Mervyn Mitton

The Intro. should really be above this - however, I don't think it is possible. Please read the intro. to see what we are hoping to achieve. This first cap is - I think - an Officer's for Belgium. Label is in German.

I recently purchased from a fellow member, a collection of some 58 Police caps from Countries around the World. Many of them are for senior officers and they originally formed part of a much larger collection. Probably took years to put together and I imagine a lot were obtained through 'swops'. The first box has just arrived - postage is very high for such bulky items - so, it will probably take some months for them all to arrive. I will say immediately, that eventually they will be sold-on - so, if anyone has an interest in a particular item contact me by IM. Looking through them I thought what a wonderful opportunity to enlarge our World Police Forum - and make it the reference section which a Forum such as GMIC should have. BUT , how to go about it. I can probably be described as 'knowledgeable' on British and Commonwealth Police - however, I certainly don't have vast details available on overseas Forces. Should I put them all on the one post, they will become lost and difficult to find - the solution I have come-up with is to use a standard title and post each cap on it's own thread. For ease of ref. I will number each post - e.g. ' Part 1 - Police Caps of the World.' and so on......... When we have definite idents. we can post - perhaps every 10 - a list of the numbers and the Force shown ? Please let me know if you can think of a better way ? When all have been posted + any from other members , we can post a final list. I think it will be a pity if we don't take advantage of these caps - using them as an anchor point - to enlarge on the details of the Police Force shown. Let's try to eventually have the following added : A firm identification of the Force whose cap is shown. Short history of the Force from it's founding Photos of past and present uniforms Photos of weaponry ; uniforms for different ranks ; vehicles - past and present. Numbers in the Force and the territory covered. Location of Force HQ - and perhaps a phone no. or, email address. I think if members can add these details as and when they can - then we will eventually have a wonderful ref. source. Please let me know of any changes - or , thoughts - you may wish to add. OVER TO YOU.......... SHOULD YOU WISH TO ADD - CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT PART NO.... AND MAKE THE FIRST PHOTO OF THE CAP. I would like to add that I don't want to block this forum - please post as usual - these will come together one day.

These epaulettes or, shoulder boards , were the type issued to other ranks during the North African campaign in WW2. The colour indicates for use in the desert with shirt sleeve order. The triangular badge is the Div. or Formation sign and the piece of red cloth under the Regt. title indicated a Sth. African on overseas service. All ranks wore this red cloth. The chromed letters NMR stand for Natal Mounted Rifles. They were originally mounted infantry and later were armoured. They are one of the oldest Regt's. in South Africa. Overall, a little moth eaten.

Gordon - the only one I can help with at present, is a Cape Police cap badge. I showed it lower down the page under Cape Mounted Police Photographs. I will see if I can locate a Natal Police one for you.

Mike - why would you show us a 'fake' - is it some sort of test ? We can only give an opinion on the photos that are shown - I asked if it came all together as I didn't think the hackle had any age wear. I am disappointed that you have wasted our time.

Colin - that's brilliant. Five pages and that is the first fully identified version for the Boer War (1899-1902). The question now - is, did this pattern extend to the full size slouch hat badge ? The price is quite horrendous for a collar - Aust. $1300 is nearly £650 or US $1000. Obviously an indication of it's rarity. We did raise the question earlier about whether in the Boer War they wore Regt. insignia - rather then National emblems ?

I never intended - or, thought - that this thread would 'blossom' immediately. I think it will develop over - perhaps - years and will eventually become a ref. for a forgotten Country and it's people. Meanwhile, here are two relevant medals. The one with Cecil Rhodes head is the Rhodesian General Service Medal. They were named, issued following a set period of time for service - and are now very sought after. The 'Independence' Medal of 1980 marked the handing over of Rhodesia to become Zimbabwe. This one - quite rarely - has a miniature. Although many of the old family members received this comm. medal it was not popular.

Amazing how a small item can generate so much history. Thankyou Leigh for the info. and I agree with you and Graham, that it must have been originally an ident. badge - must have had the crescent for the lapel button hole. The lady who sold it to me - with other items - came in again yesterday and I queried the name - I mentioned you had found a Herbert Boynton - 'That's him' - she cried. So we know he started off as a Sgt.. I suppose this is one of the reasons a Forum such as ours exists - the families forget their members and they fade into history - and then you all come along !

A very nice example, Mike. Did it come 'as is' with the badge and hackle ?

Thank goodness we have a sense of humour - as Stuart said - does this have anything to do with special properties of Neats Foot Oil, that we knew nothing about ?

This is an interesting small locket, in 9ct. gold. The fine enamel on the front marks the Birmingham Battalion - which I think must have been an original 'Pals' Bn. - certainly the 1914 date would indicate this. The back has a photo - this was an uncle in the family - born in 1924, so this is not his locket. His Father was William Boynton and should anybody have the right ref. it will be good to know if it was his - and not the other side of the family. I suspect that the original purpose was as an 'Albert' on a watch chain. Obviously taken over by a lady to wear on a neck chain.

Hi - Stuart. The subject came-up a little while ago and had some very good suggestions and responses. I stand by the one I suggested - which I have used for years. Top car companies with leather seats in their vehicles, sell a very good , nourishing formula cream. This does not leave any residue on the leather - which is good as any stickiness will only attract more dirt.

A fascinating document, Brian - and as you say well worth framing and preserving. I was amazed at the ranks obtained, and also, the variety of units they served-in. Royal Flying Corps and the , rarer, Royal Naval Air Service are shown. The only question puzzling me is if they were Specials - when did they find the time for this full time military service ? Are there any other dates shown ?

Good examples Brian - and much better when the boxes are present. Wasn't there some talk a little while ago, about Britain introducing such an award - did it happen ?

Mike - have you looked under Police - there was quite a large post on this unit from - I think - Will Endley.

Welcome to the Forum Mike. Always nice to see the QSA to LSH - they have become worth a lot of money. Do you have a big collection of QSA's ?

Hi - Kevin. A very worthwhile exercise and most interesting to see the variations in prices. I think the number of collectors is fairly limited and some are prepared to pay much more than others. I must admit that I 'hate' ebay with a passion - the shop has it's own registration - cathay@africa1 - but I stopped putting on some years ago. Perhaps I need to re-think that attitude having seen your comparisons ? I have cupboards full of old police equipment - although the truncheons and tipstaffs are now reserved and most of the lapel badges have gone. Do you keep a record of any other police equipment that comes-up ? Mervyn

The badges were made by Reuteler's in Salisbury.

Zimbabwe (the former Rhodesia) is in Southern Africa and is just above Sth. Africa. Borders are also shared with Maputo (Mozamique), Zambia, Malawi and Botswana. The original police force was the famous B.S.A.P. - British South Africa Police - founded when Cecil Rhodes set-up the British South Africa Company in 1890. They had their own Company police who quickly became the BSAP. When the British settlers allowed an African Govt. to take over in 1980 the BSAP was disbanded and the Zimbabwe Police were formed. Shown here is a cap badge and a shoulder title. The Latin motto was changed - however, the central motif of a lion with a spear was retained. The badge is made from pressed metal.

Les - thankyou for such an excellent synopsis of the situation at the end of UDI - exactly the sort of details I hoped would emerge, but, with a personal background. I hope you will be able to go into more detail. I don't think it wise that we try to set directions - the history has been written about many times. What I was hoping for was personal experiences ; historical items ; militaria and above all family histories. If we can follow those general ideas - with side tracks as necessary - then I think this will turn into a very interesting thread , and with genuine history. I have managed to obtain a good map that shows the boundaries of Rhodesian - and also, the neighbouring Countries. There is no time limit - just keep adding. Salisbury (now Harare) was the capital and is also the centre for the Shonas. Bulawayo was the centre for the Matabele.

How interesting that so many of them have survived the years. Brian - the messages on yours are sad - and show the hardships of separation and war. I do hope Leigh can find the earlier post - perhaps it was lost in the new server move ?

Yes - I agree with William. The one on the right in my photo is an earlier type. Leigh, I hope you can find the ref. - always good to have exact details.