MEDALS OF THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918: THE MILITARY CROSS

ARMOURER
the

militaria magazine September/October 2015 Price £3.95 www.armourer.co.uk

1 Man
4 Wars Edith Cavell
Marking
William Saville the 100 th
documented anniversary
of her death
through his medals,
photographs and
ephemera

PLUS
INFANTRY
BAYONETS S
N
COMPETITIOS
AUCTION
EVENTS

■ John Browning’s Automatic Rifle ■ The guns of Emden

■ Bayonet Fact File

01coverSeptOct.indd 1 12/08/2015 14:59

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p02_ARMSepOct15.indd 1 07/08/2015 11:00

 ARMOURER
the

Issue 131 Contents

militaria magazine

W
elcome to the September
October issue of the Armourer.
On the cover this month we
feature William Saville, whose illustrious
military career served across four wars, an
interesting read by Peter Duckers which
can be found on page 52. Also on the
cover we pay tribute to Edith Cavell as this
October marks the centenary of her death,
an inspiring story by Ken Rimell.
What a relief for lovers of the War and
Peace Revival; back in July Rex Cadman
announced his intended retirement after
27 years of running the extravaganza and
that 2015 would be the last ever event. We
were all elated at the news later that month
of John Allison's intention to take over the
72
38
show. The Armourer would like to wish all
parties all the very best for the future.
Enjoy your read.
Jayne Thorpe,
Production Editor

64 Medals of The Great War:

5
Part Six: The Military Cross.
A Fair Day’s Work
The Armourer takes a look at 38 German Military Rifle
Cartridges, Part 4
By Peter Duckers
who is selling what at arms and militaria
fairs around the country
‘Beggars can’t be choosers!’
By Paul Scarlata 68 Stable Belts
By John Bodsworth

7 The British Army of August

1914. Part 1: Royal Field Artillery. 42 German Day and Rally
Badges 70 Under the Hammer
The latest auction news
By Ray Westlake By Jamie Cross
72 Battle of Britain Sale

12
Bosleys & Marlow’s 75th
Caps and cap badges
Part 2: Post-1900. 48 The Athens War Museum
A walk through the pantheon of
Anniversary Battle of Britain Aviation Sale
By Goff Lumley Ancient Military History.
74 Competiton

18 John Browning’s By Tim Campbell Why not try your luck?

Automatic Rifle: the BAR
By George Prescott 52 Medal Collecting with Peter
Duckers 76 The War & Peace Revival
Under New Management.
By John Norris
24 The Guns of the Emden William Saville – a military career
Part 1 by John Walter through four wars

56 77 News and Views

Armed Forces Day.
30 Bayonet Fact File HMS Monitor 33
No. 65: A British Unofficial The Gallipoli Phoenix. By Ken Rimell
Commercial Pattern 1888 Bayonet. By John Norris 79 Ask the Armourer
By R.D.C. Evans
60 Nurse Edith Cavell 81 Arms Fair Diary

34 Allied vs Axis: Machine By Ken Rimell 82 Who to contact

guns
In the final instalment of the series, the
big guns are brought out as Benjamin
Russell reports from Las Vegas.

52

Cover inset image: Edith Cavell courtesy of Paul Hurst ©

all rights reserved 76
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 3

03 Contents.indd 3 12/08/2015 16:36

p04_ARMSepOct15.indd 1 07/08/2015 11:01
 A FAIR DAY’S WORK
Peter Duckers takes a look at who is selling what at arms and militaria fairs around the country

1
2

5. A large range of quality modern US, British

3 and other uniform and equipment, displayed
by Mel Newman; contact 01789-293632.
1. An extensive range of military history,
regimental histories and detailed reference 6. An unusual group of mid 19thC French
books is always available from Chris Slade: military awards, including the British medal
contact him on 01225-762116 or visit www. for the Crimea, the Legion of Honour and the
slademilitarybooks.com. French medal for the Italy campaign of 1859.
Available, along with a good range of other
2. A very attractive example of the rare 1829- medals, decorations etc., from Mike Adams
44 period shako plate of the 30th (Cambridge) (‟Medals of the Raj”) on [number to follow]
Regt. Priced at £950. This and a good range
of other quality badges is available from Dixon
Pickup on 01622-859058
6
3. A large range of quality modern
US, British and other uniform and
equipment, displayed by Mel
Newman; contact 01789-293632.

4. Michael Quick of Malvern carries

an extensive range of quality military
books, regimental histories etc, of all
eras. For details or enquiries, contact
him on 01684-565800 or e-mail mqbooks@
4 aol.com.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 5

5_FairDayswork.indd 5 12/08/2015 15:28

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The British Army of August 1914
Royal Artillery (Territorial Force)
Part 1: Royal Field Artillery
By Ray Westlake
R
oyal Field Artillery (TF) in 1914
comprised 14 divisions. With the
exception of the Highland, all
divisions were made up of four brigades,
three field and one howitzer. The Highland
Division had two field and one howitzer, with
a 4th Mountain Brigade that came under the
Royal Garrison Artillery. Field brigades were
made up from three batteries, while howitzer
brigades consisted of two. Each brigade had
its own ammunition column.
1st East Anglian Brigade: Surrey Street,
Norwich with 1st Norfolk Battery at Nelson
Road, Great Yarmouth; 2nd, 3rd Norfolk
Batteries and the ammunition column in
Norwich. The Cadet Norfolk Artillery at
Surrey Street was affiliated.
2nd East Anglian Brigade: Artillery House,
The Green, Stratford with 1st Essex Battery
in Stratford; 2nd Essex Battery, 17 Victoria
Road, Romford and 3rd Essex Battery, Grays.
7_ray_westlake.indd 7
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
The ammunition column was at Stratford.
3rd East Anglian Brigade (Howitzer):
Great Gripping Street, Ipswich with 1st
Suffolk (Howitzer) Battery at Beccles Road,
Lowestoft (there was also a detachment at
Beccles) and 2nd Suffolk (Howitzer) Battery,
Ipswich. The ammunition Column was at
Arnold Road, Lowestoft and affiliated to the
brigade was The Beccles Cadet Corps at
Gillingham Rectory, Beccles. Fig.1, 1st Suffolk
(Howitzer) Battery close to their headquarters,
18 March 1911.
4th East Anglian Brigade: 28 St Andrew's
Street, Hertford with 1st Hertfordshire Battery
at Artillery Buildings, Harpenden Road, St
Albans (there was also a detachment at Hertford);
2nd Hertfordshire Battery, Clarendon Hall,
Watford (detachment at Hemel Hempstead);
and the Northamptonshire Battery which
was in Queen's Street, Peterborough. The
ammunition column was at Hartford.
THE BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
1st Highland Brigade: North Street,
Aberdeen with 1st, 2nd and 3rd City of
Aberdeen Batteries.
2nd Highland Brigade: Dudhope Drill
Hall, Brown Street, Dundee with the
Forfarshire Battery at Arbroath; Fifeshire
Battery, Leven (there was also a detachment at
East Wemyss) and the City of Dundee Battery.
The ammunition column was in Dundee.
3rd Highland Brigade (Howitzer): 8 South
Street, Greenock, the batteries being named
1st and 2nd Renfrewshire. There were two
ammunition columns, both at Cathcart, one
designated as the Renfrewshire Small Arms
Section Ammunition Column.
4th Highland Brigade (Mountain),
Royal Garrison Artillery: Russell Street,
Rothesay with the Argyllshire (Mountain)
Battery at Campbeltown (there were also
detachments at Oban and Tobermory);
Ross and Cromarty (Mountain) Battery,
Lochcarron (detachments at Kishoen, Kyle
of Lochalsh, Applecross, Plockton, Dornie
and Stornoway) and the Buteshire (Mountain
Battery at Rothesay (detachments at Largs
and Kilchattan). The ammunition column
was located: 'A' Sub-Section, Tarbert' 'B'
Sub-Section, Millport and 'C' Sub-Section,
Dingwall. Fig.2, Buteshire Battery.
1st Home Counties Brigade: Church
Street, Brighton with 1st and 2nd Sussex
Batteries, also in Church Street, and 3rd
Sussex Battery at Marmion Road, Hove (there
was also a detachment at Shoreham). The
ammunition column was at Worthing and
affiliated to the brigade was the Steyne School
Cadet Corps at Worthing and the Brighton
Brigade Sussex Cadets. A third unit, with
headquarters at 35 Temple Street, Brighton,
was designated 1st Cadet Battalion, 1st Home
Counties Brigade (Imperial Service Cadet
Corps). Fig.3, Steyne School Cadet Corps.
2nd Home Counties Brigade: The Goffs,
Eastbourne with 4th Sussex Battery, also
at The Goffs (there was a detachment at
Hailsham); 5th Sussex Battery, Hatherly
Road, St Leonards-on-Sea (detachment
at Hastings) and 6th Sussex Battery, The
Downs, Bexhill (detachments at Pevensey and
Ninfield). The ammunition column was at
Hailsham and affiliated to the brigade were
the St Leonards Collegiate School Cadet
Company and the Imperial Service Cadet
Corps at Eastbourne.
3rd Home Counties Brigade (Cinque
Ports): Liverpool Street, Dover with 1st
Kent Battery, also in Liverpool Street; 2nd
Kent Battery, Shellon Street, Folkestone and
3rd Kent Battery, High Street, Ramsgate
(there was also a detachment in Margate).
The ammunition column was located: Gun
Section, Deal; Small Arm Section, Sandwich.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 7
11/08/2015 15:48
 THE BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
4th Home Counties Brigade (Howitzer):
'Trevethan', Bexley Road, Erith with 4th Kent
(Howitzer) and 5th Kent (Howitzer) Batteries.
1st East Lancashire Brigade: 50 King
Street, Blackburn with 4th Lancashire Battery,
also in King Street; 5th Lancashire Battery,
Church and 6th Lancashire Battery, Burnley.
The ammunition column was in Blackburn.
2nd East Lancashire Brigade (The
Manchester Artillery): Hyde Road,
Manchester with 15th, 16th and 17th
Lancashire Batteries.
3rd East Lancashire Brigade (The Bolton
Artillery): Included 18th, 19th and 20th
Lancashire Batteries.
4th East Lancashire Brigade (Howitzer)
(The Cumberland Artillery): Workington
with 1st Cumberland (Howitzer) Battery at
Carlisle and 2nd Cumberland (Howitzer)
Battery, Workington. The ammunition column
was also in Workington and with detachments
at Maryport and Whitehaven.
1st West Lancashire Brigade: Windsor
Barracks, Spekeland Street, Liverpool. The
batteries were designated 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Lancashire.
8 Armourer Issue 131
7_ray_westlake.indd 8
Fig. 5
2nd West Lancashire Brigade: London). Fig.5, Drivers and trumpeters at
Stanley Street, Preston with 9th camp in Kent, 1910.
Lancashire Battery, also at Stanley 5th London Brigade: 76 Lower
Street; 10th Lancashire Battery, Dallas Kennington Lane, Lambeth with
Road, Lancaster and 11th Lancashire 12th and 13th (County of London)
Battery, Yorkshire Street, Blackpool Batteries, also at headquarters,
(there was also a detachment at and 14th (County of London)
Bamber Bridge). The Battery, Porteous Road,
ammunition column was Paddington. The
at Stanley Street. ammunition column
3rd West Lancashire Fig. 6 was at headquarters.
Brigade: 65 Admiral Street, Liverpool Fig.6, Cap badge.
with 12th Lancashire Battery, also at Admiral 6th London Brigade: 105 Holland Road,
Street; 13th Lancashire Battery, 1 Earp Street, Brixton with 15th, 16th and 17th (County of
Garston and 14th Lancashire Battery, Widnes. London) Batteries. Fig.7, 'B' Sub-Section on
The ammunition column was at Admiral Street. Salisbury Plain.
4th West Lancashire Brigade (Howitzer): 7th London Brigade: High Street, Fulham
Edge Lane, Liverpool with 7th and 8th with 18th (County of London) Battery, also
Lancashire (Howitzer) Batteries. at headquarters; 19th (County of London)
1st London Brigade (City of London): Battery, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush and 20th
Handle Street, Bloomsbury with 1st, 2nd and (County of London) Battery, headquarters.
3rd (City of London) Batteries. Fig.4, Colonel The ammunition column was also in Fulham.
J. Stolley. Fig.8, Detail from a recruiting postcard.
2nd London Brigade: Royal Arsenal, 8th London Brigade (Howitzer): 'Oaklands',
Woolwich with 4th and 5th (County of St Margaret's Road, Woolwich with 21st and
London) Batteries, Beresford Street, Woolwich 22nd (County of London) Batteries.
and 6th (County of London) Battery, Eltham. 1st Lowland Brigade: 30 Grindlay Street,
The ammunition column was at Beresford Edinburgh with 1st and 2nd City of Edinburgh
Street and affiliated to the brigade was the Batteries and the Midlothian Battery.
1st Woolwich Cadet Corps at High Street, 2nd Lowland Brigade: Irvine with
Plumstead. 1st Ayrshire Battery, also at Irvine; 2nd
3rd London Brigade: Leonard Street, Ayrshire Battery, Kilmarnock and the
Finsbury. The batteries were designated 7th, Kirkcudbrightshire Battery, Kirkcudbright.
8th and 9th (County of London). The ammunition column was at Ardrossan.
4th London Brigade (Howitzer): 3rd Lowland Brigade: 8 Newton Terrace,
Ennersdale Road, Lewisham. The batteries Charing Cross, Glasgow with 1st City of
were designated 10th and 11th (County of Glasgow Battery, Berkley Street; 2nd City of
Fig. 7
11/08/2015 15:48

Glasgow Battery, Percy Street, Maryhill and
3rd City of Glasgow Battery, Keppochhill,
Springburn. The ammunition column was at
Percy Street.
4th Lowland Brigade (Howitzer): 8
Newton Terrace, Glasgow with 4th City of
Glasgow (Howitzer) Battery, Butterbiggins
Road, Govanhill, Glasgow and 5th City of
Glasgow (Howitzer) Battery, Elder Street,
Govan. The ammunition column was at
Butterbiggins Road.
1st North Midland Brigade: Grimsby with
1st and 2nd Lincolnshire Batteries, also in
Grimsby, and 3rd Lincolnshire Battery, Louth
(there was also a detachment at Grimsby). The
ammunition column was at headquarters.
2nd North Midland Brigade: Victoria
Square, Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent with 1st and
2nd Staffordshire Batteries, also at Victoria
Square, and 3rd Staffordshire Battery, Leek.
The ammunition column was at headquarters.
3rd North Midland Brigade: West Park,
Wolverhampton with 4th Staffordshire
Battery, West Park; 5th Staffordshire Battery,
West Bromwich and 6th Staffordshire Battery,
Bailey Street, Stafford. The ammunition
column was as West Park.
4th North Midland Brigade (Howitzer):
Siddal's Road, Derby with 1st and 2nd
Derbyshire (Howitzer) Batteries. The 1st
Battery also had a detachment at West Hallam.
1st South Midland Brigade
(Gloucestershire): Clifton, Bristol with
1st and 2nd Gloucestershire Batteries also
at Clifton and 3rd Gloucestershire Battery,
Gloucester. The ammunition column was
also in Gloucester. Fig.9, 1st South Midland
Brigade member (right), Royal Gloucestershire
Hussars Yeomanry (left).
2nd South Midland Brigade: 24 Southfield
Street, Worcester with 1st Worcestershire
Battery, also at 24 Southfield Street, 2nd
Worcestershire Battery, George Street,
Kidderminster (there was a detachment at
Malvern) and 3rd Worcestershire Battery,
Easemore Road, Redditch. The ammunition
column was in Clarence Road, Malvern.
3rd South Midland Brigade: Stoney
Lance, Birmingham with 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Warwickshire Batteries.
4th South Midland Brigade (Howitzer):
Quinton Road, Coventry with 4th Warwickshire
(Howitzer) Battery, also at Quinton Road (there
was also a detachment at Rugby) and 5th
7_ray_westlake.indd 9
Fig. 8
Warwickshire (Howitzer) Battery, Rugby. The
ammunition column was at Coventry.
1st Northumbrian Brigade: Barrack Road,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne with 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Northumberland Batteries.
2nd Northumbrian Brigade: Wenlock
Barracks, Anlaby Road, Hull with 1st and
2nd East Riding Batteries at Park Street,
Hull; the North Riding Battery, Scarborough
(there was also a detachment at Whitby). The
ammunition column was also at Park Street.
3rd Northumbrian Brigade (County
of Durham): Seaham Harbour with 1st
Durham Battery, also at Seaham Harbour;
2nd Durham Battery, Durham (there was also
a detachment at Silkworth) and 3rd Durham
Battery, The Armoury, West Hartlepool. The
ammunition column was at Seaham Harbour.
4th Northumbrian Brigade (County of
Durham) (Howitzer): Bolingbroke Street,
South Shields with 4th Durham (Howitzer)
Battery, also at Bolingbroke Street, and
5th Durham (Howitzer) Battery, Hebburn-
on-Tyne. The ammunition column was at
Bolingbroke Street.
1st West Riding Brigade: Fenton Street,
Leeds with 1st West Riding Battery, also
at Fenton Street; 2nd West Riding Battery,
Bramley and 3rd West Riding Battery, Fenton
Street. The ammunition column was also in
Fenton Street.
2nd West Riding Brigade: Valley Parade,
Bradford with 4th West Riding Battery, also
THE BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
in Valley Parade; 5th West Riding Battery,
Halifax and 6th West Riding Battery,
Heckmondwike. The ammunition column was
at Valley Parade.
3rd West Riding Brigade: Norfolk Barracks,
Sheffield with 7th, 8th and 9th West Riding
Batteries.
4th West Riding Brigade (Howitzer):
Otley with 10th West Riding (Howitzer)
Battery, also at Otley, and 11th West Riding
(Howitzer) Battery, Ilkley. The ammunition
column was at Burley.
1st Welsh Brigade (Howitzer): Swansea
with 1st Glamorgan (Howitzer) Battery, also
in Swansea, and 2nd Glamorgan (Howitzer)
Battery, Briton Ferry (there was also a
detachment at Neath). The ammunition
column was at Morriston.
2nd Welsh Brigade: Cardiff with 3rd and
4th Glamorgan Batteries, also in Cardiff, and
the Cardiganshire Battery, Aberystwyth. The
ammunition column was in Cardiff.
Cheshire Brigade: Old Prison Yard,
Shipgate Street, Chester with 1st and 2nd
Cheshire Batteries, also at Old Prison Yard,
and 3rd Cheshire Battery, Crewe. The
ammunition column was at Old Prison Yard.
Redesignated in 1913, the Cheshire Brigade
was until then known as 3rd Welsh. Fig.10,
The band at camp, August 1914.
4th Welsh Brigade: Lime Street, Newport
with 1st Monmouthshire Battery, also at
Lime Street; 2nd Monmouthshire Battery,
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11/08/2015 15:48
 THE BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914

3rd Wessex Brigade: The Armoury,

Prospect Place, Swindon with 6th Hampshire
Battery, Victoria Drill Hall, Bournemouth;
the Dorsetshire Battery, Bridport (there was
also a detachment at Dorchester), and the
Wiltshire Battery, Swindon. The ammunition
column was in Malmesbury.
4th Wessex Brigade: Exeter with 1st
Devonshire Battery, also in Exeter (there was
a detachment at Exmouth); 2nd Devonshire
Battery, Paignton (detachments at Torre and
Dartmouth) and 3rd Devonshire Battery,
Tavistock (detachments at Lydford and
Milton Abbot). The ammunition column
was at Crediton with a detachment in
Teignmouth. Fig.12, 1st Devonshire Battery.
Fig. 11

Risca and 3rd Monmouthshire Battery,

Griffithstown. The ammunition column was Fig. 12
at Lime Street and affiliated to the brigade,
with headquarters at Newport Post Office, was
the Newport Cadet Corps. Fig.11, Musicians
arriving at camp in Merionethshire, 1911.
1st Wessex Brigade: St Paul's Road,
Portsmouth with 1st and 2nd Hampshire
Batteries, also at St Paul's Road, and 3rd
Hampshire Battery, Walpole Road, Gosport.
The ammunition column was at St Paul's Road.
2nd Wessex Brigade (Howitzer): Ryde,
Isle of Wight with 4th Hampshire (Howitzer)
Battery, Ventnor (there was also a detachment
at Ryde), and 5th Hampshire (Howitzer)
Battery, Freshwater (detachment at Newport).
The ammunition column was at Ryde with
detachments at Binstead and Ventnor.

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7_ray_westlake.indd 10 11/08/2015 15:48

 HERMANN HISTORICA

A 3-rotor Enigma I cipher machine,

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automobile pennant and a service baton by Heimsoeth & Rincke in Berlin

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p11_ARMSepOct15.indd
Armourer_1p_4c_A71.indd1 1 07/08/2015 11:05
06.08.15 12:12
 CAPS AND CAP BADGES
Caps and cap badges
Part 2: Post-1900. By Goff Lumley
P
art 1 of this article looked at caps and
cap badges from a badge collector’s
point of view and highlighted those
badge features which could help a collector
relate particular badges to particular caps.
It generally addressed pre-1900 caps and
badges. Relating these items was relatively
easy because many badges from that period
were large and were unlikely to be associated
with caps smaller than the illustrated shakos
and helmets. However, around 1900, new
badges were introduced which were smaller
and could be worn on a variety of caps. The
relationship between these new badges and
their potential caps is the subject of this
second and final part.
The new badges were not the first ‘smaller’
badges because some had been used on ‘old’
forage caps. These were quite often numbers
which simply identified the wearer’s Regiment
of Foot. However, the use of smaller badges
accelerated when the Glengarry was made
a general-issue ‘undress’ cap, as outlined in
Part 1. After 1895, it progressed even further
when the Glengarry was replaced (in England
12 Armourer Issue 131
12_Goff_lumley.indd 12
and Wales) by the Field Service (Side) Cap.
This cap couldn’t support Glengarry badges
so many new and smaller cap badges were
issued which will be familiar to all cap badge
collectors because they and their variants
were used throughout the 20th century and
beyond. Their issue and subsequent usage
also coincided with the introduction of many
new items of headdress, as shown in the
accompanying illustrations.
Now, a quick glance at the illustrations may
make the reader think that relating specific
badges to specific caps is not going to be as
easy as the same operation in Part 1 because
many of the illustrated cap types could have
been adorned with the same regimental
badge. For example, the Durham Light
Infantry bugle badge could have adorned
many caps ranging from the Broderick to the
Beret, so how could you relate a particular
badge to a particular cap?
As has been said, this isn’t going to be
easy but there are some badge features, even
amongst those badges which are of the same
basic design, which can help narrow the
range of potential caps. Examples of badges
with such helpful features are the non-
voided economy issues of WWI or the plastic
badges of WWII. There are also features of
individual caps which, in themselves, narrow
the range of badges which could be worn on
them. An example here is the women’s cap
worn by the Auxiliary Territorial Service
(ATS) during WWII. One can thus glean
information from both cap and cap badge
which can help identify an association. Such
information is outlined, where possible, in
the notes accompanying each individual
headdress illustration and has been expanded
a little in the following text.
Thus, in Table 1, the khaki Field Service
Cap (Peaked) and its softer, warmer WWI
variants would be an obvious choice if one
wondered which hat was likely to feature
a WWI economy issue badge. The latter
were manufactured with minimal voiding to
make the manufacturing process easier and
cheaper. Also, in WWII, the Field Service
Cap (Side) may have featured plastic badges
that were produced to save on metals which
11/08/2015 15:50
 CAPS AND CAP BADGES

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 13

12_Goff_lumley.indd 13 11/08/2015 15:50

 CAPS AND CAP BADGES
were becoming strategically important.
However, when we address Table 2, you will
note that a ‘General Service Cap’ replaced
the FSC (side) in 1943 and this is also a likely
home for a WWII plastic badge.
A colourful, peaked forage cap appears
in Table 1. Its name (forage cap) causes a
little confusion and can still confuse me!
Originally, forage caps were simple, easily-
packed-away, work caps that could be worn
instead of shakos etc. when formal headdress
would not have been appropriate. An
example of a forage cap worn in Crimea was
provided in Part 1. One could thus think of
the Glengarry, mentioned earlier, as a forage
cap which would be worn when the wearing
of a Home Service Helmet (see Part 1) was
not appropriate. The Household Cavalry
example shown in Table 1 might also be
thought of in the same way because it (or
rather its earlier variants) would have been
worn when metal helmets and breast and
back plates were not worn. However, such
forage caps are now worn as No 1 Dress
caps by many regiments. In other words,
they are now a regiment’s ‘formal’ cap. One
good thing to remember here is that some
regiments use different colours in their forage
caps (see Table 4 for another example) which
14 Armourer Issue 131
12_Goff_lumley.indd 14
can go some way towards relating a specific
badge to a specific cap.
The last three ‘caps’ in Table 1 are
interesting. The Bush Hat, especially when
worn as a slouch hat (i.e. one side clipped
up) can feature a number of badges but the
style shown in the illustration is that worn by
the Gurkhas so one could reasonably relate
Gurkha badges to such a hat. It has been
made more interesting by showing it with
General (later Field Marshal) Slim’s badge
on it. As such, one could appreciate it as an
iconic piece of headgear alongside General
(later Field Marshal) Montgomery’s double-
badged Royal Tank Regiment Beret.
The Steel helmet and badge in Table 1 is
an easy one when it comes to relating cap to
badge because they are unlikely to be found
in a separated state. The last cap in Table
1 also has attributes that help relate cap to
badge, although the relationship is not quite
so clear-cut. However, the simple fact that
it is a woman’s hat significantly cuts the
number of potential badges. There weren’t
many WWII women’s units when this cap
was brought into use.
As an aside, there was a similar cap worn
by women in WWI. There was also another
which featured a WWI badge. This was a
broad-brimmed, khaki, round-topped felt
cap (not illustrated) which was worn by the
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC),
amongst others. One could thus make a
connection between this cap and the WAAC
badge as well as with the replacement badge
which was produced when the WAAC was
elevated to Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary
Corps.
Table 2 contains a couple of ‘caps’ (the
Balmoral and the Caubeen) whose Scottish
and Irish roots immediately restrict the
badges that are likely to be worn, as stated
beneath their illustrations. The beret is
mentioned to highlight its introduction as an
item of British headgear and is addressed in
more detail in Table 3. The General Service
Cap has also been included to highlight
its place in the evolution of our Army’s
headgear. This is also a cap which could be
associated with the WWII plastic badges
mentioned earlier. A lot of old soldiers will
have breathed a sigh of relief when both
became obsolete.
Table 3 addresses what is now a ubiquitous
item of military headgear – the beret. Because
it is so widely used, it has ended up featuring
a whole host of different badges so, at first
sight, identifying a badge as a definite beret
11/08/2015 15:50

badge may not seem easy. However, certain
aspects of both beret and badge do make the
relationship a little easier to unravel.
The first and obvious aspect shown in
Figure 3 is that the beret colour narrows the
number of wearers down, in some cases, to
specific regiments and thus to a narrower
range of badges. Secondly, there are certain
aspects of the badges which, in themselves,
point towards the latter being a beret
badge and, in some cases, they even give a
pointer to the actual beret which would have
featured the badge. One common pointer is
when the badge is a smaller version of the
standard badge (although this is not always
the case as can be seen in Table 4). However,
a good example is the smaller version of the
12_Goff_lumley.indd 15
metal Royal Artillery gun badge worn on a
navy blue beret. Other badge pointers are a
cloth or bullion construction which, again,
could mean they are worn on a beret. One
interesting feature here, which explains why
some cloth and bullion badges can be found
on more than one coloured beret, is that some
experts from our fighting arms like Artillery,
Engineers and Signals could be attached
to other units like the ‘Paras’ and Marines.
Those attached experts would have worn the
berets of the units they were attached to but
would have also worn their own cap badges
with backing colours which fitted in with the
colour of their ‘new’ beret.
Table 4 ends this article by showing how
badge designs have virtually become general
CAPS AND CAP BADGES
purpose designs as far as particular regiments
are concerned. Thus the basic ‘Rifles’ badge
design can be worn on a selection of different
headdresses and even on items of related
military uniforms and accoutrements. It also
shows that, in spite of this, there are still
certain aspects of the badge that can help
you relate a specific badge to a specific hat.
Finally, although the selection of caps
and badges here is not exhaustive, it should
still give the reader a greater appreciation of
the link between specific caps and specific
badges. It should also show how an interest
in one aspect of militaria can easily spill over
into an interest in another related area – and
you can’t get a much closer relationship than
that between a cap and its badge.
Terry Abrams
Specialising in Enfield Rifles & accessories
Re-barrelling of SMLE rifles
Large range of parts for bolt-action Enfields
Sorry, no export available on small
orders of gun parts.
Tel: 07973 373419
Fax: 01245 231753
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 15
11/08/2015 15:50
 Chatham Militaria Fair Chelmsford Militaria Fair
The only
To be held at
INDOOR MILITARIA
THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD,
CHATHAM, FAIR IN ESSEX
To be held at
KENT, ME4 4TZ MARCONI SOCIAL CLUB, BEEHIVE LANE,
CHELMSFORD, ESSEX.
Open 7am- ADMISSION: £4.00.
Open 10am – 2pm. ADMISSION £2.50.
Traders 18ft pitch – £40
Traders 6ft table – £25.

NEXT FAIR: 13th September NEXT FAIR: 20th September

FUTURE DATES: FUTURE DATES 2015:
2015 dates: 18th Oct, 29th Nov
11th Oct, 8th Nov, 13th Dec

The easiest route to The Historic Dockyard by road is via the A2/M2 junction 1 then From M25 Junction 28 follow A12 Colchester bound. From the A12 take junction 17 which is the
Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend turn off, follow all signs to Chelmsford. Keep going until you reach
follow the brown tourist signs and use the A289 (Wainscott Bypass) and the Medway
roundabout with flyover, this is the Army and Navy. Take first left into Baddow Road, continue until you
Tunnel straight to our front door!Chatham is only an hour’s drive from London, Dover reach a mini roundabout and turn right into Beehive Lane. Continue straight for approximately 1mile
and the Channel Tunnel and a short distance from the M25. The site is sign posted and you will see the Marconi Social Club on the left. Signs will also be in place en route.
from junctions 1, 3 and 4 of the M2. Follow the brown tourist signs.

Contact: James on 07595 511981 or

Contact: James on 07595 511981 or
Email james@chelmsfordmilitaria.com
Email james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk
Deactivated weapons, magazines, inert ammo and weapon
Check dates and details at www.chathammilitariafairs.co.uk accessories available on line at www.chelmsfordmilitaria.com

BOSLEYS
Military Auctioneers and Valuers

MILITARY BADGE POSTAL AUCTION

Catalogue £15.00. An indispensable reference and price guide
for collectors, dealers, museums and researchers.

The Old Royal Military College, Remnantz, Marlow, Bucks SL7 2BS • Tel: 01628 488188 • www.bosleys.co.uk

16

p16_ARMSepOct15.indd 16 07/08/2015 11:07

 NEW EVEN T
Militaria and
Collectors

Fair • Easy access from A50

SUNDAY 1st
NOVEMBER
2015
tion, near M1
• Fantastic central loca
and M6 (fully sign po
sted) 9am to 3pm
r the race course
• Follow brown signs fo
• Food on site AT:
r visitors &
• Large free car park fo Uttoxeter Racecourse,
dealers
secure car parking for
Wood Lane,
• Admission £1.50
a well lit Uttoxeter ST14 8BD
• Up to 50 tables, in
heated room
e
• Cash machine on sit Contact Steve
entry for dealers
• Flat unloading early
to unload from 06.30
am 01785 663344
ide stalls available 07969 036652
• Inside stalls and outs
s for dealers tables
• Very competitive rate steve@sbmilitaria.com

p17_ARMSepOct15.indd 1 07/08/2015 11:09

 THE BAR
M1918A2 Browning
automatic rifle, from the right,
showing the carrying handle, cartridge ejection port and
the skid-footed bipod. This example has a ‘Parkerised’ finish.
(Courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. www.jamesdjulia.com.)
John Browning’s
Automatic Rifle: the BAR
By George Prescott
O
n the morning of D-Day (6 June,
1944), a detachment of 200 US Army
Rangers were given the unenviable
task of scaling the perpendicular cliff above the
beach at Pointe du Hoc and silencing a battery
of 155mm guns which had been reported to be
located there. Armed only with mortars and
Browning automatic rifles (BARs), the Rangers
climbed the sheer face of the cliff using ropes
and ladders while under heavy fire, but upon
reaching the top, found the guns had been
removed and replaced with telegraph poles, just
as an earlier report had indicated.
Having sustained heavy casualties but
still undeterred, the remaining Rangers
moved towards their second objective, the
Grandcamp-Maisy – Vierville-sur-Mer road.
Walking in front of his unit, Sergeant William
‘L-Rod’ Petty suddenly found himself faced
with two German soldiers who had just
leapt out of a deep shelter hole. Although
the two Germans were right on top of him,
Petty threw himself to the ground and fired
a burst from his BAR. The .30-06 rounds
passed harmlessly between the two men but
the weapon’s racket must have unnerved
them, because they immediately dropped their
weapons and surrendered, which prompted
a friend of Petty’s, who had been walking
behind him, to comment drily: ‘Hell, L-Rod,
that’s a good way to save ammunition – just
scare ’em to death.’
The BAR was a popular weapon with the
men who used it and it remained in service
with the US Army from its introduction
in 1918 until the end of the Korean war in
1953, although such was the popularity of the
weapon that many were still in use by Special
Forces personnel while they were acting as
advisers in Vietnam in 1963.
18 Armourer Issue 131
18_geoff_puddefoot.indd 18
DEVELOPMENT
WWI has become known as the ‘Machine
Gun War’, and not without good reason.
Unlike the foreign conflicts of the
previous century, which were mainly
wars of movement against relatively
unsophisticated antagonists,
WWI was a technological conflict
conducted from trenches protected
by barbed wire, with well fortified,
fixed positions dominated by
the fully automatic machine gun.
Unfortunately, when the US entered
the war in April 1917 they had only
about 1000 serviceable machine guns,
most of them antiquated designs like the
M1904 Maxim and M1895 Colt. These were
heavy machine guns in every sense, mounted ABOVE Head stamp of of .30-
on unwieldy tripods or conventional gun- 06 cartridge showing the ‘.30
carriages, and although they were reliable M2’ designation and the date
weapons, they were useless in the vicious of manufacture, in this case
hand-to-hand fighting which characterised 1986.
trench warfare, so the search began for a more RIGHT Ball cartridge in .30-
portable automatic weapon. Several designs for 06 calibre, used in the BAR
a fully automatic machine gun light enough to
be carried into a trench fight were offered to
the US government, amongst them the BAR, 1918. By 11 November
which Browning demonstrated to a group of 1918, 52,000 BARs had
Congressmen and government officials on 27 been delivered to US forces
February 1917. The group was so impressed by and by 1919 a total of over
the performance of Browning’s weapon that 152,000 of the M1918
it was immediately adopted and designated variant had been produced
‘Rifle, caliber .30, Automatic, Browning, by all three companies.
M1918’. Although Colt owned Browning’s WWII saw the BAR
patent for the weapon and had secured an still in service and in order
exclusive concession to manufacture the BAR, to increase the stock of
production difficulties meant that the contract available weapons a production contract was
was transferred to Winchester Repeating Arms awarded to the New England Small Arms
Company, although Colt and Marlin-Rockwell Corporation and the International Business
also produced these weapons from about June Machines Corporation, who together produced
Swedish-made BAR, showing the larger chequered foregrip, pistol grip behind the trigger assembly,
chequered butt and the spiked bipod attached to the gas cylinder, rather than the muzzle. This weapon is
very similar to the M1919 Model made by Colt for export. (Public Domain)
11/08/2015 15:51
 THE BAR
Test firing of a collection of
over 168,000 new weapons. In 1943, in order prototype BARs at Congress
to increase production, receivers were cast in a Heights, Washington in February
new process using a malleable pig iron called 1918. (Public Domain)
‘ARMASTEEL’ and components made by
this process will be found with the appropriate
stamps. BARs made for Korea were produced
by the Royal McBee Typewriter Co. and are
also marked accordingly.

SPECIFICATION AND OPERATION

The BAR was an air-cooled, selective fire, gas-
operated light machine gun with an ‘open-bolt’
mechanism, weighing around 18lbs with full
magazine and bipod. Measuring just under
four feet long, it was fitted with a three-position
selective fire switch on the left side of the
receiver (the component on a semi-automatic
weapon which houses the operating parts); an
‘S’ position for ‘safe’, which blocked the trigger;
‘F’ for semi-automatic fire; ‘A’ for automatic fire.
Early weapons were chambered for the .30-06
calibre Springfield cartridge, although later
variants also used the .303 calibre British
rimmed cartridge and there was also a BAR
chambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser round,
probably intended for the Chinese Army.
Sights were a conventional post frontsight
(later weapons had a tunnelled foresight) and
leaf rearsight, and were adjustable from 100 to
1500 yards. A wooden butt and hand -grip were
fitted as well as a bipod and flash-suppressor.
Loading and firing a BAR was fairly simple:
the user first turned the selector switch to ‘Safe’,
before pushing the magazine into its slot below
any’s expert
ton, the Winchester Comp
John Browning and Mr Bur R at the Win chester plant.
pe BA
on rifles, examining a prototy
(Public Domain)
the breech, so that the retaining
catch engaged. Pulling back the
handle on the left side cocked the
weapon and the selective fire switch
on the receiver could then be moved
from ‘S’ to ‘F’ or ‘A’, depending
upon the user’s requirements.
Ammunition was fed to the breech
from a 20-round box cartridge
mounted below the receiver, with
ejection of the spent case via the slot
in the right side of the receiver. In
common with many of Browning’s
automatic and semi-automatic weapons which
also had an ‘open bolt’ mechanism, the bolt of
the BAR was held open to the rear when the
weapon was cocked, so that pulling the trigger
caused the bolt to move forward, stripping a

SPECIFICATION OF THE BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE

An FBI agent practisi
Principal Manufacturers Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company(16,000 guns) ng with a Colt
Monitor, showing the
Winchester Repeating Arms Company (47,000 guns) pistol grip
and Cutts compensat
New England Small Arms Corp or fitted to this
weapon. (Public Doma
International Business Machines Corp (WW II:168,000 guns) in)
Royal McBee Typewriter Co (Korea; 61,000 guns)
Marlin-Rockwell Corporation (39,000 guns)
Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori
Period of production 1917-1955
Production Over 360,000 of all variants
Crew Two, gunner and loader
Weight M1918- ~16lbs
M1918A1/ M1918A2- ~19lbs
Crew usually carried 20 or more magazines, each weighing 1.5 lbs,
so the total weight of gun and ammunition totalled 45-50lbs.
Length/ Overall length – 47 inches/ Barrel length – 24 inches
Barrel length
Mechanism M1918:Gas-operated, air-cooled, ‘open bolt’ design, with a selective
fire switch giving either fully automatic or semi-automatic fire.
M1918A2: Two position switch, giving two rates of fully
automatic fire
for the
Cartridge .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm) US Army Rangers practising
.303 British (7.62x56mmR) cliff assault on Pon t du Ho c.
7.92x57mm Mauser (Public Domain)
Cartridge feed 20 round box magazine, with cartridges in a double column
A Viet Cong unit on their way to attack US forces
Sights Front: Rectangular post sight, tunnel sight on later weapons. during the Vietnam War. The leading guerilla in the
Rear: ‘Flip-up’ leaf sight first vessel is holding a stolen BAR. (Public Domain)
Rate of fire 500-600 rpm (rounds per minute).
Effective range/ 100-1,500 yards/ ~5,000 yards
Maximum range
‘Open-bolt’ designs tend to be cheaper to manufacture than the more complex ‘closed bolt’ types
and are not so prone to the dangerous phenomenon known as ‘cooking off ‘. This occurs when
the firing chamber becomes so hot that the chambered cartridge fires spontaneously without the
trigger being squeezed, which makes the ‘open bolt’ design more suitable for weapons designed for
constant, fully automatic operation.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 19

18_geoff_puddefoot.indd 19 12/08/2015 15:32

 THE BAR
The main types of BAR produced by Colt, top to bottom: M1918, M1918A1 and M1918A2.
(Public Domain)

Flash suppressor and bipod,

showing the screws for height
adjustment on the legs of the
bipod.
(Courtesy of James D. Julia
Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine.
www.jamesdjulia.com.)

the US Army’s new, more powerful M2 Ball

ammunition. Later weapons also featured a
barrel-mounted carrying handle and those guns
made after March 1942 were fitted with black
plastic butts, instead of the more conventional
walnut.
Ammunition for the A2 was also improved,
at least four different types of cartridge being
available for the new weapon:
• M2 50/150 Ball cartridge, a conventional ball
cartridge with a 50 grain powder charge,
cartridge from the magazine and feeding it into COLT ‘MONITOR’ propelling a 150 grain bullet.
the chamber before firing. Residual gas from Originally intended for prison guards and the • M25M1 Tracer: intended for illuminating
explosion of the cartridge was then vented from FBI, this design differed from the original in targets and signalling.
the barrel on to the piston head, which is driven being lighter (16lbs) and fitted with a pistol grip • M25 Armour Piercing: intended for use
back, the associated mechanism simultaneously as well as a shortened barrel featuring a Cutts against lightly armoured vehicles and
cocking the weapon and ejecting the spent case. Compensator. This compensator was a device recognised by its black tip.
Powder residue quickly fouled this gas vent which directed residual gas upwards from the • M2 Armour Piercing Incendiary: intended
after extended use, however, often resulting in a barrel and was intended to control the weapon’s for use against lightly armoured inflammable
failure to eject the used case, so BARs were fitted tendency to lift when used in automatic fire targets.
with a three-port gas regulator to overcome mode. Only 125 were produced, with 90 going
this problem. If the gun failed to re-cycle after to the FBI and the rest sold to prisons, banks EXPORT MODELS
it had been in use for a considerable period, and police departments. All produced by Colt Patent Firearms
the case was ejected manually by working the Company:
cocking lever and the gas regulator was then 1919A1 • Automatic Machine Rifle Model 1919 (Model
moved to the next position, whereupon firing An early attempt at improving the original U): differs from 1918 in having return
could be resumed. Care had to be exercised with M1918 by fitting a lightweight spiked bipod mechanism in the butt, rather than the gas
this regulator, however, because if it was not with adjustable legs, attached to the gas cylinder tube under the barrel.
repositioned to the lowest setting after cleaning, rather than the muzzle, and a hinged steel butt • Model 1924: similar to M1919. Chambered
the increased recoil produced as a result of the plate. Few of the original M1918 BARs were for .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63mm),
excess gas made the weapon difficult to control refurbished to this design. 7.65x53mm Belgian Mauser, 7x57mm
when firing in fully automatic mode. Mauser, 6.5x55mm, 7.92x57mm Mauser
1918A2 and .303 British (7.7x56mmR).
VARIATIONS This weapon differs most significantly from the • Model 1925: based on the M1924, but having
Several attempts were made to improve the BAR original M1918 in having a fire-selector system a heavier barrel with cooling fins, and dust
after its service in WWI and these included: allowing only fully automatic fire, now housed covers on the ejection port and in the magazine
• M1922 in the butt which was lengthened by one inch. well. Chambered for .30-06 Springfield
• Colt Monitor Automatic Machine Rifle (R80) This new selector switch had two settings; (7.62x63mm), 7.65x53mm Belgian Mauser,
• M1918A1 ‘Slow’, giving a firing rate of 300-450 rounds 7x57mm Mauser, 7.92x57mm Mauser, and
• M1918A2 per minute (rpm), and ‘Fast’, giving a rate of .303 British (7.7x56mmR).
500-650 rpm. The bipod was skid-footed, In addition, variants were manufactured
M1922 instead of spiked, the fore-grip was shortened under licence by FN Herstal (Belgium) as the
This design differed from the original M1918 and a heat shield was added to help cool the FN Mle 1930, which was a copy of the Colt
in having a heavier ribbed barrel, adjustable barrel. Other minor changes included the M1925. Poland’s State Rifle Factory and Carl
spiked bipod, a monopod mounted on the butt, addition of magazine guides to the receiver, Gustav (Sweden), also produced a version of
side-mounted sling swivel and a redesigned butt- a new flash suppressor and a short monopod the BAR, although these last two appear to
plate. It was adopted by the US Cavalry in 1922. which was included for attachment to the have been making the FN Mle 1930 under
butt. Sights were modified to accommodate licence and the Polish government also bought
Later example of an M1918A2 BAR, from the left side, showing the a number of these weapons from FN.
carrying handle, cocking lever and the flip-up rearsight. (Courtesy of
James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. www.jamesdjulia.com.)

20 Armourer Issue 131

18_geoff_puddefoot.indd 20 11/08/2015 15:51

 THE BAR

Later example of an M1918A2

BAR, from the left side, showing
the gas cylinder and tunnel
frontsight. This example is fitted
with a flash suppressor and
adjustable, skid-footed bipod at
the muzzle.
(Courtesy of James D. Julia
Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. enough if used by a man experienced in its
www.jamesdjulia.com.) significant impression on America’s allies, the operation and conscientious about regular
French alone ordering 15,000 to replace their cleaning and it went on to continued service
abominable Chauchat light machine guns, it with the US Army in Korea.
arrived too late to see extensive use.
BAYONETS After the war, it became popular with VIETNAM WAR
Since it was designed as an automatic rifle or America’s criminal underworld, and was said The M1918A2 was still in use in the early stages
light machine gun and intended to operate in to have been a favourite with, amongst others, of the Vietnam War, when the US delivered a
an infantry support role, the M1918 was not Clyde Barrow of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ fame. quantity of BARs as ‘obsolete’, second-line
fitted with a mount for a bayonet, nor was any small arms to the South Vietnamese Army and
pattern of bayonet ever issued for use with this WWII associated allies, including the Montagnard hill
weapon. However, one experimental bayonet The M1918A2 BAR was adopted by the US people of South Vietnam. US Special Forces
fitting seems to have been made by Winchester, Army as its squad light machine gun in 1938, advisers frequently chose the BAR over more
using an unmodified M1917 bayonet with a one BAR being issued to each 12-man squad, modern infantry weapons, as one Special
special muzzle ring, which was attached to a a single BAR team being composed of the Forces’ sergeant explained:
standard M1918 by an experimental flash hider gunner and one or two men assigned to carry ‘Many times since my three tours of duty in
assembly. This prototype assembly was found in magazines. Subsequent experience showed this Vietnam I have thanked God for … having a
the Winchester factory museum in New Haven, arrangement to be ineffective and by the end BAR that actually worked, as opposed to the
Connecticut, with a tag printed on one side: of the war, US Army tactics were based around jamming M16 … We had a lot of Viet Cong
‘Winchester Repeating Arms Co./ New Haven a 13-man squad equipped with three BARs. infiltrators in all our camps, who would steal
Conn’. Compared to other weapons then in use, such weapons every chance they got. Needless to
On the other side was a handwritten note: as the Bren or belt-fed MG34, the antiquated say, the most popular weapon to steal was the
‘Combined Flash Hider, Front Sight and BAR had a number of faults, mainly centred venerable old BAR.’
Bayonet Mount for Browning Automatic Rifle around its thin-walled fixed barrel, which
Model 1918 with Bayonet and Scabbard – tended to overheat when the weapon was used VALUES
September 7, 1918’. for extended periods, and the small capacity US-made machine guns manufactured before
There is no evidence whatsoever of military magazine. Its mechanism was also complex to 1986 may still be transferred between owners
adoption nor of any military documentation. field-strip and clean and the gas cylinder was in the United States and consequently original
especially prone to rust damage, because the BARS are sometimes offered for sale.
MILITARY SERVICE M2 service ammunition used in BAR was fitted M1918: $30,000-$35,000
WWI with a primer that produced an excessively M1918A2: $24,000-$28,000
The BAR saw its first use in combat in corrosive residue after firing. Despite these The M1918A1 is such a rare weapon that is
September 1918 and although it made a disadvantages, the M1918A2 proved reliable almost never offered for sale.
Prices may vary considerably, depending
upon condition of the weapon and accessories,
like magazines or webbing, which are included
in the sale.

MODERN BARS
Ohio Ordnance Works Inc. produces a semi-
automatic version of the BAR, which they call
the 1918A3 SLR (‘self-loading rifle’). This new
weapon has a ‘closed bolt’ mechanism, instead
of the original, fully automatic open bolt action,
which makes for improved accuracy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ballou, J.L., Rock in a hard place: The Browning
‘ARMASTEEL’ stamp on the receiver of a BAR, showing that this gun is fitted with the later, malleable Automatic Rifle, Collector Grade Publications,
cast-iron receiver. (Courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. www.jamesdjulia.com.) Canada (2000).

Frame stamp for a BAR manufactured by the Royal Typewriter Company.

(Courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. www.jamesdjulia.
com.)

Frame stamp on a BAR manufactured by the Winchester Company.

(Courtesy of James D. Julia Auctioneers, Fairfield, Maine. www.jamesdjulia.com.)

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 NORTHERN ARMS FAIRS
SATURDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER - BOLTON SUNDAY 11TH OCTOBER - NEWARK
SUNDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER - LIVERPOOL SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER - GIANT LEEDS
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THIS QUALITY EVENT WILL HAVE UP TO 80 OF THE COUNTRY’S LEADING
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est. 1995
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Store Opening Hours - Monday to Friday 10:30-17:00, Saturdays by prior appointment, All major debit/credit cards accepted items now
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 Strachan Militaria

WW2-MILITARIA
20th Century Militaria from around the world
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German, British, US and international militaria at competitive prices A huge selection of
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Tuesday 10th November 2015 Auction Commences 10:30am
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ME2 2BF
enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk
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and Future Auctions

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 THE GUNS OF THE EMDEN
The Guns of the Emden
Part 1 by John Walter
Emden running her acceptance trials in 1909. Note that the 5.2cm guns are fitted on deck and in the embrasures at bow
and stern. The shield of Arms directly ahead of the anchor (if it can be seen) provides an easy way of distinguishing
Emden from her near-sister Dresden, which had the Arms, facing forward, on the stem. Author’s collection.
W
hen the last shot had been fired
and the fog of war had cleared, the
crew of the Kaiser’s small cruiser
Emden could take stock of their situation. It was
indescribably bad. Their ship was a battered
wreck, her funnels crumpled like cardboard
tubes, the foremast trailing in the water to the
port side, and the quarterdeck still red-hot from
the fires that had ravaged the after-part of the
ship. The bow was wedged firmly on a coral
reef, a few hundred yards from the shores of
North Keeling Island.
Emden had enjoyed a charmed life as a raider,
roving the Indian Ocean from 29 July 1914 with
seeming impunity: destroying ships—merchant
ships and warships alike—and brazenly
attacking Madras. The cruiser had threatened
the maritime trade on which the British Empire
depended, drawing off dozens of British, French
and Japanese warships simply to escort convoys.
Ironically, these passive duties were to be Emden’s
ultimate downfall.
Though Korvettenkapitän Karl von Müller
could be well pleased with the panic his
commerce-raiding career had caused, he was
well aware that it would only be a matter of
time before his ship was caught in a trap set by
his pursuers. So, mindful that a sudden change
of tack had served him so well in the past, von
Müller decided to attack the telegraph station on
Direction Island in the Cocos or Keeling Group.
This low palm-trimmed islet, no more than a
few miles across, was owned by the Clunies-Ross
family. It was also a hub of the Pacific submarine
communication system operated by the Eastern
Extension Telegraph Company; cutting the
cables seemed an obvious way of disrupting
links between Australia and Britain. [1]
On the evening of 7 November 1914, Emden
had arranged to meet her collier Exford 30 sea-
miles north of North Keeling Island, taking the
opportunity to coal before attacking Direction.
The radio operators had been monitoring
signals between the island’s operators and an
unknown British warship, transmitted hourly
throughout the night of 7 November until about
08:00 next morning. Gradually fading signal
strength indicated clearly that the recipient,
24 Armourer Issue 131
24_John_walter.indd 24
A lively version of the attack by Emden on Madras,
based on a painting by the renowned marine artist
Willy Stöwer (1864-1931). Published in 1915 by
Kolonialkriegerdank of Berlin, the postcard correctly
shows a night action (some others do not!). However, it
was printed at a time when precise details of the attack
were unclear. Most accounts agree that a dummy fourth
funnel had been hoisted so that the ship could pass as
British. Author’s collection.
the cruiser HMS Minotaur, was not only far
distant but also clearly sailing away from Emden.
What von Müller could not know was that the
British cruiser had been shepherding a convoy
until ordered to divert to South Africa where
a rebellion by pro-German Afrikaaners was
threatened. Not only would this convoy pass
close to the Cocos Islands, but it was still escorted
by three other cruisers.
At about 06:05 on the morning of 9 November
1914, Emden dropped anchor in Port Refuge, the
harbour serving Direction Island amidst the
Keeling Reefs. The landing party had already
mustered on deck. The goals were to destroy the
telegraph station and the transmitting masts, cut
the telegraph cables to Western Australia, South
Africa and the Dutch Indies, and seize as many
signal- and code books as possible. At 06:33,
the steam pinnace began to tow the two armed
cutters to the landing stage. Aboard the cruiser,
the wireless operators were instructed to drown
the shore-station’s signals.
The landing party, commanded by Emden’s
first officer, Kapitänleutnant Hellmuth von
Mücke, mustered Leutnants z.S. Eugen
Gyssling and Roderich Schmidt, 30 seamen, 15
‘technicians’ (including the machine-gun crews)
and two wireless operators. Expecting to meet
stiff resistance, each seaman carried a Gewehr
Karl von Müller (1873-1923), pictured shortly before
he took command of Emden in May 1913. He was
promoted to the rank of Korvettenkapitän later the
same year. Author’s collection.
98, the standard Mauser rifle; the officers, petty
officers, machine-gunners and technicians took
Pistolen 1904, the so-called ‘Navy Lugers’, from
the shipboard armoury.
The landing party ventured towards the
island, protected not only by the cruiser's guns
but also by the four Maxim machine-guns, two
in each cutter. As the little armada approached
the beach, Gyssling asked von Mücke if a white-
hulled barquentine riding at anchor should be
destroyed. Von Mücke agreed, but only after the
main goals of the raid had been accomplished.
The approach was watched by a few men,
who greeted the Germans as they surged from
their boats. Von Mücke summoned the station
superintendent, Dover Farrant, and read out
a list of demands: the keys of the houses were
to be handed over immediately, otherwise
doors would be forced; all firearms were to
be surrendered and all Europeans were to
assemble in the square in front of the telegraph
office. When von Mücke had finished, Farrant
congratulated him on the award of an Iron
Cross – which he had learned of only a short
time previously from a Reuters’ telegram.
Sailors led by Leutnant z.S. Schmidt swarmed
all over Direction Island, bringing down the
wooden transmitting mast with explosives and
then chopping it into sections. The signal room
was wrecked with axes, and the store shed was
dynamited. However, the station staff had had
sufficient warning of the landing to hide many
spare transmitter components.
But Emden’s presence had been observed
long before the Germans reached the shore.
The island’s medical officer is said to have told
Farrant (who subsequently claimed much of
the credit for himself) that the foremost funnel
of the visitor was a fake, as it looked flimsy – it
was actually made of canvas! – and did not emit
11/08/2015 15:53
 THE GUNS OF THE EMDEN

The cruise of Emden in 1914, with a drawing of the

cruiser in her pre-war tropical colour scheme. This had
been changed to grey at the start of hostilities. Artwork
by John Walter, 1989 and 2015.

smoke. Signals sent by the German cruiser to the

collier Buresk had been monitored – ‘What ship
is that?’ had been the island’s response – and a
call to Minotaur had added ‘Strange warship in
harbour’ (recorded in some memoirs as ‘Strange
ship in harbour’ or ‘strange ship off entrance’ –
almost as soon as Emden arrived. The signals had
been received by several ships in the convoy, in
spite of the efforts to jam them.
Another message, apparently ‘SOS. Emden
here’, was being prepared as the Germans
arrived; it is no longer clear if it was actually
sent, but the cruiser’s fate had been sealed. Even
though the wireless operators aboard Emden
had jammed some of the Direction Island
signals, messages had been received by HMAS
Melbourne, senior of three warships escorting
the convoy, which was then merely 50 nautical
miles away. And though Emden’s operators had
heard a response from the ship detached to
go to Direction Island, they could not realise
that it had been transmitted on half-power;
consequently, von Müller was told that any
potential threat was 200-250 miles away.
Cutting the submarine cables proved to be
extremely difficult, even though their presence
was helpfully marked by beach-side signs. The
steam pinnace chuffed doggedly back and forth
offshore, trying to hook cables which could
be seen in the shallow water. Eventually, the
Germans managed to raise two of them, which
were duly cut with axes and chisels. However,
these proved to be the link to Perth, Western
Australia, and a short length of spare cable
which was kept submerged in case emergency
repairs were needed.
The cables to Weltevreden in Java and to
Mauritius by way of Rodrigues Island escaped
unscathed. And just when the Germans were
contemplating returning to their ship in response
to a tetchy signal hoisted at 09:13, ‘Arbeiten
beschleusigen’, ‘Hurry Your Work’, three sharp
blasts of Emden’s siren told that something was
wrong. Plumes of smoke rising from her funnels
showed that an attempt was being made to raise
steam as fast as possible, and Emden surged out
of the harbour at 09:30 just as the Landing
party embarked. But why?
Initially, von Mücke assumed that Emden was
simply going to meet her Hilfsschiff, the captured
British collier Buresk, which had been summoned
to re-coal. But the urgency of the departure
was mystifying. Then he saw the battle ensign
flying at the mainmast-head, which testified to
a threat. Soon, look-outs reported the presence
of what could only be another warship, and the
first shots of the battle were fired by Emden at
09:40, at a range estimated by von Müller to
have been 9800 yards and on Sydney as more
than 10,000 yards. The C/04 Marine-Pivot-Lafette
of the 10.5cm guns could be elevated to 30
degrees, firing shells a surprising distance.
Emden’s gunners held the Kreuzergeschwader
shooting prize, but many of the most experienced
gunlayers were ashore with the landing party
and it was obvious to the watchers from the
shore that the German cruiser was in trouble,

A map of the Cocos Islands from an Admiralty chart of

1889. Author’s collection.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 25

24_John_walter.indd 25 11/08/2015 15:53

 THE GUNS OF THE EMDEN
The Emden landing party is pictured preparing to leave Direction Island in the
schooner Ayesha, seen in the background. Hellmuth von Mücke stands in the bow
of the steam pinnace, reading. The officers and some of the men wear pistol holsters
suspended from shoulder straps; several Gew. 98 muzzles are visible; and one of the
Maxim guns can be seen on the stem-post of the cutter nearest the quayside. By
courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, Sydney.
Believed to have been taken by the Direction Island
doctor immediately after the crew of Emden had
been taken off the wrecked cruiser, this view of the
port side looking forward from the mainmast shows
the destruction wrought by Sydney’s six-inch guns. No
evidence can be seen that the port after 5.2cm gun was
still in place at the time of the battle. Author’s collection.
although her first salvoes were surprisingly
accurate, even though the guns were firing at
the very limit of their range. The rapidity of
fire, sometimes once every six seconds, was very
impressive. However, the splash of shells falling
around Emden showed the opposing cruiser to be
much more heavily armed than HMS Newcastle
– the ship the Germans initially thought they
faced.
The 10.5cm-calibre German shells, which
weighed only about 17.5kg (39lb), were too
light to cause much damage to what was seen
to be HMAS Sydney. A shell from the third
salvo fired by Emden knocked-out Sydney’s range-
finder; one from the fifth salvo wrecked the
after control position, temporarily preventing
accurate shooting; and one from the eighth
caused a cordite fire which could have been fatal
had not Sydney’s sailors, with presence of mind
(and no little courage), thrown the burning mass
overboard. But other shells simply bounced off
Sydney’s armoured sides.
Emden was soon on fire astern. The forefunnel
26 Armourer Issue 131
24_John_walter.indd 26
A view of the shattered wreck of Emden taken on 10 November 1914 from the
boats sent by Sydney to take off the survivors mustered at the stern. By courtesy
of the Australian War Memorial, Sydney.
collapsed at about 10:00, the foremast was shot
away at about 10:45, trailing in the water to
port, and the outcome was obvious.
As Emden and Sydney ran northward, out of
sight of Direction Island, von Mücke ordered
the landing party to dig-in and mount the
machine guns to repel an Australian attack.
But nothing happened. He had an idea. An
opportunity to escape had been presented in
the form of the three-masted barquentine[2]
Ayesha, which rode at anchor in the bay. So the
Germans rapidly transferred provisions to the
sailing ship, emplaced the Maxims behind the
bulwarks, set the steam pinnace adrift and sailed
away as darkness fell, just as fast as the wind
would take them.
Sydney, meanwhile, had stood off to pound
Emden with salvo after salvo of 100lb 6-inch
shells, some filled with Lyddite, which turned
the decks of the German cruiser into a charnel
house. Still under steam, though losing way
rapidly as the remaining funnels collapsed,[3]
von Müller considered torpedoing his opponent.
But Captain John Glossop of Sydney was too
wily to be drawn into combat at short range,
and continued to manoeuvre out of reach of
Emden’s surviving guns. Sydney was able to launch
a torpedo, which failed to reach Emden simply
because the range had been underestimated by
a few hundred yards.
Nearly out of ammunition, on fire, with many
of his crew dead or dying, unable to steer other
than by varying the speed of his engines, von
Müller elected to run Emden aground. Speed
was increased to 19 knots – a great tribute
to the engineers and the machinery, in the
circumstances – and so, at 11:15, Emden ran
headlong onto the reef guarding the southerly
shore of North Keeling Island. The engines had
been stopped just before impact, then started
again at full revolutions to wedge the cruiser
tightly on the reef. Sydney, after bombarding the
smoking wreck for a few minutes, ordered her
launch away to investigate the presence of a
mystery steamer, which proved to be Buresk. The
Germans, realising that the Australian cruiser
would soon take up the chase, decided to scuttle
the collier. At about 13:00, Sydney signalled Buresk
to stop and fired a single shot across her bows.
The German prize crew promptly opened the
Kingston valves, threw smallarms overboard,
burned sensitive papers, and sent a signal:
‘There are Englishmen aboard.’ ‘Haul down
your flag’ came the response, and, at 13:30, the
Australian prize-crew climbed aboard. Realising
that Buresk was sinking, virtually all that they
could do was to ensure that all the men aboard
the collier – Germans, English and Chinese –
took to the boats, which were then towed back to
Sydney. The sinking was hurried with four well-
aimed shells.
When the Australian cruiser returned at 16:00,
Emden still flew her ensign at the mainmast. The
halliards had been shot away, and there were
other problems to consider. No one aboard
had thought about the consequences: by not
striking her colours, Emden had not surrendered
and could still be potentially a threat. Glossop
signalled ‘Will you surrender?’, and Emden replied
‘no signal books aboard’. Glossop ordered his
message to be repeated in Morse, followed by
‘Have you received my signal?’ There was no
response, so Glossop ordered Sydney to close to
a range of two miles and open fire in the hope
of toppling Emden’s mainmast. After two four-
gun salvoes of six-inch shells, at least one more
death and 20 more injuries, von Müller ordered
the German ensign to be struck and Matrose
Werner volunteered to climb the mast.
As soon as this had been done, to assist von
Müller, Sydney retrieved Buresk’s boats, which
had been rescuing men from the water, and
sent one of them to Emden – manned by sailors
of the German prize-crew – with a note that
Sydney would return the next day to assist. The
Australian cruiser steamed off to deal with the
landing party.
But Glossop was to be disappointed. He
decided not to chance a landing in darkness, and
lay off Direction Island during the night of 9/10
November, alert in case the cruiser Königsberg
should appear. That this ship was marooned
in an East African river delta was not known at
the time, and so the Australian captain’s caution
was understandable, even though Sydney held the
same superiority over Königsberg as she had over
Emden.
When his sailors landed early in the morning
of 10 November, the reason for the lack of
resistance was clear: von Mücke and his men
One of the 10.5cm guns retrieved by HMS Pioneer was
exhibited in Horse Guards Parade, London, in 1915.
It was subsequently sent to Australia. From a picture
published in the Daily Graphic.
11/08/2015 15:53

One of the Emden guns still graces a
war memorial in the centre of Sydney.
The vertical shell-fragment slash on the
barrel suggests that this is not the gun
that was displayed in Horse Guards Parade
(previous picture). By courtesy of the Australian
War Memorial, Sydney.
had sailed off into the previous day’s sunset.
Glossop’s plans had already been compromised
by the presence of Emden, wreck though she was,
on North Keeling Island instead of the bottom
of the ocean. And now the German landing
party had escaped his clutches!
After a cursory search for Ayesha, Sydney
returned to the wreck at 11:10 on 10 November,
to take off the German crew. The boats
reached the wreck shortly after midday, and the
transhipment began; the process took five hours.
A cursory examination revealed that Emden
could never fight again and the transhipment
began. The Australians then realised that a
few Germans had got ashore on North Keeling
Island, and so a rescue party of Australian and
German sailors landed in the morning of 11th
November to rescue the survivors.
Von Müller had actually tried to light a
fire before he left, in the hope of igniting the
magazine before he left, but the plan failed and
parts of the wreck survived into the 1950s.
Even the British openly admired the spirit in
which von Müller and his crew had undertaken
their three-month rampage. It had been costly.
Of the 317 men who had been aboard when
Emden steamed out of Direction Island harbour
on the morning of 9 November, 131 had
This stern view of Emden was taken on 18 January
1915 from a boat of HMS Pioneer, which had been sent
to retrieve some guns, the ship’s safes, and a searchlight.
Note that the after guns have been trained fore-and-aft.
By courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, Sydney.
24_John_walter.indd 27
The safes retrieved from Emden contained
a large number of Mexican dollars,
common currency in the eastern
Pacific. A thousand of them were
mounted as souvenir medals by
a Sydney jeweller; several
hundred were presented
to each and every Sydney
crewman by Captain John
Glossop and the others
were sold to raise money
for the dependents of
those who had been killed
or seriously injured. A
replica of the award was
made in 2014 as part of
the centenary celebrations.
By courtesy of the Australian
War Memorial, Sydney.
been killed aboard the ship or in the surf that
broke ferociously over North Keeling Island
reef; 21 men had been seriously injured (three
subsequently died), and 44 had been slightly
wounded. Sydney had lost merely four dead and
one died-of-wounds.
HMS Cadmus was sent to North Keeling
Island later in November to bury the German
dead, followed by HMS Pioneer in January 1915
to survey the wreck. Cadmus duly returned on 9
February 1915 to retrieve the ship’s safes, which
held more than 6,000 Mexican one-dollar coins;
three guns, a searchlight, a torpedo, the ship’s
siren and a bronze mascot were also brought
back.
A 10.5cm gun was displayed in London’s
Horse Guards Parade in 1915, but went to
Australia after World War I had ended. One gun
is now owned by the Australian War Memorial,
another stands on a plinth in Hyde Park, Sydney,
and the third was displayed at HMAS Penguin (a
shore station) until it was refurbished in 2010 for
display at the RAN Heritage
Centre on Garden Island.
Most of the Mexican coins
were subsequently melted
down for their gold content, but a thousand
of them were mounted as souvenir medals by W.
Kerr & Co., Sydney jewellers. Glossop presented
one of these to every officer and man of his
crew and the remainder were sold to raise funds
for the families of the dead and injured.
The fate of the smallarms kept aboard Emden
is a mystery. The official scales of issue show
that the cruiser should have been allocated 70
Gew. 98 and 46 Pistolen 1904 plus, possibly,
an Auslandzuschlag or ‘overseas supplement’ of
about twelve rifles and five pistols.[4] The four
Maxims, 30 of the rifles and more than 20 pistols
were taken ashore by the Landing party ; some
of the others were undoubtedly taken by the
prize crews (there were three German officers
and 13 men aboard Buresk, for example), but at
least a few guns would still have been aboard
when Emden was run aground. Franz-Josef von
Hohenzollern, the second torpedo officer (and
the Kaiser’s nephew!), recalled in his memoirs
THE GUNS OF THE EMDEN
how pistols were used to shoot the birds that
were attacking the wounded men lying on the
foredeck. It is assumed that these guns were
either left on the wreck or thrown overboard as
Sydney’s boats approached; there is no mention
in the memoirs or battle reports, including
those recreated by the Germans during and
after the end of World War I, of any guns being
surrendered to Australian sailors. Perhaps they
are still in the sands off North Keeling Island!
To be continued….
1: The British had cut many of the cables linking Germany
with the rest of the world. And Kapitän z.S. von Schönberg of
the small cruiser Nürnberg, detached from the Kreuzergeschwader
(helped by specialist cutting gear aboard the tender Titania),
successfully cut the cables at Fanning Island on 8 September
1914. It is unlikely that Karl von Müller knew.
2: Photographs taken at the time reveal Ayesha to have been
rigged as a barquentine, but it is possible that a boom for a fore-
and-aft sail on the foremast (which would have made her the
‘topsail schooner’ sometimes claimed) had been removed to allow
a deck cabin to be constructed.
3: The crew of Emden, anticipating coaling from Buresk,
had detached the funnel-stays. Consequently, the funnels were
vulnerable to collapse from even comparatively minor damage.
The memoirs and eye-witness reports are not entirely consistent in
their descriptions of the battle. Though it is agreed that Emden’s
forefunnel fell first, at least one account places the collapse of the
second funnel before the loss of the foremast.
4: The extra overseas smallarms allotment had been abandoned
in 1909, but may have been reinstated by 1914. In addition,
Emden may have taken extra arms on board in Tsingtau to equip
prize crews.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would particularly like to thank the
Australian War Memorial, Sydney, New
South Wales, for help stretching over more
than 25 years; and Lisa Oakes of James D.
Julia, Inc., auctioneers of Fairfield, Maine,
U.S.A., for supplying photographs of the
Mauser rifles and the Navy Lugers.
The standard
Navy handgun
of World War I was the
Pistole 1904 or ‘Navy Luger’.
This is an example of the
1906 version, with a grip safety
and a long frame. Note also the
special two-position backsight, the
wood-bottom magazine, and the lug on the
butt-heel to accept the shoulder stock. Courtesy of
auctioneers James D. Julia, Inc., Fairfield, Maine (www.
jamesdjulia.com).
A full-length view of a typical Gewehr 98, the standard
service rifle of the Kaiserliche Marine prior to 1918. By
courtesy of auctioneers James D. Julia, Inc., Fairfield,
Maine (www.jamesdjulia.com).
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 27
11/08/2015 15:53
 The
Irish Grenadier

Dealer of Quality Militaria, Antique Arms & Armour

I SH GR E
Collections bought and exchanges considered
www.TheIrishGrenadier.com
IR N
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TH E

ER

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WARE MILITARIA AUCTIONS

AUCTION DATES:
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Viewing from 4.30pm on sale day.
Sale starts at 6.00pm.
Many good quality militaria items
including weapons, badges, medals, insignia etc
No Sale – No Fee, 12% Commission, absolutely NO other charges!
WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR GOOD QUALITY MILITARIA FOR AUCTION -
FROM SINGLE ITEMS TO WHOLE COLLECTIONS.

( 01279 873959 ) 07747 860746

8 martin@wmauk.com
HERTFORD HEATH VILLAGE HALL, LONDON ROAD,
HERTFORD HEATH, HERTS, SG13 7RH

www.wmauk.com
28

p28_ARMSepOct15.indd 28 10/08/2015 09:51

 CARLISLE - SALE BY AUCTION OF MILITARIA & MEDALS
Thursday 10th September at 11.00am
In our salerooms, Coleridge House, Shaddongate, Carlisle CA2 5TU

Entries include a katana with 16th century blade, reputedly presented by Crown Prince
Hirohito in the 1920s, a 16th/17th century wheel lock pistol, a matched pair of underhammer
muff pistols & a matched pair of silver & gold decorated flintlock pistols. Also two collections
of edged weapons & bayonets, badges, uniforms, general militaria & medals etc.
On view: Wednesday 9th, 10am to 5pm & Thursday 11th, 9am to 11am. Live online bidding available.

Catalogues on request or available at www.thomsonroddick.com or www.the-saleroom.com

Enquiries – 01228 528939
auctions@thomsonroddick.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 29

p29_ARMSepOct15.indd 29 07/08/2015 11:18

 BAYONET FACT FILE

Bayonet Fact File No. 65: A British Unofficial Commercial

Pattern 1888 Bayonet sold by W.W. Greener
BAYONET
FACT FILE
by R.D.C. Evans
Overall Length: 426mm
Blade Length: 306mm
Muzzle Ring: 16.5mm
Scabbard: 327mm

A
s far as quality and details of construction copper rivets. The retaining strap has a brass today. W.W. Greener produced both sporting
are concerned, this commercial bayonet buckle. The rear surface is stamped ‘88’ which and military firearms but did not often
(Plates 1 & 2) is identical in every obviously suggests that the frog was intended venture into bayonet production; among the
respect (apart from its markings) to an official for use with a Pattern 1888 bayonet. It is not few exceptions to this assertion were some
government Pattern 1888 Mk.1 of the 2nd an officially approved design but a relatively Model 1889 Belgian knife bayonets and the
(two rivet) type. Its pommel T-mortise therefore rare commercial product. Webley revolver bayonet, made by the firm
extends forwards as an aperture in the blade The official government Pattern 1888 for Lieutenant Arthur Pritchard following
tang beneath the grips to accommodate the bayonets were manufactured at the Royal his November 1916 Patent. The company
head of the companion rifle’s clearing rod. The Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock in did, however, manufacture Long Lee-Enfield
aperture terminates in a hole bored through the Middlesex and by three commercial companies Rifles (of the pattern officially approved in
obverse and reverse walnut grip-scales, intended who were awarded government contracts. 1895) for commercial sale, as shown in their
to allow the escape of dirt or dust which might These were the Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd., 1910 advert reproduced here as Plate 4.
block the rod aperture. The two grip rivets are Oakley Works, Southfield Road, Acton, West Interestingly enough, the rifle shown in the
positioned forward of this clearing hole. All London, Robert Mole & Sons of Broad Street, advertisement has a clearing rod protruding
steel components have a bright unblued finish. Birmingham and Sanderson Bros. & Co. at through its bayonet bar, necessitating a P.88
The most interesting and important their Darnall Works in Sheffield. All three bayonet of Mark 1 type with a clearing rod
features of this particular bayonet are its firms marked their official contract bayonets aperture forward of the T-mortise ending in a
markings. It almost entirely lacks the official on the blade ricasso, ‘Wilkinson London’, hole drilled through each grip. The illustrated
markings which appear on government-issue ‘Mole’ or ‘Sanderson Sheffield’. bayonet conforms to this requirement.
bayonets. Instead the obverse blade ricasso is The well-known and highly regarded firm It seems likely that W.W. Greener at
stamped ‘W.W. GREENER BIRMINGHAM’ of W.W. Greener did not have a government some point received orders for their Long
in two lines (see Plate 2). Unusually, this contract to supply Pattern 1888 bayonets. Lee-Enfield Rifles, probably involving the
marking is stamped over a letter ‘X’ still The firm was founded in Newcastle on Tyne export of these military supplies to one
visible underneath the Birmingham lettering. in 1829 by William Greener (Senior), but or more colonies of the British Empire.
This is the Bending Test X-mark found on moved to Birmingham in 1844. Following Customers may well have required bayonets
officially-examined government bayonets, his death in 1869, the family business was to accompany the Greener rifles. Rather
the only official mark to be found on this continued at St Mary’s Square, Birmingham than setting up bayonet production facilities
bayonet. The same W.W. Greener mark by his son William Wellington Greener (1834- in their own factory, it would understandably
can be seen on the lower edge of the blade 1921) and is still very much a going concern have made commercial and economic sense
tang between the wooden grips, although in
this case without the letter X. There is also
a letter ‘F’ of unknown significance stamped
on the tang edge just to the rear of the lower
quillon. Careful examination of the reverse
blade ricasso reveals traces of another almost
obliterated marking, just decipherable as
‘SANDERSON SHEFFIELD’. There are no
other markings of any kind on this bayonet.
Turning to the scabbard, this is almost
identical to the Pattern 1888 Mk.1 scabbard
which was officially introduced in the List of
Changes in British War Material, No.5877
of 22 December 1888. The steel throat (or
locket) is, however, non-standard in that its
mouthpiece and blade-retaining springs are
secured by a single small screw-bolt on the
obverse side (Plate 2). In the case of official
Mk.1 scabbards, the mouthpiece rim is
brazed to the throat and it may be possible
to distinguish the flush-finished heads of
three rivets on both faces of the throat,
although these can be very difficult to see. The
illustrated scabbard has a body of hard shiny
black leather, somewhat shrunken with age.
The steel chape is of the normal pattern. This
scabbard carries no markings whatsoever.
The frog (Plate 3) is of heavy brown leather,
held together by stitching and eight large

30 Armourer Issue 131

30_Roger.indd 30 11/08/2015 15:57


for Greeners to have negotiated the supply
of the bayonets from one or more of the
companies who were already manufacturing
them to meet British government contracts.
The illustrated bayonet was hence made and
marked by Sanderson, Sheffield before being
stamped on ricasso and blade tang by W.W.
Greener. Other examples are known which
were initially marked by Wilkinson, London
or Mole, Birmingham. Sanderson, Wilkinson
and Mole obviously produced bayonets in
quantities over and above the requirements
of their official government contracts,
selling some to Greener and others directly
to their own commercial customers. Such
bayonets generally lack the full sets of official
markings which would be mandatory for those
supplied to the War Department on official
contracts. Some of those supplied to Greener
were assembled using mixed components,
some conforming to Pattern 1888 Mark 1
specifications and others meeting Mark 2
requirements. Greener bayonets can therefore
be found with a clearing hole in the wood
grips (a Mk.1 characteristic) and an additional
clearing hole bored through the pommel (as
found on Mk.2 bayonet pommels). Official
government bayonets have a clearing hole
www.billfriarmedals.co.uk
Dealing exclusively
in British Medals We Buy, Sell & Part Exchange
Militaria, Deactivated Guns & Replica Weapons For Film &
Theatre Use. Military Related Giftware & Collectables
Victorian and World War I
Please View Our Website Or Make An Appointment To Visit Our Shop
Medals always wanted Unit One, Walnut Tree Farm, Silver Street, Besthorpe,
Tel: 01942 671 980 Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 2LF • Tel: 01953 454744
E-mail: sales@billfriarmedals.co.uk www.grahamcurriemilitaria.co.uk
30_Roger.indd 31
BAYONET FACT FILE
in either the grips or in the pommel, never
in both locations. A few Greener bayonets
have the steel grip bolts of the official Mark 3
bayonet rather than brass rivets.
An alternative scenario would be that
Greener bought unassembled components
(blades, cross-guards, grips, pommels,
etc.) from the official contractors and then
assembled them into finished bayonets in the
St Mary’s Square factory. This might explain
those known bayonets which carry Greener
markings but which lack the name stamps
of any other manufacturers. This remains a
possibility, but it perhaps seems more likely
that Greener purchased completed bayonets,
including some which escaped being marked
by their original makers. The origin of the
scabbards of the type illustrated remains
highly uncertain but most Greener bayonets
seem to be associated with these non-standard
scabbards with throats which feature a single
screw-bolt.
REFERENCES
Curran, Michael, Baïonnette Mle 1888 de
voluntaires pour le fusil ‘British Metford
Rifle’. Le Journal de l’Association Française
des Collectionneurs de Baïonnettes No.55.
Automne 2010, pp. 28/44-30/44.
Greener, W.W., The Gun and its
Development [Facsimile of 9th Edition],
Bonanza Books, New York, USA, 1910,
804 pp.
Rose, Michael, 12 Inches of Imperial steel.
Sword bayonets pattern 1888 and 1903
in British service, privately published,
Australia, 2014, pp. 82-89.
Skennerton, Ian D, The British Service
Lee: The Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield
Rifles and Carbines 1880-1980, I.D.
Skennerton, Margate, Queensland,
Australia, and The Arms & Armour
Press, Lionel Leventhal Ltd., London,
1982, 410 pp.
Skennerton, Ian D. and Richardson,
Robert, British and Commonwealth
Bayonets, private published, I.D.
Skennerton, Margate, Queensland,
Australia, 1986, pp. 166-75 and p. 377.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 31
12/08/2015 14:09
 Bromsgrove Militaria,
Medal and Arms
L A I D L AW Collectors’ Fair
Buy, sell and swap
A U C T I O N E E R S & VA L U E R S
With well known dealers on:
Sunday
September 27th
9.00am to 2pm
This Fair is at the SPADESBOURNE SUITE, (THE COUNCIL
HOUSE), BURCOTT LANE, BROMSGROVE B60 1AA
THE 6TH DECEMBER FAIR
AUCTIONEERS OF ANTIQUES, COLLECTORS’ ITEMS

WILL BE HELD AT THE NEW VENUE:
MEDALS, ARMS AND MILITARIA
Council Building, Parkside,
Entries Invited for Future Auctions 
 Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, B61 0AD
Single items or entire collections welcome Sorry for any inconvenience caused due to late opening of new venue
We offer a friendly professional service and extremely Entrance £2.50
competitive rates. Our weekend auctions have fully illustrated

online catalogues with live internet bidding Ample Parking. Light Refreshments.

 DEALERS BOOKING FORMS & INFORMATION FROM:
WWW.LAIDLAWAUCTIONEERS.CO.UK James Brown - Tel: 07980 608211
email: fairs@RZMilitaria.com
ENQUIRIES@LAIDLAWAUCTIONEERS.CO.UK 01228 904905
ESCOTT BUSINESS PARK, ROME STREET, CARLISLE, CA2 5LE www.RZMilitaria.com

32

p32_ARMSepOct15.indd 32 07/08/2015 11:20

 DW Medal Year Book 135x93mm_Layout 1 06/08/2015 12:00 Page 1
Dominic Winter
SPECIALIST AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS
HISTORIC AVIATION, ARMS & ARMOUR,
MEDALS & MILITARIA, STAMPS & COINS
13 November 2015
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:
17th-Century Cuirassier Helmet £3,600
Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader's Pilot’s Flying Logbook £23,000
1914 DCM Group £4,500
Isandlwana Casualty Medal £6,600
Tail Fin of Heinz Schnaufer’s Messerschmitt Bf110 G9+EF £90,000
To consign items or for further information, please contact Henry Meadows
Mallard House, Broadway Lane, South Cerney, Gloucestershire GL7 5UQ
www.dominicwinter.co.uk 01285 860006 henry@dominicwinter.co.uk
We are a leading British War Medal dealership
based in the heart of London.
We specialise in British and World Orders, Decorations
and Medals and carry an extensive range of general
militaria from both Great Britain and around the world.
www.london-medals.co.uk
020 7836 8877
BUY & SELL WAR MEDALS • BUY & SELL MILITARIA
VALUATIONS • PART EXCHANGE WELCOME • MEDAL MOUNTING SERVICES
BUY MEDAL RIBBON • DISCREET SERVICE • NEXT DAY DELIVERY
• BUY & VIEW ALL AVAILBLE STOCK ONLINE
p33_ARMSepOct15.indd 33
www.saracenexports.com
website updated daily
Enfield Jungle carbine vgc WW2 dated ................................................ £675
Sten MK 5 Paratroop issue, moving slide, mag ..................................... £460
Sterling MK4 L2A3 smg, with moving slide, folding stock, sling ............ £360
Lee-Enfield .303 B/a rifle WW2 dated................................................... £375
SMLE WW2 dated BSA mfg .................................................................. £385
SMLE WW1 .22 cadet rifle BSA mfg ..................................................... £400
British AFV Signal gun .......................................................................... £550
Browning ,50 Cal M3 HMG ................................................................ £1600
Browning .50 cal aircraft wing gun ...................................................... £920
BRNO ZGB/Bren 1937 dated matching numbers .................................. £950
Lewis Gun – Home Guard issue, excellent condition........................... £4650
Lewis Gun – Aerial issue, excellent condition ..................................... £6250
Bren Mk1 Kings Crown dovetail 1940 Matching Numbers ....................£POA
Bren MK1 Kings Crown dovetail 1938 ..................................................£POA
Bren Mk1 WW2 dated .......................................................................... £500
Bren Mk2 Ingilis 1943 dated ................................................................ £500
Bren MK3 Enfield mfg. 1955 dated NEW PRICE ................................... £335
Bren MK3 as above 1949 dated ........................................................... £395
Chinese AK47 model 56-1 folding stock .............................................. £275
Finnish Suomi Model smg ................................................................. £500
Japanese type 99 lmg ....................................................................... £5000
Japanese Arisaka B/A rifle .................................................................. £750
MG42 CRA mfg WW2 dated ............................................................... £1750
Mg34/42 Ammo can Waffenampt with two ammo belts ....................... £45
Mg42 Dreyfuss Anti Aircraft tripod........................................................ £100
Mg34 Dreyfuss Anti Aircraft tripod........................................................ £200
Mg34/42 P tins l – ex cond marked “Patr Kast 41 f.M.” ......................... £70
SA61 Skorpion c/w holster, tools & spare mags in pouch ..................... £295
Russian Mosin Nagant 1891/30 & bayonet WW2 dated ........................ £265
Russian PPS 43 smg 1944 dated ......................................................... £300
Russian PPSH accessory pack, mag in pouch, cleaning kit, sling ............ £35
Lanchester / Sten 50 round magazine.................................................... £80
Sten 32 round magazines x 2 ................................................................ £22
Browning .30 cal M2 tripod WW2 + pintle and T&e gear ...................... £300
Browning .50 cal carry handle ............................................................... £50
WW1 Mills Grenade Inert ....................................................................... £75
.50 cal inert rounds x 25 in belt ............................................................. £80
.303 Inert x 50 rounds ........................................................................... £50
Bren mags x 5 ....................................................................................... £30
Swiss “SIG” bayonet and scabbard ........................................................ £22
Remington “Rolling Block” bayonet (Sweedish 1899 pattern) ................. £65
Mosin Nagant socket bayonet ................................................................ £35
US Garrand m1942 Type 1 bayonet & scabbard ..................................... £65
SA80 Bayonet ( unissued) ...................................................................... £30
SA80 Bayonet & nylon scabbard (unissued) ........................................... £35
No4 Pigsticker bayonet with scabbard & frog ......................................... £15
AK/AKM Russian bayonet & scabbard (wirecutter) .................................. £30
7.62 NATO inert in belt x 65 rounds ....................................................... £35
.30/06 inert rounds x 20 ........................................................................ £25
9mm inert x 20(Sten, MP40, Luger, P38 etc) .......................................... £20
.45 ACP inert x 20 rounds ...................................................................... £25
All guns are legally de-activated with proof house certificate.
UK POSTAGE INCLUDED IN ABOVE PRICES
DE – ACTS WANTED - Items purchased for cash.
P.O. Box 1927, Gnosall, Stafford, ST20 0WB
Tel: 01952 691132 Mobile: 07939 226976
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 33
07/08/2015 11:31
 ALLIED VS AXIS: MACHINE GUNS
Allied vs Axis: Machine guns
In the final instalment of the series, the big guns are brought out as
Benjamin Russell reports from Las Vegas.
M
y time at BattleField Vegas had been
quite surreal. I’d fired plenty of guns
before, but to work the bolt on a Lee
Enfield, spray a target with a Thompson and look
down the sights of a Luger had been as incredible
a step into history as any World War II buff could
hope for.
However, as an MG42 clunked down onto the
weapons trolley in the armoury, I knew the day
wasn’t over yet. Belts of ammunition followed, as
did an American 1919 and a British Bren. It was
time to take a look at the machine guns of the
conflict.
First up was the German. From its
unmistakeable silhouette to the action of its
oversized cocking handle, the MG42 throws
up images of stealthy flanking assaults on Nazi
machine gun crews concealed in hedgerows.
An improvement on the earlier MG34, the
MG42 shared the same characteristics as all the
other German weapons I had fired: solid, well
engineered and a pleasure to shoot.
‘That weapon is amazing. It’s so fast, it’s about
1200 rounds a minute,’ BattleField Vegas owner
Ron Cheney told me. ‘It’s just a perfect weapon;
it really is. If it was just a little slower it would be
even better. The Browning is about 650 rounds
34 Armourer Issue 131
34_ben.indd 34
per minute; the Bren is about 550/600 RPM.’
Despite the enormous rate of fire, the gun felt
relatively easy to keep on target, helped in no
small part by its weight. However, it isn’t just the
speed at which it gets through ammo that earned
Hitler’s buzzsaw its infamous reputation.
‘The barrel is unbelievably fast to change,’
Ron explained.’ If your barrel gets too hot it
can bend, burn out the bore or even explode.
With a fixed barrel you have to take breaks to
stop it overheating, but with this it’s just a matter
of opening a gate and the barrel snaps out. A
German machine gun crew would carry four
barrels, although it depends on the position. If
you’re in a fixed position you’re going to have as
many barrels as you need.’
All the weapons I’d fired at BFV had been
designed for one thing – killing. This was easy
to forget in the fun of the Nevada complex, but
there was something about this machine gun that
made that fact hard to ignore. The incredible rate
and precision at which rounds drilled down range,
coupled with the calculated ease of operation,
made it feel brutally coldblooded.
After obliterating a target in
a matter of seconds, it sent
a shiver down my spine
11/08/2015 15:58

to think of the millions of brave men who had
faced – and died at the hands of – this weapon
in combat. As the bullets sparked when they
slammed into the steel backdrop, the low roof and
concrete walls of the range suggested the feel of a
Normandy gun emplacement. This seemed apt,
as perhaps nowhere captures the brutality and
horror of the MG42 more than Omaha Beach.
By the end of D-Day more than 2,000 young
Americans lay dead. The lion’s share of those fell
at the hands of the MG42.
In the same way that most modern hunting
rifles are based on the K98, the MG42 also
inspired post-war machine guns. ‘This design
actually went on to become what the Brits call the
GMP and the US calls the M240,’ Ron said. ‘The
trigger group was such a good design and you will
notice that they look almost the same.’
Another gun was set up, and this time it was
Tommies beating a fighting retreat to Dunkirk
or seeing off the Afrika Korps in the deserts of
Egypt which sprang to mind. As I shouldered
the Bren something stood out straight away: I
couldn’t see the target. Because the magazine
placement is on top of the gun it means that
the sights are off to one side. As someone who
naturally shoots left-handed this meant I had to
crane my neck right over the weapon or fire it
right-handed.
I opted for the latter and as I closed my left eye
to peer down range it occurred to me that we Brits
seem to have something of a problem with lefties.
I’d had the same issue with the Sten gun, and the
bull-pup design of the British Army’s SA80 family
of weapons – which push the bolt right back into
the stock – means soldiers currently in service can
only fire right-handed. I put a few rounds down
range, and rather than the frantic burp of bullets
the MG42 had delivered, the Bren had more of
the feel of an oversized rifle.
‘It was actually too accurate, they made it too
nice,’ Ron said. ‘What you want is a cone of fire.
When you’re keeping them pinned down you
don’t want to sit in one spot all day, you want it
to be all over the place. That was the problem
with the British gun; it was concentrated fire so
the gunners would have to move around to keep
people pinned down.’
Another disadvantage the Bren had in its role
as a suppressive weapon was its capacity. Whereas
the MG42 and the 1919 are belt fed, the Brit is
limited to 20 rounds in its top-mounted, banana-
shaped magazine. One plus is that, like the
MG42, it does have a quick change barrel.
‘The Bren design was actually stolen,’ Ron
explained. ‘The original was a Czechoslovakian
weapon made in the city of Brno. The Russians
34_ben.indd 35
ALLIED VS AXIS: SIDEARMS
knocked it off, the Germans knocked it off, the
Chinese and Japanese all knocked off the CK
design, but the best one to ever come out of it
was the British Bren. The Brits took the BR Brno
and the EN of Enfield and that’s how it got its
name. The problem with the Bren was its one big
giant chunk of receiver, so it took so much time to
machine they couldn’t make them fast enough.’
The next weapon tackled that issue. The 1919
has an almost robotic appearance compared to
the MG42 and Bren. ‘This is riveted together,
it’s just plates. So what you have is a plate here, a
plate here, a plate on the bottom and a plate on
the top, and they were able to rivet it together so
production was much quicker than a Bren. It was
developed in 1919; that’s when it came out
by John Browning and it
fires the same ammo as
the M1 Garand.’
One advantage the
American had over the other
two was that it fires from a closed
bolt. ‘The issue with an open bolt
weapon is that you’re
always worried
about that first
round picking up
and seating and firing.
Whereas if you know you
can charge it and have it cycled
in place that fear is taken out of
you, you know it’s chambered, it’s
ready to go.’
The 1919 felt somewhere between the Bren
and the MG42. It felt faster than the Brit but
lighter than the German. The belt-fed Browning
did have a major disadvantage compared to the
others though: it didn’t have a changeable barrel.
‘The reason they eventually took the 1919 out Having been through all the weapons on
of service was they couldn’t shoot people fast test, Ron and I stood chatting about all things
enough, for example, when they were in Korea World War II. As we did he said to one of the
and the Chinese were sending human waves. ex-servicemen who work at BFV, ‘Set up the Ma
When you see the movies they just keep blasting Deuce.’ A massive Browning M2 was brought
– that doesn’t happen. That weapon had a barrel into the range and I knew this was a rare treat
you couldn’t change out, it would overheat and it when several of the staff also joined us, filming on
wasn’t a fast enough cycle rate, so the US went to their mobile phones. ‘When I was a gunner we
the M60.’ were taught to fire in three-second bursts,’ the
However, the 1919 is still in use in with the chap who had set up the gun told me.
Israelis, who modified them to take a 7.62 NATO. I depressed the butterfly and the 50.cal shook
The 1919 I was firing had seen action in Israel. as the unmistakeable chug of its slow rate of
Pointing to a hole in the gun Ron said: ‘Somebody fire sent its massive rounds down range and
shot it with an AK; you can see the bullet hole the oversized shell cases jingled on the floor in
right here and we got it functioning again, but we between bursts. It was a fitting weapon to finish
left that there just for nostalgia.’ with, not only because it was the biggest, but
I naively asked if they had done that to take the because in testament to the ingenuity of the time,
gun out of commission. ‘Somebody probably just it remains in service to this day as the primary
shot the gunner,’ Ron replied. heavy machine gun of NATO
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 35
11/08/2015 15:58
 www.themedalcentre.co.uk
CALENDAR OF FAIRS FOR 2015

The Durham Wakefield

Militaria Medal Fair
& Medal Fair
Outwood Memorial Hall, Victoria Street, off Leeds Road,
Outwood, nr Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 2NE

The Community Centre, Bowburn Village, 6th September

Durham DH6-5AT Future dates:
25th October 4th Oct, 1st Nov, 6th Dec
British campaign and gallantry medals
Future dates: Purchased and sold
27th Dec Immediate cash settlement

Open to the public from 8.30am to 1pm. 8am to 1pm

Admission £2.00 • Free Car Parking • On site catering

For further information or to book a table please contact the organiser.
The Medal Centre, 10b Hencotes, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 2EJ
Tel: 01434 609794 or 07950421704

Buy, Sell & Exchange

• HELMETS
• UNIFORMS
• CAPS
• GUNS • SWORDS • WW1 • WW2 • WATERLOO • VIETNAM
• DAGGERS • MEDALS • BADGES • FALKLANDS • US CIVIL WAR • BOER WARS
• FLAGS & MANY MORE • CRIMEA & MANY MORE

REGIMENTALS LTD.
PO Box 130, Hitchin, Herts. SG5. UK. • mail@regimentals.co.uk • www.regimentals.co.uk
01462 850151 • 077 8900 5991 • 078 0101 0797
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36

p36_ARMSepOct15.indd 36 07/08/2015 11:34

 Collectors Fair Ad 2015 93 x 281_Layout 1 19/11/2014 21:14 Page 1

GHQ FAIRS
www.ghq.uk.com

HELD ON SUNDAYS & INDOORS

WITH FULL FACILITIES
THE LARGEST FAIR IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND

Farnham Fair Dates 2015

8th Feb, 1st Mar, 24th May, 5th Jul,
13th Sept, 4th Oct, 13th Dec

OPEN FROM 10.00am to 2.00pm Admission £3.50

GERMAN MILITARIA
For Info & Bookings on Fairs
Wednesday 14th October
Call -GHQ Fairs
A selection of Third Reich items, German Decorations,
Awards and Ephemera, consigned by a private collector, on 07919 455799
totalling in excess of 160 lots, including;
A Commemorative Badge for Army Zeppelin Aircrews, Est £4-600
A 1918 Imperial German U-Boat Badge, Est £3-400
An Army Paratrooper Badge in 800 silver, engraved on rear, Est £1-1500
Directions
A German Cross, Gold Class, Maker Mark 21, Est £800-1000
An SS Dagger by Herder Solingen, Est £6-800
The Maltings, off Bridge Square,
A Kriegsmarine Dagger with knot straps and carrying bag, Est £3-400
An E-boat Badge, 1st Pattern horizontal tapered pin by Schwerin, Est £2-300 Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR
An Iron Cross 1st Class, engraved to Bernhard Schmidt, K.C. Sachenhausen
(SS Standartien Fuhrer), Est £6-800 For Map and Traders Booking Forms +
For more information, please visit our website or contact:
daniel.webb@brightwells.com More Information, Visit
Antiques & Fine Art Department
01568 611 122
Easters Court, Leominster
Herefordshire, HR6 0DE brightwells.com WWW.GHQ.UK.COM

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 37

p37_ARMSepOct15.indd 37 07/08/2015 11:36

 MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES
Luftwaffe ground troops
armed with No. 1 Mk. III
Lee-Enfield rifles.
German Military Rifle Cartridges, Part 4
‘Beggars can’t be choosers!’
By Paul Scarlata
Photos by: James Walters & Nathan Reynolds (unless otherwise indicated)
W
hen Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht to
invade Poland in 1939 he did so against
the advice of the Oberkommando
der Wehrmacht (OKW – Supreme Command
of the Armed Forces) who felt that Germany was
not yet ready for what would obviously become
another two front war. Hitler ignored their
advice and the result was World War II. On 3
September 1939, in response to the invasion of
Poland, Great Britain and France declared war
on Nazi Germany.
1945. US troops examine weapons surrendered by the
Volkssturm including Norwegian Krag-Jørgensenkarabin
M/1912s, Mo. 1891 Moschetti and various Mausers.
38 Armourer Issue 131
38_Paul_scarlata.indd 38
Even before the invasion of Poland, German
industry was unable to provide sufficient
weapons for the rapidly expanding Wehrmacht.
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia in
1938 many new German divisions were
equipped with 98-type Mauser rifles, products
of Zbrojovka Brno. Luckily for Germany these
were already chambered for the standard
7.9mm Patrone Ss (see Part 2).
Poland’s fall supplied the Wehrmacht with
additional 98-type Mausers produced by
Fabryka Broni Radom which also fired the
standard German cartridge and so could be
taken into service immediately.
Germany then invaded the Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg and Norway but the
booty obtained from these nations would be less
useful than that captured earlier.
On 9 April 1940 the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe
and Kriegsmarine launched a joint operation to
secure Norway’s major cities and ports. Known
as Operation Weserübung, it was initially
successful, although the small Norwegian Army
resisted valiantly. Britain and France rushed
troops to Narvik in the north of the country to
assist the Norwegians but they were unable to
stop the German advance and were withdrawn.
The Norwegian Army was equipped with
obsolete Krag-Jørgensengevær M/1894 and
a variety of Krag carbines. As in the other
conquered countries these were issued to
German occupation troops. In the 1920s,
the Norwegians upgraded their military rifle
cartridge with a new projectile, although not all
weapons had been modified for it by 1940.
• 6.5mm skarpe Geværpatron M/97: used
a rimless, bottle-necked case 55mm in length
loaded with a 156 gr. FMJ, round-nosed
bullet which was propelled to 2380 fps.
• 6.5mm skarpe Geværpatron M/25:
differed in that it was loaded with a 139 gr.
boattail, Spitzer bullet which pushed it to a
velocity of 2625 fps.
On the same day that Norway was invaded,
the Germans crossed the Danish border. The
small, disorganised Danish Army was ordered
11/08/2015 16:07

to surrender after only six hours of scattered
resistance, making this the shortest campaign
of WWII!
The Danes were also equipped with a
Krag-Jorgensen rifle, the Gevaer m/89, and
a number of carbines. These were taken into
service by German occupation forces and used
until the country was liberated by British forces
in 1945.
• 8mm skarp gevaerpatron m/08: a
rimmed, bottle necked cartridge, the 58mm
case was loaded with a 196 gr. Spitzer bullet
with a muzzle velocity of 2460 fps.
The Wehrmacht crossed the Belgian border
the next day and the Belgians capitulated after
two weeks’ resistance. Belgium was the home of
the arms-making giant Fabrique Nationale who
had made Mauser rifles since the early 1890s.
The Belgian Army was equipped with several
of these: the Fusils d’Infanterie Mle. 1889,
Mle. 1889/36 and Mle. 1935. The latter was
a 98-type rifle very similar to the Wehrmacht’s
Karabiner 98k except for one small feature. It
fired a different cartridge.
• 7.65mm Cartouche Mle.
1935: in 1935 the Belgian
Army updated its ageing
Cartouche Mle. 1889 (see Part
3) with a 174 gr. full metal
jacketed (FMJ), boattail Spitzer
1945. A member of the Volkssturm armed with a
Fucile di Fanteria Mo. 1891 and a Panzerfaust.
German occupation troops in Belgium fire on British aircraft
with a Belgian Fusil d’Infanterie Mle. 1889, Karabiner 98b and
a Czech vz. 26 light machine guns.
38_Paul_scarlata.indd 39
MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES
A dead German soldier during Operation Market
Garden armed with a Karabijn M.95 Mannlicher.
bullet traveling at 2380 feet per second (fps).
The German Army and Volkssturm used large Many Mle. 1889 rifles were modified to fire
numbers of Italian Mo. 1891 rifles and Moschetti (carbines). the new cartridge.
The Netherlands was invaded the same
day as Belgium. The small Dutch Army was
unable to resist the Wehrmacht’s Blitzkrieg
tactics and after the terror bombing of the port
city of Rotterdam surrendered after only five
days. German occupation troops and second
line units were equipped with Geweer and
Karabijn M.95 Mannlichers taken from the
defeated Dutch. Additional Dutch Mannlichers
were seen in the hands of Germany’s last ditch
Volkssturm units in the final days of the war.
• Scherpe patroon No. 1: better known as
the 6.5x53R Mannlicher, it used a rimmed,
bottle-necked case 53.5mm long with a 159
gr. round nosed, FMJ bullet at a velocity of
2430 fps.
Hitler’s long-dreamed-of invasion of
Germany’s age old enemy – France – took
place on 10 May. On the plains of northern
France the Wehrmacht’s fast moving armoured
columns showed the world the true meaning of
the German word ‘Blitzkrieg’ (Lightning War).
Bypassing France’s vaunted Maginot Line the
Germans drove deeply into France, isolating
French units from each other and forcing the
British Expeditionary Force to retreat to the
Belgian port of Dunkirk, where they were
rescued by a patchwork armada of naval,
commercial and private vessels.
The demoralised French army collapsed and
on 22 June an armistice was signed between
France and Germany, which resulted in a
division of France whereby Germany would
occupy the north and west, Italy would control
a small Italian occupation zone in the south-
east, and an unoccupied zone, the ‘zone libre’,
would be governed by the newly formed Vichy
government led by Marshal Pétain.
The French surrender provided Germany
with a cornucopia of smallarms, but as with
Norway and the Benelux countries’ rifles, they
were not chambered for Germany’s standard
7.9mm Patrone sS.
In 1936 the French Army had adopted a new
rifle, the Fusil a Répétition de 7.5mm Modèle
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 MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES

Some of the non-regulation/foreign cartridges used by the Wehrmacht during WWII Other non-standard cartridges included (L to R): 8mm skarp gevaerpatron
included (L to R): Scherpe patroon No. 1 (Netherlands), 7.65mm Cartouche Mle. 1935 m/08 (Denmark), 6.5mm skarpe Geværpatron M/97, 6.5mm skarpe
(Belgium), 7.5mm Balle Modèle 1929 C (France), 6.5x54 Schönauer (Greece), Cartucce Geværpatron M/25 (both Norway) and the 7.62mm patron obr. 1908g
a Pallottola cal. 6.5 (Italy) and the .303 Mark VII (Great Britain). (Lou Behling photo) (the patron obr. 1930 D looked identical) (both USSR). (Lou Behling photo)
1936. Unfortunately war broke out before the German occupation troops armed with French
Army was re-equipped and many French units Fusils a Répétition de 7.5mm Modèle 1936.
marched off to battle with Lebel and Berthier
rifles and carbines left over from the First Great
Bloodletting.
• 7.5mm Balle Modèle 1929 C: based upon
a 54mm rimless, bottle-necked case whose
140 gr. Spitzer bullet achieved a muzzle
velocity of 2600 fps.
• 8mm balle 1898 D: the Lebel and Berthier
rifles were chambered for a rimmed,
bottle-necked cartridge with a 51mm case
containing a 198 gr. solid brass, boattail,
Spitzer bullet that achieved a velocity of
2380 fps.
• 8mm balle 1932 N: 1932 saw the ‘8mm
Lebel’ cartridge upgraded with a more
conventional lead core, 232 gr. FMJ, boattail
Spitzer bullet at a velocity of 2480 fps.
The Germans issued large numbers of all
the French rifles mentioned above to their Volkssturm troops surrendering their arms. Visible are M1886-
occupation forces, rear echelon and security 93 M.34 Lebels, Karabiner 98ks and Berthier carbines.
troops while others were supplied to various
foreign SS ‘legions’ in preference to more
modern German rifles.
With Western Europe under his belt, Hitler
next turned his attention to the Balkans. On
6 April 1941 the Wehrmacht, along with
Germany’s erstwhile ‘ally’ Hungary, invaded
Yugoslavia, which capitulated nine days later.
The defeated Royal Yugoslav Army provided
Germany with a variety of Belgian, Czech and
locally made Mausers – all chambered for the
7.9mm Patrone sS – in addition to
many M.95 Mannlichers
(see Part 3).
Italy’s ill fated 1940
invasion of Greece led
to Mussolini asking for
aid from Hitler. On 6
April 1941 German
forces from Yugoslavia
invaded Greece, forcing

Other French cartridges

utilised by the Germans
included the 8mm balle
1898 D (left) and 8mm balle
1932 N.

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 MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES

The Germans used some French M1886 -93

M.34 which were simply shortened Lebels.

The Germans captured vast quantities of Soviet obr. 1891-30 Mosin-Nagant rifles.

the government to flee based, Spitzer type bullet that 37 gr. of 1891 weapons utilised a rimless, bottle-
on 30 April. The Greek Modified Cordite propelled to 2440 fps. necked case 52mm long loaded with a
Army was equipped with a polyglot During the long Italian campaign some round-nosed 162 gr. FMJ bullet moving at
assortment of French rifles, ex-Austrian Wehrmacht units were equipped with Italian 2300 fps.
Mannlichers, FN Mausers, British Lee- Fucile di Fanteria Mo. 1891 and Moschetti The miscellany of captured rifles used by
Enfields and the unique Y:1903 and 1903/14 (carbines), better known as the Mannlicher- the German armed forces during WWII was
Mannlicher-Schönauer, all of which the Carcano. After the surrender of the Italian evidence that the highly vaunted German
Germans issued to their occupation troops army the Germans confiscated large numbers ‘military/industrial complex’ was unable to
and a collaborationist militia, the Tágmata of Carcanos for issue to their own troops. provide its troops with sufficient standardised
Asfalías. Large numbers of Moschetti were used by weapons. The need to provide ammunition,
• 6.5x54 Schönauer: the Y:1903’s cartridge the last ditch Volkssturm in the waning days spare parts, maintenance and repairs – to
with a rimless, 54mm long bottle-necked of the war in a hopeless attempt to stem the say nothing of training – for this bewildering
case; the 159 gr. Round-nosed, FMJ bullet Soviet juggernaut that was sweeping across variety of longarms was no doubt a severe
had a muzzle velocity of 2225 fps. Germany. drain on the Wehrmacht’s quartermaster
Hitler next turned his gaze upon the USSR. • Cartucce a Pallottola cal. 6.5: the Mo. corps. It was truly a sign of desperation.
While the Soviets had been Germany’s
‘ally’ during the invasion of Poland, the Wehrmacht soldiers armed with
Nazis needed Russia’s natural resources and the obr. 1891-30 Mosin-Nagant.
food supplies to power their war machine.
Operation Barbarossa began on June 22,
1941 and in a little over four months the
Wehrmacht had conquered the Baltic region,
Belorussia, Ukraine and was at the gates
of Moscow. While Russian manpower and
determination – aided by ‘General Winter’
– stopped the German advance it would be
August 1944 before the Soviets pushed the
Wehrmacht out of Russia.
The Germans captured vast quantities of
Soviet weapons, including the obr. 1891g,
obr. 1891/30, obr. 1938g and obr. 1944g
Mosin-Nagant rifles and carbines which were
issued to second line units, Luftwaffe ground
personnel, internal security forces and the
many nationalist, anti-Soviet SS volunteers
who served with the Wehrmacht. German
troops were especially fond of the sniper
versions of the obr. 1891/30 and the semi-
automatic Tokarev SVT-40. Two versions of The Soviet SVT-40 rifle was very
the same cartridge were used in these rifles. popular with German troops.
• 7.62mm patron obr. 1908g: consisted
of a rimmed, bottle-necked case 54mm in
length loaded with a 147 gr. Spitzer bullet
with a muzzle velocity of 2650 fps.
• 7.62mm patron obr. 1930 D: adopted in
1930, it used the same case as the patron
1908g but was loaded with a 182 gr.
boattail Spitzer bullet at a velocity of 2580
fps.
The Germans captured numbers of No.
1 Mk. III Lee-Enfield rifles from the British
after their evacuation of Dunkirk while
additional ones came into their possession
during the North African campaign. While
ammunition supply was limited, some were
issued to training depots, rear echelon units
and Luftwaffe ground personnel.
• .303 Mark VII: adopted by the British in
1910, used a 56mm long rimmed, bottle-
necked case loaded with a 174 gr. flat

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 GERMAN DAY AND RALLY BADGES

German Day and Rally Badges

By Jamie Cross

T
his article aims to introduce swapping badges with their school friends, and
the collector to the getting them from family, friends and relatives.
fascinating subject of the It is estimated that there may have been over
German Day and Rally Badges. 30,000 different German rally badges during
This type of badge is not unique to the Third Reich period.
Germany, but was adapted and used The badges come in a range of eye-
to the greatest effect by Adolf Hitler catching colours and designs, from animals
in that country. to aeroplanes, people and places. The
By using this vast array of designs range from simple to complicated
badges, Hitler covered the whole ones. Another interesting point is the type of
sphere of German life from the material used in the construction of the badges;
German Mothers’ Union to the paper, plastics, cotton, Bakelite, aluminium,
feared SS. Any and every form of wood, porcelain and steel were all used. Some
life and events were covered by were then painted; others were oxidised and
these badges, including Labour polished, lacquered and even enamelled. Prices
Day, 1 May and the main NSDAP for these badges start at about £10.00 and so an
Party Rallies. Also included were impressive collection can be put together on a
the Armed Forces, SA Groups, small budget in a short space of time.
NSKK, Old Comrades, SS units, From a researcher’s point of view, a large
Hitler Youth and Shooting number of the badges are double- or even
and Sporting events, as well treble-marked, which is very handy for checking
as Company events, Gau codes, makers’ names and/or company
and Kries Days and logos as well as RZM marks, and a wealth of
even archaeological information has been gathered using badges
digs(sponsored by the SS as a first source. The Reichszeugmeisterei der
to show that the swastika NSDAP or RZM was the quality control office
was of German origin). set up by the NSDAP after they came to power
Some of the badges given in 1933. All firms wishing to manufacture items
in the early party days for the NSDAP, its formations or organisations
before Hitler came to had to apply to them for an RZM licence
power after 1933, were number. This number was then marked on the
raised to National Party items made by the firm and quality was strictly
status, like the SA Treffen controlled by the RZM office. If a firm did not
Braunschweig 1931 Badge and live up to their quality expectations, it could
the Nurnburg Partei Tag 1929 lose its RZM number and could therefore not
Day Badge, to name but two. supply these items to the party. It should be
The original aim of the noted that the RZM did not mark Army, Navy
Picture from Germany Awake showing Adolf Hitler badge was to raise money in the same way as or Luftwaffe items, and as a rule of thumb, any
and Rudolf Hess wearing the 1933 Reichsparteitag we do today when we give to a charity outside armed forces item with an RZM marked should
Day badge. a supermarket. You were ‘encouraged to be viewed as a copy.
give and receive one of these badges’. Young The RZM had different code marks for
children collected them like trading cards, different items and this was broken down thus:

M1 - insignia
M2 - sub-contractors
M3 - symbols or emblems
M4 - belt buckles
M5 - uniform accessories
M6 - aluminium products
M7 - daggers
M8 - metal accessories
M9 - meeting badges (tinnies)
M10 - musical instruments
M11 - NSDAP Long Service Medals
M12 - NSDAP miniature Long Service Medals
Therefore, most day badges are marked RZM 9/ ** though
M6/** badges have been encountered.
Below is the DaybBadge list of German RZM suppliers to
the party :
M9/1 F. W. Assmann & Söhne, Lüdenscheid
M9/2 Rud. Mayer, Pforzheim
M9/3 L. Chr. Lauer, Nürnberg
M9/4 Gustav Brehmer, Markneukirchen
M9/5 Fugen Schmidhäussler, Pforzheim
M9/6 Julius Dinnebier Nachf., Lüdenscheid
M9/7 Foerster & Barth, Pforzheim
M9/8 Christian Thomas Dicke, Lüdenscheid
M9/9 Ferdinand Wagner, Pforzheim
M9/10 Robert Hauschild, Pforzheim
M9/11 Carl Poellath, Schrobenhausen
M9/12 C. Baimberger, Nürnberg
M9/13 Gustav Hahl, Pforzheim
M9/14 M. Kutsch, Attendorn
M9/15 Otto Schickle, Pforzheim M9/48 E. F. Wiedmann, Frankfurt am M. M9/60 Paulmann & Crone, Lüdenscheid
M9/16 Berg & Nolte AG, Lüdenscheid M9/49 Heinrich Muth, Hanau M9/61 Gebrüder Albert, Menden.
M9/17 Friedrich Keck, Pforzheim M9/50 Steinhauer & Lück, Lüdenscheid M9/62 Berthold Kuhn, Catterfeld
M9/18 Karl Wild, Hamburg M9/51 Hermann Aurich, Dresden M9/63 Albert Ihne, Lüdenscheid
M9/19 Ernst Schneider, Lüdenscheid M9/52 Schmidt & Bruckmann, Pforzheim M9/65 Friedrich Keller, Oberstein
M9/20 ‘Walgo’. Inh. Goseberg, Kierspe M9/53 Friedrich Linden, Lüdenscheid M9/66 Gottlieb Fr. Keck & Sohn, Pforzheim
M9/21 Glaser & Sohn, Dresden M9/54 Funcke & Bruninghaus, Lüdenscheid M9/67 Overhoft & Cie, Lüdenscheid
M9/22 Dr. Franke & Co., KG., Lridenscheid M9/55 Hermann Wemstein, Jena-Löbstedt M9/68 Gebrüder Mardey & Co., Wuppertal-Langerfeld
M9/23 Ossenberg & Co., Dahle und Altena M9/56 Werner Redo, Saarlautern M9/69 K. E. Haas, Hamburg
M9/24 Wilhelm Schroder & Co., Lüdenscheid M9/57 Gebrüder Lange, Lüdenscheid M9/70 Walter Demmer, Lüdenscheid
M9/25 Richard Sieper & Söhne, Lüdenscheid M9/58 Alfred Stubbe, Inh. Herben Tegge, Berlin
M9/26 Hessische Fahnenfabrik Georg Schubkegel, Darmstadt German Youth Members, wearing
M9/27 Bockle & Co., Geringswalde German Day badges.
M9/28 Ferdinand Hoffstätter, Bonn
M9/29 Rud Wachtler & Lange. Mittweida
M9/30 Bernhard Haarmann, Lüdenscheid
M9/31 Biedermann & Co., Obercassel
M9/32 G. Danner, Muhihausen
M9/33 Karl Hensler, Pforzheim
M9/34 Werner Linker, Duisburg-Hochfeld
M9/35 Gebrüder Gloerfeld KG, Lüdenscheid
M9/36 Philipp und Gustav Fest, Hanau
M9/37 Carl Winkler, Hanau
M9/38 Tweer & Turck, Lüdenscheid
M9/39 Wilhelm Deumer, Lüdenscheid
M9/40 Karl Wurster, Markneukirchen
M9/41 Julius Maurer G.m.b.H., Oberstein
M9/42 Fritz Zimmermann, Stuttgart
M9/43 Lohmann & Welschehold, Meinerzhagen
M9/45 Dransfeld & Co., Menden
M9/46 Otto Fechler, Bernsbach
M9/47 Adolf Baumeister, Lüdenscheid

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M9/71 Stuttgarter Metallwerk-Fabrik Mayer &
Wilhelm, Stuttgart
M9/72 Wilhelm Kolwitz, Bergedorf b. Hamburg
M9/73 Julius Bauer Söhne, Zella-Mehlis
M9/74 Heinrich Vogt, Pforzheim
M9/75 M. Nett, Fürth
M9/76 Hermann Bauer, Schwäb.-Gmünd.
M9/77 Josef Fuess, München
M9/78 Stefan Merkl, Nürnberg
M9/79 Max Kamper, Lüdenscheid
M9/80 Kruse & Söhne, Wuppertal-Barmen
M9/81 Franz Reischauer, Idan
M9/82 Matthias Ochsier & Sohn KG., Ansbach
M9/83 Lehmann & Wundenberg, Hannover
M9/84 Gebrüder Rood, Solingen
M9/85 Gebrüder Hahne, Lüdenscheid
M9/86 Adam Donner, Wuppertal-Elberfeld
M9/87 Adolf Besson, Schwäb.-Gmjind.
M9/88 A. Kunze & Co., Buchholz
M9/89 Hillenbrand & Bröer, Lüdenscheid
M9/91 Wilhelm Fuhner, Pforzheim
M9/92 Paul Meybauer, Berlin
M9/93 Frank & Reif o.H.G., Stuttgart
M9/94 Walter Horn]ein, Schwäb.-Gmünd.
M9/95 Pleuger & Voss, Lüdenscheid
M9/96 Kallenbach, Meyer & Franke, Luckenwalde
M9/97 Gebrüder Fobke, Stettin
M9/98 Theodor Seibod, Offenbach a. M.
M9/99 Hans Aich, Schwäb.-Gmünd.
M9/100 Emil Oberholz, Reiligenhaus
M9/102 Gebrüder Bender, Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/103 Schimmel, Schmieder & Co., Schmölin
M9/104 Fritz Zobel, Breslau
M9/105 Karl Kahle, Flensburg
M9/106 Richard Masseck, Weisswasser
M9/107 Ossenberg-Engels, Iserlohn
M9/108 L. 0. Stillgebauer, Solingen
M9/109 Emil Vogelsang, Glauchau
M9/110 Fritz Kohm, Pforzheim
M9/111 Schauerte & Höhfeld, Lüdenscheid
M9/112 Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik,
Geislingen a. d St.
M9/113 Ernst Conze, Lüdenscheid
M9/114 Hermann Knöller, Lüdenscheid
M9/115 Rob Hasenmayer Jr., Pforzheim
M9/116 Wuh. A. Jager, Frankfurt a. M
M9/117 Chn Bauer, Welzheim
M9/118 Josef Preissier, Pforzheim
M9/119 Alois Rettenmaier, Schwäb-Omünd.
M9/120 Gustav Schuft, Cottbus
M9/121 Furstenberger Porzellanfabrik, Furstenberg
a. d. Weser
M9/122 Stempel-Reich, Breslau
M9/123 Gebrüder Cramer, Menden
M9/124 Karl Pfohl, Pforzheim
M9/125 Jakob Bengel, Inh. E., Hartenberger, Oberstein
a. d. N.
M9/126 Fried. Wuh. Schnurle, Duisburg am Rhein
M9/127 Heinrich Schmidt, Sprottau
M9/128 Paul Schulze & Co., Lubeck
M9/129 Jörgum & Trefz, Frankfurt am Main
M9/130 Bruno Mitlehner, Berlin
M9/131 Noelle & Hueck KG, Lüdenscheid
M9/132 Hermann Schulte Sohn, Lüdenscheid
M9/133 Bebritpressstoffwerke G.m.b.H., Bebra
M9/134 Seiler & Co., Geldern
M9/135 C. W. Lots, Adorf
M9/136 Ernst Scheiter, Eibenstock
The reverse of four different Day
badges showing the RZM m9/ codes
and makers’ names.
42_Jamie Cross.indd 43
Selection of Day
badges that became
honour badges in
the NSDAP. Notice
the badge in the top
right-hand
Corner: this is the
type being worn
by Adolf Hitler
and Rudolf Hess
in the photo on the
previous page.
M9/137 H. Dürvel, Braunschweig
M9/138 Prokop, Jager & Söhne, Rosenthal-
Schweizermuhle
M9/139 Bruno Winkler, Zittau
M9/140 Leop. Kleins Witwe, Wien
M9/141 Glöckner & Co., Annaberg
M9/142 Otto Kunze, Fraureuth
M9/143 R. Conrad Nach & Co. KG, Schmiedeberg.
M9/144 Julius Moser sen., Inh. C., Moser, Oberstein
a. d. N.
M9/145 Kuhr & Langer, Eisenach
M9/146 Mayer & Sohn, Erbach
M9/147 Eduard Mutscheiknauss, Pforzheim
M9/148 E. O. Friedrich, Leipzig
M9/149 Willy Annetsberger, Munchen
M9/150 Friedrich Roediger & Co., Hanau a. M.
M9/151 Petz & Lorenz, Unterreichenbach
M9/152 Stuffmann & Co., Haan
M9/153 Staatl Bemstein-Manufaktur, Königsberg
M9/154 Karl Forster & Grat Schwäb-Gmünd.
M9/155 Lindner & Maak, Dresden
M9/156 Ad. Schwerdt, Stuttgart
M9/157 Lind & Meyer, Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/158 Ochs & Bonn, Hanau a. M.
M9/159 Wilhelm Helbing, Leipzig
M9/160 Max Kremhelmer, Munchen
M9/161 Sohni, Heubach & Co., Oberstein a d. N.
M9/162 Ziemer & Söhne, Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/163 Otto Wolter, Schwäb-Gmund.
M9/164 Paul Merkens, Dusseldorf
M9/165 Giesse & Schmidt, Ruhla
M9/166 Hymmen & Co., Lüdenscheid
M9/167 Emil Büxenstein, Pforzheim
M9/168 Gustav Mössmer, Offenbach am Main
M9/169 Deschler & Sohn, München
M9/170 Karl Erbacher, Pforzheim
M9/171 Rudolf Freund, Solingen
M9/172 Eduard Hahn, Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/173 P. C. Turck Witwe, Lüdenscheid
M9/176 List & Hertl, Wien
M9/177 August Menze & Sohn, Wien
M9/178 C. W. Motz & Co., Brandenburg a. d.H.
M9/179 Karl Gschiermeister, Wien
M9/180 Adalbert Kanngiesser, Wien.
M9/181 Sohni & Co., Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/182 Karl Kuhn & Co. AG, Wien
M9/183 Schar-Smolka, Schwechat b. Wien
M9/184 Bruno Mulde, Bremen
M9/185 J. E. Hammer & Söhne,
Geringswalde
M9/186 Konrad Seiboth, Gablonz
a. N.
M9/187 Grossmann & Co. Inh.
Lorenz Hoffstätter u.L. Siefener, Wien
M9/188 Schaeffer, Homberg G.m.b.H.,
Wuppertal -Barmen
M9/189 Rudolf Stärz, Gablonz a. N.
M9/190 Rudolf Richter, Schlag Nr 244
M9/191 Wilhelm Borgas, Entingen
M9/192 Albert Noswitz, Gablonz a. N.
M9/193 Emil Peukert, Gablonz a. N.
M9/194 Franz Schiffner, Gablonz a. N.
M9/195 Franz Schmidt, Gablonz a. N.
M9/196 Rudolf Lucke & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/197 Gustav Miksch, Gablonz a. N.
M9/198 Camill Bergmann & Co.,
Gablonz a. N.
GERMAN DAY AND RALLY BADGES
M9/199 Rudolf Pfeiffers
Nachf., Hoschka & Pesch,
Gablonz a. N.
M9/200 Heinrich Stärz
jr., Gablonz a. N.
M9/201 Otto Lang,
Gablonz a. N
M9/202 Josef Rössler & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/203 Wilhelm Pala, Gablonz a. N.
M9/204 Franz Wenzeis Sohn, Braunau
Heuscheuer
M9/205 Fritz Zasche, Gablonz a. N.
M9/206 J. C. Gante in, Berlin
M9/207 Georg Patzner, Breslau.
M9/208 Josef Feix Söhne, Gablonz a. N.
M9/209 Gebrüder Jäger, Gablonz
M9/210 Rudolf Lang, Kukan Nr.226 b.
Gablonz
M9/211 Adolf Scholze, Grünwald a. N.
M9/212 Julius Rauchfühs, Schonwald u. Pirna
M9/213 Eduard Gorlach & Söhne, Gablonz
a. N.
M9/214 August G. Tham, Gablonz a. N.
M9/215 Rudolf Tham, Gablonz a. N.
M9/216 Matth. Ochsier & Sohn AG,
Riegersdor b. Bodenbach
M9/217 A. Karneth & Sohn, Gablonz a. N.
M9/218 Matth Salcher & Söhne AG., Wagstadt
M9/219 Augustin Hieke, Tyssa b. Bodenbach
M9/221 Richard Simm & Söhne, Gablonz a. N.
M9/222 Otto Glausch, Grunwald b. Gablonz
M9/223 Bruno Schöffel, Kukan
M9/224 Walter & Henlein, Gablonz a. N.
M9/225 Franz Maschke & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/226 Heinrich Wander, Gablonz a. N.
M9/227 Vereinigte Knopf-Werker Alfred Maborny, Wohlau
M9/229 M. Schaubmayr, Wien
M9/230 Josef Rücker & Sohn, Gablonz a. N.
M9/231 Louis Keller, Oberstein
M9/232 Magnus Richter, Schwarzbach
M9/233 Gustav Könd, Peterswald b. Bodenbach
M9/234 Franz Bernhardt, Tyssa b. Bodenbach.
M9/235 Heinr Ulbricht’s Wwe., Wien
M9/236 Florian Schwarzer, Wien
M9/237 Gebr Eichenauer, Hainfeld
M9/238 Lenkwerk Brüder Schneider AG., Wien
M9/239 A. Beladas Nach. Frz. Jungwirth, Wien
M9/240 W. Gruber & Co., Wien
M9/241 Ranns Pacher, Wien
M9/242 Friedrich Orth, Wien
M9/243 Josef Heintschel, Wien
M9/244 Franke & Sohn, Heidenreichstein
M9/245 Albert Bloudicek, Wien
M9/246 Eduard Gösel, Wien
M9/247 Rudolf Menschiga, Wien
M9/248 Christlbauer & Sohn, Wien
M9/249 Josef Mayr, Linz
M9/250 Andreas Unger, Wien
M9/251 Rudolf Schanes, Wien
M9/252 Phil. Turks Wwe., Wien
M9/253 Argentor-Werke, Wien
M9/254 Hans Hischer, Wien
M9/255 Schwenner & Cie., Eggenberg b. Graz
M9/256 Franz Petzl, Wien
M9/263 Adolf Klinger, Grünwald a. N.
M9/264 Rudolf Dressier Jr., Gablonz a. N.
M9/265 Eduard Kratzert, Gablonz a. N.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk
A page from the As
smann Catalogue
A rare picture of the British Imperial Fasci
st
League at the 1935 German Reichsparteitag
wearing the 1935 Day badge.
M9/268 Franz Klamt & Söhne, Gablonz a. N.
M9/269 Arno Wailpach, Salzburg
M9/270 Wilhelm Tschinkel Abtl. II, Ober Kreibitz
-Schonfeld
M9/271 Gustav Wenzel, Nieder-Preschkau, Kr. Tetschen
M9/272 Rudolf Fischer Jr., Nixdorf
M9/273 Franz Lang, Gablonz a. N.
M9/274 Karl Unger & Sohn, Gablonz a. N.
M9/275 Erwin Hoffmann, Seidenschwanz
M9/276 Josef Pörner, Gablonz a. N.
M9/277 Franz Erben jr, Seidenschwanz
M9/278 Reichelmann & Co., Tellnitz b. Aussig
M9/279 E. Wohlmann, Gablonz a. N.
M9/280 Rudolf Bergs, Gablonz a. N.
M9/281 Richard Feix, Gablonz a. N.
M9/282 Wilhelm Hammesfahr, Solingen
M9/283 Emil Herrmann & Co. Gablonz a. N.
M9/284 Robert Rudolf, Gablonz a. N.
M9/285 Oskar Frech, Gablonz a. N.
M9/286 Adolf Kofer, Sebnitz
M9/287 Ewald Turck, Lüdenscheid
M9/288 Klein & Quenzer AG., Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/289 Gottlieb & Wagner, Oberstein a. d. N.
M9/290 Otto Geiger, Lüdenscheid
M9/291 Oswald Posselt, Gablonz a. N.
M9/292 Ernst Hübner, Gablonz a. N.
M9/293 Adolf Seidel Gablonz a. N.
M9/294 W. Lehmann, Karlsbad-Weheditz
M9/295 Josef Bergs & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/296 Franz Schönbach, Riegersdorf
M9/297 August Halter, Tolkemit, Kr. Elbing
M9/298 Brüder Paul, Tyssa b. Bodenbach
M9/299 Paul Garthe, Muspe
M9/300 Volkskunst der Grafschaft Glatz, Kurt Klammt,
Glatz-Neuland
M9/301 Otto Sedlak, Gablonz a. N.
M9/302 Bruno Pfeifer, Gablonz a. N.
43
11/08/2015 16:09
 GERMAN DAY AND RALLY BADGES
Early Paper examples of
German Day Badges

Inside Page showing Early paper Day Badges

M9/303 Anton Markovskys Söhne, Gablonz a. N
M9/304 Karl Schlenker, Schwäb.-Gmünd.
M9/305 Rudolf Zappa, Bad Schlag b. Gablonz a. N. A mixture of German Day badges made from paper, wood, plastics and metal.
M9/306 R. Richard Haasis, Zittau
M9/307 Kamill Schöffel, Grunwald a. N
M9/308 Laurenz Müller, Gross-Schonau.
M9/309 Willy Engel, Morchenstern, Kr. Gablonz A selection of German SA Day badges.
M9/310 Otto Mischek, Gablonz a. N
M9/311 Gralit-Kunstharzpresswerk, Grossmann, Pietschmann & Co., Nixdorf
M9/312 Fritz Mannheim G.m.b.H., Kaiserslautern
M9/313 Karl Pichl, Innsbruck
M9/314 Moritz Hertwig KG., Tannenberg
M9/315 Arno Melzer, Dresden
M9/316 Rudolf Strake, Leipa
M9/317 Franz Simon, Gablonz a. N.
M9/318 Heinrich & Heinrich, Gablonz a. N.
M9/319 Buttig & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/320 Zappe & Co., Gablonz a. N.
M9/321 Wiliy Zappe, Gablonz a. N.
M9/322 Oskar Zappe Jr., Gablonz a. N.
M9/323 Max Hering, Oldenburg i. 0.
M9/324 Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen
M9/325 Rosenthal-Porzellan AG., Selb.
M9/326 Karl Schram, Brunn (Protektorat Mähren)
M9/327 Otto Müller, Gablonz a. N
M9/328 Julius Gerhard. Pforzheim
M9/329 Max Ulbrich, Gablonz a. N.
M9/330 Ewald Ress, Wien
M9/331 Erhard & Söhne AG, Schwäb.-Gmünd.
M9/332 Dmk. Schönbaumfelds Sohn, Wien
M9/333 Alfred Simet, Wien
M9/334 Augustin Prager, Gablonz a. N.
M9/335 R. Kreisel, Gablonz a. N.
M9/336 W. Hobacher, Wien
As can be seen, this is a large list with many well known
firms who also made lots of other products such as awards, belt
buckles and badges.
A picture paints a thousand words, so here are some designs
Front page from
a Ger man Makers’/Su
ppliers’ Catalogue

44 Armourer Issue 131

42_Jamie Cross.indd 44 11/08/2015 16:09

 M&T
MILITARIA
SPECIALISTS IN THIRD REICH
MILITARIA FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS.
AWARDS & DECORATIONS
HEADWEAR & EQUIPMENT
PLUS MANY OTHER ITEMS

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We are always looking

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VIEW THE CATALOGUE ON OUR WEBSITE

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Tel/fax: (01228) 531988 Mobile: 07736 074047
Email: L3mnt@aol.com

Don’t want the Gestapo telling you what you

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List and buy anything you like on warstuff.com

This is a small collection of our stock, please visit us on-line for more details.

Over 1000 items on-line supplying the WW11 re-enactor and collector

www.militarytour.com welcome
We
new
Email: dj@militarytour.com suppliers
Tel: 1-204-339-2810

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 45

p45_ARMSepOct15.indd 45 07/08/2015 17:01

 For a great selection of Original German Third Reich Awards,
Medals, Badges and Decorations, a visit to

www.thirdreichmedals.com
is recommended, where you will find one of the largest selections available on the internet.

Not only do we buy/trade

and sell medals, badges and
decorations from only a few
pounds upwards, we have
also included information
on the medals and
badges themselves.

We have a selection of books and a good reference section

on the hobby of collecting these awards too.
- CAMDEN MILITARY_BROMLEY MILITARY FAIRS 31/10/2012 12:05 Page 1
Our friendly staff are happy to advise.
For more information, please email jamiecross@aol.com
or write to: Jamie Cross, PO Box 73, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 1RY. UK
Please enclose an S.S.A.E for a reply.

BROMLEY
CAMDEN
MARK CARTER MILITARIA & MEDAL FAIRS 2015
WEST COUNTRY (YATE) - 2015
Sunday 29th November 2015
at Yate Leisure Centre, Kennedy Way, Yate, nr Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 4DQ

MILITARY
(Easy access to M4 - just 10 minutes from either direction. From Swindon/London/The East:
exit at Junction 18 and then take A46 & A432. From Wales/The North/The South West:
exit at Junction 19 (M32). Leave M32 at Junction 1 and then take A4174 and A432)

STRATFORD UPON AVON - 2015

Sunday 11th October 2015
at Stratford Leisure & Visitor Centre,
Bridgefoot, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6YY
COLLECTORS FAIR
(just off A439 Warwick Road. Close to town centre, just 10 minutes from
Junction 15 on M40 giving excellent access to nationwide motorway network)

ALDERSHOT - 2015 10th

25thMarch 2013
October
Sunday 1st November 2015
at The Princes Hall, Princes Way, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1NX
(next to Police Station, close to Town Centre and Railway Station. Just off main A325 THE GREAT HALL
between Farnborough and Farnham. 10 minutes from Junction 4 on M3) CIVIC CENTRE
HAVERSTOCK SCHOOL,
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Excellent new venue WOKING - 2015 Excellent new venue

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at Woking Leisure Centre, Woking Park, Kingfield Road (A247), Woking, Surrey, GU22 9BA
(On opposite side of A247 from Woking Football Club, a very short distance from A320 BROMLEY, KENT, BR1 3UH
Woking to Guildford Road - follow excellent local brown “Leisure Centre” signage. OPPOSITE CHALK FARM TUBE STATION
Only 10 minutes from M25 (J10 or J11) or A3, 15 minutes from M3 (J3).
12/15 minutes walk from town centre & major railway station)
9.30am
NW3–2BQ
2.30pm
Due to popularity of this venue, no suitable dates were available for the second half of 2015.
Dates for 2016 will be announced in due course. FREE LOCAL CAR PARKING
2015 Date:
ALL EVENTS OPEN 10.30am - 2.00pm (preview at 9.30am)
★ Top quality fairs held at established, well lit venues with catering facilities 2013
20th Dates:
December
★ Between 90 and 130 tables of quality militaria, medals and books are GUARANTEED
at each event ★ Attended by leading dealers from many parts of the country 28th July • 10th November
★ Dealers tables at very reasonable prices - new dealers always most welcome
★ All events are well signposted and have PLENTY of parking nearby - FREE at Aldershot,
Woking and Yate, pay & display at Stratford upon Avon
Admission: £2.50 (accompanied children free). Preview admission: £3.50 (open to all)
Email: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com
ENQUIRIES:
Website: http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm
ENQUIRIES: SLOUGH (01753) 534777 0771 409 4009
46

p46_ARMSepOct15.indd 46 07/08/2015 11:43

 www.ratisbons.com

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p47_ARMSepOct15.indd 1 12/08/2015 09:52

 The Athens War Museum –
a walk through the pantheon
of Ancient Military History
By Tim Campbell

A
bout a half mile from Syntagma Square,
the heartbeat of Athens in Greece, sits
the giant Athens War Museum, covering
3000 years of military history. Funded by grants
from the Greek armed forces and generous
donations from individuals and companies, the
Athens War Museum is loved by all visitors with
even the slightest interest in military history and
warfare.
Torn by millennia of conflict, Greece has
witnessed innumerable wars, which it has won
and lost against nation states like Macedonia,
the Ottoman Empire, Italy and Germany.
This must-visit museum for military history
aficionados and militaria fans features four floors
of exhibits of warfare, ranging from the ancient
times of Alexander the Great right through to
World War II.
My guide during my recent visit, Brigadier
General Panagiotis Kaperonis, is a 37-year
veteran of the Greek Army. Now 55 years old,
Brigadier General Kaperonis was educated
at the world famous Gordonstoun Academy
in Scotland – where Prince Charles also went
to school – and also spent time training at Fort
Benning near Atlanta, USA.
Designed by scientists and headed by Professor
Thoukidides Valentis, the Athens War Museum
was built in 1975 and opened that year by the
then Greek Minister of Defence, Constantine
Tsatsos. This year the museum celebrates
its fortieth anniversary. Brigadier General
Kaperonis explained that there are plans for
various celebratory events to be held later in
2015, probably in October. Full details will
be available on the website as soon as they are
available: www.warmuseum.gr.
This bastion of all things military covers
approximately 40,000 square feet, with four
floors and a parking garage. An outside area,
open to the public, is crammed with artillery
and aircraft from both World Wars. The striking
outdoor exhibition space displays Army, Navy
and Airforce militaria, including a helicopter,
fighter jets, 18th-century cannons and examples
from several generations of artillery.
All the outdoor exhibits are being restored
by professionals. When one is completed and
returned to the museum, another departs. Each
unit takes approximately two to three months for
full restoration, the cost supported by grants from
the Greek armed forces, depending on
which military division
the piece is from.
Inside, as we
move from
floor to floor,
Brigadier General
Kaperonis describes the
various wars and battles
that his Hellenic nation

48 Armourer Issue 129

48_TimCampbell.indd 48 11/08/2015 16:10

 has been involved with over the centuries. He
told me, ‘The lower floor is understandably the
most popular with overseas visitors because it
showcases the exploits of Greece’s most famous
son and greatest legend, Alexander the Great.’
The lower floor contains many copies of
priceless relics, the originals being stored in the
National Museum next to the Acropolis. There
are, however, some rare original pieces, such as
ancient Greek headgear, displayed in glass cases.
These are at least 2000 years old, and some even
older. The bronze Corinthian, Hoplite, and
Spartan helmets were worn by soldiers from the
fifth century BC.
Other interesting artefacts from the period
of Alexander the Great include a crossbow and
flamethrower. The crossbows were converted
into giant-sized military hardware and fired
at the enemy, no doubt bringing down several
soldiers with each strike of their huge and
formidable bolts.
During sea battles, the crossbow arrows were
set alight with pitch and fired at oncoming
vessels. Another surprising weapon was the
flamethrower. Pitch was set alight in a bronze
barrel and blown by bellows against the enemy
by ramming an end spike into the opposing ship.
Pushing the bellows that blew air into the tube
and through holes in the end allowed the flames
to set fire to the enemy’s wooden vessels. One
wonders how many ships delivering the flame
were accidentally set on fire!
Setting advancing ships on fire with these
ancient flamethrowers was a tactic that made
Alexander the Great victorious at sea on many
occasions. His soldiers would also convert
flamethrowers into hand-held units which were
used to set fire to masses of infantry and buildings.
Models of these crossbows and flamethrowers,
and the rock-hurling catapults, can be seen in
glass cases on the ground floor.
Other artefacts from the Persian,
Peloponnesian and Spartan Wars can be viewed
under glass covers. The underground floor also
houses many prehistoric relics found during
archaeological excavations in the city. Dating
back to the Neolithic period, the priceless pieces
of flint, obsidian and bone are housed in special
cases to protect them from today’s temperatures
and dust.
Many other
pieces date back to
the Bronze Age,
featuring items
from the
Minoan,
48_TimCampbell.indd 49
Cycladic and Mycenaean civilisations, though
many of these are copies of the originals from
the National Museum. Despite this, I thought
this museum would be practically a religious
experience for followers of Homer’s Odyssey!
The main floor with the entrance hall has a
dual purpose. Entry tickets are purchased here,
and there are also glass cases displaying
World War II uniforms, medals, ribbons and
emblems detailing various Greek armed forces
over the centuries. The smallarms hardware
galleries are set up in various parts of the
rectangular main floor with models of artillery
and transport used in World War II.
A central atrium on the first floor exhibits
statues of famous Greek figures from centuries
of Greek history. These sculptures of generals
and mythical characters really bring this central
atrium to life. The atrium’s marvellous open-air
design encourages visitors to wander and take
the time to view each statue. Information plaques
describe each protagonist’s place in Greece’s
volatile history.
The first floor features hardware from World
War I and the Balkan Wars. Comprised of small
arms and models, these exhibits give the viewer a
sense of the portability of the pieces. The lighter
mortars and cannon, along with howitzers and
75mm guns, proved to be indispensible artillery
in the mountain battles between the Greeks and
their attackers. These portable pieces allowed the
armies to move around and above their invaders
in the mountains, and fire down upon them with
devastating effect.
The second (top) floor features hardware
from World War II and scale models of various
battles and naval vessels. Visitors from the UK
will recognise British uniforms and the numerous
examples of British military hardware. As one
of Greece’s staunchest allies over the centuries
Britain has helped provide the Hellenic armies
with funds and equipment, as well as uniforms
for the Army, Navy and Airforce.
Many of the pieces on display from WWII
were from captured enemy positions. They
include German machine guns and Italian
mortars and rifles. The WWI items, such as the
rifles, artillery and Mauser machine guns, were
purchased from the Austro-Hungarian Empire
but not with money or through trade; they were
bought with tons of tobacco grown in Greece.
Greece
devastated during
World War II. The
majority of Greek Jews were
exterminated, and the country as a
whole suffered heavily, losing 400,000
of its four million inhabitants, almost
one in ten of the entire population.
Many Greeks went overseas to both the USA and
the UK, helping the war effort by returning funds
and weapons to Greece from abroad.
While occupied by the Nazis, Greek
partisans fought their battles mainly in the
mountains until liberated by the Russians in
October 1944. Scale models of some of these
World War II battles can be seen in glass cases;
the main feature is a replica of the famous
Metaxas line of 19 forts across the north of
Greece. The smallarms display features Lee
Enfield rifles, German Mauser guns, Italian
mortars and other handguns and rifles.
On display in the exterior exhibition are both
jet aircraft and helicopters from the Airforce, and
Navy sonar equipment. Anti-tank weaponry can
be seen outside, as well as 16th-century cannons,
75mm howitzers, rapid fire pom-pom guns,
aircraft bombs and missiles. Brigadier General
Kaperonis gave me detailed information about
the items, explaining his love of the infantry and
how important the artillery was to them. He told
me: ‘Without the artillery the infantry cannot be
effective, and vice versa.’
The Athens War Museum is a highlight for any
military veteran, and entry to the museum is only
three Euros. To be able to see so much historical
hardware through the centuries of Greek history
for the price of an ice cream is great value. People
with a military background or those who just
enjoy looking at original military equipment can
feast their eyes on this original collection found
nowhere else in the world. It is an unforgettable
experience as part of any trip to Athens.
was
Lifts are available for the disabled or infirm
and grand staircases for the able bodied.
There are two sets of toilets on both the top
and ground floors.
Opening hours are from 9am to 6pm; the
museum is closed on Mondays.
Smoking is not allowed and there are no
facilities to purchase food or drinks.
For more information the website is www.
warmuseum.gr/english/. If you’d like
to meet Brigadier General Kaperonis or
arrange a personal tour, please contact him
at info@warmuseum.gr.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 49
11/08/2015 16:10
 Militaria
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50

p50_ARMSepOct15.indd 50 12/08/2015 14:10

 2015
100
years since Loos and Gallipoli

200
years since Waterloo

600
years since Agincourt

10,000,000
pounds’-worth of PLI as an SRA member

Our best wishes to all our members taking part

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If you’re a re-enactor and not an SRA member yet,
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Thursday 26 Nov 2015

12 noon
SPECIALIST
MILITARIA AUCTION
to be held at -
NEW VENUE - Ravon Court,
Drummond Road, Stafford ST16 3HJ
For further details, contact Kevin King
01785 214100 or 07789 628030 or
info@marlowsauctions.co.uk Similar items in the November sale

www.marlowsauctions.co.uk
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 51

p51_ARMSepOct15.indd 51 12/08/2015 14:24

 MEDAL COLLECTING

William Saville – a military

career through four wars
MEDAL
COLLECTING
WITH
PETER DUCKERS

W
illiam Saville was born in Oldham
in 1878. He joined the army as a
young soldier in 1896, entering the
Royal Irish Fusiliers in Armagh, but quickly
transferring into the Lancashire Fusiliers -
perhaps a more obvious billet for a Lancashire
weaver! Little could he have known in 1896
that he would still be doing military service
nearly 50 years later, in 1944 – via 25 years
Saville in the Boer War - in front of one of the many
Saville as a very young soldier in Ireland in the 1890s. defensive blockhouses.

in the Metropolitan Police – and that in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898.
meantime he would pass through two colonial The battalion served in General Lyttleton’s
campaigns of some size and two World Wars. 2nd Brigade and sustained only six men
He ended up, like ‘Jonesy’ in Dad’s Army, with wounded during the battle – fairly typical of
a chestful of medals, serving in his local Home the British regiments engaged, which inflicted
Guard. His medal group as finally huge numbers of casualties on the Dervish
assembled is:
Sudan 1896-98
Khedive’s Sudan, with Khartoum
clasp.
Queen’s South Africa, with
clasps Tugela Heights, Relief of
Ladysmith, Transvaal and Orange
A Sergeant in the 23rd Royal Fusiliers (right). Free State.
King’s South Africa, clasps South
Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902
1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Defence Medal
1911 Metropolitan Police
Coronation.
In addition to the survival of
his medals and the miniature
group that he wore (probably
more often than the full-
size versions) he left behind
him a fairly comprehensive
and interesting archive of
photographs and ephemera,
documenting a very full and
varied military career.
Having joined up in
1896, Saville saw his first
action in 1898, serving
asa Drummer with the
2nd Lancs Fusiliers in the
Sudan during Kitchener’s
Saville as a Sergt. in the Royal Fusiliers, 1915. He ‘allied reconquest’ and
wears his 1911 Coronation medal ribbon to the fore - being present with them
as was the custom at that time. in the great and decisive

52 Armourer Issue 131

Ephemera of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers.

52_Peter Duckers.indd 52 11/08/2015 16:11


Marching with Norfolk veterans in the 1930s. Saville front right, wearing miniatures.
army but suffered little themselves. Many years
later, he collected press cuttings which referred
to the last survivors of the Sudan campaign,
including, of course, Sir Winston Churchill,
who, having ridden in the famous charge of
the 21st Lancers at Omdurman, lived until
1965 and is often considered to have been the
last survivor of the charge. However, other
survivors feature in Saville’s cuttings. One of
these was RSM William Henry Steele (who
was referred to as ‘the youngest bugler in the
battle’), and was also claimed to be the last
survivor of the 21st Lancers’ charge; he died
as late as January 1969, aged 90. But when his
death was announced, a John Varley, aged 97,
then claimed to be the actual last survivor of
the charge. Both are indeed on the medal roll
for the 21st Lancers in the Sudan and both
outlived Sir Winston! Were there any others
after that date?
From the Sudan, where heat and sand
were the main enemies of the Lancs Fusiliers,
Saville’s service took him to decidedly more
dangerous action in General Buller’s Natal
campaign of 1899-1900 during the Boer War,
where his regiment served through the difficult
operations for the ‘relief of Ladysmith’,
including the disastrous action at Spion Kop in
January 1900. His battalion suffered over 300
casualties in that action alone (and over 550,
including those captured, during the whole
campaign). The 2nd Battalion was later joined
‘in the field’ by men of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and
6th Battalions – some regimental commitment!
– but Saville seems to have escaped unscathed
and served through the Boer War and its
‘guerrilla war’ phase until its conclusion in
1902, when he returned to England.
Saville came out of the army in 1903, simply
‘time expired’ rather than through illness or
any sense of disillusionment, and immediately
joined the Metropolitan Police, a police career
being quite a well-known option for ex-soldiers.
He was to serve in the Met, except for 1914-
18 duty, for 25 years and during that time
played in the Central Band and was part of
the rather special ‘A’ Division, which was the
Royal and Diplomatic Protection branch. This
saw him serving at Buckingham Palace, the
Home and Foreign Offices and the House of
Commons and rubbing shoulders – if only on
official duties – with some important characters
at important functions. He was, for example,
on duty with the Protection Branch during
the Imperial Conference in 1921, where he
escorted various colonial dignitaries, like W.
Monroe, PM of Newfoundland, and at the
52_Peter Duckers.indd 53
MEDAL COLLECTING
Saville in the Met (right) - escorting dignitaries at the Imperial Conference
of 1921.
laying to rest of ‘The Unknown Soldier’ in
Westminster Abbey.
With the outbreak of war in August 1914,
Saville immediately rejoined the Colours,
aged 36, and though initially posted to the
5th Royal Fusiliers was quickly transferred,
as an experienced NCO, to the new 23rd (‘1st
Sportsman’s’) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers
on its formation in September 1914. This was
one of the interesting ‘specialist’ battalions of
the City of London Regiment, effectively ‘Pals’
Battalion, but designed to encourage men from
similar walks of life to join together, rather than
recruiting from a small or specific area. They
included battalions drawn from artists, bankers,
stockbrokers, former public schools’ students
and others. In the 23rd there were many who
had made their name in sports such as cricket,
boxing and football or the media. The first
Sportsmen’s battalion accepted men up to the
age of 45 and was formed at the Hotel Cecil
in The Strand in September 1914 by Mrs E.
Cunliffe-Owen after she gained the permission
of Lord Kitchener to try to raise a battalion Dad's Army - Saville as a be-ribboned Sgt. in the
for the ‘New Armies’. From November 1914 Horstead Company, 5th East Norfolk Home Guard.
until June 1915, battalion training took place
at a purpose-built camp in Hornchurch, Essex like the later stages of the Battle of the Somme
(where Saville was sent in December) and in in 1916 (at Delville Wood), Arras and ‘3rd
June 1915 it was attached to the 99th Brigade Ypres’ in 1917, the German Spring Offensive
of the 33rd Division. It landed at Boulogne in March 1918 and the final battles of the
in November 1915 and on 25 November Hindenburg Line. Wounded in the leg in action
was transferred with its Brigade into the 2nd in France in March 1918 (at the age of 40),
Division. Little is recorded of Saville’s personal during the Kaiser’s ‘last fling’ on the Western
service ‘in France and Flanders’ – his official Front, Saville was sent to the UK for treatment
papers do not seem to have survived – but the at St Barts in London and then discharged
23rd RF had a distinguished record and saw on account of wounds; after recuperation
some arduous service on the Western Front, he eventually returned to his career in the
including involvement in major campaigns, Metropolitan Police.
Saville's miniature medal group Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 53
11/08/2015 16:11
 MEDAL COLLECTING

After a total of 25 years’ service with the

Met, Saville retired in 1928 at the age of 50
and went to live in the village of Coltishall in
Norfolk, where he seems to have taken a full
part in village and local life, for example, with
the local veterans’ associations. It was not
surprising that, on the outbreak of another
world war in 1939, Saville should immediately
join his Local Defence Volunteers and
eventually commanded the Horstead Home
Guard company, which was part of the 5th East
Norfolk HG, being discharged in July 1943 on
age grounds, then being 65 years old. William
Saville died in Coltishall just a few days short
of his 90th birthday in March 1968 – another
very late survivor of Omdurman and the
Sudan campaign – and is buried in Coltishall
churchyard. Saville's medal group, without the WW2 Defence Medal, which was never mounted with the rest.

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54 Armourer Issue 131

52_Peter Duckers.indd 54 11/08/2015 16:11

 Our next show will be at Pudsey
Giant Leeds - 18th October 2015

www.eaglerelics.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 55

p55_ARMSepOct15.indd 55 12/08/2015 14:04

 HMS MONITOR 33
HMS Monitor 33
The Gallipoli Phoenix. By John Norris
Looking along the length of
the M33 in dry dock
Forward six-inch gun could
engage enemy targets ashore
I
n Royal Navy terms the letter ‘M’ prefixing
a vessel’s number usually denotes that that
particular ship is a specialist type operating
in the role of minesweeper. However, there are
exceptions when the letter M can be used to
denote another type of specialist ship known
as a ‘monitor’. These were ships with very
shallow draughts, armed with heavy guns used
to bombard enemy coastal installations close
in to shore. One of these vessels, known simply
as HMS M33 is very special indeed, because
she is not only the last surviving ship of her
type, she is also the only surviving warship in
the world to have taken part in the Gallipoli
campaign of 1915.
The M33 has been saved following an
extensive renovation and preservation
programme undertaken jointly by the National
Museum of the Royal Navy, Hampshire
County Council and the Heritage Lottery
56 Armourer Issue 131
56_john_monitor.indd 56
Fund which allocated almost £1.8 million to
the £2.5 million cost of the project. A team
of specialists spent an estimated 3,600 hours
to rescue the ship using 275 litres of special
wax to preserve the fabric and prevent further
rust. She is now on display in Dry Dock No
1 and on 6 August she was declared open for
visiting by the general public. The Armourer
was privileged to be invited in advance to see
all the hard work which has gone into saving
her for the nation.
Unlike other vessels among the historic
ships at Portsmouth, whose masts tower above
the skyline as a landmark, the M33 is not
immediately obvious. The dry dock in which she
is displayed is almost 40 feet deep which means
the greater part of the M33 is not obvious and
only becomes visible when standing by the
handrail around the site. This vantage point
gives an uninterrupted view along the length
The exterior of the wheelhouse,
showing how well glazed it is
of the ship’s deck. Painted in a camouflage
pattern know as ‘dazzle’, the colour scheme of
the M33 is black and grey, which would have
broken up her shape to avoid Turkish artillery.
She looks fresh and new, almost as though she
had just come out of the builders’ yards. In
effect, after so much work this is exactly what
has happened. As one member of the project
pointed out; it took longer to refurbish the M33
that it did to build her.
The story of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign
is well known but most histories of the action
are usually seen from the perspective of the
fighting on the land. It is known that as an
amphibious operation it was supported by the
Royal Navy but often the role played by this
service is bypassed to focus on the land battles.
Nevertheless all supplies had to be taken to the
theatre by ship and ships transported troops,
such as the disastrous landings from the SS River
11/08/2015 16:12

The ratings’
mess deck with
utensils of the
period
Clyde. After the troops had disembarked River
Clyde became a dressing station for wounded
troops and her condensers were used to provide
fresh water.
Less well known are the monitors, floating
batteries which brought their guns to fire
against Turkish positions in support of the
troops ashore. Monitors had been used in
warfare before; the Confederate and Federal
navies had used them during the American
Civil War, but these warships were different.
The Gallipoli campaign was an attempt by the
Allies to force Turkey, which was Germany’s
ally, out of the war. The first troops went ashore
on 25 April 1915 and almost immediately ran
into difficulties. Turkish guns could fire on to the
British positions and although larger warships
could provide fire support it was realised that
special ships were needed which could operate
close to the shore line.
The design chosen was the monitor, which
would serve like floating artillery batteries. A
total of 35 monitors were ordered, ranging in
size from the 8,000 ton ‘Erebus’ Class, with
two 15-inch guns, down to the .M29’ Class of
540 tons of which the M33 is one. The M29
Class was designed by Assistant Constructor
Charles S. Lillicrap in March 1915 and was
seen as being ideal for the role of supporting
operations in Gallipoli. In total there were five
ships in the M29 Class and these were built by
Workman, Clark and Company for the Belfast-
based shipyard of Harland and Wolff.
What happened next over the following seven
weeks was nothing short of a miracle in terms
of maritime engineering. The keel of the M33
was laid on 1 April 1915 and together with two
of her sister ships, M29 and M32, the M33 was
launched on 22 May. She was commissioned on
17 June and sailed from Belfast to Devonport
where Lieutenant Commander Q.B. Preston-
Thomas became her captain. On 22 June the
M33 was accepted from her builders and issued
with her war orders the same day.
The M33 and the rest of the M29 Class
were fitted with twin propellers driven by
coal-powered triple-expansion engines rated
at 400hp to provide speeds up to nine knots.
With a cruising speed of eight knots the ships
had an operational range of almost 1500 miles.
The ships had a displacement of 580 tons and
measured 177 feet and three inches in length
overall, with a beam (width) of 31 feet and
nine inches. Despite their size the monitors of
the M29 Class had a draught of about six feet
which allowed them to operate in very shallow
water close to the shore.
56_john_monitor.indd 57
The monitors of the M29 Class had a crew
of 67 ratings and five officers. In the case of
the M33 the crew served on board her for
three years. Each ship was self-contained,
having coal for the engines, ammunition for
the guns and everything else for the crew. The
armament comprised of two six inch guns, one
mounted forward and another mounted aft,
one six-pounder Hotchkiss gun and two Maxim
machine guns of .303 inch calibre for close
protection. The monitors saw extensive action
during the campaign and the M33 in particular
fired her guns to support the Anglo-French
landings at Salamis. Although she was fired on
by Turkish guns she sustained only superficial
damage, which can still be seen today, and there
were no fatalities among the crew. In fact, she
was considered a ‘lucky ship’.
Gallipoli was a disaster in terms of operational
planning and it was decided the Allies would
evacuate the landings. Finally on 9 January
1916 the last of the troops were withdrawn, by
which time the Allies had suffered over 250,000
killed and wounded. The M33 remained in the
area for the remainder of the war and fired
her guns on occasion against Turkish positions.
After the war the M33 and some of her sister
ships saw service in Russia in 1919. In 1925 she
was renamed HMS Minerva and converted to
the role of minelayer. She was used in harbour
duties during World War II and finally acquired
by Hampshire County Council in 1984.
Today, M33 serves as a permanent monument
to the men who served in the Gallipoli campaign
The breech of
a 6 inch gun
with shell
HMS MONITOR 33
and is divided into sections to show daily life
on board. A special staircase has been built for
access into the dry dock and a lift has been built
for wheelchair users. Access onto the ship itself
is through a large hatch which was cut into her
side at some time during an earlier period. This
has actually helped in allowing better access to
the lower parts of the ship.
Some of the internal bulkheads have been
cut away to give better access to parts of the
ship and also provide better views. On entering
the ship there are stairs leading to the left
which take visitors up to the crews’ mess deck
to show living conditions. This includes tables
laid for eating, hammocks slung and other
accoutrements. There are some sound effects
as background to give atmosphere which makes
for a good overall impression.
Making your way back down, you pass along
a short passage which opens out into a large
space which is the engine room. The engines
were removed long ago, and the room is now
used as a cinema to present a short film about
the Gallipoli campaign. This is a total sight and
sound experience, and viewers are surrounded
on three sides by projected images. This gives
the impression of being at sea and watching the
landings going ashore. Sound effects include
gunfire and explosions. Voices speak eyewitness
accounts from soldiers of all sides, including
Turkish troops. This is a truly incredible
experience and is ground-breaking in its form
of presentation.
After the film show, which has to be seen to
put the campaign into perspective, the tour
continues by passing through more points of
interest below decks. There is the shell storage
room and more accommodation for the crew.
The ship’s records are comprehensive and the
names of the men who served on board are
documented. Some personal effects of those
who served on the M33 are on display along
with their stories. The route taken on the tour
is laid out as a one-way system and leads up
to the deck. The main six-inch guns are not
original to the ship but they are identical to
the type used. The shells were of the ‘bagged’
type which means the projectile was loaded
into the breech followed by the propellant
charge. The breech was closed and a primer
was inserted to be fired by a lanyard. The
guns had a range of about six miles which
The galley
where the food
was prepared
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 57
11/08/2015 16:12
 HMS MONITOR 33

The wheelhouse where the ship was steered
would have provided fire support to the
infantry on the shore either to engage enemy
artillery or fire against infantry attacks.
The M33 is not armoured in the true sense
of a heavier warship such as a cruiser because
she, like other monitors, was never intended
to engage in direct battle against enemy ships.
The turrets for the guns are open turrets and
would have provided protection against shell
splinters but not a direct hit. This means that Rose, within the time frame of these four
today we can see exactly what the gun crews vessels lies 400 years of naval history. Each
did 100 years ago. The cabins have been laid of them is unique and represents advances in
out with bunks unmade to give the effect of naval warfare. To visit all four together is an
having just been vacated by the officers to go on unforgettable day out.
duty. Sound effects of voices bring the display The Armourer would like to extend its
to life, along with a range of other background sincere gratitude for inviting us along to
sounds such as men working. the M33 and making our visit so rewarding.
The radio cabin has been fitted out with Congratulations on your achievements which
equipment and the wheelhouse with the have only been made possible though much
steering wheel and chart table is glazed to hard work and dedication.
give good natural light. The galley (cook
house) has utensils and pots on display
to show how meals were prepared in a
very confined space. There are other
points of interest to look out for, such
as the searchlight. A pair of rails is
fitted to the deck and the searchlight is
mounted on rollers which allow it to be
moved quickly from one side of the ship
to the other. This eliminated the need to
mount two lights. Originally all supplies
and stores would have been loaded
through deck hatches and these features
can still be seen.
It is possible to spend an hour or more
looking around this unique ship as one
takes in all the points of interest. It is a
fascinating insight into the lives of sailors
during World War I. The Royal Naval
Museum can be justifiably proud of what
it has achieved in co-operation with all
the other organisations connected with
the project. It lies in the shadow of HMS
Victory and behind it is HMS Warrior and Story of one of the crew of M33
when taken into context with the Mary

Proprietor: Stewart Wilson

Specialists in Original Third Reich Collectors Items. Daggers, Flags, Uniforms, Medals & Awards,
Documents. Also a good selection of English Military Items, Antique Headdress, Swords, etc.
Listed Below Are Just A Few Items Presently For Sale.
1.GERMAN CROSS IN GOLD IN MINT CONDITION WITH ISSUE CASE.
2.GOLD PARTY BADGE OF THE NSDAP BELONGING TO AN SS OFFICER WITH RESEARCH FILE.
3.WAFFEN SS FEZ, GREEN COMBAT EXAMPLE WITH ORIGINAL INSIGNIA.
4.GERMAN POLICE OFFICERS PEAKED CAP.
5.ALLGEMINE SS OFFICERS BLACK PEAKED CAP WITH ISSUE BOX.
6.SS ALLACK WHITE PORCELAIN PRESENTATION PLATE FOR 1943.
7.LUFTWAFFE OFFICERS SWORD IN MINT CONDITION WITH ISSUE BAG.
8.RLB 2ND MODEL LEADERS DAGGER WITH STRAPS.
9.RAD LEADERS DAGGER WITH STRAPS.
10.NSDAP 15 YEAR LONG SERVICE CROSS IN SILVER.
11.DOCUMENT SET TO A HIGH RANKING SA OFFICER.
12.NSKK OFFICERS OVERCOAT WITH ORIGINAL INSIGNIA. A VERY GOOD SELECTION OF SS EDGED WEAPONS
AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT THE MOMENT

Visit our website for a large selection of original German militaria

w w w. t h e o l d b r i g a d e . c o . u k
al C/O JUBILEE HOUSE, 32 DUNCAN CLOSE, MOULTON PARK, NORTHAMPTON NN3 6WL, UK.
Post
New ress:-
Add
Tel: (01604) 719389
email: stewart@theoldbrigade.co.uk or theoldbrigade@btconnect.com

58 Armourer Issue 131

56_john_monitor.indd 58 12/08/2015 14:06

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12/08/2015 14:52
 NURSE EDITH CAVELL
Nurse Edith Cavell
By Ken Rimell
Nurse Edith Cavell with her two
pet dogs (from a postcard)
O
n 12 October a special series of events is
planned to mark the 100th anniversary
of the death of Nurse Edith Cavell,
who was shot by the Germans for aiding Allied
soldiers to escape. While most of the events
will take place in Belgium, the scene of her
heroic deeds, another will be held at her place
of execution, while in the UK a service and
wreath-laying will take place at the large and
imposing statue to her memory in St Martin’s
Place, London. The story of her imprisonment
and death brought international condemnation
and later, when newspapers published the story,
there was a huge rise in applications from young
men to join up and fight. It’s also claimed that
this single act by the Germans was a factor in
bringing the Americans into the war in 1917.
Edith Louisa Cavell was born in Swardeston,
Norfolk, in 1865, where her father was the
local vicar. Times were hard during this austere
Victorian period, and the family meals were
often frugal, but Edith and her family shared
what they could with the local poor. This
fostered in Edith the idea of caring for others,
which paved the way for her career in nursing.
She left school and took a job as a governess
in Brussels and soon learned the language, but
her desire to become a nurse saw her return
to England and attend the London Hospital
for training. The London Hospital, later to
become the Royal London in 1990 during its
250th anniversary, has origins dating back to
1740 and many famous medical personnel were
trained there.
During her training Edith was noted as
a dedicated student and at the end of her
60 Armourer Issue 131
60_KenEdithMUST.indd 60
She was immediately incarcerated in St Gilles
prison, where she languished for ten weeks.
Most of that time, while awaiting a court
martial, was spent in prayer. She offered no
defence to the charge but the German court
provided her with a lawyer and the case was
heard on 7 October; the guilty verdict was
predictable. It was delivered in secret two days
later, confirming that Nurse Edith Cavell was
to be executed by firing squad on 12 October.
In some high echelons of the German
Army the guilty verdict caused unease, and
when the news became public, world reaction
condemned the German decision. Frantic
diplomatic efforts were made to get the death
penalty overturned but this proved fruitless.
Even the US Ambassador’s warning to the
German High Command that the US, as yet
not in the war, would take the matter very
seriously if the execution took place, failed to
obtain a reprieve. On the eve of her execution
Edith confided in the prison chaplain during
Holy Communion: ‘Patriotism is not enough,
I must have no hatred or bitterness towards
anyone and I’m glad to die for my country.’
The words are now inscribed on her memorial
statue in London.
Edith Cavell, with several others condemned
Cavell statue at St Martin’s to death, was taken by car through the
Place, London. streets of Brussels to the Belgium
National Indoor Firing Range where
medical education she was asked to set her execution took place at dawn on 12
up a training school for nurses in Brussels; October 1915. Outrage was voiced the
she became Matron at Berkendael Medical world over at the execution of a woman
Institute in 1907. For seven years, until the who had been devoted to the care
outbreak of WWI, she headed this large of others. The German High
medical establishment and was noted Command tried to claim that
for her discipline and kindness, even Edith had been a spy but this
when Brussels was overrun by the was ignored as the war swung
invading German Armies soon after in favour of the Allies.
the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. Edith Cavell was buried
The Institute became a Red Cross near to her place of
Hospital, and Edith cared for execution and remained
both injured German and British there until discovered
casualties, and later French by the British Consulate
soldiers, in January 1919. Two
As well as caring for the months later, on 7 March,
sick, Edith began to help she was exhumed and the
British and Allied soldiers to long journey home began. Her
escape over the Dutch border body was placed in a large oak
to freedom and to fight once coffin marked only with a metal
more. Some estimate that plaque inscribed with her name
the figure was well over 200. and dates of birth and death
Warnings that the Germans and was taken past huge crowds
were growing suspicious of through central Brussels to the
her activities failed to deter Gare du Nord. Here the cortège
her and against pleas from was met by a guard of honour
her colleagues to return mounted by British soldiers
to England she doggedly with rifles reversed in salute. At
remained at work, healing noon the coffin was loaded onto
the sick and continuing to a train bound for Ostend and
assist soldiers to escape. upon arrival was taken aboard
Edith was arrested on 4 a destroyer, HMS Rowena, for
August 1915 and charged passage to Dover, and by 6 p.m.
as a resistance fighter she was back on British soil.
in helping enemies of The people of Dover turned
Germany to escape. out in their thousands, packing
A close-up detail of the statue
11/08/2015 16:12
 NURSE EDITH CAVELL

Nurse Edith Cavell’s cell St Gilles prison

(from a postcard).

Wendy Ulrich
dressed as a
nurse for a
living history
group of the
Cavell era.

Edith Cavell (postcard)

the route to the station to pay their respects. languishing in a railway siding by enthusiasts in
The following day, the train, with Edith’s body 1994 and during its restoration its history was
now contained in a special rail van, painted finally unearthed. Any visitor to the excellent
with a white roof to symbolise its importance, Kent and East Sussex Railway can see the van
steamed slowly to London where it was greeted decked out just as it was for those special and
at every location by great crowds. From London historic occasions almost 100 years ago.
the coffin was mounted aboard a gun carriage I was so fascinated by this story that I went
and escorted to Westminster Abbey by troops, to a postcard fair recently and purchased a few
and here again the whole route was packed rather old, poor quality and faded pictures of
with bystanders. When the service was over this great lady; those that could be reproduced The Kent and East Sussex
there was another railway journey to Norwich, appear with my story. Railway’s Cavell carriage interior
her coffin now placed aboard a specially
refurbished Great Eastern Railway hearse Exterior of Cavell carriage at
carriage. Edith was finally laid to rest by the Bodium Station, East Sussex.
door of Norwich Cathedral, where she still lies
in a well-tended grave.
Edith Cavell left a lifetime’s legacy of courage
and caring, and her name appears on plaques in
many places throughout the world. The Royal
London Hospital, where she first embarked on
a nursing career, has a ward named after her
and the hospital museum has many artefacts
associated with her life’s work. The railway van
that carried her body from Dover to London,
and later the remains of the Unknown Warrior,
still survives and can be found not in a dusty
museum but sitting proudly in a siding on the
preserved Kent and East Sussex Railway at
Bodium Station. It was discovered by accident

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my thanks in writing this article to Brian Janes from
the Kent and East Sussex Railway for use of details from his superb booklet
about the van’s historical background, to Jonathan Evans of the London
Hospital Museum and Archive and to John Cantopher ARPS for the
picture of Edith Cavell’s grave at Norwich Cathedral.
While the story of Nurse Edith Cavell is a well-known one, it mustn't be
overlooked that there were other nurses of the Great War who were equally
as brave. Over 650 nurses were killed and have military headstones in all
the countries affected by that conflict. The suffering endured by some of
them who were injured while tending the sick and wounded of both sides
saw a number of them die when the war was over.
While it’s impossible to list them all, I can mention a few. One is Dorothea
Crewdson of the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment), who continued to care
for her patients in spite of the serious injuries she sustained during an air
attack at the Etaples Military Hospital in 1918. She was later awarded the
Military Medal and died just after the war ended. Again at Etaples in April
1917, Betty Stevenson, a young YMCA driver responsible for transporting
relatives of seriously wounded soldiers to see their next of kin, was injured
and died later after an air raid while assisting French refugees. She was
afforded a full military funeral and later awarded the Croix de Guerre avec
Palme by General Petain for her courage and devotion to duty.
Sister Rachel Pratt was on duty at a major casualty clearing station at
Bailleul in France, when an enemy bomb exploded just a few yards from
where she was tending the wounded. Fragments from the shell entered her
body and punctured one of her lungs. She continued to care for the sick
until she collapsed from loss of blood. She was taken back to the UK and
after intense treatment she recovered and was awarded the Military Medal.
When the war was over she returned to Australia and continued in nursing.
These words were penned by British VAD Nurse Vera Brittain while
she tended the German wounded at Etaples Hospital in 1918, and they
eloquently show what these women were capable of even amidst the
most horrific scenes of war. They are the first and last verses of a longer
poem, ‘Verses of a VAD’:
When the years of strife are over and my recollection fades
Of the wards wherein I worked the weeks away,
I shall see, as visions rising ’mid the War time shades,
The ward in France where German wounded lay.
So, though much will be forgotten when the sound of War’s alarms
And the days of death and strife have passed away,
I shall always see the vision of Love working amidst arms,
In the ward wherein the wounded prisoners lay.
Vera died at her home in Wimbledon in 1970 having worked for
pacifism all her life.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 61

60_KenEdithMUST.indd 61 13/08/2015 10:26

 BOSTOCK MEDALS
ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS
(Specialisting in British) Brought, Sold and Exchanged

Always a good selection in stock.

OFFICERS COLOURS
Wants lists accepted, callers (by appointment) welcome
Always keen to acquire your unwanted items
for immediate settlement.

ANDREW P. BOSTOCK DEALING IN MEDALS OF DISTINCTION AND

‘Pinewoods’ 15 Waller Close, MILITARIA FOR THE DISCERNING COLLECTOR
Leek Wooton, Nr. Warwick CV35 7QG Specialists in British & Commonwealth decorations and campaign
Phone: 01926 856381 Mobile: 07815 615512 medals as well as varied selection of Foreign medals and Militaria
Email: bostockmilitaria@aol.com

Website (regular update): E-mail: paulread1944@gmail.com Mobile: 07867 805032

www.bostockmedals.co.uk web-site: www.officerscolours.com

‘THE INTERNATIONAL’ BIRMINGHAM ARMS FAIR

Q & C The UK’s most popular ANTIQUE ARMS & MILITARIA FAIR
held in the luxurious & prestigious suites of the
MILITARIA NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
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22 Suffolk Road, Cheltenham GL50 2AQ
Come and see the best selection on offer in the UK,with over 100 dealers filling the 184 tables.
RFD Glos D167
It’s the biggest & the best!
Telephone: 01242 519815
Mobile Telephone: 07778 613977 SUNDAY 13th September 2015 10.00am to 3.00pm
qcmilitaria@btconnect.com (dealer & keen collector preview 8.45am to 10.00am Adm. £8.00, thereafter £5.00)
www.qcmilitaria.com

We Wish to Buy for Cash

All items of Uniform, Helmets & Headwear,
Swords & Bayonets, Medals, Orders & Decorations,
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Medals mounted for wearing
Cased for Display & Refurbished
Miniature Medals and Mess Dress
Accoutrements Supplied
Send S.A.E. for free list
Scenes from a recent fair, just a small selection of what is usually on offer!
Future dates: 15th November 2015, 21st February 2016, 19th June 2016, 18th September 2016 and 20th November 2016
For further details or to register on our waiting list
(all tables usually rebooked by existing exhibitors) Write to :-
ANTIQUE ARMS & MILITARIA EXHIBITIONS P.O.BOX 194, WARWICK CV34 5ZG
TEL. 07710-274452 • www.birminghamarmsfair.com

For Sale
Cap Badges, Regimental Ties,
Lapel Badges, Blazer badges,
Insignia etc. List £2.

Cairncross (DeptA)
31 Belle Vue St,
Filey, N.Yorkshire YO14 9HU
Tel: 01723 513287
www.cairncrossmilitaria.co.uk

STEVEN MORRIS
BRITISH ARMY CAP BADGES
time
MEDALS & MILITARIA militaria
We deal in all types of Militaria,
184 GRAVELLY LANE from Pre 1914 to Post 1945
ERDINGTON
We are UK based dealers who
BIRMINGHAM B23 5SN specialise in buying, selling and
new shop open
swapping all forms of Militaria.
callers welcome 14 The High Street, Hythe, Kent, CT21 5AT
Find something that you like and Tel: 01303 261002 Mob: 07905 747791
TEL: 0121 382 1570 we’ll delivery it to anywhere within Order online today...
smorrisbadges@yahoo.co.uk the UK for FREE, regardless www.timemilitaria.com
SEND S.A.E. FOR TRADE BADGE LIST of the size of the order! email: info@timemilitaria.com

62

p62_ARMSepOct15.indd 62 07/08/2015 12:14

 WATERLOO
MILITARIA
We buy & sell quality militaria
ZULU WARS FLINTLOCK
WARRIORS MUFF PISTOL
KNOBKERRY with ebony
Zulu wars bag grips with
warriors chequering. The
knobkerry most barrel is a turn
likely an elder off. The lock is in very nice working order with
officer as this one proof marks to the side. The pistol is 6 inches
has nice wire work around the shaft £285.00 overall £325.00

FRENCH TROOPERS BRITISH VICTORIAN LORD

CUIRASSIERS ARMOUR
with front and back breast plates
both in nice condition. The front
plate has a date 1847 with
regimental markings and
manufacture name. The back
plate has also a date stamp for
1843 £750.00
LIEUTENANT SET
British Victorian county Lord
Lieutenant’s Dress coatee with
scarlet double breasted tailcoat
boxed epaulets and belt all
matching £1,100.00

1812 AMERICAN 1ST EMPIRE FRENCH

NAVAL BLUE SABRETACHE
GUILT SWORD A French 1st Empire Imperial
Naval 1812 pattern
Printed Catalogue with colour
Guard officer’s sabretache.
American blue and This is the 1812 pattern with
guilt Officer’s Eagle
photos available. Send cheque
the nice heavy shape and
headed five ball bag behind the front flap

(payable to M Bentley) for £6.50

sword with original scabbard in £2,900.00
very nice condition £1,450.00

to cover print, p&p (£22 for 1 Gary Lawrence 07935 324562 /

year subscription of 4+ issues) to:
01708 500994 Denise 07918 881432
www.waterloomilitaria.com

BLUNDERBUSS
ANTIQUES
PO Box 145, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 1AU
Telephone: 01767 318715
Email: mail@blunderbuss-antiques.co.uk
Website: www.blunderbuss-antiques.co.uk
Business Hours: Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 4.30pm

WE BUY, SELL & PART EXCHANGE WEAPONS &

MILITARIA FROM THE 19TH CENTURY TO WW2
PRINTED MAIL ORDER CATALOGUE AVAILABLE,
PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www.blunderbuss-antiques.co.uk
...where you will find our current stock of the above items,
ALL of which are photographed. This is a regularly updated,
365 days per year “real time” website with a secure purchasing
system where you will only see items that are actually available
We attend various militaria fairs throughout the year
please check our website or telephone for details.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 63

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 Medals of The Great War:
Part Six: The Military Cross
THE CENTENARY OF
1914-18
I
n August 1914, there were only two
decorations available to army officers -
the Victoria Cross, established during the
Crimean War and open to all ranks, and the
Distinguished Service Order, founded in 1886.
The VC was rarely awarded and in any realistic
way deemed to be beyond the expectations
of most; the DSO was regarded (as its name
implies) as a reward for ‘distinguished’ service
or meritorious service by officers on campaign –
though it could be and was awarded for instances
of gallantry in action. In 1901, The Conspicuous
Gallantry Cross had been introduced as a
gallantry award for junior officers and warrant
officers of the Royal Navy whose actions fell
below the standard which might have earned
them the DSO. The CSC (a very rare award in
its original form) was re-established in October
1914 as The Distinguished Service Cross
(DSC) so that junior officers of the Navy had a
distinctive decoration available to them from the
early days of the war.
The circumstances of ‘the Great War’ very
quickly made apparent the need for a more
generally available gallantry award for army
officers and senior NCOs, especially, perhaps,
for the more junior officer ranks whose conduct,
example and leadership were vital to the day-
64 Armourer Issue 131
64_DuckersWWI.indd 64
The obverse of
the George V
version of the
Military Cross, as
awarded 1914-18
The plain reverse
An example of the reverse which has been engraved of the Cross,
with details of the recipient etc. A great range of unnamed as
naming styles and details can be found. awarded
to-day operation of the armies, especially in
the close-combat circumstances of the Western
Front. The King himself was very much
involved in the initial discussions which pressed
for the creation of a new gallantry award,
proposals which eventually led to the institution
of The Military Cross in December 1914. It
was originally suggested that the naval DSC
should be used, with simply a different ribbon
for the Army but in the event, a completely new
decoration was designed.
The new decoration took the form of a fairly
plain but elegant silver cross; the ribbon colours
caused some problems (i.e. finding combinations 1914 and the first awards (about 100) were
which had not been used!) and was designed by gazetted on 1 January 1915. Interestingly, the
E.C.C. Collings, Herald Painter to the King. MC was open from the start to the Indian Army
Those awarded for WWI (and up to 1937) – despite the fact that it had its own distinctive
carry the cypher of King George V as a simple
intertwined ‘GRI’, with no royal effigy, titles A miniature MC, worn with other 1914-18 awards.
or other wording. The new decoration was These were privately purchased so that their detail
instituted by Royal Warrant of 28 December and quality varies enormously
11/08/2015 16:13
 MEDAL COLLECTING

The
Military
Cross with
a second
award bar

The second award clasp. These simply slipped over the ribbon and were plain on the
reverse

system of awards – and to Colonial forces and those published as ‘New

the Royal Flying Corps.
Some MCs were also sanctioned for officers
of the Royal Naval Divisions and Royal Marines
if they were engaged on land operations and
some were conferred on Royal Flying Corps
officers for gallantry in action. It is also known
that under the prevailing inter-allied ‘exchange
of awards’ scheme, approximately 3000 MCs
were given to foreign recipients. These were
mainly French, Belgian and Italian recipients,
but also included awards amongst Britain’s allies
to Czech, Japanese, Serbian, Portuguese, Arab
and other nationals.
All awards of the MC were published in
The London Gazette and its related publications
(like The Edinburgh Gazette or Gazette of India)
with the citation for the award published a few
months later. The published ‘citation’ was based
on a generally longer and more informative
original recommendation, details of which
can sometimes be found in The National
Archives. However, it should be noted that
Year Honours’ in January of any year or
as ‘Birthday Honours’ (generally in June
of any year) usually did not have their
citations published and can be hard
to research; some of these were clearly considerable amount of information on the
for ‘general’ good work rather than a specific recipient and the circumstances of the award or
action. Some MCs awarded for services beyond the fact of its personal presentation by the King!
the Western Front (e.g. Indian Army awards for Prior to May 1920, approximately 37,100
Mesopotamia) also do not often have published MCs had been awarded for the war and, as
citations. Unit and regimental war diaries can became usual in the British gallantry series,
often help to identify the circumstances of an ‘bars’ (which simply slipped over the medal
award if the details were not published. ribbon) could be conferred to represent further
Somewhat unusually in the British series of awards of the decoration, though these were
awards the reverse was entirely plain, neither not officially sanctioned until August 1916.
hallmarked nor inscribed – so that recipients About 3,000 first award bars were conferred,
had to have their own details privately engraved with 168 with two bars and (hardly surprisingly)
on the reverse if they wanted to personalise only four with third bars, i.e. representing the
the award. This means that one frequently award of four MCs to one recipient! Of these,
sees unnamed examples of the MC (which are only about 800 were conferred on Warrant
perfectly correct) in medal groups or examples Officers, making them somewhat rare in the
named in a whole variety of styles and with general run of the decoration.
a range of details provided; some cram in a By Peter Duckers

The
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64_DuckersWWI.indd 65 11/08/2015 16:13

 STABLE BELTS
Stable Belts
A
ll regiments of the Guards Division wear a
dark blue, scarlet and dark blue stable belt
with buckles and tan leather straps. The
second example illustrated appears to have black
leather straps, but instead it is very highly bulled
and matches the colour of the original wearer’s
Sam Browne belt and Service Dress shoes.
The Infantry regiments, formed in 1881, are
familiar to all those with an interest in either
the Great War or World War II. In 1958 they
were reorganised into 14 Infantry Brigades,
in the main based on area locations with a
common Training Depot. Some regiments were
amalgamated, thus reducing the original 64
battalions to 49. Some Brigades were successful,
becoming fully integrated and went on to form
new large regiments with numerous battalions.
Other brigades were less successful, retaining
their own regimental rivalries, and were broken
up into their component parts. Thus by 1971 the
Infantry comprised some 29 regiments, bearing
in mind that some had more than one battalion.
In 2006/2007 the Infantry was reorganised yet
again; the large regiments were unchanged and
the rest were formed into large multi-battalion
regiments, with yet more amalgamations.
There are currently ten large infantry regiments
consisting of 23 regular battalions.
ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND,
formed in 2006, from the Royal Scots, Royal
Highland Fusiliers, King’s Own Scottish Borderers,
Black Watch, The Highlanders and the Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders. With the exception of
the Black Watch, the remaining regiments wore a
regimental tartan stable belt. The Royal Regiment
of Scotland wears a No.1A Government tartan
belt, a lighter version to that previously worn by the
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The buckle
is worn to the left and rear, with the light green
stripe to the centre of the front. The Royal Scots
wore a No.8 Hunting Stuart tartan belt. The first
example illustrated was made by the Depot tailor
Foot Guards
Royal Scots
Royal Highland Fusiliers
Queen’s Own Highlanders
Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
66 Armourer Issue 131
Royal Hampshire
66-John_bodsworth.indd 66 Regiment, Other Ranks
By John Bodsworth
from an old pair of trews in the 1970s, while the
third example was latterly worn by the regimental
Pipers. The Royal Highland Fusiliers wore No.5A
Mackenzie stable belts. These are very similar to
those worn by the Queen’s Own Highlanders,
except that the white stripes are seven inches apart;
there are other colours, which also vary in width.
The King’s Own Scottish Borderers wear a No.7
Leslie tartan belt. The Queen’s Own Highlanders
wore a No.2 Mackenzie tartan belt, similar to that
worn by the RHF; the white stripes are 5½ inches
apart, while other colours also vary in size. Shown
here is an example of No.2 Mackenzie tartan for
comparison. The Gordon Highlanders wore No.3
Gordon tartan belts and these continued to be worn
when the Queen’s Own Highlanders amalgamated
with the Gordon Highlanders, to form The
Highlanders, in 1994. The Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders wore a No.1A Government tartan belt
– the example shown here was made from either an
issue kilt, or trews. Commercially available stable
belts for this regiment are slightly lighter in colour.
PRINCESS OF WALES’S REGIMENT,
formed in 1992 from the Queen’s and Royal
Hampshires. Interestingly, the Officers’ stable belt
differed from those worn by the Other Ranks.
DUKE OF LANCASTER’S REGIMENT,
formed in 2006 from the King’s Own Border
Regiment, The King’s Regiment and the Queen’s
Lancashire Regiment.
ROYAL REGIMENT OF FUSILIERS, formed
from the Fusilier Brigade in 1968. The sample of
the belting used by the Royal Northumberland
Fusiliers looks likes scarlet and brown; however, the
latter is officially called Gosling Green.
ROYAL ANGLIAN REGIMENT, formed
in 1964 from the East Anglian Brigade and the
Royal Leicestershire Regiment.
YORKSHIRE REGIMENT, formed in 2006
from the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of
Yorkshire, The Green Howards and the Duke of
Wellington’s Regiment.
Foot Guards
Royal Scots
King’s Own Scottish Borderers
Gordon Highlanders
Queen’s Regiment
Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment
MERCIAN REGIMENT, formed in 2007
from the Cheshire Regiment, Worcestershire and
Sherwood Foresters Regiment and the Staffordshire
Regiment. The latter wore a plain black stable belt
with buckles and black leather straps.
ROYAL WELSH, formed in 2006 from the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of
Wales.
ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT, formed in 1992
from the Royal Irish Rangers and the Ulster
Defence Regiment. They adopted a new pattern
of stable belt in 2011, but prior to this another
pattern was worn. Male and female versions of
the latter are illustrated.
The RIFLES were formed in 2007. 1 RIFLES
saw the amalgamation of the Devonshire and
Dorset Regiment with the Royal Gloucestershire,
Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (The Berkshire
Regiment and Wiltshire Regiment had previously
amalgamated to form the Duke of Edinburgh
Royal Regiment). 2 and 4 RIFLES were formed
from the Royal Green Jackets (originally the
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,
King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade).
3 and 5 RIFLES were formed from the Light
Infantry (originally the Somerset and Cornwall
LI, King’s Own Yorkshire LI, King’s Shropshire
LI and the Durham LI).
Also included are the Parachute Regiment,
Royal Gurkha Rifles (formed from 2nd,
6th, 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles, the other
regiments having gone to the Indian Army after
Independence) and the Special Air Service.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Materiel Regulations for the Army, Volume 3
Clothing – Pamphlet No.8 – No.1 Dress and No.3
Dress, 1971, 1986, 1994 and 1998
Materiel Regulations for the Army, Volume 3
Clothing – Pamphlet No.16 Optional Items of Dress,
1982 and 1995
Royal Regiment of Scotland
Royal Scots – Pipers
Black Watch
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Royal Hampshire Regiment, Officer’s
King’s Own Royal Border Regiment11/08/2015 16:14
 STABLE BELTS
Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Queen’s Regiment Royal Hampshire Regiment, Officer’s

Royal Hampshire Regiment, Other Ranks Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment King’s Own Royal Border Regiment

King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Border Regiment King’s

Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Royal Anglian Regiment Royal Anglian Regiment

Yorkshire Regiment Prince of Wales’s Own Regt of Yorkshire Green Howards

Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Mercian Regiment Cheshire Regiment

Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Royal Welsh Royal Welch Fusiliers

Regiment

Royal Regiment of Wales Royal Irish Regiment, from 2011 Royal Irish Regiment, male, 1992 - 2011

Royal Irish Regiment, female Ulster Defence Force The Rifles

Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Gloucestershire Regiment Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment

Royal Berkshire Regiment Royal Green Jackets Durham Light Infantry

Light Infantry King's Shropshire Light Infantry Parachute Regiment

1st Parachute Logistics Regiment Royal Gurkha Rifles Special Air Service

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 67

66-John_bodsworth.indd 67 11/08/2015 16:14

 COLLECTOR WANTS:
-anything- Wittmann
Coldstream Guards: Antique Militaria
Especially: Offering Collectors the World’s Foremost Inventory of Fine
• Officers paggri badge
German Imperial & WWII Third Reich Militaria
• Boer war service dress tunic
International Reputation for AUTHENTICITY & HONESTY
• Waistbelt clasp OR and WOI/II
• OR’s service dress tunic WWI Buy • Sell • Appraise • Restore
• White buff drum carriage Thomas T. Wittmann
PO Box 350 - Moorestown, NJ 08057-0350 Half a Century
(brass buttons large, medium, small) of Experience
Phone: (856) 866-8733 or (856) 231-0323
Fax: (856) 235-4954 Email: Twittm350@aol.com in German
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Please offer to: Wilfried Drygala, World’s Largest On-Line Catalogue
Email: w.drygala@t-online.de
Tel: 049 421 44 53 81 • Fax: 049 421 44 53 61 www.wwiidaggers.com

britisharmycapbadgesandmilitaria.com
Contact Dave at
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Very reasonably priced or 07805 399132
Anodised cap badges at... www.dbgmilitaria.co.uk
DBG Militaria would like to offer you original WW1 and WW2 British and German
britisharmycapbadgesandmilitaria.com Militaria of all types with some Polish and Canadian equipment included.
I will also offer for sale military watches from WW1 and WW2 and a good selection of
military books on equipment and events from the Boer war to post war period.
Excellent selection of Sweetheart,
Anodised, Colonial badges at... ASHFORD MILITARY FAIR DATES 2015
DBG militaria will be running the Ashford military fair at
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Sellindge village hall TN25 6JY: SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
Please be aware items are posted daily from DBG Militaria so you can buy today and have your item
delivered the next day to a UK address with items that have a postage charge.

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68

p68_ARMSepOct15.indd 68 07/08/2015 12:45

 GALERIE FISCHER

Galerie Fischer
Arms, Armour and Gossip
An outlook on some habits and their
Pomp Hahnbüchsflinte
effects on the market.
By Stefan Maeder

Pomp wheel-lock pistol

Flintlock pistol

Parade shield

Sallet
Helmet crest

Y
ear two in the auction business: collecting
arms and armour as evidence for crucial
aspects of our various and often enough
bloodily intertwined pasts might no longer
be deemed a rational pastime in an
age where even telephones are termed
‘smart’. And yet, never before was there
more historical research carried out and
published. At the same time diametrically
less is apparently learned from these attempts
at a better understanding of history in order to
avoid entering into the same vicious circles over
and over again. On the whole it can no longer
be denied that – in a figurative sense – we are
sawing at the branch upon which we are seated
with a false sense of security.
To a lesser extent the same holds true for the
field of trading, collecting and research of arms
and armour. In addition to the many friendly
relationships there unfortunately exists an
amount of backbiting gossip among historians,
archaeologists, museum curators, collectors,
craftsmen, dealers and auction houses, which not
only harms the respective target(s), but alienates
potential future collectors. This in turn not only
backfires at the initiators but on the market and
the community at large. Reciprocal accusations
questioning
personal integrity
or light-heartedly implying ‘fakery’ can only
flourish in a climate where the study of arms
and armour as historical documents by serious
collectors has given way to merely mercantile
interests. As Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) put it:
‘What characterises our epoch is the fear of
appearing stupid when praising something,
and the certainty to be deemed intelligent
when criticising something.’¹ Fully aware of
the everlasting shortcomings of ‘experts’ I can
only let the objects of our annual sale speak
for themselves and cordially invite you to visit
the showroom in Lucerne from 31 August to 7
September 2015. Together let’s bring about a
positive ‘climate change’ in arms and armour!
Pomp
Viking
sword Sword
¹‘Ce qui caractérise notre époque, c’est la crainte
d’avoir l’air bête en décernant une louange, et
la certitude d’avoir l’air intelligent en décernant
un blâme.
Next Galerie Fischer Antique Arms and
Armour Auction: 10th /11th September 2015
Next Art Auction: 25th - 27th November
2015. Further information can be found at www.
fischerauktionen.ch

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 69

69_galeria_fischer.indd 69 11/08/2015 16:15

 Under the Hammer Auction News
Thomson Roddick & Medcalf
10th September
Amongst the usual good variety of Thomson
Roddick & Medcalf ’s regular Military sales, a
real gem has surfaced. Auctioneer Steve Lee
went to Edinburgh to look initially at a good
coin collection. Then a collection of rusty but
good weaponry appeared. Then the prize!
The Japanese sword is of obvious quality,
although the grip needs some attention, and
the gold menuki need re-inserting. The blade,
signed and dated, is from around 1567. The
tsuba is of very fine quality & signed, as are
the fittings in black & gold. The scabbard
is late Meiji period, and quite flamboyant,
lacquered with silver flakes inset, which also
needs some attention.
The sword has come to the present owner
by descent and belonged to James Conway
Davies (1891-1971), who by repute worked
for Crown Prince Hirohito of Japan in the
early 1920’s, and was presented to him
by the Crown Prince for his services to
himself and Japan. The sword, as seen by
an independent expert, is certainly of that
quality. Some research is still ongoing, but
the sword, with a full description, will be
sold in the forthcoming Militaria sale on the
10th September at the Carlisle salerooms. For
further information please contact Steve Lee
on 01228-528939.

Bonhams antique arms and armour sale hits the bullseye

The steely strength of the Antique Arms &
Armour market at Bonhams was in evidence
again at the auction held in July with a sale just
short of £1m in which 91 per cent of items sold
in strong bidding.
The sale at Bonhams Knightsbridge offered a
mix of armour, swords, rifles, pistols, cannons,
powder horns, helmets, with much of the work
hugely decorative and inlaid with silver, gold
and brass, illustrating 500 years of the gun-
makers art.
David Williams, the Director of Antique
Arms and Armour at Bonhams, said: “This
was a very healthy sale with some outstanding
prices achieved for the top lots. The sale
provided a snapshot of the weapon-makers art.
Gentlemen would give a great deal of thought
to the decoration of their guns and swords.”
Rare Pair Of 20-Bore South American
Silver-Mounted Miquelet-Lock Belt Pistols
From Indian Maharajahs to the royal families In stark contrast to this Rare Turkish
of Europe it was a case of luxury reflecting their rampant decoration was Karabella
status using ivory, gems, gold, silver, mother of lot 173, an unadorned
pearl, and fine woods, all drafted in to serve the knightly sword from the
greater glory of the ruler as evidenced in his Castillion Group of early
weapon of choice. 15th century swords in
There was nothing discrete about some gun excavated condition with
decoration at this Bonhams sale. A wonderful some hard wear evident
over the top tour de force was evident in Lot on the blade edges. This
306, a fine 17th Century 60-bore Silesian wheel formidable 600-year-old
lock Tschinke rifle with an octagonal barrel, weapon achieved the very
once the property of their Serene Highnesses strong price of £15,000.
the Prince zu Salm-Reifferschiedt-Dyck. It David Williams, commenting
featured brass engraving and some gilding of after the sale said: “Results like
scrolls, birds, flowers and foliage. It had been these and a near sell-out are
estimated to sell for £10,000 to £14,000 the best argument for bringing
but was the top lot in the sale at a staggering your arms and armour to us
£22,500. for a valuation and to consign for
Another highly decorative item was Lot 334, our next sale which takes place on
a rare pair of 20 bore South American silver November 25th. There is also a Sporting
mounted belt pistols from the late 18th century, Gun sale on December 2nd.”
probably Mexican. They featured rambling
silver foliage and the word ‘Ambrosi’ engraved A Knightly Sword From The
on the breach and the stocks. They achieved a Castillon Group
price of £15,000.
Lot 55, a rare broad curved blade late 17th
century Turkish Karabella sword and scabbard
made £15,000. This too featured some fine
chased flowing floral designs on
both hilt and scabbard.

70 Armourer Issue 131

70_auctions.indd 70 13/08/2015 09:46

 Marlows 26th November 2015 new location at Ravon Court, Stafford
Marlow’s next specialist Arms, Armour and
Militaria sale will be held on Thursday 26
November 2015 at its brand new location at Ravon
Court, Stafford. The next full-colour catalogue,
containing over 650 lots, will be available early
in November. Although cataloguing has only just
begun for this sale there will be the usual good
variety of categories including badges, medals,
curios, equipment, uniforms and weapons.
The Sword category will feature over 50
swords, including an extremely rare 1812
pattern Starr US Light Cavalry sword, a 1796
Light Cavalry Trooper’s sword, a 1796 Heavy
Cavalry Trooper’s sword, an early 19th-century
continental Hussar’s sword, a 17th-century
Walloon sword, a scarce 1741 pattern Infantry
hangar marked M Lancashire 7/18, complete
in its leather scabbard, an Ethiopian kaskhara
sword with engraved blade, a Japanese Rebellion
period wakizashi, a Japanese signed tang
katana, an early 19th-century straight blade
Midshipman’s dirk and an early 19th-century
curved blade Midshipman’s dirk by Salter, who
was Nelson’s swordsmith.
The Gun section will include a H Nock drum
and nipple flintlock converted double-barrelled
shotgun, an American Spencer Model 1865
carbine, an American Springfield Model 1873
trapdoor carbine, a Starr Model 1858 percussion
revolver, a mid-1850’s Webley web frame
revolver, a cased Colt 1849 pocket revolver,
a fine quality cased Kerr patent percussion
revolver manufactured by the London Armoury
company and a Trafalgar period flintlock sea
service pistol.
Native American Tomahawk
The Bayonet category will comprise
its normal large selection of unusual
and scarce bayonets, including
an extremely rare London and
Westminster Light Horse Volunteers
1796 style sword bayonet with the barrel fitting
running through the stirrup knuckle bow. There
will be also be a scarce Jacob’s double-barrelled
carbine sword bayonet.
The Uniform section will include an extremely
rare Burma campaign 101 Detachment (OSS)
silver bar complete with the Officer’s battle dress
jacket and wartime passport. There will also
be a complete Home Guard uniform set with
battle dress and greatcoat, all badged to H11
(Hampshire Eastleigh Battalion), a WWII WRNS
Officer’s uniform complete with tricorn hat, and
a Victorian North Somerset Yeomanry Officer’s
uniform set complete with overcoat.
The German category will comprise a choice
of three varying styles of German Officer
dress swords, a SA group Nordmark dagger by
E.P. & S., a clean example of a Naval Officer’s
dagger and a German Police dress bayonet with
staghorn grips.
The Curio section will include an extremely
scarce Native American Indian pipe tomahawk,
the shaft with brown and white woven horsehair
geometric and zig-zag design covering, the axe
head of typical trade form. There will also be a
1796
Yeomanry
cavalry sword
bayonet
Napoleonic period blackened shaft Cavalry lance,
a late 18th-century halbard head, a late 19th-
century Zulu knobbery and a late 19th-century
Zulu stabbing spear.
Marlow’s are now working on the second part
of one of the UK’s largest private collections
of Police items which include badges from all
nationalities, medals, police helmets, various
nationalities of police headwear, swords and
police accessories.
All future auctions are being held at Marlow’s
new venue at Ravon Court, Drummond Road,
Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3HJ. There will
be facilities for disabled parking onsite and for
collection of items during the sale. General
free parking will be a short walk away from the
venue. Full details can be found on our website at
www.marlowsauctions.co.uk Kevin King can be
contacted on 01785 214100 or 07789 628030 to
help with any of your questions.

Tonga Polynesian War Club Hits The Back of the Net!

Marlows the Military Collectors sale on the 6th August 2015. geometric designs and dot decoration to one
Auctioneers of Lot 209 was to prove the highlight of side could be seen an inlaid bone segment.
Stafford held their the sale. This was a 18/19th Century As the lot was announced a hush fell upon
specialist Military Tonga Polynesian War Club. This richly the room, with strong commission bids the
patinated 31½ bidding opened at £8,200 however a bidder
inch wooden in the room fought his way through to top
club was the commission bids at £11,000, only then
decorated with to have to fight off a challenge from the three
carved stylised telephone bidders finally securing the club
figures, animals, for an incredible £16,000 hammer.

NEW LINCOLNSHIRE DEALER

A N T I Q U E M I L I TA RY
CELEBRATES LAUNCH
Specialising in attributed British military collectables from the 19th and 20th centuries, new dealership
Antique Military offer genuine military collectables to Collectors and Re-enactors.
Mark Hitchcock, owner of Bourne based Antique Military, has been
involved in the collecting world for many years and is passionate about
the preservation of military items and particularly the remembrance of the
people who used them. You can visit the exciting new Antique Military
website at: www.antiquemilitary.co.uk which is refreshingly informal, friendly
and informative to see their ever-increasing stock list of rare items.

You can follow Antique Military on Twitter, Facebook and on their Blog at: www.antiquemilitary.co.uk/blog
For further information contact Mark on 01778 394794 or 07713 148870 •Email: mark@antiquemilitary.co.uk

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 71

70_auctions.indd 71 12/08/2015 15:12

 Bosleys and Marlows join forces to hold 75th Anniversary Battle of Britain
Aviation Sale, at Ravon Court, Drummond Road, Stafford ST16 3HJ
Bosleys Auctioneers and their sister company,
Marlow’s Auctioneers of Stafford, have
joined together to produce their inaugural
Aviation specialist auction on 10 September,
to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Battle
of Britain and pay tribute to The Few. Kevin
King, General Manager of Marlow’s and an
aviation expert in his own right, is delighted
with the response the sale has received,
resulting in the region of 450 lots, with items
spanning the infant days of flying to the fast
jet jockeys of today’s generation.
A good selection of medals will included an
extremely rare DFM & Bar group awarded
to a ‘Tail End Charlie’ rear gunner, who flew
in the Lancaster S-Suger now on permanent
display in the RAF Museum, Hendon. The
RAF pioneering days of jet aircraft are
represented with a 1956 Air Force Cross
group awarded for navigating on the first
record-breaking cross Polar flight, resulting
at the time in the longest non-stop flight of
a RAF aircraft. A well-deserved Elizabeth II
Air Force Medal award for flying instruction
is also listed.
As can be imagined in such a sale, flying
clothing will have a strong showing, with a
WWI pattern leather full-length flying coat,
various patterns of flying gloves a scarce
‘Cowl’ Balaclava pattern flying helmet and
also an example of the Imperial German
hard leather helmet. A superb RFC
Officer’s Maternity tunic with RFC pilots’
72 Armourer Issue 131
70_auctions.indd 72
wings and MID medal ribbons, tailored
by Burberry, would make an outstanding
addition to any collection, as would a rare
1918 1st pattern khaki other ranks’ tunic
and cap, both retaining original paper issue
labels and matching service numbers. Both
RAF and German flying clothing of WWII
can be found. Probably the rarest tunic is
that worn by Colin ‘HOPPY’ Hodkinson,
a Spitfire pilotwho, like Douglas Bader, lost
both his legs in a flying accident. Inspired
by Bader, he went on to become a fighter
pilot with 611 Squadron in 1943. Surviving
the war he became a jet pilot and flew
Vampires with 501 and 604 squadrons. His
named tunic is complemented by his side
cap and other items. Battle of Britain Irvin
flying jackets are included, as well as flying
helmet and wartime G type oxygen masks.
There are also examples of the 1941 pattern
Mae West, one complete with bladder, co2
bottle, lever etc., just as the crewman took
it off. Luftwaffe items will included flying
helmets, flying suits, fighter pilot pattern
parachute harness and various patterns of
flying goggles, sword and daggers. Logbook
collectors will not be disappointed with a
large number consigned, including a 192
Special Duties Squadron casualty log,
complemented by medals and a large and
emotive grouping of condolence letters.
There is also a pilot’s logbook to a Horsa
Glider tug pilot, who flew on Operation
Market Garden (Arnhem) and Operation
Varsity (Rhine Crossing), as well as a
U-boat Killer Catalina Navigator’s log.
Ephemera will have a good representation
with some rare Avro Lancaster performance
reports, and official photographs of the first
prototype Handley Page Halifax Bomber
taken in 1939 following its maiden flight.
A good badge selection will see Great
War examples of attributed RFC Pilots’
Wings, RNAS Wings and examples from
the pioneer days of the Royal Canadian
Air Force. The hardware of military
aviation is not forgotten with a number of
aircraft components consigned, including
the part section of a Wellington Bomber
tailplane, Control Column spade grip of a
pre-war Bristol fighter aircraft and a good
comprehensive collection of Martin Baker
Ejector seat parts. These were recovered
from a loft, which resulted in a heart-
stopping moment when the police had to
be called to the house to remove the still-
charged rocket packs.
This list represents only a small amount of
items to be sold, with many more rare items
and further details can be found on Marlow’s
website http://www.marlowsauctions.co.uk.
For those who cannot attend the sale in
person, don’t worry as Marlow’s will be
holding this sale as a live online bidding
sale, so aviation collectors can bid from the
comfort of their cockpits.
12/08/2015 15:12
 Bosleys 4th November at their Court Garden Saleroom
Bosleys, the Military Auctioneers of Marlow,
next public military auction will be held on the
4th November at their Court Garden Saleroom
and will once again contain in the region of
1,000 lots. Although in the early stages of
preparation a large number of consignments
have already been received with parcels arriving
for international locations such as Australia,
South Africa, France, Canada and the United
States, to name but a few. Consignments include
an outstanding and historical important WW2
RAF DSO, MBE, DFC & Bar medal group
awarded for one of the most daring daylight low
level bombing missions of the war. This when
four of the new “Wooden Wonder” Mosquito
Bombers flew at wave top height across the
North Sea to Norway and after being attacked
by German Fw190 aircraft, successfully attacked
the Gestapo Headquarters at Oslo. The medals
are complemented by his Pilot’s logbook and
photographs. Those interested in WW2 gallantry
will find a fine DSO MC Western Desert Tank
Commander’s group, plus the second part of an
interesting collection of Indian Army Gallantry
groups. These will include a Military Cross group
awarded for gallantry against the Japanese South
of Maungdaw in 1945, also a Military Medal for
gallantry in Italy 1944.
A good selection of WW2 German daggers
have been consigned and will see examples of the
Modal 1933 Man’s pattern SS daggers, these by
various makers, a rare Political Leaders dagger,
TeNo hewer, RLB dagger complete with hanging
strap and a 1st pattern Luftwaffe dagger with
the scarce maker’s details of A. W. Jr. Solingen.
As would be expected with a Bosleys auction,
military badges will have a strong presence and
items will include a number of pre 1855 Officer’s
shoulder belt plates including examples of both
the 2nd & 3rd West Yorkshire Militia, 57th (West
Middlesex) Regiment,Three patterns of the 7th
Foot, numerous helmet plates, glengarries and
group lots. A good selection of swords will find
special regimental pattern Officer’s examples
of the 21st North British Fusiliers and the
6th Carabiniers and a near parade condition
Elizabeth II Scottish RAMC Territorial unit
Highland pattern broadsword with basket hilt.
This section of the sale will include a small
number of Napoleonic period swords. The
medal section will include part of an important
Police Constabulary Museum Collection which
has been consigned. Medals will included a rare
Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry awarded to
a Constable of the Palestine Police for gallantry
during the Jewish Rebellion, another gallantry
medal in the collection is that awarded to an
Officer of the Liverpool Police. There are Visit
to Ireland Royal Irish Constabulary medals and
examples of the scarce county and Borough
Police Long Service Medals. Also will be found
examples of the Colonial Police Long Service
Medals, to Police forces of the former British
Empire and a good selection of the King’s
Police Medals and Victorian and later campaign
medals, again to various Colonial Police Forces.
As a Nation we are marking the Centenary
of the events of the Great War and it therefore
appropriate that one lot in the sale
is the outstanding and unique
archive of the Bodman Brothers
of Marshfield Gloucestershire,
contained in an old travelling
trunk Bosleys discovered
the uniforms of Second
Lieutenant C.W Bodman who
was killed on the 24th August 1918,
whilst serving with the 15th Bn Durham
Light Infantry, His archive includes cuff
rank tunic, 1916 pattern shoulder rank
tunic with divisional badges, two caps,
Memorial Plaque and scroll, webbing
equipment, training notes and trench
maps, this in it’s self would be a breath
taking discovery, but the trunk also gave
up his brother’s Sergeant C.J. Bodman
Machine Gun Divisionally badged 1902
Other Rank’s tunic, and trench cap and
then the bottom revealed the German
“War Booty” the brothers had brought home,
this including Pork Pie hat, badges, photographs,
German documents, buttons, shrapnel etc. It
appeared that this archive had been sealed in
1918, until it was sold following the death of
Sergeant Bodman in 1983 and was then sealed
again, by the vendor until consigned to Bosleys a
few months ago. This unique grouping represents
a single family’s hopes and fears during the
“War to end all wars” and as such must be kept
together and will be offered as a single lot. With
lots for this sale still arriving regular visits to
http://www.bosleys.co.uk/are recommended.

THETFORD STOCKPORT
MILITARIA FAIR ANTIQUE ARMS • ARMOUR
Breckland Leisure Centre, Croxton Road,
THETFORD, Norfolk IP24 1JD MEDALS & MILITARIA
SUNDAY 27th September 2015
Followed by SUNDAY 10TH JANUARY
FA I R
STOCKPORT MILITARIA COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY
Open 10am-2pm, admission £2.50 (u/16s free)

WWW.STOCKPORTMILITARIA.ORG
SUPERB VENUE - UP TO 100 TABLES

BRITANNIA HOTEL
Dialstone Lane • Offerton • Stockport SK2 6AG
CHANGE OF DATE TO:
Saturday,October
Saturday, January10th,
11th 2015
2014
(9.00am - 3.00pm)
Around 80 tables of quality Militaria, Free parking, licensed café
9am to 3pm
Thetford is situated 2 mins off A11 close to Suffolk border.
0161 624 6211 or 07966 276 033
NORFOLK FAIRS 07596 436260 e: davidowensmcs@ymail.com
www.norfolkfairs.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 73
Stockport Arms.indd 1 5/2/13 12:21:01

70_auctions.indd 73 12/08/2015 15:13

 Competition
THE BATTLE FOR WIN
WARSAW: STONES FOR
THE RAMPART
K
aleidoscope Home Entertainment is THE BATTLE FOR WARSAW:
pleased to announce the UK release STONES FOR THE RAMPART
of THE BATTLE FOR WARSAW: will be available digitally and on DVD
STONES FOR THE RAMPART, available from 10 AUGUST 2015.
digitally and on DVD from 10th August 2015.
Directed by Robert Glinski and based on
the popular 1943 novel of the same name by For your chance to win 1 of 3
writer Aleksander Kamiński, THE BATTLE copies of the DVD, simply visit
FOR WARSAW: STONES FOR THE http://bit.ly/armcaamdvdcomp
es RAMPART tells the iconic and moving story
of three Warsaw friends, whose ambitious
and answer the following
question:
plans for the future are interrupted by the
dramatic and life-changing advent of the Where is the film set?
Second World War. a.) Italy
The boys are confronted with an impossible b.) Poland
choice: they can keep the peace, stay safe and c.) Spain
accept the Nazi invasion of their precious
homeland, or they can risk everything by
heroically engaging in the struggle for the
honour and liberty of their nation. What
followed is a story that has remained legendary
for more than 70 years…

British Firing Squads

on the Western Front
M
uch has been written about the 302 British and Commonwealth
soldiers who were executed for military offences during the
First World War, but there is only passing reference to those
who took part — those who fired the shots, the officers in charge, the
medical officer and the padre.
Through extensive research, David Johnson explores the
controversial story of the men forced to shoot their fellow
Tommies.

WIN
• Examines how the firing squad was selected and how
they were treated before, during, and after the executions.
• Looks at why there were so many procedural variations
in the way that the executions were conducted.
• Considers the issues of abolition and pardons.
‘They were told that, first, they had a special duty to perform,
and they were taken outside into a courtyard where they found their friend,
Jimmy...The lads aimed and fired, the majority deliberately missing the
target…The 12 members of the firing squad were given 10 days’ leave after
that tragic event in the heat of battle.’
The Case of Private James Smith , told in the House of Commons 2009
‘Before the fatal shots are fired I had called the battalion to attention.
There is a pause, I wait. I see the medical officer examining the victim. He
makes a sign, the subaltern strides forward, a single shot rings out. Life is
now extinct … We march back to breakfast … This is war.’
Brigadier-General Crozier
Executed at Dawn: British Firing Squads on the Western Front by David
Johnson Published July 2015, £12.99, Hardback ISBN 9780750959179
David Johnson is a passionate First World War historian and is the author
of The Man Who Didn’t Shoot Hitler: The story of Henry Tandey VC and
eight other titles.

For your chance to win a copy, simply visit http://bit.ly/armcomp1

and answer the question.

74 Armourer Issue 131

74_competition.indd 74 11/08/2015 16:17

 WATFORD BRITISH MILITARY
BADGES
Arms, Militaria • Selection of WW1
All types from Waterloo to today’s
& WW2 Militaria available
& Medal Fair • British and German focus
amalgamations. Shako Plates,
Glengarries, Cap, Police, Gurkha etc.
• Experienced knowledge Send SAE for extensive list to
10.00 am - 2.00 pm
on Collecting and dealing for over 30 years Manufacturer and Supplier.
I have decided to make available a cross
Sunday 6th September section of my stock online: medals, P. Green
decorations and badges, including a good 35 Old Silk Mill, Brook Street,
at variety of other militaria
Tring HP23 5EF
THE BUSHEY ARENA VISIT: Email: P_R_Green@hotmail.com
London Road, Bushey, WWW.IANFOSTERMILITARIA.COM
Hertfordshire,

DROP ZONE
WD23 3AA
Tables from £30 BANGOR COLLECTORS
THE SOUTHS LARGEST MILITARY WAREHOUSE
Future date: Sunday 22nd November One stop shop for military Land Rovers,
& MILITARIA FAIRS
new & used spares, deactivated guns, Medals, Badges, Antique Guns, Swords, Tie-Tac’s,
For further information Postcards, Stamps, Books, Toys, Military Uniforms,
surplus and collectables
please call: Coins, Bric-a-Brac & Many Many Other Small
Collectables & Memorabilia.
Trade and retail welcome
SOVEREIGN ARMS FAIRS Official suppliers to the film
First Bangor Presbyterian Church Halls,

Tel: 01438 811657 and TV industry

Main Street, Bangor, N. Ireland. (Opposite Asda)

or 01923 448903 Saturday 10th October

Tel: 01798 831955 Fax: 01798 839009
www.sovereignfairs.com Bury Mill Farm, Burygate, Pulborough,
FUTURE DATE: 19th December
First Presbyterian Church Bangor Halls, Main Street, Bangor
West Sussex RH20 1NN
Email: A GREAT DAY OUT.
Email: info@dropzonemilitary.com
SovereignFairs@aol.com Email: cmartin123@btinternet.com
www.dropzonemilitary.com

DCM Medals Bexley Medals

& Militaria
Dealers in Orders, Decorations
and Campaign Medals

Visit our website for regular weekly updates.

We buy single medals to whole collections. Based in Bexley, Kent. We buy & sell all
Part exchange welcome. Commission sales at competitive rates types of military collectable antiques.
Medals bayonets, swords, helmets etc.
We can help source items and also
sell a small amount of items on a
commission basis.

Tel: +44 (0)1322 523531

www.bexleymedalsandmiliatraria.co.uk

Hildenborough Militaria Fair

Sunday 27th September
Militaria Fair Dates for 2015
18th October,
15th November, 6th December
Hildenborough Village Hall,
Riding Lane, Off the B245 Tonbridge Rd,
Hildenborough, Kent, TN11 9HY
5 mins by car from M25, junction 5.

Doors open 8.00am - 12.00pm.

Admission £1. Children under 15 free
e.mail - info@dcmmedals.com Website - www.dcmmedals.com
Contact Rick on 01322 523531 for more details
21, The Parade, St Mary’s Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1DL
Tel: +44(0)1743 600951; Evenings - 07793 707324 or +44(0)1743 361180
or visit www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 75

p75_ARMSepOct15.indd 75 07/08/2015 13:56

 PAGE TURNER
The War & Peace Revival
Under New Management
By John Norris
Group of re-enactors with
their M56 gun at W&PR
F
or militaria collectors, military vehicle
owners and, indeed, anyone with only
a passing interest in military history, the
War & Peace Revival Show is an important
event. Not only is it the biggest event of the
year in the calendar, it is the biggest event of
its kind in the world. It is also a show which is
full of surprises. For example, three years ago
it was renamed and relocated to its current site
at Westenhanger, Folkestone, Kent. However,
the announcement that the show’s organiser,
Rex Cadman, was retiring was completely
unexpected and took everybody by surprise.
There was even talk that this year’s show
was to be the last ever. The prospect of this
came as a great shock to many and a massive
disappointment to others.
For the past 33 years, 27 of them in its present
format under Rex’s patronage, W&P has been
the annual event eagerly anticipated by military
enthusiasts the world over. For a third of a century
the show has been the talking point of collectors,
re-enactors and vehicle owners. During that time
it has undergone many changes to move with the
Rex Cadman
76 Armourer Issue 131
76_JohnShow.indd 76
times and keep the event exciting. As the show
developed it gained an international reputation for
excellence. Many collectors began their interest at
W&P and re-enactors also tried on their uniforms
for the first time at the show. It has always been
there like a faithful and reliable friend. In fact,
many friendships have been forged because of the
show; it has even led to a few marriages.
To have lasted for so long tells us that the
organiser, Rex Cadman, and his team were
doing everything right. But things, even the best,
ultimately come to an end. And so it is that Rex,
along with his business partner and show co-
ordinator, Barbara Shea, have decided to call it a
day and have officially announced the end of their
connection with the show. It is a joint decision and
one which cannot have been easy to reach. But
there it is. However, that is not the end of the story
because the good news is that W&PR is still going
to continue under a new organiser. The new
owner is John Allison who owns some military
vehicles and is also an avid militaria collector.
In the time that the show has been running it
has attracted hundreds of thousands of vehicles
on site; millions of visitors have passed through
the gates and enough re-enactors to form an
army. Tens of thousands of traders from all over
the world have attended the show bringing items
which are much sought after by collectors. Rarities
and oddities, many of which had never been seen
outside of museums, have turned up over the years
and kept the excitement flowing. The new owner
also organises the British Shooting Show held in
February each year in Warwickshire, and with this
experience he intends to maintain the uniqueness
of W&PR. We can be sure that John, who also
publishes a number of specialist magazines
through his Field and Rural Life Media Group,
together with his team, will continue to present
W&PR. Over the years W&PR has consistently
Show Repor t
delivered unforgettable displays of vehicles and
collections, and now that its future is secure we
can look forward to adding more memories to
those we already have. The date for next year’s
show will be 20-24 July inclusive and will be held
at the Folkestone Racecourse at Westenhanger in
Kent. That is official and comes from the W&PR
daily newsletter published throughout the show.
We at The Armourer wish Rex and Barbara all
the very best for the future, because without them
there would be no W&PR. Rex has announced
that he will be pursuing other interests, but in the
meantime has agreed to remain on to help out
with next year’s show, along with Barbara and
their organising team. We also welcome John
Allison and his team as they make the transition
to take over the finest show of its kind in the
world. Under their new management we know
the show will continue to remain the highlight of
the year for all enthusiasts. Together we can look
forward to more surprises and to adding more
items to our collections, which is only made
possible through W&PR.
John
Allison
11/08/2015 16:18
 News and Views
ARMED
FORCES
DAY
By Ken Rimell
T
he last weekend in June saw
a large number of Armed
Forces events taking place
throughout the UK. One such
event was held on the seafront
at Littlehampton in West Sussex.
There were displays by living history
groups, including the The Garrison
Artillery Volunteers with their 18-pounder
gun, on the ground, while two aircraft from the
Great Warbirds Display team gave a display of
mock air combat over the sea. There was also a
large display of WWII classic vehicles lined up
and an arena display by several vehicles from the
Cold War era.
The event had its usual Drumhead Service
and concluded with Sunset on what the
organisers felt was a very successful day blessed
by excellent weather.
THE INTERNATIONAL Militaria Collectors Club present their
MILITARIA
AND
COLLECTABLES FAIRS
NEW VENUE
Clontarf Castle Hotel,
Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3
Tel: 801 833 2321
Saturday October 31st
Medals, Badges, Uniforms, Helmets, Caps,
Equipment, Swords, Daggers, Bayonets,
Postcards, Books, and much, much more.
For further details contact:
Mark: 0861602228
Eddie: 0863410159
Fran: 0879615047
From the UK dial: 00 353 861602228 • 00 353 863410159
00 353 879615047 • 00 353 18479100
10am - 3pm. Admission €4
77_News & Views.indd 77
WWI Garrison Artillery 18-pounder in action
WWI Garrison Artillery team in action
Mrs Beryl Furey-King, as a First Aid Nursing
Yeomanry nurse, with her 1916 Model T Ford
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
ANDREW BOTTOMLEY .......................................83
ANDREW TAYLOR ................................................63
ANTIQUE ARM & MILITARIA EXHIBITION ...........62
ANTIQUE MILITARY .............................................68
ARCH-TEC ...........................................................54
ARMS & ARMOUR UK ..........................................4
BANGOR FAIR......................................................75
BEXLEY MEDALS AND MILITARIA ......................75
BILL FRIAR MEDALS ...........................................31
BLUNDERBUSS ...................................................63
BOB SIMS MILITARIA ..........................................50
BOSLEYS .................................................... 16 & 84
BOSTOCK MILITARIA ..........................................62
BRIGHTWELLS ....................................................37
BROMSGROVE MILITARIA FAIR ..........................32
BULLDOG MILITARIA ...........................................54
C&T AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS ........................23
CAIRNCROSS & SONS ........................................62
CHELMSFORD MILITARIA FAIR...........................16
CHISWICK AUCTIONS.........................................37
CINEY-EXPO S.A ..................................................45
CULTMAN COLLECTABLES ................................15
DBG MILITARIA ....................................................68
DOMINIC WINTER BOOK AUCTIONS .................33
DROP ZONE .........................................................75
EAGLE RELICS.....................................................55
EPIC MILITARIA LIMITED .....................................32
G N MILITARIA .....................................................50
GHQ MILITARIA FAIRS .........................................37
GRADIA MILITARIA ..............................................68
GRAHAM CURRIE MILITARIA ..............................31
HERITAGE CASE COMPANY ...............................50
HERMANN HISTORICA GMBH ............................11
IAN FOSTER MILITARIA .......................................75
IAN STRACHAN ...................................................23
JAMIE CROSS......................................................46
JDR MILITARIA .....................................................68
JEREMY TENNISWOOD ......................................55
KEN TROTMAN ....................................................50
KLAUS BUTCHEK ................................................47
LAIDLAW AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS ................32
LEON'S MILITARIA ...............................................22
LOCKDALES ........................................................50
LONDON ARMS FAIR...........................................80
M & T MILITARIA ..................................................45
MARK CARTER MILITARIA & MEDAL FAIRS .......46
MARLOWS MILITARY AUCTIONS .......................51
MATHEWS MILITARIA .................................. 54 & 68
MIKE LAPWORTH ................................................ 50
MILITARY MODE LIMITED ................................... 65
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk
MILITARY TOUR ................................................... 45
MINDEN MILITARIA .............................................. 54
MJR SUPPLIES .................................................... 54
MORTON & EDEN LTD ......................................... 29
MR MORRIS ......................................................... 62
MR R BROUGH .................................................... 46
NORFOLK FAIRS.................................................. 73
NORTHERN ARMS FAIRS .................................... 22
OFFICERS COLOURS .......................................... 62
PETER DUCKERS ................................................ 75
PETER GREEN ..................................................... 75
PETER NICHOLS CABINET MAKERS ................. 62
PHILIP BURMAN .................................................. 54
PHOENIX MILITARIA ............................................ 50
PLATOON ............................................................... 6
PRESTON ARMS FAIR ......................................... 55
Q & C MILITARIA .................................................. 62
REGIMENTALS ..................................................... 36
S B MILITARIA ...................................................... 17
SARACEN EXPORTS (J PRICE) ........................... 33
SCOTMINT LTD .................................................... 51
SHOOT & SCOOT ................................................ 68
SHOOTERS RIGHTS ASSOCIATION ................... 51
SOLDIER OF FORTUNE ......................................... 2
SOVEREIGN FAIRS .............................................. 75
STEPHEN WHEELER ........................................... 15
STOCKPORT ARMS & MILITARIA FAIR ............... 73
TERRY ABRAMS .................................................. 15
THE AIRBORNE BAYONET MAN ......................... 54
THE HOMEFRONT COLLECTION........................ 80
THE IRISH GRENADIER ....................................... 28
THE IRISH MILITARIA FAIR .................................. 77
THE LANES ARMOURY ....................................... 50
THE LONDON MEDAL COMPANY....................... 33
THE MEDAL CENTRE .......................................... 36
THE MILITARIA DEALERS .................................... 65
THE MILITARIA NETWORK .................................. 50
THE OLD BRIGADE .............................................. 58
THE WAR STORE ................................................. 75
THE WITTMANN OFFERING ................................ 68
THOMSON RODDICK & LAURIE ......................... 29
TIGER COLLECTABLES ....................................... 63
TIME MILITARIA ................................................... 62
TREASURE BUNKER ........................................... 10
WARE MILITARIA AUCTIONS .............................. 28
WARWICK & WARWICK ....................................... 78
WATERLOO MILITARIA ........................................ 63
WILFRIED DRYGALA............................................ 68
WOLVERLEY MILITARIA FAIR .............................. 54
WW2 MILITARIA ................................................... 23
77
13/08/2015 10:28
 Selling Your Militaria?
Warwick and Warwick have an expanding requirement for British and Worldwide uniforms, edged weapons,
badges, headgear, firearms, antique arms/armour and militaria. Our customer base is increasing dramatically
and we need an ever larger supply of quality material to keep pace with demand. The market has never been
stronger and if you are considering the sale of your militaria, now is the time to act.

Free ValuationS
We will provide a free,
professional and without
obligation valuation of your
collection. Either we will
make you a fair, binding
private treaty offer, or we will recommend
inclusion of your property in our next
specialist public auction.

Free tranSportation
We can arrange insured transportation of your collection to our
Warwick offices completely free of charge. If you decline our offer, we ask
you to cover the return carriage costs only.

Free ViSitS
Visits by our valuers are possible anywhere in the country or abroad,
usually within 48 hours, in order to value larger collections.
Please telephone for details.

adViSorY daYS
We are staging a series of advisory days and will be visiting
the following towns within the next few weeks,
Ayr, Kilmarnock, Hamilton, Melton Mowbray, Trowbridge,
Devizes, Lancaster, Grange over Sands, Northwich, Newbury,
Darlington, Durham, Stockton on Tees, Oban, Dumbarton,
Livingstone, Walsall, Londonderry and Belfast.
Please visit our website or telephone for further details.

excellent priceS
Because of the strength of our customer base we
are in a position to offer prices that we feel sure
will exceed your expectations.

act now
Telephone or email Richard Beale today
with details of your property.

Warwick & Warwick Ltd.

Auctioneers and Valuers
Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers Road,
Warwick CV34 5DB
Tel: 01926 499031 Fax: 01926 491906
E-mail: richard.beale@warwickandwarwick.com
www.warwickandwarwick.com

161_PT_Militaria_A4_Monthly_Apr15.indd
p78_ARMSepOct15.indd 1 1 29/04/2015
07/08/2015 11:37
12:47
 Ask the Armourer
Do you have an item in your collection that would like our readers to identify? Have you bought something and then wondered about
its history? This is the place to ask. Send your pictures electronically or by post along with a brief question and we will seek the answers
from our readers. If you know what any of the items are and would like to help with some information, please write to us quoting the
issue and item number and details will be published in the next issue. Please post to: Ask the Armourer, Warners Group Publications plc,
The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH or email: armourer@warnersgroup.co.uk

131-1 131-2

I have a badge/shako-plate as shown in If anyone has an opinion about this

the picture. It is 100mm from top to unusual German identity disc I
bottom and 850 mm from would be very interested. First of all
left to right. It is die cast the unit number bears no relation
and formed convex. On the to any known unit I have found, and
back there are fragments not even a normal format; Secondly
of copper loops top and the '3' at the start of the text appears to be
bottom and small squeezed in, and with a different type of '3' stamp. The disc itself is very
holes at the very thin steel and seems zinc plated. It reads ''3/SS 1768 PZ'' Fake perhaps,
top and bottom, or precisely why it isn’t ? (String was added by me) Thanks to all.
maybe to sew it onto Terence Guy
something. It shows
the Garter and GR in the
middle. Maybe a reader or 131-3
one of your experts might
know, what it has been
I recently purchased this
made for and about when. (shako plate or
badge which I believe to be
pouch badge?)
free Czechoslovakian. It has
Thank you very much. makers name to the reverse
Wilfried Drygala side, H.W. Miller, Branston
Street, Birmingham, and a

Response
pin fitting. Could anyone
please give me a positive
identification? I would be very
grateful.
129-5 Mr R Jopson

If the significance of the Battle of

Hohenfriedberg is not immediately familiar,
it might be worth remarking that it occurred
in Silesia on 4 June 1745, during the War of
the Austrian Succession, and was sometimes and in 1876 it became the royal South Wales Borderers (Royal
styled the Battle of Striegau, the name of the Radnor and Brecknock Rifles:); the number ‘132’ within the bugle-
nearest town. In the battle, King Frederick the horn device is the regiment’s precedence number in the militia list,
Great of Prussia won a comprehensive victory over the Austrian allocated in 1855. This design of badge was worn from 1874 to 1876,
and Saxon army of Prince Charles of Lorraine. As stated in the and the missing device, carried above the bugle, was the Prince of
query, the red and white cockade was indeed that of the state of Wale’s crest of plumes, coronet and ‘Ich Dien’ motto.
Hasse, which subsequently contributed four cavalry regiments to Philip Haythornthwaite
the Imperial German army after the unification of Germany. Two
were originally from Hessen-Darmstadt: the 1st Hessian (Guard)
Dragoons carried the number 23 in the German cavalry list, and bore 130-3
the crowned ‘L’ device, as on the badge, upon their shoulder straps.
The 2nd Hessian Dragoons (Leib-Dragoner-Regiment) was created in The item featured in your July/
1860 when the original regiment was divided, and was number 24 August issue was reputedly made
in the list. Two regiments came from Hassen-Kassel; the 1st Hessian
to fix on NSKK. Motorcycles that
Hussars (no.13 in the unified list) and the Landgrave Frederick II of
had been successfully driven 5000
Hessen-Homburg’s Hussars (2nd Hessian), No.14 The
clue to the purpose of the badge appears to be in km without mechanical mishap.
its inscription: ‘Ehremnitgledi’ means ‘honorary However I have yet to find any
member’, so the item might be described as more documentary information to
like a commemorative than something worn in confirm that such a badge is not a
uniform. fantasy piece.
kind regards
Philip Haythornthwaite 130-2 Simon Lerenfort
The query asks what is missing from the badge
illustrated. 1867 the Breconshire Militia was
given the title ‘Royal Brecknock (Rifle Corps)’,

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 79

79 Ask the Armourer.indd 79 12/08/2015 14:08

 AUTUMN 2015
Saturday 3 October
Antique Arms, Armour, Sporting Guns & Militaria
The oldest and most prestigious antique arms fair in the country

Times & Prices a Fine and rare HigHLand OFFicer’s siLver

8.30am – Collectors £15 HOOped-bar basket-HiLted backswOrd,

10.00am – Public £8 LOndOn 1745 sOLd FOr £8400 incLuding

Fair closes 3.00pm premium by tHOmas deL mar Ltd in
Children under 14 free with an adult assOciatiOn witH sOtHeby’s, tO tHe rOyaL
Admission on door armOuries, Leeds.

The 95th London Antique Arms Fair

Hotel Ibis London Earls Court, 47 Lillie Road, London SW6 1UD
Organised by arms Fairs Ltd directOrs John Slough & Adam Slough
07780 663 819 www.antiquearmsfairsltd.co.uk

Welcome to www.military-collectables.com

80

p80_ARMSepOct15.indd 80 07/08/2015 14:05

 ARMS FAIR & EVENTS DIARY
AUCTIONS 25 November 20 September
9 September Ware Militaria Auctions Northern Arms Fairs
Ware Militaria Auctions Hertford Heath Village Hall, London Rd, Hertford Heath, Liverpool Arms, Medal & Militaria Fair, Village Hotel,
Hertford Heath Village Hall, London Rd, Hertford Heath, Herts SG13 7RH Whiston, Liverpool L35 1RZ.
Herts SG13 7RH T: 01279 873959/07747 860746 Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896
T: 01279 873959/07747 860746 E: martin@wmauk.com • W: www.wmauk.com www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook
E: martin@wmauk.com • W: www.wmauk.com 26 November 27 September
10 September Marlow’s Military Auctions Bexley Medals & Militaria
Marlow’s Military Auctions NEW VENUE Ravon Court, Drummond Road, Hildenborough Militaria Fair, Hildenborough Village Hall,
NEW VENUE Ravon Court, Drummond Road, Stafford ST16 3HJ Riding Lane, off the B245 Tonbridge Rd, Hildenborough,
Stafford ST16 3HJ T: 07789 628030 • E: info@marlowsauctions.co.uk Kent TN11 9HY. 5mins by car from M25, jct 5.
T: 07789 628030 • E: info@marlowsauctions.co.uk W: www.marlowsauctions.co.uk T: 01322 523531
W: www.marlowsauctions.co.uk 28 November W: www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk
10 September TW Gaze Auctions 27 September
Thomson Roddick & Medcalf Military Auctions Diss Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, Norfolk IP22 4LN Bromsgrove Militaria
Coleridge House, Shaddongate,Carlisle CA2 5TU T: 01379 650306 Medal and Arms Collectors Fair, Spadesbourne Suite, (The
T: 01228 528939 • E: auctions@thomsonroddick.com MILITARY FAIRS & EXHIBITIONS Council House) Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove B60 1AA
W: www.thomsonroddick.com 5 September T: 07980 608211 • E: fairs@RZMilitaria.com
12-13 September Northern Arms Fairs W: www.RZMilitaria.com
Lockdales Bolton Arms Medal & Militaria Fair 27 September
52 Barrack Sq, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RF Horwich Leisure Centre, Victoria Rd, Horwich, Thetford Militaria Fair
T: 01473 627110 • E: sales@lockdales.com Bolton BL6 5PY Breckland Leisure Centre, Croxton Rd, Thetford,
20 September Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896 Norfolk IP24 1JD
Welsh Arms Antique & Modern Arms Auctions www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook T: 07596 436260 • W: www.norfolkfairs.com
Cardiff, 1 mile off M4. 6 September 27 September
T: 01554 749443 • E: brian@welsharms.co.uk Wolverley Militaria Fairs Northern Arms Fairs
W: www.welsharms.co.uk Wolverley Memorial Hall, Wolverley, NEW Scotch Corner Arms,
24 September nr. Kidderminster, DY11 5TN Medal & Militaria Fair, Holiday Inn Darlington,
C & T Auctioneers & Valuers T: 01562 851489 • M: 07816 853878 A1 Scotch Corner DL10 6NR
Unit 25 Space Business Centre, Knight Rd, 6 September Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896
Rochester, Kent ME2 2BF The Medal Centre Wakefield Medal Fair www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook
T: 01634 292042 • E: enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk Outwood Memorial Hall, Victoria St, off Leeds Rd, Outwood, 3 October
W: www.candtauctions.co.uk nr. Wakefield, W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE The 95th London Antique Arms Fair
6 & 7 October T: 01434 609794 • M: 07950 421704 Hotel Ibis London Earls Court, 47 Lillie Rd, LondonSW6 1UD
Wallis & Wallis W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk T: 07780 663 819 • W: www.antiquearmsfairsltd.co.uk
West Street Auction Galleries, Lewes, 6 September 4 October
Sussex BN7 2NJ Watford Arms, Militaria & Medal Fair, GHQ Fairs
T: +44 (0) 1273 480208 • F: (0) 1273 476562 the Bushey Arena, London Rd, Bushey, Herts WD23 3AA The Maltings, off Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR
E: auctions@wallisandwallis.org T: 01438 811657 or 01923 448903 T: 07919 455799 • W: www.ghq.uk.com
14 October W: www.sovereignfairs.com 4 October
Brightwells E: SovereignFairs@aol.com The Medal Centre Wakefield Medal Fair
Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0DE 6 September Outwood Memorial Hall, Victoria St, off Leeds Rd, Outwood,
T: 01568 611122 The Bristol Fine Antique Arms Fair nr. Wakefield, W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE
W: www.brightwells.com • E: Daniel.webb@brightwells.com Holiday Inn Bristol-Filton BS16 1QX T: 01434 609794 • M: 07950 421704
20 October T: 07771 742191 or 07860 782286 W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk
Chiswick Auctions E: info@tricornfairs.co.uk • W: www.tricornfairs.co.uk 10 October
1 Colville Rd, London W3 8BL 12 & 13 September Stockport Antique Arms
T: 020 8992 4442 • W: chiswickauctions.co.uk Swindon and Cricklade Railway Armour, Medals & Militaria Fair Britannia Hotel, Dialstone
27 October to 7 November Tadpole Lane, Blunsdon, Swindon SN25 2DA Lane, Offerton, Stockport SK2 6AG
Hermann Historica T: 01793 850090 T: 0161 6246211/07966 276033
Linprunstr.16 D-80335 Munich. E: wartime@swindon-crickladerailway.co.uk E: davidowensmcs@ymail.com
T:+49 89 54726490 • F:+49 89 547264999 13 September W: www.stockportmilitaria.org
E: contact@hermann-historica.com Chatham Militaria Fair 10 October
4th November The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ Bangor Collectors & Militaria Fairs
Bosleys Military Auctioneers & Valuers T: 07595 511981 1st Bangor Presbyterian Church Halls, Main St, Bangor,
The Old Royal Military College, Remnantz, Marlow, E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk N.Ireland (opp Asda)
Buckinghamshire SL7 2BS W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com E: cmartin123@btinternet.com
T: 01628 488188 • E: sales@bosleys.co.uk 13 September 11 October
10 November The International Birmingham Arms Fair Chatham Militaria Fair
C & T Auctioneers & Valuers Antique Arms & Militaria Exhibitions The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ
The Spa Hotel (York Suite) Mount Ephriam, Royal Tunbridge PO Box 194, Warwick CV34 5ZG T: 07595 511981 • E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk
Wells, Kent TN4 8XJ T: 07710 274452 • W: www.birminghamarmsfair.com W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com
T: 01634 292042 • E: enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk 13 Sept 11 October
W: www.candtauctions.co.uk GHQ Fairs Northern Arms Fair ddf
13 November The Maltings, off Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR Newark Arms, Medal & Militaria Fair at the Newark
Dominic Winter T: 07919 455799 Showground NG24 2NY
Historic Aviation, Arms & Armour, Medals & Militaria, W: www.ghq.uk.com Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896
Stamps & Coins 20 September www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook
T: 01285 860006 • E: henry@dominicwinter.co.uk Chelmsford Militaria Fair 11 October
W:dominicwinter.co.uk Marconi Social Club, Beehive Lane, Mark Carter Militaria & Medal Fairs
14-15 November Chelmsford, Essex Stratford Leisure & Visitor Centre, Bridgefoot, Stratford
Lockdales T: 07595 511981 upon Avon, Warwicks CV37 6YY
52 Barrack Sq, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RF E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk T: 01753 534777 • E: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com
T: 01473 627110 • E: sales@lockdales.com W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com W:http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm

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 18 October 1 November 15 November
Eagle Relics The Medal Centre Wolverley Militaria Fairs
Pudsey Giant Leeds, LS28 5TA Wakefield Medal Fair, Outwood Memorial Hall, Victoria St, Wolverley Memorial Hall, Wolverley,
E: john@eaglerelics.com • W: www.eaglerelics.com off Leeds Rd, Outwood, nr. Wakefield, W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE nr. Kidderminster, DY11 5TN
18 October T: 01434 609794 • M: 07950 421704 T: 01562 851489 • M: 07816 853878
Northern Arms Fairs W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk 22 November
The Giant Leeds, the Pudsey Civic Hall, LS28 5TA 1 November Watford Arms Militaria & Medal Fair,
Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896. Mark Carter Militaria & Medal Fairs The Bushey Arena, London Rd, Bushey, Herts WD23 3AA
W: www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk The Princes Hall, Princes Way, Aldershot, T: 01438 811657 or 01923 448903
18 October Hampshire GU11 1NX W: www.sovereignfairs.com • E: SovereignFairs@aol.com
Wolverley Militaria Fairs T: 01753 534777 • E: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com 29 November
Wolverley Memorial Hall, Wolverley, W:http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm Chelmsford Militaria Fair
nr. Kidderminster, DY11 5TN 1 November Marconi Social Club, Beehive Lane, Chelmsford, Essex
T: 01562 851489 • M: 07816 853878 SB Militaria T: 07595 511981 • E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk
18 October Militaria & Collectors Fair NEW W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com
Bexley Medals & Militaria Uttoxeter Racecourse, Woodlane, Uttoxeter ST14 8BD 29 November
Hildenborough Militaria Fair, Hildenborough Village Hall, T: 01785 663344 Steve • M: 07969 036652 Mark Carter Militaria & Medal Fairs
Riding Lane, off the B245 Tonbridge Rd, Hildenborough, E: steve@sbmilitaria.com Yate Leisure Centre, Kennedy Way, Yate, nr. Chipping
Kent TN11 9HY. 5mins by car from M25, jct 5. 8 November Sodbury, Bristol BS37 4DQ
T: 01322 523531 • W: www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk Preston Arms & Militaria Fair T: 01753 534777 • E: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com
18 October Park Hall Hotel, Charnock Richard, (via Charnock Richard W:http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm
Chelmsford Militaria Fair Services M6),Chorley, Nr Preston, Lancashire PR7 5LP EUROPE AND ABROAD
Marconi Social Club, Beehive Lane, Chelmsford, Essex T: 01254 263260 • M: 07884 284 390 10 – 11 September
T: 07595 511981 W: www.prestonarmsfair.co.uk Galerie Fischer, Haldenstrasse 19, CH 6006 Lucerne.
E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk 8 November T: +41 (0) 41 418 10 10
W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com Arms & Armour UK The Bedford Militaria Fair E: info@fischerauktionen.ch • W: www.fischerauktionen.ch
25 October Stantonbury Campus, Milton Keynes, MK14 6BN 11 – 13 September
David Douglas Militaria Fairs T: 01832 274050 • E: info@arms-and-armour-uk.com Rock Island Auction Co, 7819 42nd Street West,
The Community Centre, Bowburn Village, 8 November Rock Island, IL 61201
Durham DH65AT Chatham Militaria Fair T: 001 309 797 1500 • F: 001 309 797 1655
T: 01668 215574 • M: 07796 758974 The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ E: info@rockislandauction.com
E: david.douglas500@btinternet.com T: 07595 511981 12 – 20 September
W: www.daviddouglasmilitariafairs.co.uk E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk W:www. Ratisbons
25 October chathammilitariafairs.com Hofmark 31, 94575 Windorf, Germany
Bromley Military Collectors Fair 14 November E: info@ratisbons.com • W: www.ratisbons.com
Civic Centre, Kentish Way, Bromley, Kent BR1 3UH Militaria and Collectables Fairs 25 – 26 September
T: 0771 409 4009 North Star Hotel, Amien St, Dublin 1 Auktionshaus Andreas Thies EK
25 October T: Mark 0861602228 or Eddie 0863410159 or Fran Steingaustrasse 18, D-73230 Kirchheim unter Teck Germany
The Medal Centre 0879615047 from the UK dial 00 353 then number. T: +49 (0) 1 71/ 2662781
The Community Centre, Bowburn Village, 14 November E: afthies@t-online.de • W: www.andreas-thies.de
Durham DH65AT St Georges Hall 18 October
T: 01434 609794 or 07950 421704 Lime St, Liverpool opp.TrainStation, Archen-Associes
31 October Liverpool City Centre, L1 1JJ Parc Silic, 94533 Rungis
Northern Arms Fairs T: 0151 259 6873 or 07932 844130 T: 33 0 615048515• F: 0 170248730
Bolton Arms, Medal & Militaria Fair, 15 November W: www.archen-associes.com
Horwich Leisure Centre, Victoria Rd, Horwich, The International Birmingham Arms Fair 25 October
Bolton BL6 5PY Antique Arms & Militaria Exhibitions Ciney Militaria Belgium
T: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896 PO Box 194, Warwick CV34 5ZG 3 Rue du Marche Couvert, B-5590 CINEY (Belgium)
W: www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook T: 07710 274452 • W: www.birminghamarmsfair.com T: 0032 (0) 83 21 33 94 • F: 0032 (0) 83 21 18 29
1 November 15 November E: info@cineyexpo.be • W: www.cineyexpo.be
DBG Militaria Bexley Medals & Militaria 3-5 November
Ashford Military Fair, Sellindge Village Hall, TN25 6JY Hildenborough Militaria Fair, Hildenborough Village Hall, Cowans
T: 07805 399132 Riding Lane, off the B245 Tonbridge Rd, Hildenborough, 6270 Este Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45232
E: dbgmilitaria@hotmail.co.uk Kent TN11 9HY. 5mins by car from M25, jct 5. T: 513.871.1670 x 227
W: www.dbgmilitaria.co.uk T: 01322 523531 • W: www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk E: firearms@cowans.com • W: www.cowans.com

■ Multimedia Sales Executive www.armourer.co.uk

Scott Johnson Part of www.ccofgb.co.uk
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82 Armourer Issue 131

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 See our website: www.andrewbottomley.com

ANDREW BOTTOMLEY
ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR
TELEPHONE: 01484 685234
MOBILE: 07770 398270
Email: asbottomley@yahoo.com
The Coach House, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 3JJ

FOR SALE...A S ELECTION OF OUR ORIGINAL ANTIQUE WEAPONS

A good and scarce American Smith’s Patent 5 Antique American .32 Rimfire Revolver circa WHITNEYVILLE ARMOURY .32 Rimfire A good Napoleonic Era Flintlock pistol
shot Rimfire revolver in the very scarce .41 r/f 1865-1875, made by the world famous Smith & 5 shot revolver dated 1871. Nickel plated. made by Archer of London. Good
calibre. Good condition. Ref 8365. Wesson Company. Good condition. Ref 8486. Bakelite grip. Good condition. Ref 8475. condition. Ref 7609.

£950.00 £850.00 £680.00 £690.00

A scarce and very unusual American An American Ranger no. 2 Rimfire revolver in .32 Silver mounted Flintlock short English Percussion single barrelled Pocket
19th Century Boot Leg single barrelled R/F calibre made by Hopkins & Allen circa 1871- Blunderbuss circa 1800. Ref 6504 pistol circa 1840 by Jno. Jones & Son
percussion underhammer pistol. Ref 8467. 1875. Good condition. Ref 8393. London. Ref 6526

£650.00 £490.00 £750.00 £480.00

Antique American .32 Rimfire tip-up Revolver A good French Napoleonic period flintlock A good Napoleonic Period Military Sea-Service A pair of Belgian large calibre (.60 Cal) Man-
circa 1874-1879, made by DERINGER company pocket pistol circa 1790-1805. Made by Fatou A Flintlock Pistol of large calibre approx .73 Cal. Stopper side hammer percussion pistols, Circa
of PHILADELPHIA. Ref 8492. Paris. Good condition. Ref 7763. Circa 1800-1820. Very good condition. Ref 7888. 1840. Very good condition. Ref 8575.

£680.00 £560.00 £960.00 £1,250.00

A scarce 19th Century Colt sidehammer A scarce American 7 shot Moores Patent .32 cal A scarce American Moores Patent front Loading A scarce twelve shot double action Pinfire
Roots model Percussion Revolver. Rimfire revolver made during the era of the U.S. Teat-Fire revolver. Manufactured circa 1864- Revolver. Circa 1865. The action in good
Good condition. Ref 6923. Civil War Circa 1861-1865. Ref 8485. 1870. Very Good condition. Ref 7497. working order. Ref 8380.

£980.00 £870.00 £690.00 £1,400.00

ANTIQUE WEAPONS ALWAYS WANTED

Every item for sale is guaranteed to be completely original and to be of the period stated.
No Licence is required to purchase genuine Antique guns in the United Kingdom.

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