peter monahan

Very nice indeed. Does it make you feel safer to have all that law enforcement around the place?

I like the cross. And, I'm sure, the resemblance to a much more prestigious British award is purely coincidental. Both fine looking medlas, in fact but a shame the designers couldn't have come up with a more original and interesting ribbon design! Several decades ago the school I was at in northern Nigeria was visited by the then head of state and the principal spent a pile of naira on paint, which he then gave out freely to the senior prefects. By the day of the visit everything in sight including some of the slower moving junior students was decorated in green and white stripes, and it was months before it wore off the trees, rocks and buildings! Blah!

Very nice, Jock. Gone to the Dark Side, have we?

These are the first I've ever seen, so I have no idea as to authenticity but they are very interesting examples of an unofficial but highly coveted badge! I was lucky enough to meet a member of the 'Caterpillar Club' years ago, actually shot down on the first day of the first Indo-Pak War while flying with the Indian Air Force. His pin eventually, through 'a man I met in a pub' got him a job with Freddy Laker! Any details on the possible origins/owners of these two?

I gather from something I read that he didn't talk about it much but that, when he did, he was quite offended by Steve McQueen and the motorcycle. Not impressed, like so many of us, by the liberties Hollywoood takes with history in pursuit of a 'better' story!

Yes, one of the comments in Harry's section is to the effect that 'Africa always wins.' My wife, like me a veteran of two years in Nigeria, likes to quote the old rhyme "Beware, beware the Bight of Benin; Where one comes out though twenty went in." We also, I think, tend to forget that the Great War was in fact one of the first in history in which fewer men were lost to disease than to enemy action. Even today, with all our modern medecine, a huge percentage of the casualties in any military campaign are illness and injury not directly attributable to combat. In recent years, for example, many many US servicemen and women suffer imjuries - leg, back and other - caused in part by the vast weight of equipment they routinely carry on patrol. And, in the days before anitbiotics and anti-malarials, tropical climates were quite literally 'the white man's grave' for many.

Presumably then the rationale is that this is not a group but a collection and by selling them separately Chrisitie's will not only give more people a chance to 'own a piece of history' but also maiximize the collective price of all the medals. Sadly, but realisitcally, Chrisite's and other auction houses are not in fact in the hsitory business but in sales and their first obligation is arguably to their share holders. Hence, whatever maximizes profits is the best course of action for a business operating in a capitalist system. At least in the short term.

I believe it's the wrong colour to be RCMP, as their belts and equipment were brown leather and this looks black to me.

Rachael It' s possible that the script is a fancy version of Deva Nagri - the alphabet used to write Hindi and other Indian languages - but its rather hard to say. Is it possible to see a photo of the tulwars, as that too might provide useful information.

Your usual outstanding work, sir! Truly excellent and bound to make some new owner very happy. Please keep sharing. Peter

Indeed a rare pair! Wonderful. And you've done well with the research on the recipient as well - not a lot of info. out there for militai men unless one is hooked into the geneaology web sites and prepared to do a lot of skimming of old records for the potential small nuggets. Thanks for sharing this wonderful find! Peter

So many choices, so little time... money... space. Besides, here in the Great White North, miost of these are restricted or prohibited and I haven't the aptience to go do 'the course' to get that bit of paper! Lovely collection, though.

Excellent work and truly evocative of the sense of loss felt by so many, in that and other wars. Thank you for sharing it, Dan.

"Fools and their money are quickly parted."

I would think it likely that he was executed. In British common law, drunkenness has never been recognized as a defecne to any criminal charge, tough it may have a bearing on the sentence. In a case lie that one, epecially in war time, I would think it likely that an example would have been made and the convicted man given the ultimate penalty unless there were extenuating circumstance - extreme provocation, a previously spotless record or both.

Nice find! Maybe one of the more tech savvy moderaotrs can figure out the phot problem. It would be nice to see a photo of same.

Perhaps just a touch, yes.

Tony Thanks for the generopus offer! Actually, I was doing a quick scout out, as I don't yet own the medals. Will probably not acquire them but if I do I'll be sure to take you up on that. Thanks agai, mate. Peter

Cheers, Tony. That's a start. Peter

Thank you for the information, Eatmeat. I certainly would not have guessed Danish, as I believe you are right that there were no Dabes there in 1815.

As you say, that would make a small unit's medals even more scarce. Probably not possible to prove it one way or the other however. Having any paperwork is a bonus, however.

I wonder if any members have access to records covering the WWI service of 67366 Pte. J. Tomlinson, RAMC. Just came across his medals over here. Interesting that he served early enough for a 1914-15 Star but seems never to have risen above the rank of Private. Any help would be appreciated. Peter

Certainly for an officer, in most cases, the collars would have been regimental badges. Also true for many but not all of the CEF battalions, depending on how large and how long they lasted. Many of the higher numbered battalions - there were over 200 in all - only numbered 600-700 men when they reached England and were broken up for reinforcements. So, for example, my great uncle joined the 155th [Bay of Qunite] Battalion and went to England with them in early 1916, where the unit was broken up. He, and many of his comrades, fought in the 21st Battalion.

My sister found this colourized photo for sale for $1.00 on the street in Toronto and gave it to me. A sad fate for something which clearly meant a lot to someone once upon a time. The reverse says " SWAINE 146 New Bond St., W. Southsea ".

A not unattractive order. Do you have any information at all on what the recipeint did to earn the award? I suspect some members would also be interested in who makes the orders and whether or not their are multiple grades. Thank you for your post. Peter