Michael Johnson

Each is the official spelling used by the Indian and British Army for their regiments recruited from Nepal.

Torsten, what format is the picture saved in? If it is a bitmap, they are quite large - try saving it as .jpg

While I collect Canadian, French, British and Indian, I also have a strong interest in UN Peacekeeping operations. Strange as it might seem, back in the 1960s Yugoslavia was a major contributor to UN operations such as UNEF and UNYOM. Some time ago I saw a UNEF medal for sale with a Yugoslavian style ribbon. Do any of you Warsaw Pact collectors have any Yugoslavian UN groups to show us?

Or possibly the Bedfordshire Regiment, which until the Relief of Chitral, had spent most of the 19th century in garrison. They did qualify for the Canada General Service Medal, "Fenian Raids 1866", but it wasn't authorized until the end of the century. The 21st Lancers were another regiment in the same boat.

All of them seem to have had the barrels shortened. Again, this would fit in well with issue to a cadet corps. That puts paid to any idea of restoring them, since you'd need new barrels, new forestocks, magazines, and bayonet studs. But they are still very interesting in their own right. Check the top of the buttplate for markings - that is where units marked them.

No, I had a set of cap, shoulders, collars, and rank stars, which looked identical to those in the photo. I'm positive he's Indian Police. And I think the rank is Superintendant, going on modern Indian Police ranks, which don't seem to have substantially changed, other than replacing the crown with the Lions of Ashoka. It wouldn't be the Royal Victorian Order he's wearing, would it?

Fortunately the New Zealand Defence Forcces site has the Regulations online. Here's those fro the Defence Medal: http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/warrants/h17-reg.html Naval personnel, unless they spent time at shore bases, often did not qualify for the Defence Medal. Canadians received the Defence Medal for service in Newfoundland, since it was not a part of Canada., so counted as overseas service.

I noticed a few markings I recognize. DP = Drill Purposes (makes more sense with the welding and no magazines) -><- (opposing broad arrows) - struck off charge as surplus.

Still, a very nice group, and dearly won. I have a lot of respect for veterans of the Italian campaign. A collection to each of the allied contingents that saw service would be quite something to see: Great Britain Canada New Zealand Australia (R.A.A.F, the army having gone back to fight he Japanese) India South Africa Newfoundland (not part of Canada until 1949) France Poland

If I read Pierre Barcelo, it should be 53rd R.I. according to memoiredeshommes.

Sounds like they were deactivated for cadet use. The bottom one is interesting - C.L.L.E. stands for "Charger Loading Lee Enfield" and is the pattern approved July 1907. I'd be tempted to leave them as is. Parts are probably scarce and expensive. Sparkbrook, near Birmingham was one of the three main producers.

I notice that they are all missing the forestock with bayonet lug, and none of then have magazines. Was this a result of modifications in service, or are they "sporterized"? Here in Canada Canadian Tire used to sell Lee-Enfields with short forestocks, but they kept the magazine.

Since he was in his home country, I think he may have had to have three years service. This site http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceF...efenceMedal.htm gives the qualifications.

He would have been awarded the British War Medal as well, as you couldn't receive the Victory Medal without the War Medal (although the opposite was possible). The clerk just didn't bother duplicating the entry. The Sapper has the Territorial War Medal, as neither of the Efficiency Medals has the word "War" in their names. This also fits well with his low Territorial number.

A lovely piece. Many years ago I had one like it to Pte. Corker of the 2nd Bengal Europeans. Long gone, now.

I think Tony is right. After doing his training in Canada he went to England, but before he had served six months there he was on his way to Italy, which was a war zone and qualified him for the 1939-45 and Italy Stars.

Here's the link for obtaining service records: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/genealogie...-909.007-e.html

The Hairy Pathan, right, Peter? And a Chaudiere is a kettle. Puzzled the Normandaise, who I'm told otherwise understood the French Canadians fairly well. The definitive answer is on Michael Dorosh's site: http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/mediawiki-...ervice_Chevrons

Pat, the key here is to get your grandfather's service number, as it is the key to getting service records. Now, since he is fortunately still alive, the government will blackout just about everything on the service file as "personal information" and that holds good until he's been dead 20 years. So I would suggest asking him if he minded if you got a copy of his service file, and ask him to authorize the government to release it to you. Meanwhile I'll see what I can turn up from my sources.

In the days when I collected to the Dogra Regiment, I never ran across a named WWII medal to them.

Why not try West Point? There must be the equivalent of a Yearbook. And to have a photo of him in the uniform you own would top it all. It looks like ASSEMBLY, the magazine of the Association of Graduates of West Point had a write-up in 1997 - might be a photo there.

He is mentioned here: http://www.west-point.org/family/japanese-pow/Bowen_AM.htm which provides some more detail.

I believe my mother told me that these were sold to raise money for soldiers' comforts, orphans, etc. I have one grandfather brought home with a silver 75 mm cannon, marked on the back "Vengeur de 1914-15". Some of the medls were designed by Lalique.

And it beats what my company will offer me on my 20th (3 years to go). This site http://nom-de-famille.linternaute.com/nom/ is handy for getting an idea where a French recipient may have lived.

Should have studied at Chandernagore.