use of a pre-WWI photo during the opening years of WWI? The officer half facing the camera, with hand to face - is he wearing the earlier closed collar version of the tunic or the open collar one which was in use by WWI?

As an aside German photo postcards of British troops were very common in Britain pre-WWI , many in colour, they had such a hold on the British postcard market that come WWI the British manufacturers were publishing posters & literature with headlines as if reporting on the fighting proper, although they were actually reporting on the state of the postcard market in Britain, "England v Germany".

Hi Leigh,

I really can't tell from the photo itself even under high magnification. Today one would think he was using a cell phone.

The officer to the far left (viewer`s left) looks to be wearing spurs on his boots. If you look at the seated soldier with the headset there is a pair of legs just behind his hand. The legs belong to the soldier who is conferring with two others to the rght of the photo. He is wearing spurs on his boots as can be clearly seen. Do you think this would this make them Horse Artillery.

Regards

Brian

The man with the screw pickets & the slippery rifle - is that an additional foreign bayonet he has dangling by the entrenching tool? And is that a water bottle on his right hip? One of those double spouted French - type ones?

Upon closer examination the bayonet looks like one of the German "Butcher" Bayonets; also the scabbard is too wide to be the standard British WWI issue. The water bottle on his right hip looks different from the standard British issue as well. Good eye Leigh.

Regads

Brian

Many thanks, Bernhard and Tony, for your help.

Regards

Brian

This side of the medal is for the Pakistan Eastern Railways Centenary 1862 - 1962 and this is probably why the medal was issued in March 1962 rather than 1961. The centre has the Pakistan Eastern Railways coat of arms. This medal could be worn with either side serving as the obverse. I've shown it in this manner so both sides of the suspension can be seen.

So it could be said that this medal has two obverses and no reverse.

Regards

Brian

Hello Everyone,

I feel like I have been ignoring this area of the forum and my collection lately so here is one of the newest additions to the collection.

This is a small - 25.5mm dia. X 40mm high - medal that commenorates 100 years of the Pakistan Western Railways, 1861 - 1961, however,this medal was given out on March 1992. It was probably a private or perhaps a quasi-authorized goverment issue. It is made of a non-ferrous metal and was advertised as silver. There is a good deal of detail on this little medal and the suspension is of the swivel style so it was not a cheaply made handout.

I think this may have been a dual-purpose medal and the second photo will show why I think this.

Regards

Brian

Here is the reverse of the medal.

I think it is a really nice specimen and a welcomed, though unintended, addition.

Brian

Hello Everyone,

I made an erroneous purchase a few weeks ago. I thought I was purchasing a Metropolitan Police Jubilee Medal 1897 and when it arrived I realized I had mistaken the 8 for a 9 and now had my second 1887 Jubilee Medal; the second now in my collection though this one was without the 1897 clasp. So, being a true collector, I got over the error in about 1/2 a microsecond and now have added it to the police collection.

The medal was awarded to; PC. C. Fairbrass P. Division

I wish all errors were as fine as this one, next step...look for the 1897 and read more carefully.

Regards

Brian

This is photo of a field phone in use. I believe this to be in the earler stages of the War and therefore predates the Fullerphone. The fellow with the headset appears to be holding a pocket watch and is supporting this group that I think is artillery. If this is before the invention of the Fullerphone then there is the likelihood that the Germans were listening in on the conversation. Is there a chance that the field phone operator is waiting for a prescribed time to either make a transmission or change the frequency of the phone?

Regards

Brian

Here's a photo to compliment the Fullerphone photos. It is of a wiring party going to the trenches. The back of the postcard photo verifies that this is a communications group.

From the equipment - such as the steel helments - in the photo it would suggest a date that would place this well within the time that the Fullerphone was in use, that being late 1915 and after.

Regards

Brian

Here is that moment I was speaking about.

The soldier in the front of the column has just had the rifle sling slip off his shoulder and the fellow to his left seems to find this rather funny. What struck me as funny is that just at the very moment when a photo that would become an official photograph in the Daily Mail, and probably seen by thousands, was taken the rifle slipped from his shoulder. Sorry no "do-overs" guys!

Cheers

Brian

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share this postcard with you as it shows one of those unplanned moments that always happens when you are on camera.

The first image is of the postcard itself. I purchased it to go with my communicatiions collection even though when I bought it I was sure the wiring party was going out to string barbed wire and not communications wire. When it arrived on the back is printed,

"Every British trench is its own post office, with telephone and telegraph wires. A wiring Party is here going forward to its special work."

So this is indeed a communications related photo.

Regards

Brian

This is the side with the address. He was sending it to someone with the first name Betty.

The date of postage is 24 Feb. 1916.

I noticed that the British soldiers are not wearing steel helments and I would imagine that the date of 1914/15 on the front is accurate.

Thanks again

Brian

Here is the written message that I need help with. The sender is written on the top but is up side down. This starts, "Reserv. Conrad..." and I can't read the last name.

Thank you for any assistance you can extend to me.

Regards

Brian