peter monahan

I was able to get an original tin from out West [Canada] and two sets of replica contents: a packet each of tobacco and cigarettes, a Christmas Card frpm Princess Mary, a message from HRH King George and photos of he, his wife and Princess Mary. Bought them from an organization in the UK associated with one of the veterans' groups. A very nice packet for my 'Christmas in the Trenches' event two weeks ago.

Ulsterman - found it in a quick search for 'November 11, 1918 deaths', free at a BBC web site. Paul - The Commonwealth War Graves Commission counted anybody who died up to 1922 as a war casualty. Many many did, from disease and the effects of wounds or gas. Plus, no doubt, some suicides though those are less likely to have been so designated.

Clearly the same considerations apply to the NZSAS as to its British counterpart: for operational security reasons, members are never named and, it least in the British case, continue to be carried on the rolls of their parent unit, so that in fact a gazetted award might list the honouree as a member of 'the Fore and Fit...Foot' and not the SAS. Frustrating! Hence the reference to 'Trooper J' on the site you list.

But, yes, this will be a blow to the regulars in the newly re-named, re-uniformed Royal Canadian Navy. And it comes on top of the decision several years ago to make the daily toasts politically correct! No more 'wives and sweethearts'.

Was it the sodomy or the lash that attracted you, Frank? Or am I misunderstanding again? Sorry, Human not my first language is.

I did wonder if it was complete but honestly didn't have the time to forage through Chancery Office papers to check. I'm glad it is of some use.

Regency period brigadier generals wore similar feathers but also wore the hat cross ways, not fore and aft and looked, IMHO, quite silly! I made a comment on a friend's hat anent 'maribou' and was informed frostily that it was ostrich and that 'strippers wear maribou.' Mind, he only wore the hat one season and reverted to another pattern, so I suspect he wasn't enthralled with the look either. I'd have to agree however, that the coats are not naval and may well be made up. The 'L' lacing is definitely odd and not a pattern I've seen on British uniforms before. The collar and frogging on the frock coat are not right for any period I can think of - not that that proves much - but the whole thing has a theatrical look to me. Or possibly something exotic and foreign.

Nothing ostentatious about that! I mean, it doesn't have a three foot purple plumes or light up buttons. Just Typically British subdued elegance. And, of course, the absolute certainty that you'll never be mistaken for a member of a 'lesser regiment' [ie: any other regiment on the Army List]. Seriously though, I quite like the Grey's cap. The other is a wee touch loud for my plebeian tastes.

I found this quote in a BBC News Magazine article on the last soldiers to die: "Augustin Trebuchon's grave - along with all those French soldiers killed on 11 November 1918 - is marked 10/11/18. It is said that after the war France was so ashamed that men would die on the final day that they had all the graves backdated." I think that the phrase 'it is said' is of significance. One US unit lost 365 men on Nov. 11 and the average daily death toll for that period on the Western Front was over 2,000 men per day. In fact, Patton was questioned after the war about that fact, given that the Germans had expressed an interest in a ceasefire to be effective as early as Nov. 8th! I've now looked at about 15 quickly located posts on this topic and though a good number repeat the story about the French deaths, including a Canadian one which offers a long rational which boils down to 'bureaucracy', none cites any source and none, as far as I can tell, is more than a few months or years old. I'm tending more and more to believe that this is part of the growing mythology of the war engendered by the interest in the centenary. Peter

. From Wikipedia: "To the memory of 256265 Private George Lawrence Price, 28th North West Battalion, 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, killed in action near this spot at 10.58 hours, November 11th, 1918, the last Canadian soldier to die on the Western Front in the First World War. Erected by his comrades, November 11th, 1968... In 1991, the town of Ville-sur-Haine erected a new footbridge across the adjacent Canal du Centre... A plebiscite was held and on 11 November of that year the bridge was officially named the George Price Footbridge (French: Passerelle George Price) Price is popularly believed to be the last British Imperial killed in the war, shot by a German sniper as he advanced through a row of houses in the village in pursuit of German troops. Henri Gunther, apparently the last Frenchman killed [10:59 am], allegedly charged a group of Germans who first fired warning shots then, when he refused to halt, shot him. I too would be interested in evidence of soldiers killed after the cessation of hostilities. Very probably there were some, though I am quite skeptical of the 'altered dates' story. Such accidents are and were commonplace in war and would hardly need to be 'covered up' I don't think.

Yikes! Not my idea of a good time either.

Oilers are pretty common. I picked one up for $20.00 Cdn a while back, so you should do better than that down there. Also got an un-issued for stock for my 1912 SMLE, which made the rest of the woodwork look pretty shabby. And, because of Asian Long Horn Beetle or some such, getting a 102 year old piece of wood into Canada was only slightly easier than importing AK47s or a pound of cocaine!

It does not appear to be on the list of 'Foreign Orders' eligible to be worn, or even 'eligible to be accpeted'. Here's the site I found on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_Kingdom#Foreign_orders

Unless there was a purse which went with the cup. In which case, not as looked down on!

I wondered whether it might be for Free French soldiers attached to the US Army - say in Operation Torch - to explain their lack of English, but that was just a wild a** guess. Seems a bit odd to have to tell people you're stationed in France when you're ...stationed in France. Or was it common to wear a patch indicating where one was stationed with US forces? My ignorance of US military protocol is encyclopedic!

Irish I quit looking when I got nothing but French. My own grasp of the language is serviceable but certainly not up to the finer points of translating technical terminology. If I find a promising source, however, I may take you up on the implied offer. Thanks!

Lovely!

I think Odulf's initial identification was correct: Royal Artillery. He is wearing the Slade-Wallace equipment [belts and pouches] and carrying a Snider-Enfiled rifle rather than a carbine though the exact length is hard to judge. See the illustration below. The 'carte de visite' was very popular with soldiers and civilians alike and so he is in the full dress fur busby rather than a cap or home service helmet for this 'official' photo.

Great! Keep them coming.

His medal, his choice. Year ago I was able to purchase, for my boss, a Great War trio plus Belgian Croix de Guerre to a RFC pilot. He said 'I take them out of the box once a year. With the money I'll be able to fly [from Toronto] to Vancouver to visit my sister.' He kept his log books. Hard to fault that decision, I thought then and still think.

I expect that these badges, while issued to all ex-servicemen, were especially important to men like Cooper, who might otherwise be mistaken for able-bodied fellows who had not 'done their bit'. Cerainly, if I had been invalided out I'd be wearing mine. And I suspect the heavy fines for unauthorized wear were meant to discourage 'slackers' from getting and wearing them.

Among the WWI reenactors with whom I associate - I blame it on a troubled youth - 'Brodie' is generally understood to refer to the rimless originals, but, as suggested, in conversation is more widely applied to any tin bowler of the Great War period. There: I've made absolutely now real contribution to the forum but have added another post to my count. [Oops, outside voice! Damn that filter slipping again!]

Hallmarked silver certainly sounds like officer's wear to e. Lovely to have a definite date! Presumably made not long before the monarch's cypher changed too, so the poor fellow may have had to order another before he's worn the shine of this one.

Wow indeed! Fabulous work and congrats on your win. Well deserved.

Very nice indeed. The downside, of course, is the fact that unless this bloke was a tailor before the war or a very quick study, he was in hospital long enough to get good at embroidery! One tends to forget how many of those wounded spent months and in some cases years convalescing, sometimes between repeated bouts of surgery. But lovely lovely work and surely with a story of its own if one could trace it.