peter monahan

I am a gilded staff officer and so confidently expect to be safely inside a square if any nasty Frenchies get withing poking distance. I shall, however, exhort the lads to lay into the Corsican's henchmen with vim and vigour. I recently purchased a very tiny camera - suitable for surreptitious snapping - with a chip will take 8,000 photos before I need to download. That and 20 or 30 batteries and I'm all set to record the saga, plus the trip to follow: Vimy, Beaumont Hamel, Menin Gate, Juno Beach and some other 'Canadian' locations in France and Flanders. I promise to keep you all posted!

Not in great shape at all. I would think that the very odd 'diamond' on the back, for want of a better term, would be diagnostic if you can track down an example in a book or museum for comparison. Not sure how rare these are over there, but I'm also inclined to agree with Mervyn on waiting for a better example. My tuppence worth. Peter

I may have mentioned this before but the nicest single 'group' of decorations I recall seeing, years ago, was to the senior stationmaster at Victoria Station for 40 years straddling WWI and whenever a head of state came through on a state visit, this chap would get handed a decoration of some sort. I'd agree with Irish Gunner that the medals probably went out by the sack load!

Just saw his photo in a collection of colourized WWI photos. The suggestion was made that his true name was 'Ahira', which has a certain plausibility to it. Also, Eric, the source suggests that he was registered as an enemy alien but that they did NOT find evidence of his having been interned. As it should have been! Peter

Excellent! I will be there in June, one of 6,000 re-enactors re-playing the battle for the 200th anniversary. perhaps they will have discovered some newt new artifacts by then.

Yes. It's REALLY HARD to break an SMLE and our guys can do some pretty impressive things with them. In fact, when they train with 'foreign troops' [cough, American, cough cough] they like to stick their rifles in a snow bank overnight, to the shock of the new guys. Then, in the morning, when the high quality firearms which have spent a night in a tent getting coated with condensation, which freezes, the Rangers point out that THEIR rifles will still fire.

How many men would have a double qualification for the DFC and AFC? It certainly wouldn't give you an ID, but it might point to possible previous owners, assuming that its not a complete mock-up put together by a collector or Wally. Chris, do you have any information at all as to where it came from? Peter

Messina Earthquake Medal, anyone? Back in the bad old days when Canada had a serious presence in peacekeeping, some Cdn servicemen served there 6, 8 or even 10 tours [6 months each] but got only 1 medal. Eventually, a numbered device was authorized for wear on the ribbon. It seems to me that, given the kind of work many modern armies do that a medal for humanitarian relief - along the line of some of the UN gongs - might be appropriate. The criteria could be set by the usual committees and bars or devices issued as needed. I can see service personnel of logistics and health units in particular seeing service that puts them in at least as much peril as the NAAFI wallah and civilian contractors - no slight on them intended - at a base in the Middle east and it seems right to me that recognition be provided. My tuppence worth! Peter

Oh, my too! Not a collector at all, really, but am always being tempted from the path of virtue [fiscal virtue] by nice blades!

I agree with Mervyn. Nothing to indicate a military source and I would expect that a military one, aside from broad arrow markings, would be named a 'Union Flag', though I may be mistaken in that.

I don't hink much of the reverse and the quality is not reat, but an attractive [understated] ribbon, IMO. Thanks for sharing this.

The price of duty.

I also suspect that, like many bayonets issued in WWII, there was little expectation that it would ever be attached to a rifle and used against the foe. This looks to me like a decent machete which some brainiac in HQ persuaded his superiors could be made 'dual purpose' by installing a mounting device and calling it a bayonet, to the detriment of both its primary function and the rifle. But maybe that's just me being cynical.

Heaven forfend that I create controversy among historians! That way madness lies. Or healthy academic debate. Pick one. And I plead vey guilty to being an arm chair historian, though IMHO, we of Her Majesty's Chairborne Brigade do get to the more interesting minutia of history from time to time.

carried up the sleeve, i THINK.

'Skull knockers' or 'Head knockers' and, I believe, perhaps first carried by both police and civilian 'volunteers' during the Emancipation Riots of the 1830s.

On a completely different topic, I am intrigued by several of the slugs pictured above which look, to me at least, as if they may have a line cut across the nose. I recall reading many years ago, when I was the proud possessor of a Martini Henry rifle that the British troops in India were not impressed with the stopping power of the long slugs when used on 'Ghazi fanatics' and in some cases 'improved' them by cutting a cross in the top to make dum-dums. Is there any evidence of this here or is my imagination running away with me?

I am in very aware of both the importance and limitations of oral history, as it figures prominently in current historiography here in North America when looking at anything to do with First Nations. The obvious utility cannot be ignored, especially when it pertains to events or data for which no 'European' records exist, but oral historians are as prone to political agendas, cultural bias and just plain error as are those who write things down. It can become especially problematic when there is a prize at stack - be that political legitimacy, cultural renewal or, worst of all, property. That's why agrarian societies all developed writing! When your great grandfer and my great granfer both claim the same piece of land, clearly somebodies 'memory' or 'oral tradition' is mistaken. Or, as my first historiography prof. used to say, "The first question to ask of any source is 'Why is this person lying to me?'". I know little about the current state of Zulu historiography but can easily imagine the urge to minimize the casualties at what the British saw as a gallant defence and the Zulus presumably hold to be an embarrassment. The big fuss in the UK papers at the moment is around the 200th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo. Having passed over an American to portray Napoleon - hardly a surprise - the organizers chose Frank Samson, a French lawyer, who was quoted as calling Napoleon a political genius who 'all but won' the battle and describes wellington as an ugly man who 'no one has heard of.' I shrug, but clearly the marketing is all about a French triumph! And I believe that when two fleets "re-fought" Trafalgar a few years ago they were labelled 'Red Fleet and 'Blue Fleet" as perhaps being not quite so embarrassing for the losers. What can one do but laugh?

John - a fascinating group indeed. Sorry we haven't been more use on the main question - where to get ribbons, but thank you for taking the time to post the photo. And good luck on the hunt! pwerhaps othe members will ave ideas.

The badge described sounds like a cavalry badge, but I'm away from my books today. Lots of those feature crossed swords. He also appears to be wearing the India General Service Medal ribbon - leftmost on his chest - a green ribbon with two dark blue stripes, along with two others I can't identify. The breast pocket badge may be a unit badge, worn in the wrong spot or something else I'm not familiar with. Enquiries continue. A better photograph would be very helpful.

Several months ago I literally stumbled on a WWII German wicker box with space for 6 shells inside. It had all the original painted markings on it and even very thin wooden liners in 3 or 4 of the 6 compartments inside. I believe it was for morttar shells - does 80mm sound right? In the corner of a garage which someone uses as a sort of antique shop and in 'as new' condition as far as I could see. Somebody obviously thought it worth hauling across the Atlantic to Canada after the war, but I'm not sure why. Interesting but not what I would have grabbed as a souvenir! Or maybe he/she just wanted a way to pack wine bottles!

That would make sense, Chris. The National Museum of Iraq was pretty comprehensively looted during the late unpleasantness and much of the stuff would have been Babylonian, Sumerian and so on. Lots of 'pottery' and such like and, as far as I know, not much has been recovered, though an occasional piece surfaces, usually in pretty suspicious circumstances. "I got it from a guy who bought it in a pub and...'

If it is in fact a later piece, the blurry image might disguise that while still tempting someone to take a chance on buying it. But then, i'm a cynic about ebay!

Can't say the combination of ribbon colours is quite my cup of tea, but the medals themselves are quite attractive. What sort of service - Army then Police? - would a man need to qualify for the four together?

Medal goddess, Megan? You know I'm lousy with titles and formalities. It's part of my charm. But I do apologize if I've slighted you. I grovel obsequiously in the direction of England, madam!