peter monahan

Hendrick I've been away and just seen your additions to the thread. I second Dave's comments in saying 'Thanks for the explanation'. To we Commonwealth types, the notion that one can buy the medal and bars from a tailor is more than a little odd, though of course so long after the eents not as rare as it once once. And of course, until the various penny pinching governments stopped naming the medlas, the award itself was the documentation: if the edge of the medal said Private Joe Blogs, Lancashire Imperial Guards, then one could generally assume that the medals was his. Now, we're in the same boat as you are: it's all about the paperwork and whether one is satisfied that the medal with the paper is the original medal for that original paper. And, I must confes, I find that very frsutrating personally. I still like my medals named! All that said, you have a rare and imprtant piece there! I'm envios. Peter

I can only repeat my earlier caution. A product meant for live animals on 'dead' fur and leather may not be best. Once the hair and skin is off the animal it is essentially inert. Think live tree versus seasoned lumber. If the product is meant to react with the chemistry of a body - like human shampoo - it won't work as well on dead fur and may do harm. Squadrongirl, sounds like you have a 'fixer upper' or a 'worn with pride' dependiong on whether or not you're brave enough to try to re-colour it. On that, maybe consult a wig maker or hair stylist about putting dye onto 'old hair'. And good luck! Peter

I am fascinated by the fact that troops ANYWHERE were issued spear during WWII and, apparently, in several models. Of course, when I lived briefly in Nigeria our 'maguardi' [watchmen] kept a bow and poisoned arrows with him as he slept peacefully in my neighbours garage every night, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but... wow!

What one might have expected!

I also understand - Paul may be able to cofirm or deny - that extra medals are easily obtained from tailors' stocks and other places, so making up groups is easy if it seems worth doing. Ed Haynes South Asian Gongs site might provide som einsights on this. Peter

Thank you for posting the photo, Redleg. I hope it is of some help to Ilja. Peter

It sounds as if this should be quite a rare medal, then, given the small number of pilots involved. I wonder if the 'ovals' are the equivalent of the French stars and palm fronds - indicating a mention in despatches, second award or some such.

Thanks, Frank. That would have been my guess [he claims] buT I figured I'd ask an expert.

That would suggest that one of the two employees is in error, as the medals can't be BOTH 'impressed' and 'engraved'. Or I'm I missing something.

Interesting question! I have no dea, but it seems not unlikely that others of the 'stans' have passed similar regulations. I have taken the liberty of moving this post to the 'Mongolia' forum, where I suspect those most likely to know the answer are more likely to see it. Peter

Any details, Frank? Are they being turned out as 'real' or simply the Russian version of heavy metal teen jewellery?

Pity! Lovely piece though.

Fabolous stories. And a great photo too. Thanks for posting. I never met him , but there was in the 1970s and '80s a Canadian officer whose medal entitlement included his WWII German decorations. He was, I think, a very young, late war enlistment in the Wermacht and after the war emigrated to canada and joined our army as a career. And eventually got permission to wear his German medals in uniform, which may have been productive of a few awkward moments from time to time. It certainly got him talked about! I'd never known that internees could joing the labour Corps / Pioneers either. It makes perfect sense, though: putting useful men to work in a place where they could do no harm if their sympathies were with the Axis. Clever that.

That was my thinking too, Dave: wall plaque, car badge or something of the sort.

The other possibility is that he was a member of the Volunteer Corps. Thought they weren't technically 'Royal', he term may have been used in the document because that's how it was supplied by your ancestor. I'm not sure whether this is more or less likely than that he was a Veteran, and doesn't help with the dating issue either, as the Volunteers were supposed to have been disbanded well before 1822, but again, he may have referred to past service. perhaps worth exploring alongside the Veterans.

Don't know how I missed this when you posted it. Fascinating! I wonder how many times over the last 100 years somebody has looked in that cupboard, said 'Oh, shite!' and quietly closed it up and gone away again. Hard to believe that nobody knew, but stranger things do happen.

Welcome to the GMIC, Nigel. I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic, and not a police collector, so can't help with these but I'm sure some of the members will be able to provide research hints and possibly even hard data on the two PCs. Glad you've joined us! Peter

Sounds like a fairly special gong! Please do let us know what you find out at the museum, or elsewhere.

I think you're right, Larry. OOpps!

There wouldn't be much point to a bayonet which prevented the rifle being fired while it was mounted! What it di to one's aim is amnother story entirely. In fact, if memory serves, wasn't there a British regiment badly cut up whilst using plug bayonets? That very early form actually went into the muzzle of the musket. In the case I'm recalling, the pulgs were fixed just before a charge, by Highlanders, perhaps at Preston Pans, who decimated the British soldiers.

Possibly a 'Windsor carrier', the Canadian variant with the longer chassis and extra bogie wheel in the rear?

Very nice! I'm a little surprised he didn't keep any cap badges as well. I especially like the old fashoined razor. And I mean, old fashioned for WWI, I think, with the shorter blade, which I associate with the 19th century. With his number on both sidrs and the case - very practical.

Marvellous! Thanks for sharing.

I know the feeling well!