Mervyn Mitton

With so much knowledge to hand, this sounds a very good project. Also, as you point out, there will be a number of possible articles to be written.

Azeoman - a very complete history of this unit , which I am sure, will be useful to collectors for that area. Can any Member help with knowledge on a nominal roll ? Mervyn

A good decision. Mervyn

Jens - surely you can contact the seller and ask him for the name details ? Personally, I wouldn't be too quick to buy a group with a medal missing. Mervyn

An interesting subject which seems to have generated a lot of enquiries and produced good information. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new members who have joined GMIC as a result. Mervyn

I think it still has another 25/30 years before release.

Hi - Ed. Nice to see this post brought back. The nightstick - as you call them in the US - does seem to have an American background. 25 " seems about the right size to be hand carried -or, hung on the belt. Britain has this size available now for use as Riot sticks - they carry a shield with it. I hope other collectors can start adding their new additions to Ed's thread. Mervyn

Since the Geneva Convention most forms of ammo. that have hollow points - and other nasty modifications, have been banned. However, in SA we can freely buy - on our gun licenses - hollow pointed ammo.. The British originally called this type 'Dum Dum' - after the factory that made them in India. The US military have a rocket type of ammo. - of which the pictures that Chris show, must be a variation. I saw them on a James Bond film - so, it must be correct ! Say what you like - at short range a shotgun is still the best for defence. I have a twin barrel Brno. - can't use a multi-shot, too heavy. I had 6 inches off the barrels to use more easily and one barrel has no. 9 shot (9 x .32 balls) and the other a 1.5 ounce solid slug. (58gms). My only doubts are - could I get it out of the safe in an emergency................. Mervyn

OK - so you were a captain of vice - why am I not surprised Paul........ Dodyory - you will probably be right that this is a cape fastener - we had something similar in the Met. Police. I agree with Peter - probably French ..The strung bugle is used by Light Infantry Regts. - however, this does look more like a huntsman type. The Maltese cross - I have no idea - doesn't appear to be British. Mervyn

Thankyou Dave for that additional info.. I find these amalgamations are taking place so often that it is difficult to keep-up. I had a friend who was a retired WW2 Major with the 17th (died some years ago) he used to be able to get me items from the stores catalogue when they were selling spare items. I think this is where dedicated collectors have an important part to play - no doubt in years to come their museums will be complaining about not having enough items for display - forgetting that they sold them all for a relatively small amount. Mervyn

Don - as you will know there are always hundreds of different commemorative badges being sold for each public occasion. Presumably, this was made to be given to Customers as a memento - unusual with his full details. The slim alternative , is that if the Coronation procession went down Fleet Street, that he was selling window spaces for people to view the procession. With a badge he could see who had paid in advance ? Mervyn

Luftmensch - You have top provenance for these two plates. Wallis and Wallis are experts in the Militaria field and you can be sure that if this was on the Conn. sale - that it has been carefully vetted. Similarly, with the 17th - excellent background. I think that what is happening is that because so many items are being reproduced, that top auctions are just steering clear of them as items to sell. Just too much trouble if one does prove to be wrong. With one or two exceptions I have found that the central London houses have become very 'picky'. Sometimes better to deal with the knowledgeable specialist auctions - who don't set so many restrictions and don't charge so much commission. I would advise that you have these mounted in a nice frame and keep them on display. Give it a few years and you will be amazed at the investment increase. Mervyn

I haven't looked - I have seen programmes on both Hood and Bismarck wrecks - try their names for a search ? Mervyn

THE FINAL CHAPTER In May 1941 HMS Hood was based at Scapa Flo - in Scotland. She - and the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales were ordered to pursue the German Battleship - the Bismarck, which was accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prince Eugen. They caught up with Bismark in the Denmark Straits and opened fire. Bismarck returned fire and in the opening salvoes Hood was hit on the stern. She exploded with great force and only three survivors - who were blown off the upper decks, survived and were found. Bismarck - after a long chase was also caught and sunk. Hood sunk on 24 May 1941. The accepted reason for the explosion has always been that the decks were not heavily armoured - she was built for speed - and a shell penetrated and hit the main rear magazine. Both wrecks have since been found and explored - although, it is still the rear magazine which is blamed. However, the experts are not sure if it was deck penetration - or, the turret being blown-up and the flame going to the magazine. They have also considered that a shell may have dropped short and continued underwater to hit below the armour belt. I don't suppose if we will ever know - however, there is still an HMS Hood Association to keep her memory alive. Mervyn

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-01856100-1390400741.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-43425400-1390400819.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-50888700-1390400171.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-72596500-1390400294.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-92995400-1390400385.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-87636700-1390400485.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-61245200-1390398738.jpgclick I must be honest and say that I had not previously heard of the bombing of the German Med. Fleet by the Spanish Air Force loyal to their King. The Deutschland - the Flagship, had earlier called at Gibralter to pay respects to the British Admiral. Soon after they returned with numerous dead and many wounded. They had also suffered structural damage. The British took the wounded to hospital , gave help to the ship and arranged a Service funeral for the dead. This included details of seamen and of Royal Marines. You will also see the Gibralter Police in their British Helmets. The dead were buried - as you will see from the photos. Then an order came from Hitler that they were to be brought back to Germany for buriel. This involved exhumation and them being taken back to the German ship. The quality of the photos is not great - but, are still the first I have seen from a Naval background. I would be interested to learn from any of our German Members, where they were buried - what sort of Service was arranged - and what happened to the Captain - or, Admiral - on the Deutschland ? http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-61245200-1390398738.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-52648100-1390399421.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-69070500-1390399529.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-61347700-1390399612.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-61251700-1390398410.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-54833600-1390398501.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-86661600-1390397977.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-15019300-1390398065.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-37030300-1390398168.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-69102300-1390398252.jpgclick

The next two pictures are of Brabrook and friends in off duty hours. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-63966900-1390397718.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-81743200-1390397868.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-07840700-1390396736.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-23330400-1390396845.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-90169200-1390396942.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-04280600-1390397028.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-54690800-1390397118.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-71890200-1390397200.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-78338100-1390397283.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-50419700-1390396287.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-74824400-1390396381.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-29648100-1390396465.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-02198500-1390396588.jpgclick

We now come to the log entries and pictures that Brabrook kept. Altogether there 8 large volumes I suspect that he may have just kept written entries and put these together after he retired. These are obviously a selection of ones I thought would be of interest. Particularly, where the German Fleet was bombed by the Spanish Monarchist Forces and Deutschland was damaged and many of the crew killed and wounded. There are many photos of Warships that Hood met and they form an interesting view into the Naval past. Most of the photos have a caption - or, are explained in the log entry. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-31762900-1390394836.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-20038500-1390395375.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-27403100-1390395472.jpgclick

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-96401500-1390393600.jpgclick Some details on HMS HOOD 46,680 tons Fully laden in war time 47,430. Admiralty figures. Brabrook shows it at 42,000. Length 860.7 feet 262.3 metres Beam 104.2 feet 31.8 metres Speed 28 knots 52 kph 32 mph Range 5332 nautical miles 9870 Kms. 6140 miles Guns - She had 4 multiple turrets - each with two 15 inch guns (42cm) 12x 5.5 inch guns + very numerous smaller weapons and anti-aircraft guns. Torpedoes. one set on either side of two torpedo tubes - for above surface firing Aircraft. One spotting plane. Hood's crew compliment - in Peace time - was : 81 Officers and 1244 P.O's and Men.

This is Sub - Lieutenant William Brabrook - taken from the official history of HMS Belfast. This photo was from 1944. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2014/post-6209-0-15315800-1390393234.jpgclick