dpast32

Just for the proverbial record, here's the scan of the 1939 U.K. Census, of which I had referred to above. His name again was William LANG, Born 10 March 1883. Perhaps viewing the additional entry will make some sense to someone here ? THANK YOU !! Best, dpast32

'Possible Update', regarding my recent S.C. L.S. to Superintendent William Lang. Just now, while performing a few cursory searches on Ancestry.com, I happened across a William [ NMI ] Lang of possible interest ? Nothing noted especially unusual. He appears to be an Retired Warder of the British Museum, with an notation of; "K.A.S.C., 21 years" ? Could this particular notation refer to some form of Special Constabulary service ? He is listed as residing in Battersea, London, & was born in March 1883. Best, dpast32

Again Dave, I appreciate your kind assistance ! A just a little cursory investigation, it appears as if the Coronation Robes / Crown obverse tends to be somewhat more desirable, & therefore valuable than the Coinage type ? I can only 'assume' that the 'Robes' examples were of earlier production, perhaps the original issue style ? As you may suspect, I'm somewhat of an novice in regards to the Special Constabulary series, as my primary interest was with the standard Met. Coronation / Jubilee Medals. My real, all time quest was, well, along with everyone else's was to turn up an 1887 Met. Award to either of the Ripper related Districts, but as I'm sure you're aware, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it if ever found ! As I mentioned earlier, I probably should be scaling back my collecting efforts due to my collection getting too large for my home. BUT, I just can't seem to stop myself, for like so very many of us, I simply enjoy the 'hunt' too much to quit !!! Sooo, at least for the time being, I guess I'll just 'dabble' a bit !! THANKS Best, dpast32 ( Dom Pastore Jr. )

THANKS AGAIN Dave !! My next step will of course be to attempt tracking down Superintendent William Lang. As you admit, the relative clues are indeed slim, yet I've found others with even less, so I have to at least try ! Hopefully, based upon his Rank of Superintendent, there may hopefully be some sort or later trail on him, as opposed to someone from amongst the Ranks. Also, I note what appears to be significant surface wear upon the obverse of Lang's Medal, which off hand, would lead me to believe he was either fond of, & or had numerous occasions to have worn it ? ( Yet, as recently found, it doesn't appear to have been mounted for wear ? ) Honestly, the last thing I truly need at this point is to purchase any additional Medals for the collection. However, U.K. / Commonwealth Police Awards have always been amongst my favorites, & especially more so now as numerous additional sources of research are becoming available everyday. All in all, for what I have into the both of them I feel I did quite well, & hopefully won't have any issues trying to recoup my investment should I decide to start parting with my collection somewhere down the road. ( Re: Both examples only cost me U.S.D. $90.00, Shipped ) So, now the real work begins ! Do you, &or anyone else here happen to have the Link pertaining to these 'Special Constabulary Long Service' Awards ? I recall that not too long ago I downloaded a few U.K. Met. Police Officer's Files while documenting some of my recent '1887 / 1897 Coronation' Awards. They had been housed the P.R.O., although I currently have no idea as to where any available S.C. Files may be held, if they actually exist at all ? Well, Thanks Again, & anything you may be able to share regarding these particular Medals will be very much appreciated. Best, dpast32

Here's yet another example I obtained with the above noted Medal. Am I correct in the assumption that the recipient would have have 'partial' WW1 service, however not qualifying for the Great War Clasp, but how / why would he have been eligible for his 1939 LS Clasp ? Any comments will of course be very much appreciated. THANK YOU Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, GV (Coronation robes), with Clasp “Long Service 1939″ ( To: Ernest Wright ). Best, dpast32

THANK YOU Dave, I appreciate your prompt reply. I had always surmised that an Superintendent would have been from amongst the ranks of the regular Police Force, not the Special Constabulary, hence the reason for my question. I just picked up the Geo. V ( Coronation Robes & Crown) SC Medal recently. I was fortunate to obtain it for what I believe to be a very fair price of $55.00 USD with postage paid. ( $45 + $10 Shipping ) Based upon the recipient's Superintendent Rank, I felt I shouldn't pass it up. Hopefully it may research out to prove an interesting addition to my collection ? Best regards, dpast32

Hello Gents, I'm curious as to the noted rank of Supt., as stamped prior to the recipients name of William Lang. If the recipient was a 'Special' so to speak, how was he a volunteer ? Wouldn't an Superintendent designate an upper level Law Enforcement Officer ? Any comments will be most appreciated. THANK YOU dpast32

I THANK YOU very much for your kind reply. I too agree that it's highly unlikely that it's 'my' William Wilson. You do have to admit though, it was an plausible assumption, based upon all the contributing factors. Too bad, as it would have made a very nice addition to Wilson's 'Met.' Group. Take care my Friend, Best regards, dpast32

Good Morning Gents, I have a brief Question pertaining to an potential addition to my Collection, but there's a question or two I wish to clarify prior to deciding. THE MEDAL IN QUESTION IS; 'CUMBERLAND & WESTMORELAND CONSTABULARY', GEO. V / WW1 ISSUE, officially named to: William Wilson. Now, this example either may, or may not be related to 'my' William John WILSON, 1859 - 1917, the subject of this particular Post. He was a London Metropolitan Police Sergeant who Retired in April 1909, but was temporarily reinstated for the 1911 Geo. V Coronation, & I'm 'assuming' that he just may have volunteered for service during the Great War, as he was only in 1914. NOW, MY QUESTION IS; Based upon his address at Retirement, which was; Horn church, Essex, England. Would it have been at all feasible, & or probable that these two individuals were perhaps the same men ? I have initiated a brief search to begin with, but from what I'm finding, both Counties in question appear to be quite a way from London, his reported home of residence at Retirement ? It would indeed be quite a find if this Special Constabulary Medal was actually 'my' William Wilson's, but I fear that may not be the case vin this particular situation ? As ALWAYS, any & all replies, comments, & or input will be deeply appreciated !! THANK YOU Best regards, dpast32

THANK YOU My Friend, you pretty much confirmed my assumption. Based upon the above, 2nd in the list was abbreviated also, that may well be the case with the 3rd example ? As I know have the original documents in hand, I will Post them, rather than have people try to assist me working off somewhat less than legible copies. And yes, he does appear to have been some form of Civil Servant, having served within the City / Town's Administration. [ Also evidenced by his 25 year Service Medal ] I've also been advised that the 'pink' Wehrpass F Notice' was something advising the civilian populace as how to behave / act if & when the enemy forces are nearby, 'I think' ? The 25 year doc, along with the 'Front Fighter's Cross' I'm familiar with, so need no assistance on. Same too with the Genealogical Form. All the rest, unfortunately I could still use some translation help with ? So, here they are, what probably amounts to Heinrich's whole life, or almost all ! PLEASE see below for the Scans. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH To anyone & everyone who has s very kindly assisted me in deciphering this interesting WW1 / WW2 Group !!! Best, Dom Pastore Jr. / dpast32@aol.com And that My Friends is the whole Group. I apologize for the upside down one, but I retook it twice, but to no avail. It's an envelope of sorts, which was / is permanently attached to the reverse of the 4th photo up from the bottom. All in all an interesting Grouping. I haven't been actively collecting Imperial German items for years now, but just found this one so interesting I couldn't pass it up.

Hey Folks, I just realized that 'my man' received an additional medal / award for his Great War service. His Wehrpass lists 3 specific items, with the first 2 being, E.K. II, & 'Front Fighters Cross', aka Hindenburg Cross. As to the 3rd entry, I'm uncertain other than it's some type / form of Cross ? Does anyone recognize this particular award ? His unit was formed & originated from Hesse, so naturally I thought perhaps it was from there, but after an albeit brief search, I find no such award. ANY information on this 'Cross' will be much appreciated. THANKS AGAIN ! Best, Dom P.

THANK YOU so very much 'Simius Rex', & 'Bayden' too, as always, I truly do appreciate each & every reply ! I admit that my initial Posts were quite lacking in legible details, but now that I've received the actual Grouping, I can improve upon my original Posts. I'm also pleased with that fact that I'm able to confirm with almost 100% certainty as to his E.K. II being an officially authorized decoration, due to it's notation on page 24 of his WW2 issue Wehrpass. And, in reference to his Genealogical Study, it consists of 4 pages, not just the 1st page I Posted. In fact, this particular Document is one of the primary reasons I purchased this Group, as much of the initial research had already been done for me ! [ It appears to be an extremely detailed study, going back through both sides of his lineage & their overall history. Only the 1st page however included any relevant military service data, so I couldn't see including the rest of it, unless of course someone has an particular interest in it ? ] Also, amongst all his paperwork are 2 pieces, both related to what appears to be his late War, pink colored 'Call Up', which I plan on Posting as soon as I get a chance. [ 2 pieces = the Call Up document, dated 02 February 1945, along with its corresponding envelope. ] There's also an aside to this man's story, which is, did he actually survive the final months of WW2 ? Although I've gotten a few 'hits' pertaining to his WW1 WIA information, his 1916 marriage, & what appears to be his wife, Freda's death in 1956, [ Freda, nee' Manker ] I unfortunately haven't found anything on his ultimate demise ? All in all, I'm quite pleased with the Group, & hopefully will be able to dig up some more interesting facts regarding my search subject ! THANKS AGAIN Gentlemen, Best, Dom Pastore Jr. / dpast32@aol.com And Ohh, as a P.S.: I've been attempting to dechiper the proof along the ring of his E.K., & as most of you are probably aware, it's quite a bugger. Based upon what I 'think' it looks like, here are a few 'possibilities' of what I see on the rim. RE: KH 14, KA 14, AH 14, HA 14, or ?? Those possible's were observed with my 30X Loupe, which did appear to be an improvement over the 10X. Maybe I'm getting old, but boy, they're very tough to discern ?

THANK YOU Simius, You're reply is exactly what I was looking for. And, it is specifically noted on one of his documents that his service was performed 'at the Front' There is some additional wording on this same form, but as I unfortunately don't speak or read German, I suspect that's the more to to gleaned from those few sentences. I'm preparing to photograph these particular documents, & hopefully, once Posted here, someone may find a few interesting & informative tidbits within them ? THANKS Best, Dom

Hello Folks, I do have one more question pertaining to this particular Group, & hope someone can assist me in solving it ? The above noted 'Sanitater & Musiker' [ also referred to in some of his documents by his Gefreiter Rank ] was awarded the E.K. II either on 27 January 1916, or for an act performed on that date, but unfortunately when obtained its Ribbon was missing ? So, based upon his unit designation, & or function, which E.K. II Ribbon type would be most appropriate for his decoration, the 'Combatant' version, or the 'Non-Combatant' variety ? Unfortunately it appears as if I'll be forced to obtain a reproduction piece of drape, as I haven't found any gaerenteed original mtg examples available, although many are listed as 'original'. But, at the moment all I'm really interested in is determining exactly v which Ribbon type would be appropriate for my example ? As always, any & all input will be very much appreciated. THANKS AGAIN ! Best, Dom P. / dpast32

Thanks Bayern , I again appreciate your kind reply. My primary purpose was / is to determine if he would have been assigned to the small Medical Section of his particular Infantry Kompanie, or instead would have been attached to an actual Infantry Squad as an Aid Man, or Medic ? Yes, it's an wholly academic question, but I was simply wondering as to his precise location of assignment within his assigned 1st Kompanie ? I do admit that in many cases I tend to over document my respective medal groups, & thereby end up at the proverbial 'dead end', so to speak. Sometimes there's only so deep we can delve into these things, & subsequently have to accept what we've found & be happy with it ! [ Plus, my not reading or writing German doesn't help any either, especially that darn old Germanic script !! ] THANKS AGAIN My Friend, Best, Dom P.

Thanks Bayern , I again appreciate your kind reply. My primary purpose was / is to determine if he would have been assigned to the small Medical Section of his particular Infantry Kompanie, or instead would have been attached to an actual Infantry Squad as an Aid Man, or Medic ? Yes, it's an wholly academic question, but I was simply wondering as to his precise location of assignment within his assigned 1st Kompanie ? I do admit that in many cases I tend to over document my respective medal groups, & thereby end up at the proverbial 'dead end', so to speak. Sometimes there's only so deep we can delve into these things, & subsequently have to accept what we've found & be happy with it ! [ Plus, my not reading or writing German doesn't help any either, especially that darn old Germanic script !! ] THANKS AGAIN My Friend, Best, Dom P.

Hello Gentlemen, Hopefully this is the proper sub-section for this query ? I realize that there were numerous types & duties amongst the WW1 era German medical personnel, but I'm interested in determining the primary duties & functions of someone listed as an, 'Sanitater & Musiker', who was assigned to the 1st Kompanie of Reserve Infantry Regiment Nr. 80 ? [ His actual Rank was listed as an Gefreiter. ] Would he have served as an Stretcher Bearer, an Aid Man / Medic, or perhaps someone who would have been assigned / attached to the Infantry Kompanie's Medical Detachment ? If could advise me regarding the above query, I will be very much appreciative for any & all replies. THANK YOU Best, Dom P. / dpast32

Hello Gentlemen, Could anyone tell me anything regarding the below named Scottish Volunteer, & or his particular unit ? In addtion to serving with the Lanark Rifles, he later emmigrated to the USA where he went of to command an American State Militia unit, the 'United Train of Artillery', of Bristol, Rhode Island. He later passed away & is buried here in Rhode Island. ©>>> PVT. ROBERT BAIN, Enlisted in "76th COMPANY, 1st LANARK RIFLE VOLUNTEERS" { aka PORT DUNDAS CORPS } NOTE: 76th Company was later renamed, & or reorganized as "P Company, 1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers" ( aka 76th, or Port Dundas Corps ) I'll appreciate anything pertaining to this Scottish unit. His Medal is named & engraved as follows: >> 'H. M. Guard / 1st L. R. V.' - Marksman Medal, Named to: Pvt. R. Bain, 1884 - 1889 { '1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers', Company P' } << THANK YOU, Best, Dom P. / dpast32

Seeking Additional Information on WW1 Group to L/Cpl. [ Later Lieutenant ] Alan HOCKLY, WIA at Loos, 25 - 26 September 1915, while serving with 6th Battalion [ Service ] Cameron Highlanders ? I've had this Group for a while now, & although I've been relatively fortunate in researching & documenting his service, I'm still curious as to which German, or Central Powers units the 6th Cameron's were facing, & ultimately were engaged with on 25 / 26 September 1915 ? { Just as an 'aside', I later determined that Hockly was closely related to one of the 'founding families', so to speak, who emigrated & settled South Africa circa the 1820's, IIRC. } After his medical evacuation from Loos, while convelescing, he applied for & received an Officer's Commission to the 11th Bn. York & Lanc's, & was shortly thereafter transferred to the 10th Y &L Bn. From what I've been able to learn, I don't believe he ever returned to France, & or left the U.K. at all after her wounded, & later Commissioned ? Then, IIRC, in 1917 he received his final transfer of WW1, which was to 3rd R.B., Royal Engineers. [ No doubt based upon his being enrolled in the Civil Engineering Program University of Glasgow when he initially enlisted. ] I believe he also served during WW2, albeit in pretty much the same capacity as ever so of his particular Generation, as Lieutenant's assigned to perhaps the R.E., Pioneer units, & or other related Service type units. He has tended to be somewhat of a 'bugger' in regards to the ease of researching him. He appears to have transitioned back & forth between England / Scotland, South Africa, & Canada, where he ultimately passed away & was buried in on 24 May 1973, in British Columbia. So, if anyone amongst our Highland Regiments Scholars would be so kind as to enlighten me regarding the 6th Cameron's particular role, either in or around Loos infamous Hill 70, I would deeply appreciate hearing from them. THANK YOU !! Best regards, Dom P. / dpast32

Hello Gentlemen, I hope everyone here is feeling healthy & well. As I was documenting a particular medal in one of WW1 U.S. 26th 'Yankee Division' Groups, I came across this somewhat brief, yet interesting & informative article pertaining to these French U.N.C. Medals. If interested, see the following Link; https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/union_nationale_des_combattants_unc Best, Dom P. / dpast32

THANKS Uwe !! I just received a pair of those exact Shoulder Boards a few minutes ago in the mail. I figured I should grab a pair in case I wish to create a display some day, & simply due to their being somewhat more difficult to locate as opposed to the basic Volkspolizei Boards. I've also waiting for the matching Strafvollzug Collar Tabs, & also have the correct Schirmuttze in my sights to bid on. All I'll need after those items are a Tunic, & perhaps a Shoulder Patch for display along with the related insignia. Just out of curiosity, have you ever come across any of the Strafvollzug type Shoulder / Tunic patches ? I don't ever recall any being for sale ? Best, Dom

THANKS Uwe, It almost appears as if the VOPO Administration ( Verwaltungs ) was attempting to find their proper place within the overall GDR System. As you've so kindly noted, each particular Document was titled somewhat differently. Initially, I had thought that the Meister rank was similar to an Officer Cadet, but apparently it was somewhere near the top of the Sergeant's grade ? I apologize for my dreaded 'auto correct' feature, for whenever I type any Foreign terms / nomenclature, it attempts to 'correct' me !! I honestly wish I could shut it off !! When I recently obtained these Documents I was led to believe the recipient was indeed your average VOPO, but I can see how the seller was confused, as I initially was. Not that I mind, for from what I've been advised, Strafvollzug Branch items tend to much less found than the basic Volkspolizei Branch ? THANKS AGAIN, Best, Dom

Hello Use, Many THANKS for the above information. Just maybe I'll be able to track him down, but as we both know, it's not at all likely ? I do have one question though, & it may be the result of just the DDR's protocol, but why is he referred to as an "Mister d' Volkspolizei' on one of his Documents, as opposed to say, an 'Mister d' Strafvollzug' or perhaps 'MdI' ? Just curious as to why he had been listed as a member of the VOPO ? Best, Dom P.

Hello Use, I THANK YOU very much for your reply, I truly appreciate it. Up until yesterday I was under the assumption that he was just your basic, Volkspolizei manner, & was starting to look at for a Meister's rank VOPO Tunic to display with the Group. I'm glad that I didn't act too fast in purchasing one, as I know now that it's the Corrections Officer type I really need. The 10 year 'True Service Medal' I received is exactly the Sara's the example visible on the inside cover of that award folder, so I assume it's correct ? I recall years ago that practically any DDR issue uniform was available, & all at pretty decent prices. Well, as you're probably already aware, that's not the case any longer ! But, it appears that with a bit of searching, one can still turn up all but the rarest issue items. As I just recently obtained this, I haven't made very much headway in researching the recipient, Mister d' Volkspolizei Bruno Urban. Hopefully will some investigating, I will at least dig up some cursory information on him. Not knowing the town / city he actually resided in will make it ever more difficult, but I will at least give it a go ! One point has me wondering somewhat, & that's why was he awarded an VOPO 10 year Medal, as opposed to one identified as being from the Penal System, or Corrections ? I'm certain there was a reason for that, but it does make me wonder a bit ? THANKS AGAIN Use I appreciate your kind reply. Best regards, dpast32

Hello Folks, I figured I would share this recent acquisition, as even though I have an idea about it, I would truly appreciate any additional information, based upon a more precise translation of the German terminology, & or nomenclature described within the assorted Documents ? Basically, from what little I've determined, he received the DDR / MdI's '10 Year Loyal & Faithful Service Medal', in Silver, & also that he appears to have been an Instructor, or Teacher of some specific subject or another ! From what I can see, & based on the Documents available, it looks like he served with the Vopo's from approximately 1954 through to 1959, or thereabouts ? If anyone would PLEASE be so kind as to assist me in deciphering / translating these Documents, I will be EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE !! THANK YOU Folks, any & all replies, comments, and or input will be very much appreciated. Best regards, dpast32