peter monahan

James

These buckles were first introduced as part of the waist belt for the British for the kit worn by there riflemen, starting in the early 1800s.  It was, as Dev says, widely adopted and remained popular until the introduction of webbing equipment to replace leather - in 1908 in the UK.  In fact, the leather belt with snake buckel, authorized or not - I'm not sure - stayed popular for 'walking out dress' throught WWI and was a sign of an old sweat, not a wartime recruit.  I owned one for years - the belt I mean - and both Canadian soldiers and our RCMP wore it too.

Here's a brief bit of history: http://www.actionarchaeology.ca/index.php/projects/featured-artifacts/its-all-about-that-belt/

Peter

There are not very many uniforms that early and in decent condition left.  In fact a friend of mine, Peter Twist of the firm Historical Twist, makes a large number of very high quality reproducations of Napoleonic era uniforms for collectors and museums in North America and Europe, because originals are simply unobtainable.

I take it that the second coat is the Sherwood Yeomanry uniform?

When I saw the title, I wasn't sure whether you meant a topi or old Sir Garnet Wolsey himself.

If memory serves, a red over white hackle is usually Fusileers.  Sadly that doesn't narrow it down too much.  As to a flash, these seem to come and go, depending on things like the date the helmet was worn, where the unit was staioned - very popular in India, for example - and, I suspect, on the individual Colonel in command of a battalion.  They are a lovley touch but require extra cost and, unlike the hackle, are a bit tough to remove in a hurry if they make one too conapicious.

Can you tell whether the foil insert is original - trimmed edges, for example - or an improvisation by the topi's owner?

Lovely item, by the way.  Thanks for sharing.

It is technically called a 'Small Box Respirator' or 'SBR' for short and was developed and first issued by the British Army in late 1916.  It was quickly adopted by Canadian, Australian and other Imperial troops as well, and was issued to the American 'doughboys' when they arrived in France in 1917.  

There should be a nose clamp inside the mask and a mouthpiece.  Soldiers were expected to be able to don and secure the SBR in under ten seconds when a gas alarm went. [Every section of the front line trench would have a 'gas sentry' who carried a gas rattle or a 'gong' made from an old shell casing.  Breathing through the mouthpiece - which is hard work, btw, drew air through the canister or 'box', which was packed with layers of charcoal and quick lime.  It came in a small haversack and usually had a small booklet to record use, as the canister was replaced after 10 hours of use, where possible.  Both sealant, to ensure it did not leak at the edges, and anti-fog gel for the eye pieces were also issued.

Here is a good site with more details and below are two photos of the SBR worn in the 'ready position'.  The strap on the haversack can be shortened so that it rides high on the chest,m with the flap open, for quick access.  

Numis

There are also quite a number of groups in Spain, the UK and North America which study and re-enact the Spanish Civil War.  I have the privilige of being a member of one of the newest such groups, in Canada.  We have a Facebook presence here and one of our members, David Webb, whose name appears frequently on that page collects all sorts of fascinating SCW items and may even have medals.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/2550049968413579.

The relative numbers issued to Hindus and Muslims would likely be a reflection of the percentage of the population which each of the two groups represented in pre-Partition imperial India.  Now, of course, the majority of the Muslims are in Pakistan. 

Some of the 'senior officers' in groups who re-enact the Napoleonic War period wear a copy of this medal as a neck piece.  Not sure where they are made but they're very very nice.  I first saw them when I was in Belgium in 2015 for the 200th anniversary of Waterloo.

Hello.

My research was 'quick and dirty' and I found only two photos of the NMC being worn but, sadly, neither shows the turn-up, so impossible to know how they are badged, if they are.  Sorry

I spoke too soon!  Apparently the IMC became part of the 'Native Military Corps' in 1940 and wore this bade.

Welcome to the GMIC!

Here is one example from the National Army Museum [UK] collection.  I suspect there was only a single style of basdge, given the realtively low status of the Corps in the SA forces.

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?q=searchType%3Dsimple%26simpleText%3Dbadge%26themeID%3D%26resultsDisplay%3Dlist%26page%3D57&pos=1138&total=1182&acc=2013-10-20-60-43

On 29/11/2020 at 09:32, numis said:

Thank you.

However the JOMSA text copied cuts off at JOMSA page 7 and there are no numbers issued quoted up until then

Opps.  My apologies. 

I don't think Ed uses this forum any longer but he is a member of OMSA, I assume, and of the South Asian Military Heritage Facebook page, if you want to try and contacvt him diurectly.  Don't use my name!

P

The true expert, at least writing in English, is Ed S Haynes.

He wrote this in the Journal of the OMSA: http://www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/2013/459206_JOMSA_Vol64_5_07.pdf

Thank you, 1812 for taking the time to do that translation.

Gordon: I regualrly [until March this year] work with Canadian high school stiudents in southern Ontario, so there are a lot of Black, South Asian and Oriental kids in many classes and I always bring up the CLC and the sealed trains.  Part of our history, like the Komagata Maru and the 2nd Construction Battlion.

22 hours ago, paul wood said:

many painters did the face from life and the remainder from memory often employing a student to apply the finishing touches and as we all know after a few bottles of wine the memory is often less than reliable

p

Exactly.  There are a number of prints of Highlanders, who occupied Paris in 1815 and fascinated the French.  The uniforms are quite accurate but he forgot their shoes, so they all wear what look like ballet slippers in the finished product.   

Sadly, it may be the case that the artist simply created a fancy looking order to go around the subject's neck.  Six arms certainly is unusual and one would think it would make identification fairly easy. 

21 hours ago, Dave Wilkinson said:

Vaughton & Sons are still in existence and still manufacture silver items including insignia and medals. They did not cease in 1992 as your posting suggests.

Dave.

I'm sure you're right.  I just used the information on the hallmarks web site and I suspect what I should have said was 'this hallmark ceased to be used in 1992'. My apologies.

Peter

'V & S' is Vaughton and Sons, who made silver items from 1888 to 1992.  The image below is from this site: https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Makers/Birmingham-V.html

The 'Seen on' - column 3 - suggest a sports group or society, perhaps of sailors or something of the sort.  Almost certainly not military, given the points raised above.

Marco, I canmèt see any connection between these officers biographies and the nickname 'Great Coffin".  Can you explain a little, please?  Thanks.

Peter

Yes, this would be, to me, an example of 'designed by a committee of [non-artists] but perhaps they had a very limited budget. 

One of  a series of headstones in a cemetery in France is to a member of the Chinese Labour Corps.  These rarely remembered men worked in the thousands during and aftyer the War.  In 1919 many were yused to relocate the remains of soldiers to large cemeteries and to 'salvage' weapons and other things from the battlefields.  Some died in accidents with unexploded munitions and more from disease.  Sadly, their stones give their names only in Chinese.  At least, I hope and assume that they do list names. 

I'm hoping that someone can translate at least the name on this stone for me, so that I can share it with others on November 11th, Remembrance Day here in Canada.

Very interesting to see all the classifications, by race and by type of service and, oddly to me at least, that one could be a 'full time volunteer' in or member of the Military Nursing Service without being issued a number.

Can I assume that "Essential Services Protection Corps " were Black and/or Coloured?  Armed?  Thanks.

A meant a different aged Brian!  ?

Lovely work on the matting.  Did you do those yourself?

Didn't mean to start any hares, gentlemen.  My aged brian threw up 'gold medal' 'Waterloo period' and 'glazing ' or 'lunettes' - thank you Paul - and I bodged the two together.  Or, to quote a bloke on defaulters, 'No, sir.  Different [girl] entirely.' 

My apologies.  But I shall remember 'lunettes' now.

I can't quite tell from the photo, but is this the one which is 'glazed' on both side - little glass covers like watch glasses?  Or am I just having a senior's moment?