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    peter monahan

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    Posts posted by peter monahan

    1. Any idea of what type of tank Jemadar Rajpal Singh was using in the Deccan Horse?

      The Royal Deccan Horse was designated a light tank reg't on mechanization (autumn of 1941) and first trained using 3 Stuart tanks and a number of 15 cwt. trucks. In '42 they mived to Secunderabad (mid '42) for jungle training and received Stuarts and Lees. Finally in early 1944 they were issued Shermans - probably one of the early marks, not the MK41E8 so common in WWII European theatre and as war memorials (at least in Canada).

      In mid '44 the regiment went to Ranchi as part of the 255th Indian Tank Brigade and eventually to Imphal. In December 1944 they began the long march into Japanese-controlled Burma, making the 'dash' to Meitila and taking part in the re-capture of Rangoon and taking part in the mopping up of Japanese troops in Burma.

      (source: The Indian Armour, Major General Gurcharn Singh Sandhu, PVSM (ret'd), Vision Books, New Delhi, 1987)

    2. As to the order of wearing, it seems possible, perhaps even likely, that the wearer of the ribbons mounted them himself (khaki ribbon) or had someone mount them to his specifications (the other medals) in the order in which he preferred them. Unless he stayed in the forces after 1945, there would be no one who could compel him to mount them "the right way" and I certainly know of members of the Royal Canadian Legion, both WWII vets and former UN peacekeepers who say "Stuff the regs, this is how I'm wearing them!" many of them also wear Legion awards, and not always on the right breast either.

      Many years ago I owned a lovely group to a senior Viceroy's Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army cavalry. he had served on the NW Frontier (1 medal, 2 bars) and in WWI in Syria (3 medals). He had also represented his regiment at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London in 1895, for which he was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal. In at least 2 photos he is shown, still a serving officer, wearing the RVM in last place!

      While the RVM is technically an 'order' by Her Majesty in person(as part of the RV Order) a 'been there' medal from the Queen Empress, possiibly bestowed by Her Majesty in person, was less important than his campaign medals.

      My tuppence worth

      Peter

    3. Hello Peachy,

      Are the first two photos named on the reverse or are they family? The last photo is just great, was it normal for The King's African Rifles not to wear boots?.

      Tony

      Tony

      Yes, bare feet was the norm for KAR rankers until at least 1914. If you look carefully, however, you'll see that he is wearing puttees - dark blue if I recall correctedly - also standard for the regiment. A truly lovely shot of an underapreciated unit!

      Peter

    4. Thats been my sales pitch ever since I was a teen.... :rolleyes:

      Chris

      If you want "rare" you'll need to find one that's chromed - a few were for use by the (short-lived) Canadian Guards and clolour parties of other reg'ts too, I expect. Talk about trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

      The worst part of the No. 4 is that, while it was never useful for stabbing people - something it shares with MOST bayonets, IMHO. It isn't even useful for toasting cheese (too short) or opening cans (no edge). I suppose in a pinch a half dozen would make half-a**ed tent pegs to pin down a shelter half.

      :off topic: In fact, IMHO, the spike bayonet is one of the classic examples of why "tradition" is not always a good thing! "We have to have swords to fight with" becomes "We have to have a blade to put on our firelocks, to fight with when we run out of musket balls" becomes "We have to have something to put on the end of the weapon, because we always have.".

      I'd love to see stats from Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan on how often and with what results bayonets are used in combat - can't think of any newsclips I've seen in which they're even fixed by troops in combat/on patrol.

      On the other hand, they make neat collectables and I'd buy one myself if I had the $ !

      Peter

    5. I remember as a child being rather impressed with Idi Amin's uniform and decorations. Of coarse Colonel Klink's did too! :rolleyes:

      Idi started with good intensions... :violent:

      "Just because a boy (eats people's livers) doesn't make him ALL bad" :speechless1:

      Peter

    6. I also know some Indians who claimed they used the sword in both East Africa and Burma (in the latter case, States' Forces, but you'd expect that!).

      Ed

      When were the last Indian units "de-horsed" and mechanized? I should know but the mind's going. I ask because using a sword without the benefit of a horse for speed and weight strikes me as a complicated form of suicide.

      I know that the last British units - Yeomanry Cavalry - actually made it to Vichy Lebanon and Iraq with their horses but lost them there. I also believe that, sadly, the US 26th wound up eating their horses in the last days before the Japanese completed their conquest of that area of the world.

      Peter

    7. "NUTS!!"

      wish i coulda' been there to see:

      -the americans laughing

      -the germans scratching their heads.

      joe

      But did he really say "Nuts!" ? I have read suggestions that the actual answer was two words, the first of which has some of the same letters as "FiretrUCK" and the second of which rhymes with "toff". The suggestion, plus the notion that the history had to be cleaned up for public consumption in 1945, struck me as very plausible. Also quite in character for a hard-charging yank officer in the circumstances and a little more forceful, shall we say, than "Nuts."

      Has anyone else heard this suggestion? Of course, having read it 20+ years ago I have no recollection of the source, though I believe the author of the book had spoken to survivors of Bastogne, possibly even the author of the famed remark. Comments?

      Peter

    8. In this photo I am trying to show the, more or less, finished ribbons of the two styles of folds. The paper "stand in" is not evenly folded but this is only meant as an example. If I can get this mount looking good I have a few others that I would like to attempt.

      Thanks again for any assistance you can give me.

      Cheers :cheers:

      Brian

      Brian

      I assume you've considered ironing the ribbon BEFORE putting it on the medal. That helps a bit but there's still the 'bulge' problem. I don't think there's a good answer other than cutting, which you don't want to do with rarer ribons. In the past I've glued front and back of ribbon together, but again, like cutting, it ruins a ribbon for future removal/re-use. Good luck, though. Please post whatever you get when done.

      Peter

    9. On the North bank of the Humber we have a derogatory saying "Lincolnshire yellow bellies", I think it is actually something to do with the Yellow Waistcoats one of the Lincolnshire regiments used to wear.

      Officers of the Royal North Lincolnshire Militia would wear bright yellow waistcoats on the battlefield. This made it easier for their men to spot them.

      I have to agree with Graham: there is a lot of mythology out there!

      I'm sure that some one of the Lincs reg'ts may well have worn yellow weskits at some point and equally sure it had nothing to do with standing out for the men. First, westkits were worn under a tunic which might be worn open in the mess but never in the field.

      Second, In the Napoleonic period, when waistcoats were part of the uniform, junior officers wore one epaulet and senior ones two, so OR's had to know the officers by face to even know their rank! Coloured coats would have been redudndant.

      Third, officers were either well to the front of a series of closed ranks ior behind them. Either way, unless they were running, the enemy would see the weskits befor the men did. So, maybe it was an "up yours, you can't hit me" invitation to enemy sharpshooters. Suicidal, but not impossible.

      Anyway, a charming story but probably not quite accurate and, clearly, productive of lots of nasty comments from the low soldiery of other regiments! :rolleyes:

      Peter

    10. I am not a specialist of armoured vehicules, but I think it is an Italian tank, not British.

      Cheers

      Eric

      I agree that the tank is Italian. Quite a number were employed by the British and other troops after capture. Years ago I even made up a model of one - covered in large white Kangaroos to protect it's new owners (Aussies) from "friendly fire". I no longer have the armoured figthing vehicle library I once did but if I can find some info. post an Id later today.

      Yeah, really nice shots and a great story/sovenir!

    11. Nothing on the man himself, but here's a little info. (from Gordon's British battles and Medals:

      The 1st Battalion, 40th Regiment of Foot served in the 10th British Brigade (Maj.-Gen. Sir John Lambert), alonside the 4th and 27th Reg'ts. The 10th Bde was part of the 6th Division under Lieut.-Gen. Hon. Sir L. Cole.

      The 40th had 761 men entitled to the Waterloo Medal and their casualties were as follows:

      2 officers killed; 10 officers wounded

      30 rank & file killed 159 R & F wounded 18 R&F missing, for total casualties of 219

      BTW, 12 officers killed and wounded would be, I'm guessing, a fairly high percentage of the officers present, so there is a good chance your man was one of them.

    12. I tend to agree with Rick: not British. The braiding doesn't look right for British, which tends to run in straight lines horizontally across the chest but without the 'connecting' loops this one has. The 'crowsfoot' on the sleeves looks wrong too: British would have three equal size loops, I think. But it does say "gunner" to me to.

      Colour is dicey, given both the probably age and the idiosyncrousies of colour photos, but the red doesn't look right for Uk either, even faded. It actually appears orange on the site here, which if true would maybe suggest Dutch?

    13. On the question of when recruiting 'boys' ended, I have recently had some fascinating chats with 'a man in a pub'. Bob lives in Canada now, retired from running an electronics shop, but is originally from Scotland. I knew he had done been in the RAF but assumed it was Nationl Service (c. late '50's, early '60's)

      However, he told me recently that he had joined the RAF as a "Boy Apprentice" at 16 and was in fact one of the older boys in his recruit unit (section? platoon?) He trained in radar mintenance eventually and served in the UK and Singapore, at Changi. Not sure when he left the service but he clearly served some time.

      One anecdote, besides a description of Changi station, consisred of the following. On Day One of their service the lads were paraded before the Station Warrant Officer, who asked if any could play a musical instrument. Getting little or no response, he asked "What, not even a recorder?", at which Bob and 3-4 mates Raised their hands. Can you see this coming? He then dismissed the rest of the group to barracks and told of the 'muscians' to potato peelinf duty in the cook house, but only after asking "Didn't your dads tell you Never to volunteer for anything?"

      Peter

    14. I have'nt got details to hand, but a number of "unofficial" medals were struck & awarded to those who participated in the battle, including "Davidsons" & Boultons" plus souvenir pieces for sale.

      It doesn't appear to be either the Davidson's (which was issued to all ranks) or the Boulton's - the descriptions of the busts are wrong. Both of those are rare and valuable. One story is that once the tars realized the Davidson's weren't precious metal - an hence not saleable- they either threw them overside or nailed them to the mast of whatever ship they were serving on, even prying them off again when transferred to another vessel.

      Probably a privately produced souvenir piece, but if the condition is any indicator possibly contemporary to the event and therefore of some interest.

      Peter

    15. Can anyone tell me what this represents (other than a moth's breakfast)? Looks like an ROTC/school patch of some sort. It came with a WWII 24th Division medal group.

      I'm sure you're right, JB. A very quick search for "ROTC torch " comes up with dozens of hits, including a current metal insignia for JROTC students in th Basic service course.

      Peter Monahan

    16. I thought I'd update this. Peter, you were absolutely right. I emailed the museum who but me in contact with their supplier (Jeremy Tenniswood), http://www.militaria.co.uk/

      He did confirm that it was one of his. Disapointed I have sold it as a fake (I'm not interested in anything not original) on ebay for the same price as the museum pieces. I slight loss financially and still flippin annoyed that somebody conned me!! Still lesson learned.

      Thanks your your advice, really appreciated!

      Nobody likes to get 'taken' ! :( Sorry it proved a bad'un but glad my tuppence worth helped,

      Peter

    17. I have a 1796 Light Cav Saber with a Damascus Blade. The scabbard has silvered iron mounts throat and drag over a black leather scabbard.

      Weren't the Prussian light Cav sabers very similar to the Brits, with a simple stirrup hilt in iron. How do you tell the difference?

      The two ways would be markings: maker's, proof, regimental etc and experience plus reseacrh- they are not in fact identical though I personally couldn't begin to tell you one form the other right here and now. OTH there are enough examples extant of each and good photos and drawings to be able to difference them. There are some good sword forums for this very specialized (and expensive) branch of collecting.

      Peter

    18. We have to, you Brits usually don?t speak other languages :P

      This post offcourse being :off topic:

      :off topic: again. Not ectuelly British, doncher know. An uppity colonial me: proud resident of the Dominion of Canada, where we have two official languages, and a few citizens who actually speak both fluently . Not, to my shame, me, although I can usually manage to order a beer, find the bog and precipitate a fight about sports in both English and French! And on a good day I can annoy cabbies in Toronto with my command of obscentity and invective in at least six of their native tongues! :jumping:

    19. "Certificate to get serviced having paid charge to Public shower's service and hairdressers without queue"

      ...wonder what this means!?!?! :cheeky:

      120138062776 on ebay

      Ok, I'm not touching paid to get serviced :rolleyes:

      , but 'without queue' is interesting enough. Does it mean he/she doesn't have to line up or doesn't have a pigtail? Or maybe that the hairdressers don't have queues? Hmmm... "So unlike the home life of our own dear queen."

      Peter

    20. Sorry Peter, is is a battalion mounted on bicycles. In Duth it is called 'Regiment Wielrijders', I couldn't come up with another translation. :lol:

      Cheers,

      Erik

      Erik

      That was my guess, actually, but I couldn't resist poking you! :rolleyes: I only wish I spoke any language besides my milk tongue as well as so many members of this group clearly speak/write multiple languages!

      Peter

    21. Having required the attention of the paramedics in the last week, it's certainly good to hear that they are to have meritorious service properly marked. Although I do not think that providing attention to politicians is noteworthy, unless it's a reward for gritting your teeth long enough to get the job done!

      OTOH, it's in line with past practice. One of the nicest strings of decorations I've ever handled (many many years ago) was to a senior station master at Euston Station (I think), London in the early part of the 20th century: apparently every time a boat train with a foreign head of state came in, he got another foreign gong - San serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 7th Class or whatever.

      So, I can see the NHS bod in charge of health/disaster planning for a visit by The Bush or Val Putin getting one of the new medals as a 'thank you'. Seems a bit hard on the fronliners who earned them in a chemical fire or bomb clean-up, but twas ever thus!

      Peter

    22. Roeland,

      The 1939 Officers list, lists on page 180:

      Infantry - Reserve 1st Lieutenants

      G. Storm, Bikers Regiment, 1st Lt. 1 January, 1936, 2nd Lt. 1 January, 1932, born 1908.

      Gr.,

      Erik

      Eric

      :off topic: On a totally irrelevant (and cheeky) note: can I assume that "Bikers Regiment" is either named for a Colonel Biker or were a battalion mounted on bicycles?

      Because to my North American mind it conjures up visions of big hairy guys on Harley Davidson's!

      Just the sort of Unit I'd want to be an NCO or officer in !! :speechless1:

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