peter monahan

Mervyn I would be more than happy to act as an ambassador for the GMIC, if that doesn't strike the rest of you as too risky a proposition, given my past record for... Indeed, if you or Nick wish to suggest a suitable text and graphic - I agree that business card size would be best - I would be more than happy to spread it round the Allied forces at Waterloo. Among the Emperor's troops as well, should opportunity arise! Peter

Sounds like you set for a while, Hoss. If I'm ever down your way maybe I'll drop in and sub-let a few ounces from you!

I have one second hand story which is quite entertaining, if that's of any interest, from an RN National Srevice man who actually saw 'service ' ashore.

Mervyn While the Fenians strategy was laughable and their leadership on the pathetic side, many of the men were veterans of the Union Army and, as such, a cause of considerable worry for the authorities north of the border. In fact fear of the Fenians was a strong factor in the decision to create a united Canada in 1867 and lent some urgency to the plans of John A MacDonald and George Cartier. Further, the bulk of the defence of Canada fell on the Canadian militia, which was hardly a stellar fighting force at the time. One unit, for example, were partially equipped with new breech loading rifles but supplied with only a dozen rounds apiece. At the Battle of Ridgeway they engaged the enemy until their rifles were empty then, prudently, retired, earning themselves the nickname "Quick Out of Ridegway". That name will still earn you a fat lip if used today, as the unit, having served in most of Canada's wars, continues to exist as part of our Reserve Force. I'll let the other Canadians supply the name of the regiment in question!

I would think he was posted FROM "11 OBD" to "3rd ... Ordnance Field Park" on the authority of the ADOS of the 3rd Br. Infty Div. And, I'd assume that "11 OBD" is 11th Ordnance B... Depot, his new unit. Does that make any sense at all?

That is a dandy sword indeed, leigh. Thanks for sharing it - first I've seen that way. Jolly clever, what?

Bob I have never collected Third Reich but I do know that 30 years ago, when I had the money to collect anything, cuff titles were already a minefiled for the unwary and I also know that the percentage of fake TR stuff has skyrocketed, along with the expertise of the forgers, in the intervening years. I'd suggest you re-post your query in the Third Reich uniform and equipment forum further up the page, where the experts may more easily find it and give you informed opinions. Good, luck! Peter

Good to know, Hoss. Is Ballistol a brand name and, if so, is it readily available commercially? As I do a little leather work I'm always on the look out for something like that.

Fair enough. I always seem to find the ones to fit Corporal Schultz or the little guy on Fantasy Island!

I believe I recall a photo with the post originally. Perhaps this is due to the re-boot of the system?

CB Welcome aboard! can we have a first name to address you by, perhaps? I'm afraid I can't help much with this particular query, as British badges are not me forte, but I'm sure some of our very knowledgeable members will be along shortly to chip in. Peter

It was, and I apologize for the error! I looked at the last post, yours, not the whole thread. very Careless of me. Emmanuel, thank you!

Lovely! Thank you for sharing. Was the fact that it clearly fits you a happy accident or a major reason for the purchase, if I may be so bold?

Ian The Canadian Rangers [ not 'Arctic Rangers'] are an element of our Reserve Force, recruited in largely northern communities in Ontario, Quebec, Ladrador, across the Arctic and British Columbia. many are Aboriginal, Inuit or Metis but it is not actually a native unit per se, its just that those personnel have the needed skills. The Rangers conduct sovreignty patrols in the Arctic, some surveillance work and occasionally search and rescue. They also serve an important role in training other Reserve and canadian Focres regulars in winter survival and warfare and other wilderness skills. They are organized in 'patrols' by community and have the same rank structure as the rest of the Cdn. Forces. I believe the current strenght is somewhere under 500, but I may be wrong about that. The Rangers carry weapons for self protection [grizzly and polar bears] and subsistence hunting, rather than in a combat role, as the Rangers have fairly limited training, other than shooting, in military tactics. When they were established in the '40s the LE was the standard rifle and proved so durable and suitable for the Arctic conditions that it has sinply lived on. Each Ranger gets 200 rounds per year issued as well. Now, with spare parts becoming an issue, the time has finally come to change them.

Two comments on the saga of the slings: absolute accuracy would involve using something which did transfer to red coats, blue trousers and black packs. It was a well known problem with pipe clay in the early 19th century and continues with both white blanco and various other compounds with which belting was treated. One 1800s ear letter from a church vicar to a regimental colonel demanded a remedy for the fact that all his pews had been stained wit5h piep clay after a church parade.The culprit there was the insistance by various senior NCOs that the coatings be put on very thickly so that the might be buffed to a shine. In the Second War, "blanco" in white, khaki, dark blue and black was, ideally, applied in such a fashion as to completly fill the surface irregularities in a woven web belt so that, ultimately, it looked completely smmoth, not unlike the plastic version which replaced the white ones in the '60s and '70s! As a re-enactor of 1800s era British soldiery, friends and I have in the past laboured mightily to get 'buff leather' - with a surface finsh smoother than the rough side of most leather but not 'finished' in the modern fashion. There followed many experiments with various coatings. Sadly, for the fans of authenticity, white Rustoleo paint proved to give the best combination of authentic look - its the fish oil in it - and durability!

Ilja Thank you for sharing the great photographs and wealth of information on these medals. I thought I knew a little about the history of West Africa, but must confess I had never heard of Maryland until I read your post. It is interesting that the tribes attacked Maryland because it was interfering with the slave trade but also that Liberia eventually was itself involved in trading slaves! Ironic!

I watched both the first time, as I recalled when I saw them again. I love the bit where the first bloke asked permission to chop up the jerry's tail with his prop!

The boots and bandolier are also very nice - the bandoliers being restricted to mounted troops which, of course, included Gunners in WWI. Shots of RA types serving guns with the bandoliers on are not uncommon. The boots are, I think, indicative of his rank, as even mounted troops were wearing 'ammo boots' and puttees in the ranks, with tall [expensive] boots generally restricted to officers and some NCOs. It was customary for RSMs, for example, to wear boots and officer style breeches and, often, a Sam Browne, so they would be very appropriate for a BQSM. A lovely uniform!

You may be correct, gents. It was perhaps badly worded, as my comment was meant to be more a general observation than a critique of that photo in particular. The word brought the thought to moind, and as the old sweats on the forum will tell you, I digress at the drop of a hat!

Lots and lots of Mr. Jordan with pretty girls. Clearly a sailor! And goo on him for using the publcity to bump up the price and help the RNLI that much more. Clearly no flies on this gent.

I'm glad you said 'ostensibly'. It is amazing what percentage of the WWI photos, especially early in the war, were staged, and often not even very convincingly, for propaganda purposes or because the photographer had a particular look or shot in mind. It gets discouraging, when one is looking for evidence of a specific uniform piece or something, to discover how often the camera does in fact lie!

There was a short lived group called 'Z Force' which operated in Malaya during the Emergency. Small groups, often Gurkhas, an Iban tracker and a Chinese translator, went into the jungle to find and attack terrorist camps. One purpose was to do damage., another was to demoralize and the Chinese translators often tried, with varying success to persuade the terrorists to surrender and even to change sides. It's just possible that the GSM Malaya was to a member of that group, though there were likely lots of Chinese speaking police involved in the campaign throughout.

I think the first is the Victorian period home service helmet, is it not? With a King's Crown plate. Pity the spike is missing. I agree that both are very likely pre-WWI.

One squadron at least of an Indian cavalry regiment apparently took their lances into the trenches and allegedly used them. I doubt the later but will have to locate the reference again and check. This would have been early in 1914.

I am somewhat ashamed to say that I never considered the fact that there must have been blacks in Germany during the Nazi era, though in fact someone - on tis forum I believe - posted a picture of a black in the Kaiser's army. No stranger, I suppose, than the story of Harry O'Hara [or Ahira], though with far worse outcomes in most cases. certainly the WWI posters featuring black French troops made it pretty clear that they were sub-human even then and their children must have lived pretty grim lives in some cases even before the Nazis came into power. How we do manage to hate each other and for such silly reasons in most cases!