The Legion of Frontiersmen

[Jef]

Dear Peter,

The problem is, the writer is not a Vet but was a child of 12 years old during WWI. In his late eighties he wrote  some memories of his childhood during WWI.

With kind regards,

Jef

Edited July 19, 2017 by Jef

[peter monahan]

Ah!  Yes, the human memory - not nearly infallible, as any police officer or lawyer will tell you.

[thejungleisneutral]

Some examples of LOF-related material from my collection.

Not sure what these shoulder patches are, but appear to be from LOF's Victoria (Australia) Command.

Current/recent patrol jacket brassware - 

Collar badges - being "stabrite" I think these are for LOF officers

 

Tunic button up close

Stabrite hat badge.

Back of hat badge.

Original membership badge

I believe these are long service or good conduct badges.

LOF Para Wing - I wonder what the qualifications are for this award.

Current/recent shoulder chains

Current recent rank pips. 

 

Pre-WWI "monogram" collar badge and shirt button.

[thejungleisneutral]

Some books.

This one is the 2012 University of Alberta reprint of the Frontiersman's Pocket-Book. A very good book actually, packed with bushcraft and frontier lore. I'll find an original one day, but in the meantime, I am very pleased with this leatherbound modern reprint.

Geoffrey Pocock's One Hundred Years of the Legion of Frontiersmen. Another excellent book.

Roger Pocock's 1931 book "Chorus to Adventurers" details the founding of the Legion of Frontiersmen from the founder's own perspective.

 

Not about the LoF, but by a Frontiersman who was quite famous in his day, Australian Walter Kilroy Harris' "Outback in Australia".

Back in 2017, Canadian Frontiersman Historian Barry W Shandro released a wonderfully concise document about the history of the Legion of Frontiersmen. You can read it here - www.frontiersmenhistorian.info/notebook.pdf

Edited January 28, 2019 by thejungleisneutral

[thejungleisneutral]

A few months back I was at the Australian War Memorial doing some unrelated research when I decided to a bit of a search on the LoF on a whim. Here are a few interesting bits and pieces.

This one is the Handbook of the Constitution, Rules and Regulations of the Legion of Frontiersmen, circa early 1930s

 

[peter monahan]

Interesting 'affiliation'!  I wonder what the RCMP made of it?  

[thejungleisneutral]

4 hours ago, peter monahan said:

Interesting 'affiliation'!  I wonder what the RCMP made of it?  

The RCMP affiliation was fair dinkum, but was revoked in the late 1930s due to a series of "schisms" within the LoF. 

See - https://frontiersmenhistorian.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/legion-of-frontiersmen-in-canada-part-5/

"1939 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Visit to Canada. The Frontiersmen were a lauded and efficient auxiliary to the security and crowd control efforts of RCMP during this Royal Tour of Canada. This was to be the high point of LOF affiliation with the RCMP, as the affiliation was terminated in October 1939 largely due to organizational squabbles within the Legion."

[thejungleisneutral]

I also discovered a treasure trove of documentation on the Australian Legion of Frontiersmen whereby the Australian Intelligence Corps (a forerunner of the modern-day Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Australian Army Intelligence Corps) called upon Australian Legion of Frontiersmen personnel for intelligence collection duties overseas, which I was not expecting...

 

[peter monahan]

Interesting indeed!

[Mike Smith]

Would love to get any info on past members for my files

[CMORSMIC]

If anyone is interested the Frontiersmen still exist just much smaller numbers. The University of Alberta in Edmonton has an official Frontiersmen Archives and will be having them digitized so anyone can read them. They were also so kind as to do a reprint of the Frontiersmen's Pocketbook which is an exact copy of the 1st edition using my original and Geoff Pococks our magnificent historian laureate. While we no longer are affiliated to the RCMP since 1939, we still enjoy a good relationship with them and in some communities march with them on parade. Thanks to the late Countess Mountbatten Lady Patricia who was our Patron we also have kept alive the relationship with PPCLI. our current Patron is Lady Penelope the Current Countess Mountbatten who received the title after her mother in law Lady Patricia passed.  Please take the time to review the website

www.frontiersmenhistorian.info

Stephen “Sticks” Gallard International liaison Officer History&Archives Sec.

[cazack]

Hello all

 

I have a few LOF badges (NZ) in my NZ Badge collection and have now received my first medal

 

it is a  New Zealand Legion of Frontiersmen Long Service & Efficiency  Medal made by Mayer and Kean as is marked to front of medal (Wellington NZ)

 

I don't know much about this medal or the period of issue but is made of silver and I might think it would have been the first issue, to which period I am not sure

 

Also are these commonly found medals

 

any help on this medal and information would be appreciated

 

regards

 

C

Edited June 6, 2021 by cazack
addition

[peter monahan]

An Obsolete award - first created in 1944: 

From a 1944 New Zealand Journal:-

LEGION LONG SERVICE AND EFFICIENCY MEDAL (LSEM)

NZHQ receives a cable from England advising that the manufacture and export of medals is prohibitive. The New Zealand Command then decides to strike its own Legion Service Medal recognising Long Service and Efficiency… The LSEM when struck in Sterling Silver is a credit to New Zealand craftsmanship and is attached to a deep red ribbon. This colour was not chosen, but rather all that is available during the war years. The name of the recipient is engraved on the medal with the prefix Frontiersman - no other rank is stated.

 

Lots on information here on the NZ site of the Legion, to my surprise.  I have always understood that their heyday was 1900 to the 1920s, but apparently they're still out there.  At least, they talk about recruiting and the 1921 AGM.

 

http://frontiersmen.homestead.com/hq.html

[Mike Smith]

Per chance is there a recipients name on the medal at all

[cazack]

Hello Mike

 

The medal is un-named, but seems to genuine

 

regards

 

C

 

 

[Mike Smith]

This is a genuine medal.  Even though it was stated that all awards were to be named to the recipient, a large percentage are found unnamed.  Some can be identified to a person from another 'named' medal in a group, but on their own .......... 

I currently have 24 LSEMs in my collection and have found about four unnamed.   Todays awards of the LSEM are unnamed due to cost with jewellers charging anywhere from 10 to 20 dollars PER LETTER.

[geraldryan]

I bought these from Bosleys in 2002-3. Have never researched them in detail. The crossed lancer collar badges look like they have never been worn at all !! Lovely gilt finish. Would appreciate any information on dates they were worn.

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