Mike Dwyer

Gordon,

In reference to having the deepest roots, although I guess this is actually a fiction, since there was a change in government, the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office in Maryland, when I lived in the area in the late 1980's, used to have on their vehicles "Serving Since 1696" and they still have "1696" on their uniform shoulder patches as evidenced by the patch shown on their web site.

Chris,

Tony Schnurr has a very nice Ulanka from Hanoversches Ulanen-Regt. 14 on his Kaiser's Bunker site that you might enjoy. He also has a Tschapka to go with it.

Ulanka: http://www.kaisersbunker.com/dunkelblau/tunics/dbt43.htm

Tschapka: http://www.kaisersbunker.com/dunkelblau/helmets/dbh83.htm

Very interesting story, thank you for sharing it with us!

#30 is rank insignia for a Air Force Junior ROTC Cade Master Sergeant. It is probably outdated insignia because all of the example I could find had only 5 stripes, not six. I found only one old document on-line that showed this 6 stripe example.

#30 is rank insignia for a Air Force Junior ROTC Cade Master Sergeant. It is probably outdated insignia because all of the example I could find had only 5 stripes, not six. I found only one old document on-line that showed this 6 stripe example.

Thank you!

Joe,

In the 1914 Rangliste, there's a Hauptmann Freiherr Rudt von Collenberg listed in Garde-Feldartillerie-Rgt Nr.3. He's the only one I could find.

I'm not one of the experts here, so don't rely too much on my opinion! It appears to be a very, very nice Prussian infantry officer's helmet. I looked at a couple of dealer's websites (like this one http://www.militaria-online.de/eng.html ) and I'd guess somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 Euros, perhaps more in that great a condition.

Stunning! Very, very beautiful.

No, that's the star to his Ernestine neck cross.

Okay, I could just make out the crown in the middle so, without really thinking, I surmised Prussian Crown Order!

Christian,

Isn't he missing another neck cross.....for the Prussian Crown Order? He's got the breast star on, but no neck cross.

Very, very sweet!

Barry,

Just a curiousity question....when I was a teenager I was a Napoleonic Wars uniform nut! I collected books, did my own crude uniform drawings, painted miniatures, etc. I haven't done that in many, many years. In Imperial times French dragoons wore dark green coats. I see this fellow is wearing a blue coat, is this correct for the time period of the painting? I don't know much about earlier French uniforms.

The Red Hand of Ulster was in fact the titled family who had that part of the country - I can't think of their name - perhaps someone will add.

Both of these truncheons will - in all probabablity - date from the 1920's or, 1930's.

The Red Hand is part of the coat of arms of The O'Neill.

Very interesting stories.

Coincidentally, there's a running thread on Pickelhaubes.com about Gregory. Joe Robinson posted the picture below of Gregory in his uniform...

I forget when the Bavarian FARs switched from spikes to ball tops.

Chip

1916

Thanks, Rick! I really appreciate the information.

Rick,

The card for the princess isn't Imperial, it's later. I did some Internet surfing and found a genealogy website with the following information:

Alexandra Anna Sophia Katharina Emilia Adrienne Gräfin von Schlitz genannt von Görtz

Born Darmstadt, 1910, Died Schlitz, 13 April 1989

Married Wilhelm Prinz zu Erbach-Schönberg on 4 October 1938.

So the card has to date from after the marriage.

Thank you both, Glenn and Rick, for the information. Amberger didn't last very long in the war..........sad.

#16

The last item that came in the package...not Imperial though, it's Third Reich. I'm guessing it's a wedding announcement?

# 15

My one civilian...

# 14

..and now something oompletely different, a Zahlmeister!

# 13

#12

More horrible handwriting!!!

# 11