USN

I don't suppose anyone has seen or knows of the location of any of Mr. Ridgways medals do they? Maybe they've popped up an online auction at some point or they're tucked away in a collection?

3 hours ago, The Prussian said:

Hello!

Good work!

But it´s strange! I couldn´t find anything, Schlodder was Lieutenant...

That is strange, but it wouldn't be the first time a military recorded something incorrectly. It's also hard to tell what the original message was considering much of the original card is lost to time. They could have been discussing the possibility of him becoming a lieutenant or perhaps it was just recorded incorrectly in the books.

I was able to clean up the back of the card a little. It shows shlodder being referred to as a Lieutenant in 1917.

I would have never been able to get any of this information without your expertise gentlemen! 

When I finally have the card in hand I'll do my best to get rid of some of the glue and old paper from the back and maybe get a little more information from what's left of the writing. I do see some mention of the 2nd company in on the left.

35 minutes ago, The Prussian said:

Hello!

I did one mistake...

It´s NOT Heeresgruppe Erzherzog Joseph, but Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph!

 

Since Jan.5, 1917 the Eastern Front was divided in Heeresfront des "Oberbefehlshabers Ost" (Commander-in-Chief East) and the Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph.

The Heeresfront Erzherzog Joseph consisted of:

K.u.k. 7th army, K.u.k. 1st army and Heeresgruppe Mackensen with german 9th army and bulgarian 3rd army.

So the recipient could be a german soldier!

 

I don´t know anything about the sticks. Maybe they teached some soldiers something and needed the stick to show something? No idea...

That is very interesting, it does seem likely that those 2 individuals trained and possibly even served together. I believe that the recipient of the card was a W. Billerbeck, from what little I could read it seems like schlodder is mentioned serving with or transferring into the 2nd company of the GRPR.

Good morning gentlemen,

I was lucky enough to have come across a nice photo postcard of an unteroffizier from the reserve garde pioneer regiments flammenwerferzug and just wanted to share. It looks like it was at one point cut down to fit a picture frame, it unfortunately is missing alot of information but does feature a nice shot of the skull on the left cuff and is addressed directly to the flame thrower unit. As always comments and opinions are welcome!

Many Thanks,

Will

Outstanding!

1 hour ago, Farkas said:

In theory there were only three marks put on issued British uniforms, a paper label or the WD arrow stamp & soldiers mark.

Pre ww1 a standardised size black ink stamp with the soldiers personal details, this rarely happened in WW1 though. The unit quartermaster at some level with no now apparent system would mark them to stop any other unit pilfering them. The above 6WK I’m guessing is 6th West Kent(?) for example.

 

The abbreviation A when used by British army usually stands for Artillery. In this case it wouldn’t stop much pilfering because the the royal corps of artillery is so vast so if I had to guess it’s A company but that’s not usual on its own as far as I know.

 

I asked to see the stamp because I thought it likely to be…

(number) /|\ (letter)

the letter tells us the depot and holds clues regardless but neatly yours is the letter A which is for Aldershot.
& Aldershot was set up in 1915 specifically to handle Officers uniforms, a facility not required until the War.

As ayedee said needs demanded kit for the ‘less well off’ new breed of Officer.

 

I got to arguing the principle of why I wanted to see the stamp and the rest of it but…

I would say as you both have officers kit, and both have the A stamp, that it is most likely for Aldershot.
Possibly a stamp to direct it there or to note it being there. Perhaps there was a service to tailor a mans uniform if he received promotion 🤷‍♂️ that might explain the absence of the need for the usual acceptance stamp.

 

Lastly, re the stitching mark, I hadn’t thought of stripes, which is most likely, I thought maybe a warrant officers crown 🤷‍♂️

 

It’s an interesting find for sure.

 

tony 🍻

 

 

 

 

 

 

That would make perfect sense honestly, this may be a bit of a stretch but to me it makes even more sense seeing as how this was an Irish regiment and to my knowledge most were not as well off as their English counterparts. If this is correct then this would also make it a fairly early example of something coming from the Aldershot depot. Your information is always appreciated, we spoke previously about a dress uniform from the North Staffordshire Regiment and you were equally helpful there as well!

What would the A signify then? It doesn't appear to be specific to a tailor seeing as how his trousers have the mark but are not from the same tailor. Is it possibly some kind of mark from a depot showing the tunic was turned in and reworked? This could also explain the different cuff ranks. A lieutenant was killed and the tunic was sent through and reissued to a captain who added the proper rank insignia? I'm just spitballing some ideas.

1 hour ago, ayedeeyew said:

 

No need to apologise Will, your description of the marking and in particular the location being in the shoulder made it clear it was one of these typically off-the-peg tunics made available to officers through the War Department as I mentioned earlier. And clearly not "put there by the recipient" 😉 It's a gorgeous find and all the rarer for it. 

 

Do you have any other shots of the cuff rank? From the first shot it looks like the owner may have been promoted from Lieutenant to Captain, hence one mismatched "pip" where he had the rank updated. The marks of sewing on the left cuff are likely from where a "Wounded Stripe" was once fixed as this is the exact location they should be worn, eg:

 

 

Army Order 204. 6/7/16

 

...the following distinctions in dress will be worn on the service dress jacket by all officers and soldiers who have been wounded in any of the campaigns since 4th August, 1914:-

 

'Strips of gold Russia braid, No.1, two inches in length, sewn perpendicularly on the left sleeve of the jacket to mark each occasion on which wounded.

 

In the case of officers, the lower end of the first strip of gold braid will be immediately above the upper point of the flap on cuff...

 

Unfortunately I am away from my collection but I can when I get back to it again and can show more details of the cuffs. I will have to check the other cuff for evidence of service stripes as well.

Good evening gentlemen,

I acquired this tunic some time ago and wanted to share it here and also ask for some assistance. A tunic belonging to a Lüert of the 2nd eskadron GDC if is in pretty good shape minus the removed shoulder boards and has 3 loops for a ribbon/ medal bar. Would anyone have any resources/ information on this man or some ideas for a suitable ribbon/ medal bar? 

As always thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Will

My apologies I forgot to post the photo of the stamp which is identical to yours just with a 1916 date.

Does anyone know how to identify the proper collar insignia for this period tunic? I have seen a few different examples but am unsure of what would be the proper style.

Good evening gentlemen,

I recently acquired a small group of uniforms off of Facebook of all places and this one was amongst them, I am not the most knowledgeable but I have what appears to be a well tailored uniform for a captain from the Royal Inniskilling Fusilier regiment, it has a stamp in the left shoulder which dates it too 1916, and appears to have at one point had its proper insignia pinned into the collar and perhaps some insignia sewn to the left cuff? It also had a leather tab sewn inside of the left breast of the tunic which I'm unsure of its purpose. Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated! 

Many thanks,

Will

More photos

On 19/03/2023 at 15:40, Farkas said:

I’ll stop going on after this, promise!!

 

I’ve dug out the buttons, I’ve got two pairs as it happens…

 

 

 

& I’ve had a look at those button posts, only £5 for a pair, there is a little ‘cup’ and the buttons fix with bit of solder or good glue.

 

 

As I said before,

I’m happy to help if you want.

 

tony 

I'll gladly take you up on some of those items! Also I dug the old boards out of the trash and I do think these were the originals, theres just one issue. They are completely drowned in gold paint to a point that I originally thought that they were 100% rubber but peeling some weird backing off I think they are period boards.

I took a few more detailed photos before I sent this off to get the collar repaired, I think I will have to stripe off all of the gold braiding. It doesn't look like any of it is original to the uniform.

5 hours ago, Farkas said:

I wouldn’t give up on your boards yet.

I don’t know the technical term but there are 5 ‘curves’ on your boards.

They are at least the correct design for yours I believe...

 

These 2 are the same period 👇

This one is Royal Artillery...

 

and this one is Royal Engineers

 

This is a later Royal Fusiliers from 1962

 

As you can see there are many varieties.

The shoulders have been altered on yours but the chances of someone randomly adding the correct style board are surely low.

 

They should be individual rope pieces though all attached together securely,   with a little movement in places.

Made possibly with a shiny coating originally. It may have worn off the front but still visible on the reverse or elsewhere.  

 

When you say they are styrofoam do you mean they are all one shaped piece or is it inside? Any pics?

 

tony

They were all one shaped piece, definitely not anything that belonged on the uniform and I'm pretty sure I threw them and the black pads away already.

5 hours ago, Guards Armoured said:

Did you manage to rescue the three-ply shoulder boards that came with the tunic? They are the right kind, I believe, and possibly original to the tunic. All you would need then are a pair of rank stars (pips) for each and a screw-post button.

Modern versions can be purchased at military tailors but are quite pricey (and too shiny for my liking, due to the modern materials used):

https://www.samuelbrothers.co.uk/shop/mess-dress-all/mess-dress-epaulettes/male-gold-3-ply-officers-shoulder-boards-ceremonial-mess/

Unfortunately the shoulder boards that were on it are Styrofoam so I do not believe those would be period correct haha

I don't suppose anyone would happen to have a source for proper replacement shoulder boards and tresse? I cannot seem to find any on the market but my sources for these types of uniforms are quite limited as these aren't my main area of collecting.

On 28/02/2023 at 23:31, Farkas said:

Hi Gents,

I was looking at this and would like to add my tuppence worth...

(It’s 6.54am and this is off top & after 🍺)

 

I would agree this is not a Royal Navy tunic but i’m not so discouraged by the  medal ribbon.

Four ribbons would not be worn 3 over 1, they would be 4 alongside each other, if there is an exception it would be 1 over 3 as Gordon said but the order and those issued look good to me. 

I wonder if there was simply not enough room for the 4 bar, also possibly there was another bar above?

The lack of a defence medal is not uncommon for sailors. The France&Germany star was not issued to those in receipt of the Atlantic star, instead a bar was issued to those eligible for both...

 

 

Medals aside USN, the buttons may offer some insight. If possible could we see a picture of them? Seems at least 2 different types, silvered (unusual) & other.  The design, the material (brass or aluminium) and the reverse of these might help 👍 Lastly, if tailor made, there might be a name tag in one of the pockets 🤞

 

tony

 

 

The buttons are all the same if I remember correctly and there are no names in the jacket unfortunately. Also there is no France and Germany star on the top bar, just the 39-45 star, Atlantic star and then Italian star. I have seen on American uniforms before that awards issued during the war are typically worn properly and then the victory award is tacked on later. After finding out the jacket isn't military my best guess is this was either dressed up for a play of some sort or maybe a civilian cruise liner and the veteran wore his ribbons while at work? I don't think it was dressed up for resale since I only paid 30 dollars in an antique store at the time for this piece.

Looking over the tunic again, mine does have the appropriate north staffordshire collar insignia.

Most of the graves registration papers are new information, but the biography I was able to find before. I do believe his collar devices are the South staffordshire style unless the fleur de lis is a separate piece and its just missing. 

10 hours ago, Gordon Craig said:

USN,

 

Quite a task you have set for yourself.  It should be a nice addition to your collection once it is restored to its former glory.  In the photo you provided of this type of tunic he appears to be wearing the two Boer War medals.  Reference to these rolls should tell you what campaign bars he is entitled to.  Good luck with the tunic and I'd like to see it when it is completed.

 

Regards,

 

Gordon

I will definitely be posting progress photos and as far as the medals go I'm hoping that I'll be lucky enough that someone who owns his awards will come around some day.

Good evening gentlemen,

I have quite the project on my hands and I thought I would share it here, in a little antique place in San Diego I came across what remains of the dress uniform of acting Lieutenant Colonel John H. Ridgway, Mr. Ridgway served in South Africa, Ireland and during the first world War until his death at the battle of scarpe in 1917. He was also awarded the distinguished service order in 1916 during the battle of the somme although I cannot seem to find the write up for it. I will be having the coat sent off to more talented hands to repair the collar and the rest will likely be up to me. As always I welcome and thoughts, opinions or advice one this piece.

Thank you

I have already started the work by removing those awful shoulder pads which unfortunately were glued onto the shoulders and am slowly working the adhesive off of it without damaging the uniform itself. On a side not there also does appear to be loops sewn onto the breast ro accommodate a small medalbar which I believe to be the one in a photo I was able to find of him. Also the signature on the uniform matches another unit photograph which he signed not long before his death.

I've got a 1st batch luger to a MG regiment of JR. 94 that I've been trying to build a display around similar to yours.