Mervyn Mitton

Jeff - if it is intended to hold the tuft, that would put the Royal Cypher upside down ?

I promised to show the picture of the Inspector's badge when it arrived. The mounting is silver and the flags are enamelled.

Stuart is a friend - and was kind enough to send a proof copy for me to read. I can only say how very impressed I am - both with the detailed content and the wonderful pictures. For those of us who have the first in the series - then you must have this new one to complete your knowledge and reference material. There are no great shortages of these helmets - I bought two last week - what is rare is the ability to recognise the variations. Both Stuart and Peter have links from the website given above - and if you pre-order direct, ask them to sign. Yes, with the high postage, they are not cheap - but knowledge is everything to a collector - and these are the only books on the subject.

Hi - Helen. Sorry, I know nothing about this pistol - so can't help. I would just like to comment that air guns have been in use since the 18th. century. They used to have a copper ball and enough pressure could be pumped in to fire up to 20 times. They had enormous force behind them and had the advantage of being 'silent'. Does the Museum have any of the older ones ?

The following three coins probably don't have any great value and are not in fantastic condition - however, I thought they might give the experts something for comment ? The values and dates should be clear and since I know little about coins - over to you....

You ask about prices - although I see you are not selling them now. This particular badge - the one you show, with the lugs removed to mount on a board and some loss of the fire gilding - about £50 - £75. ($70-$105)

The Grenadier Guards have a traditional style of reversing the cypher - either GG or VR. For the Royal cypher it could look like - VRRV. I will put another style underneath. However, as often happens it could be for something totally different from another country...

I think we are looking at either the standard 'VR' intertwined cypher for a pouch or, cross belt. They come in two sized - standard and for the mess dress. This photo shows both sizes. The alternative is for the Grenadier Guards - which I will show in the next photo - for a comparison.

Peter - the photo shows two examples for an Irish Bog Oak truncheon and also, a tipstaff. We are fairly sure that they were introduced into Ireland in about the 1840's or, 1850's. They were made from a local material and carved with symbols that the ordinary people would immediately recognise. We think that the purpose was to give a legitimacy to the local or parish Constables. However, if there was ever correspondence or, an Act to authorise them - I have yet to hear ? Perhaps the Government thought of the idea - but, they are not rare and come-up occasionally at auction. The tipstaff is rarer than the truncheon. Always with the British - where Law and Policing is concerned, it is multi-layered due to the passage of time. The small white staff with the dark ends , is a Wand of Office. The carrying of a tipstaff to show authority is a long held tradition - however, many people who needed to show their authority were not entitled to carry a tipstaff. Court officials, Government officer's, Town officials - could be just a few. When on duty they carried this Wand of Office to show that their authority was from the Crown. I think it likely that they would also have been used in the main towns in Ireland - i.e. Dublin and others.

The books listed are great for the historical perspective and for the political background - for the 'Blood and Thunder' ask your library to bring out of the archives, copies of the Illustrated London News for the dates of the different campaigns. The drawings are superb - shown as seen by the artist at the time and the write-ups always quite detailed. The 2nd. Afghan War was taking place at the same time as the Zulu War and I have a number of copies of the ILN for 1879. This action scene of a cavalry charge was on the front page. I have another article and drawings of a terrible drowning incident involving the 10th. Hussars, where, I think it was 48 men died. Let me know if anyone would like it added ? The caption is not very clear - it reads : The Afghan War : Conflict of 1 st. Punjab Cavalry and the 15 th. Hussars with Afghan cavalry. The British seem to be in the background, charging. I wondered how the man in the foreground came to be unseated - however, you can see a British 7 pounder firing on the hill and I think the shell has just gone off.

Hi - pazulu - welcome to GMIC . Strange to have someone from Texas using the name Zulu ? Have you visited here or, is it from the New Orleans Mardi Gras team (can't think what they call these groups) ? The majority of Zulu material in the US has been brought back as souvenirs and eventually goes on the market as genuine items - which of course, they are not. There are many genuine collectors, however. My Profile page gives my email - however, on this one occasion I will give my web - don't like to do this on our threads as I am a member not acting as a shop. www.cathaymilitaria.co.za I warn you now, the genuine items are rare and expensive. Mervyn

Good comment Arthur, however, they don't usually separate the trio. We see quite a few with just the Star from SWA. Many of the men were discharged after the campaign finished and then paid for themselves to get to UK and joined-up again. Dedication epitomised.

I hope everyone is aware just how valuable these posters are - and will become even more so in the future. They should be preserved in strong plastic sealed folders of the correct size and with acid free paper in between. You would need to speak to a specialist auction house for prices - but even today I would not be surprised if some of them are not in the high hundreds.

Ross - if you are still having problems with pictures, email a picture and I will put it on for Peter to have a look.

As you say Brian - more utilitarian then the WW1 arm bands. Still a good example and in nice condition - any clues to where it originated ?

Leigh - thank goodness for your garage - you've been turning-up some good stuff recently. From all of these posters I think that it is the first few which show how terrifying and nerve racking it must have been for the ordinary citizens. Under our British Police sub-forum there have been some really interesting threads on the political situation in Ireland in the past. I recommend anyone with an interest to read them.

Leigh - I was looking at the names on the cut-out - and believe it or not, my name is under 'M' - spelt MITTEN. They were the Midlands branch of the family and spell with an E not an O. Fantastic - if anyone can add to this it would be quite exciting.

Talking of the North Staffs - during the Boer War they were based for a time in a small village - Wakkerstroom, in Northern Natal. The hill behind the town has their badge carved into the turf - similar to the badges on the Downs in UK. I have never heard of this being done anywhere else in Sth. Africa.

Noor - I think you will find that no. 2 - the QSA and WW1 Star - indicates that the man only served in South West Africa during the 1916 campaign against Germany. Many South Africans only fought in that short campaign and did not go onto further service.

Once I had posted the RIC carbine, my original hope had been that we could explore - with some personal viewpoints from knowledgeable members -the feelings and viewpoints of the public in both Ireland and Ulster towards the two Forces. Taking the mainland forces as an example - the view always given out for pre-War policing was that of a benign paternalism accepted by the entire Country - we , of course, know that was a police point of view. So, in a much more volatile period how were the RIC or the RUC , viewed by the average member of the public. As their helpful Community Protector, or, as the occupying force ?