Donald

This studio picture of an ARVN soldier wearing a black beret with parachute insignia and camouflage uniform was found after a battle in the central highlands of Vietnam in 1969.  Identification of the unit he belonged to is much appreciated.  Two sets of hand writing appear on the back.

This wheat sheaf badge came to me with a group of mostly British WW2 badges. It seems similar to the coat of arms of the Vasa dynasty and is not quite 3 cm tall. Your thoughts are appreciated.

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Thanks to your suggestions, the silver wings have been identified as 1915 Belgian pilots wings. The metal wings have been turned to an upswept angle from the original horizontal by some previous owner or the pilot. My grandparents had bought the Daily Telegraph "King Albert's Book" for the Belgian Relief Fund and when the royal monogram is compared it is easy to see the similarity.

The sheaf of wheat insignia remains a mystery but with continued research the identification should be solved.

This pair of wings and a wheat sheaf badge came to me with an accumulation of British 1940-1960 era badges. The wings are 1 9/16" tall and the wheat sheaf is 1 1/8" tall. The wire attachments and design are not typically British so they may have another nationality. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience!

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Thanks so much for your help everyone. Without a proper identification I had suspected from the wear and honest patina that the old wing was a WW2 relic!

This pair of wings measures 3" across and is made of thin stamped brass with worn silver plate and black paint. I appreciate your information concerning the unit and its history.

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Unfortunately there is no name on the photo and the available rosters go back to 1889. I had thought the AHAC member looked like Adelbert Rindaldo Buffington, US Army Ordnance officer 1861-1904 who was at Springfield Arsenal about 90 miles from Boston. The historian and I both knew the Buffington rear sight for the 1878 model Springfield rifle, but Buffington was not a member when the available AHAC records were searched. It was thought an active duty regular US army officer would wear his service uniform rather than wear the uniform of a private in the AHAC. Since the AHAC was a well photographed society unit perhaps a named photo may be discovered and the man in this photo identified.

This real photo postcard is photographer marked on the back: Thompson, 18-20 Carlisle Road, Londonderry, and hand written Willie, Jeannie & myself. Your thoughts about the Australian unit which may be identified by the shoulder patch, shoulder cord, and insignia is appreciated.

You are correct in thinking this is a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. I telephoned and emailed the historian at the headquarters in Boston and he confirmed this was a member of the unit.

I hesitated to post the back of the cabinet photo because after two weeks on the US Militaria Forum, Orders and Medals Society of America forum, and Collectors Weekly forum several opinions consider the uniform, insignia and medal not United States military. The photo is mounted on a Boston, Massachusetts USA photographers card. Since there is no crown on the insignia I am thinking a non royal military of the late 19th century that used numbered buttons is a candidate for research. Even with magnification it is not possible to read the medal, however the form of mounting may help with identification. A possibility I considered is that the rank may be on the sleeve which is not in the photo. Boston is a seaport city so the portrait may have been taken during the visit of a foreign warship.

The nationality, uniform and insignia details of this cabinet photo have eluded my attempts at identification. The prominent wheel superimposed over the artillery trail and cannon barrel on the collar insignias, the domed buttons all numbered either 538 or 638, the medal with lettering around the rim of the face side, and the lack of epaulettes have so far made this late nineteenth century cabinet photo a mystery to me. Your assistance is appreciated.

I look forward to your thoughts about this pair of photos taken in Peshawar, Graham. Keeping a spare magazine load of easily accessible Lee Metford or Lee Enfield cartridges with you at all times seems a fine idea. Somewhat like the picture to the left of myself in Vietnam 1969-70.

I enjoy this growing thread concerning the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and would like to learn regimental details of the service medal with single bar photographed by T. Winter, Murree & Pindee.

A member of the Napoleon Series Discussion Forum provided identification as a Sardinian infantry captain's epaulette using the following March 10, 1856 reference.

I've owned a pair of silver plated brass epaulettes with silver bullion fringe for some time and think they are probably French cavalry. Additional details are of interest and I send my appreciation for your research and response.

I've owned this pair of epaulettes for some time and would like to know the nationality, era, branch of service, and rank. Your assistance is appreciated.

In 1940 my late father-in-law enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, and during World War Two was stationed in Brazil. Among his documents and insignia is the following eagle with the national crest of Brazil. A name is scratched onto the back which I am unable to read. Your identification and comments are appreciated.

In 1940 my late father-in-law enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, and during World War Two was stationed in Brazil. Among his documents and insignia is the following eagle with the national crest of Brazil. Your identification and comments are appreciated.

This real photo postcard portrait is embossed with a Wien photographers imprint in the lower right corner and there is no writing on the reverse side. I've had this photo in the collection for over thirty years and wonder what details you may be able to share concerning the uniform, insignias and awards.