Princess Mary Tin with pencil, card and cardboad cut-out

[Chrisvo]

I like to collect medals but sometimes you find something else. I found the one pencil at a local flea market. And then the following week I found the other pencil with its tin, 1915 card and cardboard cut-out at an antique fair. The tin also came with a set of trio medals which I will be getting in the next couple of weeks. The soldier was part of the South African Mounted Rifles (SAMR) campaign in South West Africa and I believe his 1914/15 star shows this whilst his Victory Medal and British War Medal have a different rank and unit description.

All parts are in excellent condition, the lacquer on the pencil is now a lovely dark colour and the silver tip has toned well, except for the part below the casing.

Some pictures.

 

 

Some more pictures. The 'M' on the one pencil is difficult to pick up with my shoddy camera and camera work, I took a close-up to try and capture it better. Amazing to know these survived so well, even after 100 years!

 

 

The bottom of the casings are different. One reads "KN 14 VII" and the other " 'C' 'B' 'II' "

Edited February 18, 2016 by Chrisvo

[peter monahan]

Lovely!  I was able to get an originakl tin last year and there is a company in the UK producing a 'set' of photos of Mary, the King and the Queen, a Christmas card and two small packets of cigarettes and tobacco.  I gather from my research that everybody who was in France in 1914 eventually got these, though some of the Indians not until 1916!  

A very evocative thing, and perhaps the last 'personal' touch by a British monarch, befoe the sheer scale of the war put paid to such gestures.

BTW, I'm going to ask our Chairman to move this thread to the British Empire area, where moew of the interested members are likely to see it.

[Chrisvo]

Thank you. Moving the thread is fine by me.

My mistake. I actually missed the British Empire forum for different colonies and went straight to Africa, since that is where the soldier fought and where he was given the tin. Can't wait to get the medals and see what extra information I can obtain about him.

I almost completely missed the first pencil, the one with the crack in the casing. I had been looking for years to find one of these special pencils but didn't want to buy online. Was in a box mixed in with a bunch of other items and almost mistook it for a mere bullet! Spoke to the seller and he said he didn't even know what it was and just brought the box along to the flea market to clear out.. quite lucky as things go. Unfortunately, I didn't find any other finds in said box.. I even asked if by chance it came with one of the khaki writing folders... haha, got to try your luck sometimes!

[Tony]

Nice, and a spare tip too.

I think these tins were for all men in uniform at Christmas 1914 including wounded at home and NOK of men killed. They were still being handed out in 1919 as far as I know.

You can never have enough Princess Mary tins or contents but the lighter and writing case are two of the contents I'll probably never have. Good luck finding more especially from dealers who don't know what they have.

Tony

[peter monahan]

I was out yesterday speaking to high school students about the war.  When I get over the flu and unpack the car I'll try to remember to photgraph the contents and my tin and post it here. As far as I can tell - not far - the contents seem to be aithful copies of some of the individual tins.

Tony, I can well imagine that the tins took a long time to deliver to NoK.  As I sufggested, I believe the Indian Army ones chased the jawans out to mespot in 1917 or so.  I'm writing up the 70 men from my community who died in the Great War and the medals. crosses, scrolls and plaques all went out 1920 at the earliest.