Mervyn Mitton

Very much so - and I wouldn't put it past the present Burmese 'regime' to still be carrying out the occasional 'cleansing' ! I don't think this one was ever used - I keep offering money to our locals, but they won't stand still !!! The lady who brought it in , said that her mother was married to a British official who was stationed there , just after the war finished - - so, 1946. She was actually married in Burma and it is a tradition for high ranking people to be given swords on their marriage - not sure what that signifies !!! Anyway, the happy couple were given 6 Dha's in total and she offered them to me. I bought this one and two smaller ones - which have now gone.

Ed - what would an approx. value , be for the Indian Title Badge? I presume they are silver, but I've never handled one.

Mike - this is how we learn. I had no idea that the Sheriffs ran the local jails . Would this be for longer term prisoners - or, just for overnight ?

Brian - Hi ! I bet Leigh 'slaps' you for not putting this very interesting picture on the new forum !! People tend to take photos of officers and not the men - so, in my book this is rare and informative. Any more ?

Laurence - I always thought Lord Strathcona was the Governor General - according to the caption, it was Lord Minto. I know Strathcona's Horse were the first to be sent home and had the full date letters on the QSA.

I hope you are succesful jagwca I know how to do it - but, only using PhotoImpression 6 and Irfanview - if this would help at all ? Don't we have a section you can ask for help ? Rick - this is too much ! Two people in one post 'claiming' to be relatives !!! If I had any money I would be very suspicious - the main problem, will be that I don't like most of my relatives...

Stuart - we all need a copy of your book ! You should be able to keep us in exciting posts for years to come ??? Thankyou.

Fantastic - both the pictures and the knowledge that goes with them. Makes Sunday seem a lot brighter! Mervyn

ks Mike - never thought we'd find that out.

Def. not the Eff. - it has two bars. Enclosed are some close-ups - I can see now that you were right about the white being a gap. However, there is a shoulder badge

Peter - I think - on reflection that you are quite correct to say - not for sitting on. Decorative, perhaps - but probably for bracing on the shoulder. Modern swordsticks - and by that I mean would mean going back as far as the 18th. C. would have had an attachment on a hand lathe to bore the hole.

Rick - wonderful info. - please take a photo of the 'admiral' when he's not looking !!

Thankyou everone. I have checked my books and in the family photo his lapel badges are Northamptonshire, a castle with 3 turrets - the one in the middle being taller. He has a King Edward crown above the chevrons. What you thought was a gap under the epaulette looks to me like a pair of crossed flags - the right one looking white. He was never a volunteer - he was a full time regular and I remember my G/mother saying he was in India before the turn of the century - so that must have been Tirah. The only thing I have of his - apart from the travelling companion, is his malacca walking stick. This has a silver top with the Leics. tiger. I will post it next week when the silver has been cleaned.

This is a high quality original drawing, taken from an Illustrated London News, which would have appeared at the end of January ,or early Feb. 1879. It shows the envoys from King Cetshwayo, returning to the British encampent at Fort Pearson on the Tugela River. They are carrying gifts from the King, of ivory - a traditional gift of high respect. The chiefs are carrying staffs of office - the two at the front with shaped sticks are very senior. Also, several are wearing leopard skins - only chiefs are allowed to wear spotted cat skins and only Royalty can wear lion. Unfortunately, the envoys were too late - the British had already declared war ! We didn't mess around in those days. Basically, we had a spare 5000 men and a Lt. Gen. (Chelmsford) hanging around after the conclusion of the 9th. Kaffrarian War - we had been worried about the huge standing army of the Zulus - over 50,000 men in trained Impis - or, regiments - each of about 1000 men. The thinking was that one trained soldier was worth ten of the enemy - the usual mistake our generals used to make. On Dec.11 th. 1878 Cetchwayo was summoned to a meeting. He sent his senior chiefs - at the 'Ultimatum' tree on the Tugela River, they were given 30 days to accept a British governor and to disband their army. Since it would take at least 15 days to return to the capital - Ulundi - there was no way this could be accomplished, and so on Jan. 11 th. Britain declared war. These envoys returned soon after. On Jan.22 the Zulus destroyed 1st. Bn. the 24th Regt. + an enhanced company from 2nd.Bn.

I don't have a lot of U.S. police material - however, I have always highly regarded this one. About 1972 one of my friends , he was a det.sgt. in our station's C.I.D. , had a friend from a town just outside of New York visit. He was desperate to have a British helmet, but as we were only issued two he wasn't having much success. Finally my friend appealed to my ' better nature' and obviously, I told him I didn't have one ! To cut a long story short, I parted with my spare and received this attractive cap in exchange. I understand it is a summer cap - very light and with ventilation around the sides. I was told he was a sergeant (equivalent to a British Inspector ?) and the gold band showed this. Does anyone recognise the badge ?

Sorry ! In the first caption I seem to have invented time travel - of course it is 1879.

Disembarkation of the 91 st. Regt. on their arrival in Durban. Quite a rare pair. These are originals and appeared in the Illustrated London News in 1879. They were of course published in black and white and we have a good artist in the UK who water colour them. He does great research to be accurate. Because of being painted we have to keep them covered with cellophane and this is the slight distortion at the bottom of each.

Two interesting naval pictures - this one shows the embarkation of the 91st Regt. - The Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders - from Southampton in 1979. They were on their way to take part in the Anglo-ZulU War of 1879.

One never thinks of Mongolia even having it's own Police - a most complete set, but , one has to say, they are very Russian in their appearance and quality. This must be exactly what we all wanted to see for knowledge and interest. Have you read any of Conn Iggulden's books on the history of Genghis Khan. They are written as novels, but are quite brilliant. I am reading his most recent one at present.

Interesting to have the Independence Medal. Ed, do you source these in India or, UK - a fine collection, just for these Indian ones and they all seem to be for high ranks.