Dave Alexander

This is just working dress, or No 4. The RN has dresses 1 thru 5 and the No 1 even has 3 classes. 1A, 1B and 1C. All the traditional stuff has been kept.

Looks like Dutch - Wilhelms Order Knights Cross.

To me numbers look like 27062, if this helps.

17/21L amalgamated with the 16/5L in 1993 to form the Queen's Royal Lancers. Later this year the QRL will amalgamate with the 9/12L to form the Royal Lancers. Tom Romans was Trumpet Major in 17/21L when band was dis-banded and members kept their dress uniforms. Nice bonus.

#65 shows the demi-tasse for after dinner coffee in the Officer's mess. I smiled at the maker's mark of Fine "Bone" China. How apropos.

Sounds like a fantasy world compared with what we are used to here, Merv. An article appeared in today's Los Angeles Times referring to an incident involving the LA County Sheriff Dept. I will quote it in it's entirety. "An incident near Miller Avenue and East Almanza Lane began when someone flagged down deputies and told them there was a man in the area with a gun. They confronted the man and he drew the weapon. He was pronounced dead at the scene."

Those of the Sikh religion don't cut their hair or shave either. Wish I'd thought of converting when I was in.

Not wishing to go into the details of my military service I'll just add to what Peter has touched on by saying that those who would glamourize war have never been in one. The following poem is by Siegfried Sassoon in WW I and hits close to home. I knew a simple soldier boy Who grinned at life in empty joy Slept soundly through the lonesome dark And whistled early with the lark In winter trenches cowed and glum With crumps and lice and lack of rum He put a bullet through his brain And no one spoke of him again You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by Sneak home and pray you'll never know The hell where youth and laughter go. Whenever I see people watching parades, waving flags and cheering, I recite the last verse to myself.

If he was British I doubt strongly that he would be wearing any Masonic trappings in public. My father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, uncles etc., were all Masons in the UK and kept it secret from me 'til I was in my teens. That's why they have the secret handshakes and conversational phrases to identify themselves. A laughable bunch of claptrap.

The Gaurdian article is a little vague, the QRL haven't been equipped with Challengers in years. The QRL are to be amalgamated with the 9/12L and will probably retain the motto as they did when the 17/21L and 16/5 came together even though the latter Regt was senior.

Check out "Passive radar" and you'll see why "stealth" technology has been obsolete for the better part of a decade.

L with crown is most probably Government stamp (King Leopold II).

ELG is Liege, Belgium proofmark. All sizes were metric yours would be 12mm. Most likely made in 1870s, the last pinfires to my knowledge were made in 1890 and they were shotguns.

With those rings on the nose I'd have to agree that it's probably an anti-aircraft shell wherein the shells could be set to detonate at certain heights. There would be little reason for a submarine to have this kind of ammo. For the caliber just measure from one side to the other at the point where the head and brass casing meet. The early Austrian submarines U20 class carried a 20mm (2.6 in) deck gun, they were succeeded by the U27 class with a 75mm (3.0 in) gun and late war the U43 class had an 88mm (3.5 in ) gun.

What are the dimensions? Bore size, height of casing, any stampings, letters, numbers?