peter monahan

I wore one of these pretty regularly while doing Napoleonic era living history. Always a big hit with the crowds. I once made one in a real hurry for a fellow unit member who'd lost his. The only leather I had to hand was 'sole bend' - 3 to 4 cm thick. Damn near killed the poor fellow the first time he wore it! Opps!

Not as proud of their coppers? After all, a large police force might be taken to imply a large criminal element in the Borough of Middle Wapping on Stokes on Trent. Or, perhaps, they wanted a little discretion. I'm guessing that black was the default colour for cars in the period you refer to.

Nice. I've never heard of this, but then there are thousands of things I've never heard of. Any ideas or examples of actions for which this might be awarded? Peter

I assume the bronze one is yours as well? As I understand it, for those who collect ALL the UN Korea Medals, that one is the Holy Grail. Well done! Other than that, I have nothing to contribute, I'm afraid, except to comment that the Ethiopians seem to be a law unto themselves when it comes to orders and medals. But a lovely thing. Thanks for sharing this piece.

Very good points, Chris. I have an unfortunate tendency to class them all as either military or 'tourist', which is not accurate and in this case quite probably wrong. Thanks for the input.

In the British and Indian Armies of that period, officers did not have serial numbers. Each was known by a unique name, which is why if you examine an Indian Army List from WWI or WWII you'll find officers named 'Smith' with up to four initials, or with their mother's maiden name hyphenated in to make their name unique. This is not an issue kukri and doesn't even look like the regimental presentation ones with which I'm familiar. I believe it is a tourist piece, perhaps of some age, which was personalized by the seller. Peter

Sadly, I agree that taking it off is your only option and that this may 'leave a mark'. It looks as if you will need to recover part of the case anyway, so I would make a clean sweep: carefully remove all the leather on that side of the baox, remove hinge and rehabilitate and then replace. Then glue a strip of fine leather - 'wallet lining' should be about the right weight - or fine black cloth over the whole side of the case. It won't be a perfect match but you should be able to come up with something that looks acceptable. Good luck!

Struck in 2017 and priced at L50,000? Yikes. I would think you'd be waiting a loooong time to make your money back on this one.

I would try 'Abebooks', who specialize in used / obscure boos. I would look on-line at https://www.abebooks.com/books/ANZ/ site and if no luck, but keep checking back. These folks have a few Great War titles from Oz as well. Maybe worth contacyting them and asking if they've evcer seen one. http://berkelouw.com.au/ Good luck in the hunt!

Nigel It looks as if Chris doesn't check this page very often - last time was May 22 - but if you click on his name at the head of his post you can send him a PM, which may get his attention sooner. Good luck! Peter

I don't know anything about VC flags. But, I do know that Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination, including among veterans of that conflict. I also know that it is one of the world's leading producers of cotton clothing. And, apparently, war souvenirs. Caveat Emptor!

I believe Jaba is correct. Any law which has 'extraterritorial' application does so as a result of some international accord - in other words, a group of countries have gotten together and agreed that 'this is a crime' everywhere'. They are also correct about enforcement: most of these agreements are not signed by ALL members of the UN, which in turn does not represent every nation on Earth. Non-signatories rarely help enforce even these 'extraterritorial' laws. Without pointing fingers, I would invite you to examine who did and did not sign the international band on the use of land mines in warfare.

Agreed - looks like a good'un. One of my favourite Indian medals, though it has been a while since I've owned one.

I saw that too, and shared it. Glad he got the jail!

'Oh, 'e's the cook. Had his taste buds shot off in the War!' ?

A very impressive collection indeed, sir! And, 'Justice, Truth and Philanthropy' suggests more than just a drinking club for old soldiers.

Hello Abraham and welcome to the GMIC. I'm afraid I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic to be much help on this one but I do hope some of our UK members will make suggestions. I assume that you have the details of his service already? Sadly, photos from the Great War of other ranks are fairly rare, though some exist. Officers and senior NCOS are more likely I don't see a 'Randall on this site, but you may want to look through the 6th battalion list: http://www.ww1photos.com/RoyalWarwickshireRegt.html This site gives some good info. on where the 6th were deployed: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/316/royal-warwickshire-regiment And finally, Might I suggest contacting the Royal Regiment of Fusileers' museum, though the odds are slim. http://www.warwickfusiliers.co.uk/ Probably better looking in local newspapers where he was living when he enlisted and perhaps for his post-War years, especially if he was involved in the Legion. Good luck in the hunt!

Lovely! How long did it take to get three groups like this, if I may ask.

" The RCR and ONLY the RCR names its companies sequentially throughout the regiment from the Duke of Edinburgh's Company (instead of A Company) in the 1st Battalion to T Company in the 4th Battalion. 5th Platoon F Company in this case is part of the RCR's 1st Battalion. " As I think I say on a regular basis, I stand in awe of the breadth of detailed knowledge the members of the GMIC share on a regular basis. It sounds as if your evidence for it's being RCR is pretty iron clad! Thanks for taking the time to explain. Peter

A shame that the 'star' buttons have been added. The fact that they are permanently attached by rivets is both unfortunate and a clear sign that they are later additions.

Canadian pre-WWI tunic. Many copies are still used by Canadian militia regiments for colour guards and so , so they were made up ti at least the 1970s. I think the "5 F...' is some kind of unit identifier but I can't figure out who it represents, as the '5th Battalion' were the Royal Highlanders of Canada and the letters don't match. The pockets are a common feature, particularly as the small outside pocket was often stitched shut to improve the hang of the tunic. New expensive suit coats still arrive from the tailor that way - pockets basted shut so it hangs straight. It looks early and should interest 'Canadian Militia ' and Canadian Army pre-WWI' collectors but I don't know enough to say whether or not the buttons are original. The 'C broad arrow stamp' was adopted form the British Army's broad arrow before WWI but used up to the 1960s. This could easily be a pre Great War tunic - I suspect it is - which was kept in stores until WWII or later for 'dress' occasions. Quite a nice piece.

I wonder if the fact that it features a crossed kukri and baton [??] indicates that it is a police unit badge?

Lovely, lovely stuff. And all, as you say, well made. Such a pleasure to see that some governments take the time and money to design and produce awards which LOOK as if they are worth having. Thank you very much for sharing them. ?

The winged lion - symbol of St Mark the evangelist - is often associated with the city [or state in earlier times] of Venice. But the badge doesn't look Italian to me. The crown is very odd too - can we get a better shot of that? Perhaps just on a sheet of paper or cloth? Thanks. Peter

"Thanks for your replies.. I hadn't considered that the badges could have been deliberately blurred." If the caps were in fact photographer's props, the photographer may have blurred the badges to avoid annoying anyone from the regiments to which the badges belonged. Just a thought. Peter