bigjarofwasps

Old Soldiers never die by Pte Frank Richards DCM MM 2nd Battalion RWF

Trenches at Houplines p42

During the winter of 1914/15 whilst the battalion was stationed here, Richards tells the tale of a Cpl Pardoe, who is killed by a sniper. When is body is removed for burial, the men check it for items they maybe able to use themselves, Richards states he was after new puttees, however, they find a belt close to the skin, in the belt is contained about 60 English sovereigns and some French money, none of which was sent back to his next of kin. Richards himself doesn?t take any, happy with the puttees.

60 sovereigns that?s about 15 ounces I believe, that?s a lot of gold to be humping round the place, especially when you consider the mass route marches the battalion had conducted during the opening phases of the war, I?m sure you?ll agree!!!

Cpl Pardoe`s details on the CWGC website?.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_detail...casualty=597129

Molten lead poured in your ears, or your bits bobbed, what a choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Old Soldier Sahib by Pte Frank Richards DCM MM 2nd Battalion RWF

Recruit Life 1900 p52

Musketry qualification shoot had to be fired once a year. 21 rounds various targets, with money prizes being awarded to the best shots, ranging from a sovereign to a half shilling.

North China Veterans p140

At Tientsin, massing looting took place by the soldiers, filling their pockets with Mexican Dollars and unwieldy silver ingots called Scyee. However, before the first days march to Pekin was over, these had been dropped and the soldiers cursed the Chinese authorities for not adopting a more sensible currency with sovereigns and half sovereigns.

Home Again p302

A few days before I left the Battalion I changed my Rupees into sovereigns with a native shopkeeper in the Regimental Bazaar. This old shark charged me 15 Rupees & 4 Annas, each for each sovereign, but if I had wanted to change 1 or 100 of them into rupees he would have given me a bare 15 rupees for each of them. About the latter end of February 1909 a draft of about 60 time expired men returned our rifles to the store paraded for the last time and left the battalion to proceed on our journey home.

Heres a few websites, I`ve come across covering fake/counterfeit sovereigns....

http://www.24carat.co.uk/counterfeitcoinsframe.html

http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/fakes.html

http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/1920fakelo...tsovereign.html

If it is a modern copy - as they are turning them out in India and Turkey - then there will never be a known maker. Had it been made prior to 1922 - when Britain went off the gold standard - then technically, you could have been hanged.

Interesting are there any recorded cases of anybody being hanged for counterfeiting sovereigns?

Hi Guys,

Found this on Ebay, thought it might be of interest. It appears to be dated 1907, but has George V`s head on it?

Its listed on Ebay as -

Hi This Ring is in New New Condition

Ring Size I dont Know maybe a ' T '

6.8grms is total weight so 4 gramms of 22 and 2.8 of 9crt

The Ring Size is 22mm inside Measurment So Fairly big Finger

The Coin is Georg IVs or Georg IV5 and Dated 1907

What do we think, is it a fake? :speechless1:

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for all your replies. It appears that yes the Flash was worn by all ranks, when on ceremonial duties, guard & when walking out, however, only the Officers appear to have worn it whilst in the field. I have found some pictures of Officers in France (1944/45) giving an O group, were the Flash can clearly be seen, I`ve also found pictures of O/R`s were they do not have the Flash on, again in France 1944/45. Interestingly it was the TA Battalions that served in France during this period, the Regular battalions where both in Burma.

Finally, yes the new `super` Regiment does still wear the Flash & the Hackle, but they have a new cap badge.

All ranks wore it, including on Battle Dress, according to Brian Leigh Davies, British Army Uniforms & Insignia of World War Two.

I`m sure it was just Officers that wore it on their battledress until the 1950`s. But whether that includes Warrant Officers, I couldn`t say.

Have liased with the Royal Mint, and can confirm that this ring was made and sold by them, but that they no longer have any in stock.

Seem to remember these having something to do with the Queens 80th birthday, they might have been made by the Royal Mint. I certainly remember seeing them advertised in a Sunday supplement, and being well over priced even then!

I Can only assume that because its a war grave, they can`t smash it up to find where the coins are.

Keep lookin guys, theres more out there somewhere!

British combat operations in Iraq will come to an end on Thursday lunchtime with a handover to American forces.

The move, a month ahead of schedule, ends a six-year UK military presence.

A memorial service has taken place in Basra for the 179 British personnel who have died during the conflict, attended by Defence Secretary John Hutton.

The focus was a memorial wall featuring the names of the 234 UK and foreign troops who lost their lives while serving under British command in Iraq.

The official end of operations will come when the UK's 20 Armoured Brigade hands over to an American brigade at 1215 BST.

British forces began their official pull-out last month when the UK's commander in the south of the country, Maj Gen Andy Salmon, handed over to a US general.

They took a step closer to withdrawal at the start of the year when Basra International Airport - used as a UK military base during the conflict - was passed to full Iraqi control.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is holding talks with Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki at Downing Street, said: "Today we are taking steps to strengthen and deepen our relationship and to make it a long-term partnership of equals.

"Today marks the closing chapter of the combat mission in Iraq. The flag of 20 Armoured Brigade will be lowered as British combat patrols in Basra come to an end and our armed forces prepare to draw down."

'Ultimate sacrifice'

The names of those who died on the UK's Operation Telic were read out at the memorial service, which included Italian, Dutch, Danish, American and Romanian troops.

Army chaplain Father Pascal Hanrahan, who opened the ceremony, said: "Today is about remembrance and thanksgiving

"We remember by name and acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice paid by the 234 men and women who lost their lives during Operation Telic."

The last post was sounded by a bugler and prayers were said. There was also a roar overhead as a lone Tornado aircraft conducted a fly-past in tribute.

Lt Col Edward Chamberlain, commanding officer of Iraq-based battalion 5 Rifles, said: "We've been slowly working, as part of a coalition together over the six years, to achieve an end-state which is an Iraq which is secure, happy, at peace with itself and its neighbours.

"We're slowly but surely transitioning towards that."

Mr Hutton said the UK should be proud of what its troops had achieved.

"It's been a long and hard campaign. There's been no question about that, and we've paid a very high price," he said.

"And the families of those who've lost loved ones here today will be thinking very hard about that - and we should all as well.

"But I think when the history is written of this campaign, they will say of the British military 'we did a superb job', as we would expect them to, and we should be very proud of what they have done here."

Inquiry call

Opposition leader David Cameron has called for an immediate full inquiry into the Iraq war, similar to the one carried out by the Franks Committee into the Falklands conflict.

He said: "The departure of British forces from Iraq is now imminent.

"Now, after years of foot dragging, I believe it is the time for the government to announce a proper Franks-style inquiry. Instead of starting in many months' time, it should start right now.

"There are vital lessons to learn and we need to learn them rapidly and the only justification for delay can, I'm afraid, be a political one."

BBC News defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt says there is a sense of relief for many British servicemen and women that their final tour of Iraq is winding down.

Some are now serving on their fourth tour, taking them away from home for two years out of the last six.

Our correspondent says many of them will look back with mixed emotions.

Southern Iraq is more peaceful than it was a year ago but when British forces invaded Iraq as part of the US-led coalition in 2003 few people imagined troops would still be in the country six years later.

As British forces prepare to leave Iraq, senior commanders admit they have learned lessons from the campaign.

It was a conflict that showed the strengths and weaknesses of the British armed forces.

There were acts of great heroism but also a force that came under great strain, fighting on two fronts - in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Asked about the UK presence in Iraq, the country's president, Jalal Talabani, told BBC News: "This is a mission of liberation. For the first time British forces in Iraq are playing this role.

"In the past the British forces came to occupy against the will of the Iraqi people. This time they came here to liberate Iraqi people from the worst kind of dictatorship."

The Royal Mint admit that the error went un-noticed and it is difficult to know how many there are in general circulation. After a nation wide hunt in circulation for these coins (still on going !) approximately 50 to 100 have been discovered and are being snapped up by eager collectors who remember the RARE 1983 2 pence "Mule" error (NEW PENCE reverse - instead of TWO PENCE !) that can now fetch over ?1000.00 each !!!

At present there is no way of knowing how many or how few the Royal Mint made of this amazing error.

It is the first time in about 500 years that the made a coin with NO date on it !!!!

(First British date coin 1551 - prior to that all coins were undated but had a mintmark by which one could determine the date)

* When first discovered this coin ERROR variety was changing hands for over ?300.00 !

Rumour confirmed

They seem to be selling for, now wait for it.......anything from ?50 to ?100 :speechless:

Latest news from the BBC it seems the problem is worse than first thougth!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7988001.stm

Very interesting, thanks for sharing it with us, has anyone any ideas as to what it is. I`ve never seen one before. If I maybe so bold as to make a guess, I`d say its got something to do with the medical world, the reverse certainly has a medical theme. The background would suggest Northern Germany, if indeed this is German?

Do you need a magnifying glass and tweezers to pick one up?

1 sovereign = 1 gold ?

1 ? = what, about $2 U.S., roughly?

So a "quarter sovereign" = 50 cents Murcan? (i.e. price of an average small candy bar)

For ?60... or $120 U.S. Or 240 times or so declared denomination?

Uh--

Why, I'll pay TWICE FACE VALUE and scaroo condition.

Ahem.

Wouldn't it be, um, sane... to issue these at REAL value? Call it a ?50 pound coin.

What's the point of IMAGINARY denominations?

(Scenario: Little Moppet fishes one out of Daddy's desk and skips down to the local sweets shop, where Evil Grocer accepts it at declared legal "value" and ... there's nothing anybody can DO about the deal?)

Can you post scans of one, next to a real coin in the same scale? I always thought the incredibly teensy 10-wuzzit Dutch coins in circulation in my yout' were SMALL-- about as big as little finger nails.

This "quarter sovereign" sounds like it requires an electron microscope to SEE!

Rick,

You?re preaching to the converted here. I certainly won?t be buying any. I imagine there about the same size as the 1/10 oz Krugerand or dollar. I bought a 2005 1/10 dollar, and was very disappointed, by the size, as there tiny!! However, amusingly enough, I remember thinking how small a full sovereign was when I bought my first one of those years ago.

I suppose if you?re that way inclined then a quarter sovereign would make a nice size for a ring, not a leery as a full sovereign one?

Gordon.

Thought this might be of interest..............

2009 Quarter Sovereigns - St. George & Dragon - Release Date February 2009!

A new denomination in the gold sovereign series. This is the first time a gold quarter sovereign has ever been issued, apart from two patterns produced in 1853.

Available in proof and uncirculated, both versions are in stock now for immediate delivery.

After the special one-year-only design in 2005, the sovereign series reverted to the traditional reverse design of St. George slaying the dragon.

Our prices will show a worthwhile saving compared with buying from the Royal Mint at their official price.

Buying from us you also get the benefit of buying from expert professional numismatists who have been in the business for over 40 years. while we appreciate the Royal Mint have existed for longer, we know more about sovereigns than they do!

Uncirculated Quarter Sovereigns

We received our first delivery of the uncirculated quarter sovereigns in stock on Friday 27th February 2009. Unfortunately as the Royal Mint increased our prices we have had to increase ours but we are able to offer extremely competitive prices, especially on quantity deals.

Gold Proof Quarter Sovereigns

Gold proof quarter sovereigns arrived in stock shortly on Friday 20th March 2009.

The issue limit is 10,000.

http://www.taxfreegold.co.uk/2009quartersovereigns.php

They appear to be going for about ?50 or ?60, mad to think a few years ago, I was buying full sovereigns for this price!!!!

Morning Guys,

I`ve just been reading on the BBC (Sky red button news link), that a batch of previously unknown records have been found in the archives of the Red Cross, which have laid undisturbed since 1918. It is believed that they hold a wealth of information for researchers. Thought you someone on the forum might be interest.

Gordon.

Paul, I think its fair to say that your thaler, will be the real deal, given where you bought it. Its really interesting just how far a field these little coins travelled. If your interested in collecting them I can`t stress enough what valuable source of information Clara`s book is.

Chris, you`ve got some beautiful items there. Thats another joy about these coins, that they open a whole new collecting field, when they`ve been made into something. Especailly if the history of them is known.

Here are a couple to try.

The first link is to Boris Markhasin. He does not have many swords, but is WELL connected with many dealers who do have Gunto swords.

info@yamabushiantiques.com

http://www.yamabushiantiques.com/

This second link will bring you to a great Japanese dealers site. Tsuruta san has many Gunto and Samurai swords fittings and armor. He knows english and is usually pretty quick to reply to emails.

http://www.aoi-art.com/gunto/main.html

Hope these help.

Henry

Cheers Henry :cheers:

My next door neighbor was the photographer on the USS Missouri for the surrender ceremonies. I assume he was one of several official photographers and I do not believe he was the principal one, but frankly, I've never asked. He's got several albums full of these images, not the newsprints but the originals. I also think he still has a few of his cameras lying around, quite possibly also the camera that originally took this picture.

I'm sure he'll be fascinated to hear that he is such an incredibly rich man!

~TS

Be sure to tell him that he heard it here first..... :rolleyes:

Hi Guys,

As a total beginner, is there anybody out there that could give me some tips/point me in the right direction a good dealer....I`m interested in buying an Officers sowrd, one with a bit of history behind it would be cool.....

Saw this on Ebay....

WW2 JAPANESE FLAG.THE FLAG MEASURES 70CM BY 45CM. IT IS GETTING ABIT THIN IN PLACES AND IS RIPPED DOWN ONE SIDE.THIS FLAG WAS FOUND IN A HOUSE CLEARENCE SHOP. IT WAS IN A BROKEN OLD FRAME, IT HAS THE HISTORY OF BEING TAKEN BY THE WORCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT FROM A VILLAGE IN WW2 IN KOHIMA. SEE OTHER PICTURE.THE FRAME AND GLASS WAS BROKEN SO IT HAS BEEN PUT IN A NEW FRAME WITH A NEW CARD TELLING THE HISTORY OF IT.

Sold for ?62.00