Doc

Nice... Thanks for the response.  I had not seen one of these before, and got it with a bunch of Carbine stuff, so I thought it was a tool for working on the carbine (disassembling the bolt, etc.)-- soon realised that was not the case.  I have not seen a full cased set like you have, and I now understand it better.  Thanks for taking the time to respond, and for the great pictures.  As an aside, what are the inspector's initials on yours?  Mine has "OML".  

This is an old United States tool for working on US military firearms, but I can't find it in any of my reference books.  Help in identifying would be much appreciated.  It is 5 x 7 inches, and the handles are spring-loaded to keep them apart.  When they are squeezed, It seems to line up the two top pieces.  Only Markings are "US" and "OML", with a couple of "80" s as well. T hanks for any help in advance.

Thanks to all of you for the explanation.  Makes sense, but not my area....So, I had't seen the term before.

OK, I have to ask, as a non-collected of German militaria--- What is a "Frozen Meat Medal"?

Thanks, Trooper D-- much more information than I had before.  This is simply not my area of expertise, so I really appreciate the help. The photo is definitely embossed (name of photographer-- nearly illegible) and Hong Kong (very legible), so I suspect it was definitely taken in HK or somewhere else nearby.  I will keep looking, but I suspect you have hit pretty close to the target.

The ribbon rack is generally a "slip the ribbon on and slide it into position" proposition-- not at all difficult, though you will have real problems with the pin-back ribbons. Anything current issue should slide on just fine.  But, different sizes of ribbons in the past, so some WWI and WWII ones won't fit well.

17 hours ago, OvBacon said:

Any better quality on the picture... 

Sorry, no-- That's as good as it gets.

6 hours ago, peter monahan said:

And the number of 'tails' on the officer's sporran?  I think they differed by regiment.

Further, the flash on the helmets appears to be a dark triangle with an even darker narrow strip across the bottom.  Presumably unique to this unit.

This site IDs some Scottish flashes in the comments section.  Most appear to have been squares [not triangles] of tartan.

http://www.militarysunhelmets.com/2012/helmet-flashes-in-the-british-army   The author of the site is Stuart Bates, an acknowledged expert on nineteenth century headdress.

Thanks-- I had checked that site for assistance before coming onto GMIC with the request-- Nothing Triangular shown which isn't a tartan design.

I have found an old photo for which I need help, please.  This is a UK Scottish unit on parade, and the photographer is identified as being in Hong Kong.  I assume this is a Hong Kong occupying unit in the pre-WW2 era.  Unfortunately, the badges on the pith helmets are not really clear, and I can find no Scottish regimental crests which look like them in shape.  Does anyone have any ideas as to unit identification and time period?  Thanks in advance for any assistance.

The Foster and Borts book was updated and republished in 2005 as "A Complete Guide to All United States Military Medals  1939 to present".  Still a great reference.  MOA Press, Fountain Inn, SC.  2005

Generally speaking, if full-size medals are worn, then they replace the ribbon bar.  And vice-versa.  You don't NORMALLY wear both full-size medals and ribbons at the same time.

US military, yes-- I don't know about other Allies.

For those medals which are common to the services, the order of precedence is the same.  However, service-specific medals can violate the general order of precedence, though usually the service-specific ones at the higher levels (e.g. DSC, Navy Cross, and AF Cross) would usually fit right into the other services' orders of precedence at the same level.  Another problem is that some unit level awards (e.g. Joint Meritorious Unit Award) are worn on the right chest in some services, and on the left chest in other services-- thus, they will also violate the general order of precedence if worn on the left chest.  Foster and Borts, in their book "A Complete Guide to All United States Military Medals, 1939 to Present" give a good overview of this, and provide complete charts of precedence for each service.

With long experience in the US Military, I would suggest that this is accepted use, even if not directly approved by regulation.  It is certainly not sensible to tear up ribbon bars and remove the MOH ribbon from the bar when wearing the medal itself.  This would be lots of unneeded work which makes no sense, given that you would then have to rebuild the bar both when the medal itself was being worn and when the medal itself was not being worn.  Just practicality.

Does anyone know where I could buy a hat badge for an officer's undress (working) uniform of the Marine Revenue Cutter Service, circa 1880?  Our local Museum has on display a full uniform, but it is missing the cap badge.  I'd be interested in either a real one or a replica, just to put in the museum display.  

What does the "R" in the diamond signify?  PS-- disregard.  I found out it signifies "recruiter".  One of the "specialist" marks.

Thanks for the response-- Like I said, totally outside my area of expertise.  I appreciate the help.

A friend who is doing genealogy asked if I could identify this shoulder or arm patch.  It is outside my area of expertise, and I'm simply looking for anyone who could help identify it.  She thinks it may be Swedish..  The cloth patch is about 9 by 14 centimetres.  The background is a brownish (dark tan), and he stripes are Black Felt.  The Eagle and the centre diamond with an "R" in the centre are faded metallic-- in some lights, they look dark bronze coloured, and in other light they seem to have silver highlights.  This could just be due to tarnishing, I don't know.   Thanks for any help. .  

Yeah, that's my guess, but it's certainly not a very common badge, and I haven't been able to figure out definitively it's origin or meaning.

Agree, but I still can't figure out what it is-- It looks too well-made to be just given out to kids, etc. in large quantities.  There is another one for sale on the web, but with only one star, so apparently there are multiple versions.  I can't figure out the meaning of the chevron or the stars--- "Gold Star Mothers", High School Victory Corps, etc.???  Thanks for any suggestions.

Does anyone recognize this item?  I have never seen anything like it before, and do not recognize it.  Base metal seems to be silver-colored, and the gold color areas seem to be applied like a wash or electroplating.  I believe it is US, since the only markings on it are (in English) "patent pending".  Tops of wings, chevron, and stars are silver-colored.  Decent quality pin back.

I am unaware of any actual medals which come along with this type of certificate.

Still weird, since there has never been a female 5-star general.  Can't imagine why these would have been made for the greens....

Interestingly, the primary book on the ACA is "For the Greatest Achievement (A History of the Aero Club of America and the National Aeronautic Association)", by Bill Robie.  Published by Smithsonian, 1993.  LT Prouvost does not appear anywhere in this book, does not appear to have been licensed by the ACA, and was apparently not a member of the ACA.  Likewise, while other awards given by the ACA are noted and their recipients identified, this particular award is not identified in the book. Looks to me like a real rarity.

Can you get a better image of the button on the shoulder strap?   I can't make it out.  Sort of looks like USAF, rather than Army, which would be possible at that date.  Looks OK to me, for soon after the 1947 foundation of the Air Force.

None of those photos will open for me.