Jump to content
News Ticker
  • I am now accepting the following payment methods: Card Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal
  • Latest News

    Stuart Bates

    Past Contributor
    • Posts

      1,761
    • Joined

    • Last visited

    • Days Won

      3

    Everything posted by Stuart Bates

    1. Mervyn, I thought medical officers had a belt and pouch with 3 or 4 gold stripes. I could not find a reference to an undress belt and pouch. Here is an RAMC example that I once had and is Edward VII and Indian Army. Stuart
    2. Hi Mike, funny but I went off cavalry helmets a few years ago and concentrated on Blue Cloths, forage caps and sun helmets. Especially the last (see my topic on Military Sun Helmets). However, here is a photo of my cavalry collection although it is a little out of date. Stuart
    3. The transit tin showing the baggage label Madras to Southampton.
    4. Here is my King's Dragoon Guards helmet of the 1847 pattern. It came with a quilted cloth cover and a transit tin with appropriate label. The KDGs served in India from 1857 - 1860 and took part in the Mutiny fighting.
    5. The most interesting facet of this belt is the paper label inside the pouch which is to Hawkes Moseley & Co. of Silvester St, The Strand. I don't know when Moseley was dropped from the company name but perhaps mid 19th Century.
    6. I used to have 3 cross belts with pouches but now only have this one from the reign of William IV so this dates it to 1830 - 1837.
    7. Mervyn, you could be right, I just don't know. I thought that the badge of office for an aide-de-camp is the aiguillette. However, since so many officers had a white over red plume, the red over white would indeed distinguish an ADC. Stuart
    8. The shame is that I can't identify the officer! General and staff officers wore white over red swan feathers - the maximum length depending on their rank. Military Secretaries and Aides-de-Camp wore red over white. ADCs could be any rank I thought - I don't even know what a Military Secretary is. Take, for instance, Captain Louis Nolan who was General Airey's ADC in the Crimea. As to the correspondence between the red feathers and the red cap band for staff officers I can't answer that one. I looked in the 1864 DRs and the same arrangement of feathers and colours applied. Stuart
    9. Maybe I got it wrong and it is not his mum but another relative - daughter? As to the age I would say 1930s. Edward Smith was located at 5 Boyle St, W.1. in 1938 and still there in 1944 so I am assuming that they were in Cork Street before that. As far as I know Wolseleys were last made in 1942. I have never seen one dated after that. I do know that the last recorded use of the Wolseley was by the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1949. Stuart
    10. I just heard from the seller and the brass label from the tin is in existence but won't be released until the officer's mother dies. makes me now feel like a vulture. Stuart
    11. Mervyn, that makes good sense. Being an ADC and an officer in the Grenadier Guards almost guarantees that he came from a "good" family. The helmet will be in the next book! Has MSHOTW not yet arrived? I did send it to the shop but that should be OK. Stuart
    12. Here is the tin which is much taller than the others that I have. It is obviously a double helmet tin but with a compartment for the plume holder which came with the purchase. Stuart
    13. I just purchased a Wolseley to an ADC (red over white plume) But the identity of the owner has been erased. A paper label to the interior has had the name of the soldier ripped out and all I can make out is Capt. The helmet has the maker's label stamp intact of Edward Smith, 25 Cork St, London and the accompanying storage/transit also has this maker's brass plate but the soldier's ID plate has also been removed. Does anyone have any idea why people did this? The seller says that the owner was a Capt. Lindsay of the Grenadier Guards but so far I have not located him. Any help much appreciated. Stuart
    14. The black ribbon on the back of the bonnet is cut to what is termed a "fish tail". I am not sure of the meaning of these ribbons but I suspect that they originated from the the black ribbon that was used on the queue. Queues were abolished in 1808 but the Welch Fusiliers continued to use them but sewn to the back of the tunic collar. They were certainly being used on feather bonnets in the first half of the 19th Century. Stuart PS. This is reminding me of Macbeth.
    15. Mervyn, It might be difficult to get an officer's badge and yours is definitely an OR's. The officers is a beautiful enamelled job with a silver hobnailed star background. The floriate work on the helmet is voided in places on an officers helmet. I would be inclined to leave the helmet alone but maybe locate a new rosette for the plume and keep an eye out for an OR's plume holder. Can you post a shot of the interior? Stuart
    16. Yes the backband does appear to be an officers'. As to stampings etc. to ORs I will see what I can find in the morning. Stuart
    17. I must be tired as I missed that the bulbous shaped ball beneath the white metal socket should be in white metal, rather than gilding metal, for ORs. I will have another look tomorrow but the helmet appears to be a composite of Life Guards/Blues and Royals/Officers'/ORs'. Can the plume holder be disassembled? It could for an officer but not for an OR. Stuart
    18. Swapping plume finials I would say. After a torrid 4 games of racquetball I am calling it a night. I did however win 3 out of the 4, against a 48 yo and two 18 yo but it won't last much longer. Those young buggers are so fast! Cheers, Stuart
    19. Mervyn, the plume finial/rosette on the helmet would appear to be a Life Guards one i.e. a plain gilt metal hemisphere. The B & Rs had a finial/rosette similar to the ear rosettes. Stuart
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...

    Important Information

    We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.