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

    MattGibbs

    For Deletion
    • Posts

      169
    • Joined

    • Last visited

    Everything posted by MattGibbs

    1. There is no officer of this name as active in the July 1939 Army List of Officers, so perhaps he had retired by then. ttfn
    2. Leigh; These are Chaplains Scarf badges. The stole is something different and quite a bit smaller. Indeed almost certainly produced for museums or re-enactment as the originals were embroidered directly on to the Scarf itself. They look well made. Regards Matt
    3. The first thing I thought when I saw that short rows bar was Navy, specially made to fit at the top the jacket above the pocket and at the side of the lapel. They are often seen like this in photographs, specially if the chap was pretty small, sometimes they are 3 wide but since he only had 4 awards this makes sense. I had a medal group with the post war Yangtse bar and the photo I got of the owner showed something similar to this. The most you usually on 1 line on navy uniform is 3, often 3 top with 2 rows of 2. Defence medal awarded to members of HM forces who served in the UK or overseas in locations subject to air attack or closely threatened, so possibly this might have included Malta, Gibraltar etc. This included Royal Marines Police Reserve and the Admiralty Civil Police. I
    4. I have found a colour still from a 16mm cine film I have taken in 1944 showing a 1939 - 43 star ribbon being worn in a group of medals by an officer. When I get chance to reduce the file size and crop it down I shall have a shot at posting it, but just wanted to let you know I found it.
    5. There is a letter written to a local newspaper in Harrogate in the spring of 1944 [i shall retireve the date later] where a servicemans wife writes in to ask if her family has a record, all 3 men wearing the ribbon of the 1939-43 star. I submit therefore that it was being issued at that time. They were all in the RAF as Harrogate had a good number of displaced offices here where the large Hotels were taken over by the services evacuated from London. Its possible that the local CO had presided over an issue of them to qualifying personnel at Christmas since the timing is right, but I am uncertain. I'm off to get a copy of the article because its available on microfiche, I read it a while ago. [Just for Ed I might add a pic of Churchill visiting in 1944 with adoring crowds ] Regards Matt
    6. I am not 100% certain, but IIRC it was a case of wearing either the 1939-43 star OR Africa star during late 43 to 45 period. I think this might have been in BL Davis book? ttfn Matt
    7. Brilliant point Chris and such a simple idea. However J R Gaunt and son were taken over by Firmin in the 90's. So I emailled them instead, awaiting with interest their reply regards Matt Gibbs
    8. The implication has to be impossible. The RAChD has always been an officer's corps only, it has no Other Ranks. The lowest rank is Chaplain 4th Class, equivalent to Captain, and uses the same 3 pip rank style. The additional inference to draw would be that there was a vast need for such a badge from the end of 1918 up to 1940 which also isn't the case because the RAChD had no official Jewish Chaplain at this time. Dayan Gollop, Senior Jewish Chaplain to H.M. Forces was administering to the Jewish armed forces personnel as an honourary office, with so few practising Jews in the ranks there would hardly be a need for a plethora of badges. In WW1 by mid 1915 there was only 2 Jewish chaplains, and by the close of hostilities in 1918 there were only a total of 16 commisioned chaplains. Hardly enough to warrant a big badge order from a supplier.
    9. David S - sorry not right now, I never took pics of the back and I am too busy working 05.30 to 17.30 shifts all week to do it, but these were from several bars, that I got from Stogieman and another forum member on here, in the sale section 2 years ago [or more as time flies!] - does this help to answer your unspecified questions? I am certainly happy from their reputation, and that of the forum, that they are OK. regards Matt -edit - PS I forgot to add that I have recieved an offer and subject to viewing and monies arriving they are sold. Many thanks to the members who have helped me out, this forum is always a friendly place.
    10. Nice summing up Leigh. I just quoted you on the bits I was interested in [to save space] but I agree with all the above. When I have recieved permission from the RAChD Museum I hope to post my photos of the sealed pattern of the Jewish Chaplains badge which I took when I was there in September. The silvery round one on this thread certainly ain't it. There WAS a 'dress' version of the RAChD badge which was produced in small numbers in Silver [and also collar dogs I believe] produced in the same style as the wartime bronze Jewish chaplains badge, that was authorised in 1940. See attached pic. Regards Matt
    11. Hi Guys I haven't bought anything on the 3rd reich side for ages - for about 3 years I have been collecting Brit Home Front for my Home Guard re-enacting group and non combatant stuff. I tried to list some bits and pieces on one of the reenactors websites but obviously they were more interested in uniforms and stuff. What I have left is pictured. I thought about selling to a dealer but recent experience suggests they are maybe having a hard time and wanted to pay nowt. None are really valuable but I want to move them on so want an idea of realistic prices to ask. Then I shall be dropping them all in the for sale section. I thought since I had bought items on here and experienced such good transactions [as all Gentlemen should!] I'd let them go on here for the benefit of the members. See pics for details. I can give additional info any time. Silver War Merit Cross has a maker mark of a 3 in a square on the reverse [this came from Stewart Wilson in a trade a couple of years back] Party long service mini is RZM and maker marked M11/1. Red Cross Helferin is B replacement type Silver Wound Badge has LDO box and 65 on reverse Anything else please ask. All help appreciated thanks. Regards Matt Gibbs
    12. Hi James; Well you'll have to ask the newspaper reporter who I quoted on the issue of it coming from this Colonel from Palestine then, I'm passing the info on. I have seen another website quoting this chap but I never saved the link because it's not a badge I am interested in for itself, only trying to stop people confusing it for what it's not. I just happen to dislike sellers on places like ebay misrepresenting their sales. [and reporting them, oh yes] Since we're still untangling wires I can let you know I have seen the official sealed pattern of the Jewish RAChD chaplains badge, and it's not the same as the badge I pictured - see my avatar for something closer. I have some photos of the sealed patterns out of the RAChD Museum safe but without permission from them I am not allowed to reproduce my images. I will ask them and check if it is ok, but they wanted to make sure I respected their copyright. Also there is a discussion on this badge subject here: http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/sh...=jewish+brigade regards Matt
    13. Thats nice to see, because I saw this post earlier, admired the nice photo and thought to myself, knowing this forum I bet someone just might some up with something like that great stuff regards
    14. Greg; I meant the same design as the centre used in the creation of this spurious [possibly faked] breast star. I have seen them in red like this, and also blue and green. I strongly suspect they were made taking the design from the small RAChD collar dog and probably by the same individual who made that breast star. thanks Matt PS editted because I have now found a photo I saved of said items for reference, plus another one of a breast star sold last yr on ebay, plus a fantasy ap badge with blue and red enamelling
    15. Dear James; I'd be happy to clear it up. In fact its a much better time now because I am not trying to feed our 7 week old daughter and balance the attention with the 3 year old daughter at the same time! Phew. Right. First...link to the British Nigeria Flag - http://www.fotw.us/flags/ng-gb.html - where you can note the emblems of a crown and a star of david included on the blue field. Next and sadly I have not got one but in Colin Own's book on South African badges there is one of these badges pictured below. It is the badge with the purple background and is from the "NIGERIA CUSTOMS PREVENTIVE SERVICE". The difference you will see is that this version is voided around the star. The unvoided one comes from the NIGERIA PRISONS SERVICE. This information comes via J. Gaylor, [Royal West African Frontier Force and Intelligence Corps] and a post made on the British Badges Forum where the confusion with this being a Jewish or even a Chaplains badge comes. My motive in finding out about it comes from a friend being ripped off by someone convincing him it was RAChD related. The details about the Magen David [star sign] relating to Nigeria are interesting. The badges of the Police in Trinidad also had the same detail. The following information is available from a newspaper from over there about this interesting emblem: ""This symbol adorns the local Police jeeps, flag, hats and buttons on the blue and grey uniform. In its centre is the copper rumped Hummingbird. The explanation as to how the star got there will take most historians back to the 1930s. During this time, we were still a British colony, and as such our Police Commissioners were sent here by Britain. One of these men was Colonel Arthur Stephen Mavrogordato. Mavrogordato was stationed in Palestine in the Middle East, and he was transferred from there to the post of Commanding Officer of the Trinidad Constabulary. Mavrogordato was not himself Jewish, but he was believed to be the one who suggested the Magen David be used as the police emblem, a symbol he had known from the Palestine flag. He reversed the colours of the Palestinian flag; by this he put a white star on a blue background instead of a blue star on a white background. No one is sure why. Some attribute the use of the Magen David to the fact that the 1930s was the time when it was becoming widely known and its shape was found to be fascinating. Others believed it was a talisman that brought good luck and this was why it was chosen. The debate surrounding its origin was another reason for fascination, as scholars maintain that the star was not of Jewish origin, but taken from the Twi-San, a people of south, central and east Africa. The Twi-San dates back 30,000 years before the Christian era, and they wee known to traverse the banks of the River Nile. To them, the symbol was known as the Pole Star. The use of the Magen David as the police emblem makes the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force unique in that it is the only police service in the world that does not use its country's Coat of Arms as its official symbol. The star was originally encased in a wreath with a crown atop it, to signify that Trinidad was a British colony. When Trinidad became a republic in 1976, these symbols of the former monarchy were replaced with the Hummingbird at the emblem's centre and with the shield from the Coat of Arms at the top where the crown once sat." I would tend to suggest that this indicates the badge to be from either when Nigeria or Trinidad were British Colonies [not mandated territories sorry] and not the Jewish Brigade. ttfn. Matt PS I forgot to add this may mean that the info [from rumour etc] that the Jewish philatelic designers used was wrong. I also apologise for using Mandated Territory and Colony interchangably, I forgot, its different ;)
    16. James; Thats not the case because the badge you refer to is a voided [you can see through the star] version and the unvoided star of david badge is different. [see pic] However it is often misidentified on 'the worlds greatest auction site' as such and sold to unsuspecting bidders. The badge I pictured is, as I said above, that of a unit from British Nigeria and if you look up the old colonies flag you'll see why. ttfn Matt
    17. I thought the Jewish brigade had no official cap badge..? [Jewish Infantry Brigade Group] What I have read is that enlisted and NCO's wore the cap badge of the older Palestine Regiment, if they could get hold of one. IIRC Officers wore the badge of their parent unit before transfering into the newly formed [1944 I think] Jewish Brigade. Troops had an arm flash insignia though, for wear on the shirt. The commonly seen solid backed rounded cap badge with the wreath of leaves [same both sides] and the star of david with crown above isn't for the Jewish Brigade either, nor is it a commonwealth army chaplains badge. Its the badge of the police or prison service of the [british Mandated] Nigerian Territory before it became independant in 1960. Would love to hear more about this though ttfn Matt
    18. Really interesting thread guys, I learned a lot [even if I do only collect commonwealth chaplains stuff ]. Its amazing, even the odd possible 1 or 2 that might have been made as marketing samples at the time by a manufacturer don't lead to huge numbers of originals. I'm inspired to set off a thread about British chaplains insig at some point soon. ttfn
    19. These items have turned up on ebay over the last couple of years, and probably before. They are not connected to the Royal Army Chaplains Department. They do happen to appear to use some similar devices to the Commonwealth chaplaincy service badges. Others have the same motto in Latin. [probably taken from Canadian cap badges]. I heard from 2 sources [canadian grapevine and RAChD museum] that they have been created in Canada for several years for sale to unsuspecting buyers. What is there to suspect? Not much, since no one appears to know quite what they are for. If they are made to sell as "possible" chaplain pieces that would explain something. I have seen these done as ear-rings and sweetheart brooches as well. regards Matt
    20. Nice Group Will Is that officer's service with the colours in your possesion. Was he sent straight out to India when commissioned? Is the trio for service in France or was he out fighting on the Turkish front..? Nice. [i did look up in the London Gazette but the search seems notoriously poor and I couldn't find him with a quick scan I've PM'ed you at your request Ed. ttfn Matt
    21. Something to do with the fact it was waaaaay down the precedence in 3rd Reich era? I'm sure Rick will know exactly :cheers:
    22. Interesting viewpoints on all aspects of this Just say for example, you have a gallantry medal, and later find that a collector has a WW1 trio to the same person, how do you go about valuing the trio..? Is it worth a lot more because the guy also had a higher award, or is it just worth what an average trio might fetch. If both collectors wanted to feel good and Re-unite it then what? How about someone like Bill Stump who had all Ribbentrops awards, and split them to sell. Who would be able to afford to unite that grouping? I can see all sides of this. I just bought a WW2 and post war Chaplains grouping, including unifoms, hats and badges. It includes duplicates of some badges, should I split them off? How about the post war versus wartime uniform. Most collectors specialise in a period, someone might want all the WW2 stuff, but not give a monkeys about the Post war gear. ttfn.
    23. Sorry, I don't get this..? "Or so the convener believed them to be". Are you saying there are Durbar medals where the Durbar is convened not by the monarch?
    ×
    ×
    • 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.