paul wood

All but the military bit. He was gazetted a 2nd Lt. The Captain which he is listed as in the handbook of the Order of the British Empire is probably 1921, a promotion he probably would have received after the war as he was a volunteer force officer but you are spot on with the rest. As he was home (Indian) based he would have just received the British War Medal rather than the British War and Victory Medal.

All the best,

Paul

The CBE is also a beautiful piece, especially on the first pattern ribbon.

I totally agree. I have always though in general the type 2 insignia (IE post 1935) to be less aesthetically pleasing. The most beautiful piece of insignia of the Order (in my opinion) is the short lived medal of the British Empire, many of which were given to French or Belgian civilian recipients who assisted the allies during the Great War.

Paul

Paul,

I have him listed as CIE 3.6.1935. The CBE may be an error.

Cheers,

James

CBE is an error sorry brain not working it should be CIE

Paul

Good Lord what a lot of urban myths abound in your post.

One has to be careful about equating the IDF with the TA. Each of the regular IA regiments had Territorial battalions to which Indians belonged as officers and men. The IDF were really a reserve force in case of the second mutiny which never came. Even though the IDF were mostly composed of Europeans, several units in the more cosmopolitan areas of India included Anglo-Indians, Parsees and even a few Royals from Indian princely states.

There was no Teaplanters Rifles in the IDF. There was the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps, but they were not part of the IDF nor was Ceylon ever part of India.

I don't know about English upper classes. Mostly British "middling classes" would be a better description. People who could only afford to lead an upper class lifestyle in the empire, never at home.

Cheers,

James

Ferguson was gazetted a 2nd Lieut in the Punjab Light Horse 6 September 1918, O.B.E. New Years Honours 1919. He arrived in India in 1904 having qualified in the exams of 1903. He was upgraded to C.B.E. Kings Birthday Honours 1935 (Indian Civil Service Commissioner Rawalpindi division, Punjab). Also entitled to C.I.E. haven't been able to get a date (See India Civil List 1934) also on the Indian Silver Jubilee medal roll. He would have one named B.W.M. also. So not a bad O.B.E. to own.

All the best,

Paul

IMHO this variant is a newmade fake that appears constantly on ebay and other marketplaces in the last 2 to 3 vears. (see ebay-pictures)

EBAY LINK

why do i think so:

I see a one part-construction. made in casting-technique. then thin enamel was added in the style of some known 1930ies-examples.

It ist definitely not silver and looks as it was washed with some liquid to create an oldstyle patina. Especially on the backside. the needle-sytem (hinge, eyelet, hook) isIMHO the same that was used by the rarit?ten...club for his restrikes of german states steckkreuze. (forinstens Mecklenburg MVK 1. Klasse)

just my two cents

josef

Dear Josef,

Thank you very much for the most useful information.

Paul

Odd picture, maybe civil war period.

Can you post a better picture of the Cap insignia?

Thanks

George.

I would suggest Civil War Period. Some of the White armies had disbanded German soliers attached. Could be one of them.

Paul

Hello

One batch of coins has been affected. The actual number of coins affected could be between 100,000 and 200,000.

Regards Laurie

O my god I will be getting loads of calls of people who will be so dissapointed when they discover they are not worth ?10,000s of pounds. The off side to working in coins and medals, sedative please.

Paul

Hi Mike.

If you check Stevnsborgs recent book (fig. 237, although with a white enamelled cross) you'll see that this (most boring) type with the flat arms is introduced by Michelsen in 1909. My best guess is that this Star is from around this period.

If Jeff would care to take it apart this would probably reveal a date!

Lars

Thanks for the interesting information genetlemen.

Paul

No trace of white enamel. The lettering is flat against the background and there is no trace of enameling anywhere, even in the interior of the letters.

Two possibilities, either a trial piece working with different dimensions or conceivebly a partially finished example.

Paul

Ok .. thanks Ed.

I have the honour to own one named to a saddler attached to Indian Service Corps.

Paul

Well, I was always horrified at how cheap and ugly the medals were...

look at post 69 here...

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=24709&st=60

I got the diploma today at long last... what a disappointment....

I guess it has to do with the computer age.... they are not printed by a professional then filled out... but the whole thing is done on an A4 sheet, printed on a computer then signed and stamped.... basically a computer print out... :-(

I didn't know you were an ancient corporal.

All the best,

Paul

Ed,

Racism is not usually your thing :-(

Dear Chris,

What I think Ed meant is that you would most likely get German issues (in the main) from the European dealers and official Ottoman pieces from the Turkish dealers. One could accuse of many things but racism is certainly not one of them.

All the best,

Paul

I may have found your man Shorter, Abraham Earle, Rank AM1 No. F7380; D.S.M. London Gazette p. 6255, 22/6/17 (no citation). If the case Navy man who became RAF in April 1918. Hope it is the case, if so what a find.

Paul

Hi

The snag is there are no or few RAF records online-all the RAF records for WW1 are held @ the museum in Hendon or in Kew

I can tell you when he joined roughly from one of my books @ home

Cheers

Perce

Perce He will be one of those in the Army groups as very frequently you see a 14-15 Star with regiment and War and Victory with RAF. Paul

The reverse is blank except for an "AM" maker's mark (Michelsen?) and it has a vertical double pin.

Juliana Maria (1729-96) was the wife of Frederick V, she married him in 1752. Thats the only Juliana Maria who has any connection with Denmark, maybe an ephemeral order created in her honour.

Paul

If we`re going by VC worn, then the 6 VC`s before breakfast - Lancashire Fusiliers, Gallipoli 1915, should be in there, somewhere. With being top heavy for the old Paras, Londonderry 1972, is pretty famous.... More gloriously Goosegreen, Longdon, Wirless Ridge, Tumbledown for the Scots Guards maybe, all 1982?

14th Sikhs Chitral, Thin Red Line at Balaclava, 21 Lancers at Ondermun, Gosters at Imjin spring to mind straight away.

Paul

From the one gazette page I have there seems to be no repeat of units. All are from the R.A. or the RGA and there are 80 names total. Possibly each battery allowed one MM?

~ED

Quite probably right but it is M.M.'s (and bars) from page 1 to the end of the supplement (a hell of a lot of them).

All the best,

Paul

Hello,

This is one on my few British groupings. The Military Medal is gazetted pg.10566 supplement 20 August, 1919.

'322813 Gnr. Hall, R.J., 155th Siege By.(Waterbeck)'. Since the war is over I assume that this is just slow paperwork. So the question is what was the delay time between the action and the awarding of the Military Medal?

~Ed

My suspicion is that he is one of the many awards for the Great Push following the end of the German offensive of 1918, effectively August to November 1918. Note that there are a large proportion to R.A. and siege batteries. Who were obviously crucial to the push, given that including bars over 120,000 M.M.s were awarded , many for 1918 actions. The logistics of approval and gazetting encountered a back log.

Paul

Looks like Mohammed el Nasir (1906-22)

Paul

Looks OK to me, I very much doubt if it is hallmarked.

Paul

:cheers:

the pair:

He would have been entitled, possibly a duplicate in lieu of an earlier lost one.

Paul

Gentlemen,

The following two posts are of a 50mm Gold Medallion depicting Nicholas II and Alexander II that I am trying to identify. Might there be a member that can help me solve this puzzle.

Thanks much!

Its the small gold medal of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property designed by A. Vasyutinsky and M. Skudnov. It came in two sizes 65 mm and 50 mm. In gold it is a very rare medal and worth several thousand dollars.

Paul

Gentleman. I feel that the H is for Hadhramout which was one of the Aden Trucial states (a sheikhdom under Indian control) don't forget that Aden and it's dependencies were controlled by India until independence and it would make sense of the Indian name and rank.

All the best,

Paul

Hello;

Does anyone have any information and maybe a photo of the Order of St. Catherine? My Werlich and Durov books don't seem to cover that one.

For merit or service?

How was it earned?

Number awarded?

Thank you,

-Claudius

You must have a different Durov and Werlich to me Durov p. 146-50 numbers awarded given. Werlich 1968 p. 4-6 (illustrated), 2nd edition also p. 4-6. I would be intersted to know what editions of Werlich and Durov you have if it doesn't St Catherine, they must be both major rarities.

Paul

Thanks Mark!

According to Diakov. Medals of the Russian Empire part 5 more than 2,130,000 medals struck in light and dark bronze. Unfortunately the condition of your piece is very much at the lower end of the scale and I feel it would be worth very little thus possibly $20 a nice example with original riband would be worth about $100.

Paul