Mervyn Mitton

Thankyou, Will. Valuable additional information - I had only seen ref. to 4th SAI - so, as you say, he may have been transferred. With so many casualties they had to fill-in where they had men available. Does go to show that even common groups can have a good history.

Hi - Robert. I have looked through several Rhodesian ref. books - however, they seem to cover everything except mess dress. One of the top experts in the World for Rhodesiana is Col. Dudley Wall. He served in both Rhodesia and in the South African Forces - he has now retired to live in the UK with his family. He will be very willing to help you - please give him my best wishes - and let us know what you find out. He is the author of a number of both Rhodesian and Sth. African ref. books. dudleywall@yahoo.co.uk The phone number I have, may have changed if he has moved. Dialling code for UK + 0792 846838 Hope this helps. Mervyn

Have just found some additional history on Pte. David Andrew Frankenstein. I knew that he was in the right unit for Delville Wood - we have now found out that he was wounded twice - the first on 27/7/1916. After the main battles for Delville Wood the area was taken , and held, by German Forces. South African losses were so bad that they had to be re-formed and became the 2nd. Division. Pte. Frankenstein must have been in the original defense, was reformed and on the 27 July was wounded during the attack on German lines to re-take Delville Wood. This was succesful and we held the area until 4th. August. He was wounded for the second time on 30 August 1917 - however, we are not sure at this time where it took place. I have mentioned this before - but, it bears repeating. For the Canadians the defining battle of WW1 was Vimy Ridge - for the Australians and New Zealanders it was Gallipoli - and for South Africans, it was Delville Wood. The smaller populations of the time and the heavy involvement of non-regular troops ensured a terrible sense of loss in the Civilian populations - and this has continued to the present. Although, sad as it may be , these days it is hard to find any youngsters who even know about WW2 !

Will - some more splendid - and rare - examples. Thank goodness someone cares enough to continue the quest of finding and preserving them. Should you need another full dummy , I do have one surplus Mervyn ?

I hope that this post will be of interest to the Nelson 'fans' - certainly this was the period that the Royal Navy was at it's peak during the age of sail. Refs. used : The Reader's Digest series on Naval Ships of the World. Published about 40 years ago and prob. not that exact name.

This next one is HMS VICTORY - his flagship until his death on board Her in 1805. This medallion was made for charity on the 100th. anniversary of his death.

I realised the other day thet I had two medallions made from copper on two of Admiral Lord Nelson's flagships. I thought I would post them and also some information on his different ships. Firstly, a medallion from the copper of HMS FOUDROYANT. She was wrecked off of Blackpool in 1897 on her way to be broken-up. She was an 80 gun ship of the line and served as flagship from June 1799 into the year 1800, when he returned to England. The actual flagship at that date was HMS CAPTAIN, but she was undergoing repairs.

David - I knew that ! Just didn't connect - I was thinking along collector lines. Just shows how 'tied-up' we become in our own narrow fields. It wouldn't be the first time I've been caught out - there was a lovely occasion on the Lounge. One of our American friends showed a picture of a Marine with Roosevelt - he wasn't trying to make a 'funny' but, I didn't realise they were waxworks and started asking all sorts of questions on age - I tried to explain by saying it was a 'senior moment' - but, it was funny. Please remember that it is a serious offence in Sth. Africa to use a metal detector on any historical site - and if on private ground you need an agreement with the owner. The Police in Natal have been taking action against finds on beaches - they say it is 'theft' if not handed-in .... Hope the move goes well - and keep in touch with the Forum. Mervyn

Setpoint - writing slopes would be the words to enter. Also, look at some of the on-line auction catalogues - they come-up regularly, however, as I said condition dictates the price. I would think stg. 100-150 ($160-230) should get you a nice one. Look for the secret drawers - sometimes they are intact - but, not often. I don't think I remember a post on GMIC for Lawrence - perhaps you could make it a project ? However, I will be critical of him - I have never had much time for his 'thirst for glory' - smacked a little too much of the Boy's comics of the day....

More than interesting - for the specialist collector, information of importance. Thankyou Paul and please give our best wishes to Rick. I hope he is well - please tell him I will drop a line. Mervyn

Thankyou Michael. I hadn't realised it was a place name. I had been thinking, perhaps, Rumania or, Bulgaria areas. Out of interest, did the family retain the name - must have been quite annoying for them with the early films ? Many of our older Jewish familes in Sth. Africa, have Latvian or, Lithuanian roots - they came here during the Russian pogroms of the 1880's. This is maybe why I didn't recognise the origins of this name.

Hi - Mike. I think it must be a memorial stone. I've visited the Church and I'm pretty sure it is his grave. If you remember he ran away after 1918 and joined the RAF as an ordinary rank and with an assumed name. He had a very powerful motor cycle - if memory serves, I think it was a Brough Superior - and returning to camp one evening he lost control and was killed. Perhaps ' the man for the times' as they say - however, he was hated by the regular officers and from his strange behaviour after the war, obviously had some psychotic troubles.