5016

Thanks for this information and advice gents. Much appreciated.

Kevin.

Hi Gents,

I wonder if there is anyone who can assist me please - I am trying to find out any information about a PC William Soper who served in the Metroplitan Police in the mid-19th Century. The exact dates are not known but he was born in 1831 and died in 1916.

I have the fantastic book by Jim Kemp - “The Metropolitan Police The Men and their medals. Vol. 1” which does list an officer of that name but the period of service is too late (1884 - 1907) to be the man I am trying to research.

Anything you can tell me would be much appreciated. He was the G/Great Grandfather of a friend, who recently showed me some memorabilia of his and asked if I could help her trace any records, as I am a retired policeman myself. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the Metropolitan Police nor how to access any records.

Kind regards,

Kevin.

Many thanks indeed. I’m happy these two have been together for a very long time and have personal experience of police spelling prowess...when I retired after 34 yrs the cut-glass fruit bowl they gave me had my name (Elliott) misspelled. Makes you feel really appreciated. On a plus note - I moaned, so now have two gathering dust in the loft!

Kind regards.

Sorry, should have realised that it was a common name, so the extra detail is needed...on the 1902 he is shown "P.C." and "V Div." Hope that helps.

Kind regards,

Kevin.

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

Can anyone assist me please with information about a pair of Metropolitan Police Coronation medals I have - they are a bronze 1902 Edward VII and a silver George V (1911), named to:- W. CLARKE & W. CLARK (no "E") respectively. 

Both are swing-mounted to a bar, which has some age to it, so I believe belong together and are not a "put together", inspite of the two different spellings.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Kevin.

Many thanks for link and info ayedeeyew. So, according to the site, it dates from 1909 (244 Barr St address) to 1922 (stopped using patent stamp), which is useful. I know whose whistle it was, I just wondered if the number was his collar number. I didn't realise the actual whistles were numbered. 

The website is really good. I didn't realise there was such interest and information about such a humble object.

Kind regards,

Kevin.

I wonder if anyone can help me...as a retired officer I was recently given an old police whistle, which the donator thought would be of interest to me. Joining in the early 70's, these had already disappeared from my forces uniform and I never had one of my own. 

It is a standard "The Metropolitan" model, stamped with a (collar?) number 2717 and also stamped "London City Police". It has the makers name  J. Hudson and address 244 Barr St., Birmingham. On the top, it is stamped "Patent 5727.08"

A quick Google suggests that this makers address dates it post-1908, and I understand the patent puts it to the period from that date to approx 1920? This ties in with the information I was supplied by the person who gave it to me, i.e. the period between the wars.

Can anyone confirm the approx age of the whistle and, if possible identify the officer with collar number / warrant number 2717? Unlike some of the county forces I understand better records exist for our London based colleagues.

Thanks in anticipation,

Kevin.

Wow, best bit of luck I think I've ever had! 

That's interesting Chris - an expensive buckle! How would my artillery buckle compare in terms of rarity, as I'm not familiar with any of these Boer War uniform items?

Thanks in anticipation,

Kevin.

That's a neat photo Paul. You can see belt buckles...is that the one I wonder?

Kevin.

Hello Piekenier,

Many thanks for the picture of the Major and the photo of the actual artillery unit.

Strange what turns up in remote places, isn't it? I hadn't realised my luck the day I spotted it in the shop. I don't collect anything specifically, other than Japanese swords and fittings, but pick up any interesting items along the way - as you can usually swap or part exchange for something you like.

Can you give me an approx valuation for this item please?

Regards,

Kevin.

Hi Paul,

Yes, that makes sense. Good tip, thank you.

It seems someone probably took the higher grade award from mine and replaced it with a lower class. I'll try and rectify that in time. There are so many pitfalls for the new-comer in any field of collecting.

Regards,

Kevin.

Many thanks Andreas. I'll keep my eyes open for a 2nd class award. 

I appreciate all the help you have given me.

Regards,

Kevin.

Here you go Andreas. I've also done a close up of the two maker-marked medals. The EK is marked "S-W". Hope this helps. Anything you can tell me appreciated. 

Also, if the other two bars look ok, could you please let me know. Good or bad, I want to know.

On 9 February 2016 at 21:38, dedehansen said:

either the Militärverdienstcross or the long service cross isn´t right, but

with the Jubiläumsmedaille it is more likely, that the Militärverdienstkreuz is the wrong class.

Can you show me exactly which (ideally with a photo) class of MVK you would expect to see. I may try to source the medal and correct this situation.

Thanks in anticipation.

Kevin.

Thanks for that Andreas. Oh dear - that's disappointing. So far as you can tell, are the other two bars right?

Kind regards,

Kevin

Many thanks Andreas. That is so helpful. 

Regards,

Kevin.

Hi Gents,

I have recently acquired a small collection of Imperial German medal bars. This is not my area of collecting but I couldn't resist...I was  only after some to display with a WW1 Butchers bayonet and these were offered.

I would be most grateful if anyone could tell me exactly what I have please. I think they all represent soldiers who survived WW1 and went on into the Third Reich period but may be wrong!

If you can tell me which region they are from, the names of each medal and if it is possible to tell anything about the soldier from the grouping i.e. an N.C.O. etc

Many thanks in anticipation.

Kevin.

Thank you Paul. That's a good suggestion. It certainly doesn't sound very Germanic. I've read that the Orange Free State artillery were commanded by a Prussian named Albrecht and may have had a strong Prussian contingent? Their (dress) uniforms certainly have a Prussian theme - Picklehaubs etc. I'd love to find a picture of their uniform showing the belt buckle in wear.

Kevin.

Gents,

Sadly I have been "off forum" for rather a long time. I so wish I had seen this thread sooner and been able to communicate with Mervyn. I recently found a brass belt buckle of the type used by the German military, i.e. with a post and spikes on the back to engage in the leather belt. It has the Oranje Vrystaat banner and crossed flags badge, which has been identified as that of the O.V.S. Artillerie. I had no idea what it was when I found it in a local collectors shop here on the Isle of Wight.

It is possible to see a name (?) engraved on the rear - looks like H. HAM? 

Just thought I'd share with anyone interested.

Kevin.

Dave,

Thank you very much. My mate has been supplied with a hyperlink to this thread and is picking up these snippets of information daily. It is all adding to the overall picture and I'm sure he'll be delighted with all the kind help.

You and I are at the opposite ends of the British Isles. Down here we are shandy-drinking southerners. I bet I know what your tipple is up there ;-)

Kind regards,

Kevin.

He shouldn't be too hard to track down given that he lived in a relatively small town. He will no doubt be listed in the ten-yearly census records for the Burgh of Hawick.

A good place to start is here:http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

And this may be very helpful:

A series of articles on the history of local police was published in the Hawick Archaeological Society's transactions. All were written by Sergeant George Dorward:

• "History of Local Police - Part I (up to 1850)", 1965 transactions, pages 27-46
  
• "History of Local Police - Part II (section 1) (up to November 1861)", 1966 transactions, pages 3-26
  
• "History of Local Police - Part II (section 2) (up to 1871)", 1967 transactions, pages 3-24
  
• "History of Local Police - Part II (section 3) (up to 1880)", 1968 transactions, pages 3-17
  
• "History of Local Police (1881 to present day)", 1969 transactions, pages 5-14
  

http://www.airchieoliver.co.uk/

Super job Nick. I'll pass this on to my friend. All looking very promising.

Thank you.

Kevin.

Suggest you try here, as Hawick was absorbed into LBP. They have a police museum on The Royal Mile.

http://www.lbp.police.uk/contact_us.aspx

PS - It's great being a RETIRED cop, isn't it !!

Many thanks. Yes, it' certainly is. I've got the blood pressure of a 16yr old now!

Any more books anticipated?

Kind regards,

Kevin Elliott

(Former Hampshire Sgt)

Hi Everyone,

A badge-collecting friend of mine in New Zealand asked me for help but I'm floundering with this one...he is trying to find out any facts about his G/Grandfather, who was a Scottish policeman, named Andrew DAVIDSON from Hawick Police. The photo I've got has the collar initials HBP, which I assume to be Hawick Borough Police? His collar number appears to be "13".
Dates are uncertain but my friend believes the picture to date from around 1880.
In 1915, the gentleman then emigrated via Australia to New Zealand and purchased a farm, which my friend still owns today - nice legacy to spend his commutation on!

I am retired police myself but have little experience in this type of historical research. I know the Mets were tidy record keepers but imagine the county and borough records will be less available. That said I would be very grateful for any information about the constable or indeed the force itself.

Not sure how to upload pictures but here (hopefully) is a link to my photobucket picture library:-

http://i1262.photobu...Davidson001.jpg


A very stern, dour, Presbyterian man with a penchant for whiskey I am reliably informed. Good for him!

Many thanks in anticipation gents.

Kevin.

Hi Kevin!

I found a site that tells us a little about the swordsmith, whose name appears on the tang of your sword, Fujiwara Masahiro : http://www.hizento.n...hp?page=history.

To your blessing, he is a noted smith and this adds greatly to the value of your blade. (Did the person who polished the blade, a Japanese artisan I suspect, have anything to say about the smith or the blade?)

Fujiwara Masahiro was also a teacher and the teacher/s of any famous smith is/are always an important part of their biography. (I'm not sure, however, who he taught that became famous.)

If I read the site correctly, it says your sword was made in either 1628 or 1641.

I love fittings and it is good you retain those from the war, which I presume were with the blade when you aquired it, and the shirasaya (plain wooden scabbard), that would have been returned to you with the blade after its professional polish.

The fittings are very samurai (as opposed to standardised post-1868 modern army variants).

This is a family blade and the owner (the "high ranking" officer you refer to) would have been of samurai heritage. Also, because the blade is that of Fujiwara Masahiro, that heritage would have been prestigious. However, and with regret, we cannot tell. Therefore, the blade must be assessed on its merit alone and the fact it was made by a famous smith. (Also, but to a lesser and seperate extent, it can be assessed on its wartime/samurai fittings). Overall, this is a beautiful sword and well worth the effort of the polish.

The scabbard's combat cover is Imperial Japanese Army. Also, if it came from the British army officer you mention then, most likely, it was surrended to him somewhere in the British theatre, probably Burma. However, this is a wild and silly guess, but a good starting point for glass-of-whisky conjecture.

Thanks again.

Keep well

Satsuma

Thanks Satsuma. Interesting web page.

The sword was supposed to have come from Burma. I tried, unsuccessfully, to discover more about the sellers family who put it into auction. They did not, however, want their details released. There had even been a small plaque screwed to the sword scabbard (which had the surrender details) but this was removed prior to sale.

I had realised Masahiro is an important smith. I also always assume any important smith's work is fake until proven otherwise. I have been assured it is Tadayoshi school (which ties in of course) and that the signature is very similar to other known examples. However, until it is one day "papered", I'll treat it as a very nice, old, Shinto sword, which it undeniably is.

I'm pleased with it. Just wish it could talk!

Regards,

Kevin.