■ Infantry regiments ■ Bayonets ■ Medal collecting ■ Auction news ■ Book reviews ■ Diary dates

ARMOURER
the

militaria magazine May/June 2015 Price £3.95 www.armourer.co.uk

OPERATION DYNAMO,
DUNKIRK

75TH
anniversary

The Miracle of Dunkirk

The Armourer
ISSUE 129 May/June 2015

PLUS 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe

cover.indd 1
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 ARMOURER
the
militaria magazine
W
elcome to the May/June issue
of the Armourer. Our cover pays
tribute to the 75th Anniversary
of Operation Dynamo and the 70th
Anniversary of Victory in Europe. Ken
Rimell reports on both anniversaries
within the news page.
John Norris pays a “behind the scenes”
visit to the Tank Museum, for all you
Tank Lovers out there we have further
reports from Bovington for you to enjoy
in the next issue.
With summer on its way, why not turn to
our books review pages to find something
to relax in the garden with, you may also
want to try your luck at entering one of the
completions we have to win copies of the
books reviewed.
Enjoy your read.
Jayne Thorpe, Production Editor
5
A Fair Day’s Work
The Armourer takes a look at who is
selling what at arms and militaria fairs
around the country
7 
Hobart’s ‘Funnies
Amphibious tanks and the ‘DD’
Shermans. By Gerald Prenderghast
12
Lusitania
A pictorial record by Greg Taylor,
author of LUSITANIA R.E.X.
16
An Illustrated Look at
the British Army of
August 1914
Yeomanry Regiments - Part Two
By Ray Westlake
22
From Peking to Afghanistan
German Military Rifle
Cartridges, Part II
By Paul Scarlata
LUSITANIA
Lusitania
Greg Taylor, author of
A pictorial record by
S
he was launched into the
strains of ‘Rule Britannia’
the largest moveable object
man. On the Lusitania rested
Lines
Cunard
Empire and
liners the Blue Riband
reclaim from the German
the Atlantic. Despite propellers. of coal a day, all of which has loaded
for the fastest crossing of
being financed with governmen
be available for troop
condition that she would
fitted out to a standard
transport, the Lusitania was
of luxury never seen before.
Her great riveted hull
d her, metre by metre,
men who had constructe
of the first keel plate on
beginning with the laying
more than four million
16 June 1904. They used
plates of steel together
rivets to hold the massive
to form the hull. The Lusitania 787 feet, a width foot ceiling of stained glass panels
with a length
previous ships,
nt of 31,550 gross tons.
of 87 feet and displaceme
Her launch from the shipyard
& Co. into the River Clyde
1906 heralded a new era
Lusitania at launch
12
Lusitania Cunard Postcard
12 Armourer Issue 129
03 Contents.indd 3
LUSITANIA R.E.X.
during her maiden voyage
River Clyde to the was
1907 that Cunard’s rival,
on 7 June 1906, September the commissioning of the Titanic.
ever created by announced
The Lusitania used an innovative
the hopes of the on more than three million
that Britain would that relied her
to power
driven blades
Her four boiler rooms
t loans on the 1,000 tons
the boilers
and shovelled into
for Britain on her
reclaimed the Blue Riband average speed of
an
third Atlantic crossing with
knots per hour.
dwarfed the 3,000 23.99
The First Class public rooms
to an ocean-going
and designed to appeal
private yachts ahead,
elite that often sent their
preferring to cross the Atlantic featured an 18-
Lounge & Music Room
was far larger than The
of
of John Brown
on 7 June
in Scotland
of steamship travel. It
Turbine launch
elegant barrel vault that
months of the year in an
to New York in
made the room very light
White Star,
Upholstered armchairs
Anne chairs were grouped
technology
if already engaged in
steam-
Broadwood grand piano
four gigantic
fish
while overhead, shells,
consumed
with seaweed in her hair
by hand. She plasterwork.
The glazed vault terminated
wooden chimneypiece that
enough to steady the room
were breathtaking its centre was a colourful
face in profile called ‘The
and on the opposite chimneypi furniture settled
of the Sea’. Metal rails kept the passengers to
on the great liners.
in heavy seas while permitting
move their chairs a bit.
depicting the
The Smoking Lounge was
for men and also had
skylights surrounded by
was more restrained than
Italian walnut panelling
in the Music
than that
The Smoking Lounge
fireplace on board, which
vented through the fourth
Passengers embarked knowing only five days,
forward to a pleasant crossing had taken during
ten-plus days it
compared to the
the era of the paddle steamers. to the open decks
class passengers enjoyed access
and covered promenad
Lusitania 1st class lounge
22
Issue 129 Contents
7
THE AA DURING THE GREAT WAR
The Automobile Association
during the
Great War 5
By John Milewski
for staff members and a good place to encourage
A
great wave of patriotism swept across Miniature Rifle Clubs (SMRC) encouraged
rifle practice with reduced calibre rifles, which employees to enlist after war was declared.
Great Britain and her Empire when war With its military origins, the AA encouraged
broke out in 1914, which saw numerous could be used safely in specially adapted indoor
ranges. This way, the huge expanse of land and staff of military age to enlist for the duration
companies and associations donate personnel, of the war and many ‘patrols’ of ex-servicemen
goods and services towards the war effort. This suitable backstop for targets was not required
and long trips to full-bore ranges, which may returned to their former regiments. Stenson
46 63
is the story of one such organisation, which still Cooke lobbied the War Office to accept patrols
remains with us today and may well have come be located some distance away, could be
avoided. The AA built a practice range in the into one regiment on the basis of the special
to the rescue of more than one reader over time. training they had received and authority
The Automobile Association (AA) was just basement of Fanum House, its London based
headquarters, for the benefit of employees and was gained to raise two Companies. These
nine years old when war broke out in Europe. subsequently became part of the 8th (Cyclist)
It had originally been formed in 1905 to look a photo from an archive entitled ‘1914 War
Photos’ of this range still exists. Although it is Battalion of the Essex Regiment. Cooke himself
after the interests of the motorist at the dawn of was commissioned as a Captain in charge of one
horseless transport. The first cars were not the probable that the range was built prior to 1914,
Medals of The Great War:
of the Companies. One hundred and ten men
reliable vehicles we take for granted today and it would have served as a useful practice venue
a relatively local trip could end quite abruptly as
a vital part wore out or a car overheated. Then 7
there was the prejudice against ‘new fangled’
motorists who were seen as road hogs travelling
at up to 20 miles an hour at times!
Ironically, the AA was initially organised
upon military lines by the company’s secretary
Stenson Cooke, a former Lieutenant in the 1st
Part Four: the British War Medal
By Peter Duckers
London Rifle Volunteers. Although seen as the
Association’s founding father, Cooke was actually
the second secretary, with the first only serving
66
in office for a matter of a few days. A link with 1
the UK’s armed forces has been maintained ever
The Conyers, a dynasty of
since and the Association even had a Territorial
Provost Company entirely consisting of staff
6
members until recent defence cuts resulted in its
disbandment. 4
gunmakers
PATROLLING HIS ‘BEAT’
The AA initially provided a service to its members
in the south east of England, before expansion
provided a nationwide breakdown service
throughout the UK. At first an AA Patrolman
Beginnings in Hull and East Yorkshire.
would ‘patrol’ his beat on a bicycle looking out
for stranded motorists, who could be recruited
as members if they were not already. His ‘beat’
consisted of an area within several miles of a
sentry type box, which he was responsible for
maintaining. The box would consist of fuel,
water, tools and spare parts, for which there
would be a regular demand and many ‘patrols’
3 Part I, by Arthur G. Credland
76
were kept very busy in those early days.
Behind the Scenes at the
The custom of AA patrolmen saluting 2
motorists is said to originate from warnings that
speed traps were hidden in the vicinity and the
motorist may want to slow down. Yes, there were
speed traps even then but what a quintessentially
Tank Museum
English way of signalling a warning!
A MINIATURE RIFLE RANGE AT THE
OFFICE
Small-bore rifle shooting probably enjoyed
more popularity in Edwardian Britain than
at any time before or since. The Society of
A Most Interesting Visit,
46 Armourer Issue 129
52 Under the Hammer
72 Book Reviews
28 Stable Belts
By John Bodsworth 80 News & Views
32 Bayonets Factfile By Ken Rimell
83 Show News
No. 63: The American
Commercial Zero Tolerance ZT-9
Bayonet of 2009
By John Norris
86 Ask the Armourer
89 Arms Fair Diary
By R.D.C. Evans
34
90 Who to contact
Allied vs Axis:
Rifles of World War II
In the latest in the series things get fully-auto
TANK MUSEUM
Behind the Scenes
as Benjamin Russell reports from Las Vegas
at the Tank Museu
38 British Fighting Positions
By Yngve Sjodin
m
A Most Interesting Visit,
by John Norris
42 The SS Long Service T he Tank Museum at
Dorset is pre-eminent among
museums for its modern
interactive displays. It
Bovington in Tankfest
military warfare are
style and things, and
enjoys an enviable
Show. Enthusiasts of
keen to learn about this
to meet this interest the
has organised a series of
armoured Our first stop was at
side of where thousands
museum reference not
the archive centre,
of books on tanks are stored
for
reputation for its restoration visits which look at of only by the staff, but also
and conservation this the public who may be members
programmes to preserve work which goes on behind
armoured fighting the scenes. conducting research
Awards
vehicles, AFVs, many These special visits are into either
and airy. of which have been called ‘Access All vehicle. a tank battle or a particular design of
in battle for real. At Areas’ and are guided
tours around the through This part of the museum can be accessed
and smaller Queen present its collection
of vehicles stands at workshops, archive library, written application and
in the Lounge as around 300 from 26 storage facilities documents files and other
countries as far apart and a conducted tour of may be requested for viewing.
polite conversation. A as Brazil and China. the main display. The
Many of these vehicles highlight is being allowed files are
to enter one of the where brought to a table in the reading room
The
completed the scene are serviceable and
By Jamie Cross
can be driven under their tanks in they may be studied. Some
and crabs and a girl own power and the member the collection and take up position as a records individual
remainder form the basis of former servicemen are
of displays in the to of the vehicle’s crew. These also stored here
cavorted about in the main central building. be organised five times visits used and these
a year, but interest which too can be seen for family
is now very popular. Paper research,
46
The numbers of visitors was so great that the museum
in a heavy, to the Tank of these now arranges six stored documents
Museum is staggering: tours. here in
These tours are popular a controlled environmen
The Automobile
in 2014 more than and The from small postcards t range
appeared weighty 172,000 people from around Armourer was recently
the world visited along privileged to be invited sent home by servicemen
in the highest seas. In the collection, and that is to join one to see what it to large blueprint plans
only
The museum tells the history part of the story. Each group has a maximum
was all about. specifications of historical
with the technical
enamel of a woman’s vehicles. Again, there
of the Sunrise’ the earliest days as a conceptof the tank from one never feels ‘crowded out’
of 16 guests so are many
thousands of such items here
Glory and brings the guide and the
can be heard clearly. Guides escorting is a premium. However, any donation
and space
ece ‘The Conquest story right up to date
Association during the
with stories from Iraq
and Afghanistan. As can knowledgeable in the history are highly the museum made to
the is never refused if it has a direct
a lot of hard work to keep
be expected, it takes
and many are actually ex-servicem of tank warfare connection
with armoured warfare.
good condition and apart
such a collection in the
guide en. Indeed, Our guide then escorted
from its permanent Engineer during our visit was a former Royal of doors us through
to show the storeroom where a series
reserved exclusively
staff the museum can count
on the assistance informativwho explained things concisely and are kept
of around 150 volunteers, ely. for any exhibition and
textiles
barrel vault of
Great War
a massive of which around 50 the items
are regular supporters. Access All Areas tours here include uniforms,
plasterwork, although it begin early at 8.45 divisional badges, headdress and
Of course, what visitors a.m., more than an hour pennants and flags. Through more
the Music Room. The see
to the museum is the finishedduring their trip opens to the general public. As
before the museum fire-proof
it is
doors and we were taken
was simpler in design thousands of hours of result of many it is very informal and, a small group storeroom into the
work of course, everybody where weapons are kept.
All weapons
Room, but richer in tone. into restoring the vehicles. which has gone has a like-minded interest held in the museum’s
in military history deactivated collection
By John Milewski
There is a whole and are legally
had the only working other side to the museum especially armoured warfare. from pistols all the way
which few people were through
burned coal and get to see and these are the all gathered there was a short Once we to heavy machine guns and larger
which keep the demonstra
maintenance crews to
welcome us to the museum introduction as anti-tank items such
funnel. and then we were collection guns. This part of the museum’s
tion fleet in working
54
they could look order for special events, off to look at parts that are is a treat for military enthusiasts
such as the annual to
visitors.
normally sealed off collect
weapons because it holds who
of
Medal Collecting with
from around the world. some rarities
First- and second-
Interior of an FV432 APC being
serviced
e.
Peter Duckers
‘The Hut Tax War’ in Sierra Leone:
a forgotten colonial campaign
58 The Modest Soldier
By Ken Rimell 76The PzKpw IV of
which over 8,500 of all
types were produced
70 Armourer Issue 128
Our group makes its way past
tanks in one of the garage buildings
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 3
23/04/2015 09:40
p04_ARMMayJun15.indd 4 21/04/2015 11:45
 A FAIR DAY’S WORK
Peter Duckers takes a look at who is selling what at arms and militaria fairs around the country
1 4
3 0800-980-4687
1. A good selection of fighting knives, available
from Clive Meakin “Military Collectibles” of
Bournemouth on 07515693570.
2. A large and varied selection of German
military badge sand medals, available from
“World Military Collectables” (Andrew
Gates and Roger Miles) on 07768-743878 or
07885-644812.
3. World Challenge Coins offers a new
service, producing a wide range of decorative
6 military and police badges, like RN ship
5_FairDayswork.indd 5
badges and RAF squadron badges and many
other types. For information, contact 0800-
980-4687.
4. A recently produced commemorative
coin remembering The Great War. Available
from World Challenge Coins; contact
5 A good selection of British, German and
other headgear is always available from
“Britton at War”; for details and prices
contact Steven Britton on 0797-4819620 or
website www.brittonatwar.co.uk
6. A range of Airborne forces' flashes: £3
each from Andy Garrett Militaria; contact
him on 01280-700180
7. A fine selection of police helmets, priced
from £35 is available from Andy Garrett
Militaria; contact him on 01280-700180.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 5
22/04/2015 12:08
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p06_ARMMayJun15.indd 6 21/04/2015 11:46


Hobart’s
‘Funnies’
Amphibious tanks
and the ‘DD’ Shermans
By Gerald Prenderghast
A
mphibious tanks were amongst the largest
groups of ‘Funnies’, as well as being
one of the most problematic in terms
of development. Of course, after a moment’s
thought almost anyone could see why, because
a floating tank is a contradiction in terms. Who
in their right mind would think that they could
persuade several tons of inanimate metal to bob
across a choppy ocean like a duck on a pond?
Everything, of course, is stacked against the
designer of an amphibious vehicle, especially a
tank. Tanks are very heavy, so they need a lot
of buoyancy to keep them afloat, they have
innumerable holes in the chassis which have to
be plugged and, most importantly, tanks in use
by the Allies during WWII were notoriously
difficult to exit in an emergency. All these
problems needed effective solutions before such
vehicles became available for Overlord.
Although it is difficult to be sure, it was
probably the Japanese and Russian military that
first showed an interest in amphibious tanks.
The Japanese had a working prototype as early
as 1928, although their successful Type 2 Ka-
Mi was not in use by the Imperial Navy until
1942. British development of a ‘swimming’
tank also began some time before WWII, with
the appearance of a clumsy device fitted to the
T880 Mk II light tank. Invented by a Hungarian
engineer, Nicholas Straussler who was then
working for Vickers-Armstrong, it consisted of a
pair of collapsible floats which were mounted on
7_Geoff_puddefoot_2.indd 7
Valentine DD being loaded on to a landing craft. Valentines were used for training purposes
until enough M4 Sherman DDs became available and they never saw combat. (Public Domain)
either side of the tank. These gave the vehicle
sufficient buoyancy to float, propulsion and
steering being taken care of by an ordinary
40hp Johnson outboard motor. Although the
vehicle ‘swam’ reasonably well, it had a number
of disadvantages, mainly to do with the size of
the floats, that were nearly as big as the tank to
which they were fitted. This made it impossible
to launch such a vehicle from a tank landing
craft, rather defeating the purpose for which it
was designed!
Undeterred, Straussler continued his
experiments and quickly came up with a new
idea, a collapsible flotation screen made of
waterproof canvas attached to a horizontal
metal frame welded to the tank’s hull. Horizontal
metal hoops supported both the upper margin
and centre section of the screen, while vertical
rubber tubes fitted at intervals and filled with
compressed air gave the screen its vital rigidity
and buoyancy. Propulsion was by propeller(s)
linked to the vehicle’s transmission or the rear
sprocket wheels in the case of the Sherman and
so the vehicles were designated Duplex Drive
or, more usually, DD. To the men who served in
them, however, ‘DD’ quickly came to stand for
‘Donald Duck’!
HOBART’S ‘FUNNIES’
M4 Sherman DD being loaded on
to an LCT (Landing Craft,Tank)
(Public Domain)
In use, tanks were moved and transported
with the screen deflated and took up no more
room in a landing craft than unmodified
vehicles. Moreover, they could be prepared for
launch in about 15 minutes and, once ashore,
the screen was dropped and the tank functioned
in its normal role.
Trials of Straussler’s device began in 1941,
when a Tetrach light tank, fitted with a flotation
screen, ‘swam’ across London’s Hendon
reservoir. General Alan Brooke, soon to be
appointed Chief of the Imperial General staff,
witnessed this initial demonstration and, when
subsequent sea trials also proved successful,
production was authorised for a Valentine tank
fitted with a screen.
The Valentine, however, had an engine prone to
overheating and more importantly, with the screen
fitted, it had to ‘swim’ with the gun pointing to the
rear. It was a generally inferior design and by 1944
the American M4 Sherman medium tank had
largely superseded it, except for training purposes.
As well as the canvas screen and twin propellers
which gave them a top speed of around four knots,
DD Shermans were also fitted with two methods
for steering while afloat. On leaving the landing
craft, the tank commander would stand outside
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 7
22/04/2015 12:09
 HOBART’S ‘FUNNIES’
The immersion pool at the saltwater training facility for DD crews at Stokes Bay,
Gosport, Hampshire. (Courtesy of the Somerleyton Estate)
Sherman DD ‘swimming’ away after a successful launch from an LST.
(Public Domain)
the vehicle at the rear and use a tiller bar to steer
the tank towards its objective beach. This gave
him a good, unrestricted view but, of course,
such a position began to be more hazardous as
the tank approached the hostile shore. When he
judged the vehicle to be sufficiently close to the
beach, the commander left the tiller and took
his normal place in the turret, at which point
the driver assumed control of the tank, using a
periscope to see over the collar and operating his
‘steering sticks’ to control the propellers, in much
the same way as he controlled the tracks on land.
Sherman DD at sea, showing two crew members
still wearing their escape apparatus.
(Public Domain)
8 Armourer Issue 129
7_Geoff_puddefoot_2.indd 8
Despite their crews sealing every hole in the
hull with either pitch or mastic, Sherman DDs
always leaked, a situation which was usually
taken care of by the specially fitted bilge pump.
And once crews began training, they quickly
discovered another potentially fatal flaw. If a
landing craft ramp was incorrectly angled or a
tank descended it too fast, water could flow in
over the screen and it did not take much to send
the tank and its crew straight to the bottom.
This situation must have been anticipated
by those responsible for training Sherman DD
tank crews because emergency escape drill was
included as part of their routine.
Initial stages of underwater escape training
involved the crew member walking across
the bottom of the deep end of a convenient
swimming pool, while holding his breath, guided
by a rope stretched from one side of the pool to
the other. The same exercise was then carried
out while breathing through full Davis-type
submarine escape apparatus, which comprised
an airbag strapped to the chest, a mouthpiece
and a pair of nose clips.
Finally, escape drill would be practised in the
shell of a Sherman tank lying at the bottom of
an enormous watertight steel drum, which could
be filled through two huge sea-water inlets. After
each crew member, wearing his Davis-type escape
apparatus, had seated himself in his appropriate
crew position in this shell, the inlet valves would
be opened, sending sea-water crashing down on
to everything below them and raising the level
to swiftly engulf the tank and its crew. Crew
members had to remain in their seat until the
water was chin-high, at which point they put on
their nose clips and inserted the mouthpiece of
the escape set. Once the water had risen to six
feet or so above the turret, the crew, after sitting
submerged for a few seconds, made their escape
in strict order, since an uncontrolled scramble
would have resulted in the whole crew being
jammed in the escape hatches. Moreover, the air
endurance of a Davis apparatus was only about
five minutes, so any sort of delay would have
been fatal. In the turret, the tank commander,
who was nearest to the turret hatch, left first,
after tapping the gun aimer on the shoulder to
signal that it was now his turn. The gunner, in
turn, would then tap the shoulder of his loader
for him to get ready to go, while in the separate
hull compartment, the driver and the wireless
operator followed the same procedure, exiting
through their own hatch. Once clear, the crew
swam for the surface and rescue.
Despite these precautions a number of
men were drowned while training in the DD
Shermans and as secrecy cloaked every aspect
of Overlord, commanding officers could only
write to the relatives of such men in the most
general terms. For one of the widows this was
to have disastrous consequences, because she
interpreted the letter she received, in which her
husband’s squadron commander wrote that ‘he
died bravely at dawn’ as meaning that he was
shot for cowardice. The squadron commander
was killed later in Normandy and so the widow
never received any more details. Feeling too
ashamed of her husband’s supposed misconduct,
she never made any further inquiries nor even
Sherman DD
decending the
ramp of an LST
(Landing ship,
Tank) (Public
Domain)
22/04/2015 12:09
 HOBART’S ‘FUNNIES’

asked for any financial benefits, which as a war

widow, she had every right to. And this was still
the situation, when she was found by one of her
husband’s old comrades, fifty years later.
Initial training for the invasion began using
the single propeller DD Valentines in Scotland,
at Loch Fyne in the Sound of Bute, before
being transferred to Stokes Bay on the Solent.
Practice was intensive and while the crews were
training, further along the coast in Studland Bay,
unmanned Valentines were also being subjected
to a number of trials to see how the amphibious
tanks would withstand attack.
Amongst the devices tried against the DDs
was a petroleum barrage, originally designed to
repel German landing craft. Petrol was released
onto the surface of the sea and ignited, and then Diagram of the amphibious tank escape (ATE) training facilities for Sherman DD crews at Fritton Lake,
a DD Valentine, modified with a nozzle to spray Norfolk, showing the storeroom for ATE apparatus, the water tank and the tanks containing the two vehicles
sea water from the rim of its screen, chugged used in the escape exercises. (Courtesy of Stuart Burgess at duplexdrivestanks.co.uk)
into the inferno. Fortunately the device, with
the unprepossessing name of ‘Belch’, worked 4th/7th Royal Dragoons landed in the shallows. At ‘Utah’, German artillery fire sank an LCT
effectively and the Valentine emerged from the Some tanks were lost to German anti-tank guns containing four of the 70th Tank Battalion’s
flames relatively unscathed. More conventional but British forces quickly fought their way off essential DDs, before they could be launched.
armament was also tested, with an unmanned the beach, with the help of the ‘Funnies’, and Despite this initial setback, 27 of the remaining
tank being set afloat, before being used as a were soon heading for their planned objectives. 28 tanks reached the beach, only to find that,
target for 75mm cannon and machine gun Canadian troops attacking Juno were also because of the massive smoke screen, they were
fire. Although the canvas screen was holed supported by the DD Shermans; these tanks 2,000 metres from where they should have been.
extensively and several metal stays bent, the belonged to the 1st Hussars and the Canadian Fortunately, the American troops landing on
battered Valentine remained defiantly afloat. Fort Garry Horse. Due to the poor conditions, Utah beach encountered only light resistance
By the morning of the 6 June, 1944, however, only the Hussar’s tanks could launch and of from the German defenders. They were thus
all the training and testing was over and it was these only 21 of the 29 tanks launched reached able to move forward very rapidly and join up
time for the real thing. the beach. At the eastern end of the beach, the with their airborne forces, which had been
Off Sword beach, one of the two landing Canadians were forced to land without tank fighting their way towards Utah, clearing the
beaches for British forces, the sea was reasonably support and suffered terrible casualties. Despite access routes as they went.
calm and 21 of the 25 DD tanks launched this, they were also quickly off the beach and It was on Omaha beach that the real carnage
landed successfully and began their assault on heading towards their immediate objectives. took place. The Americans had been sceptical
the fortified buildings along the shoreline. At
Gold beach, also the target of British forces, Original patent drawing for an amphibious tank, showing the mechanism for erection
the sea was rougher and the DD tanks of the of the waterproof canvas screen. (Public Domain)
Nottinghamshire Yeomanry launched only 600-
700 metres from the beach, while those of the

Original Patent drawing for an amphibious tank. (Public Domain)

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 9

7_Geoff_puddefoot_2.indd 9 22/04/2015 12:09

 HOBART’S ‘FUNNIES’
about the usefulness of Hobart’s ‘Funnies’ when
Montgomery had offered them an equal share
of the available vehicles. They had accepted
a number of DD Shermans but had rejected
the other types and 64 of these amphibious
tanks were waiting for the landing off Omaha,
equally divided between the American 741st
and 743rd Tank Battalions.
About 5:40 a.m. on 6 June, 29 DDs of the
741st were launched but heavy seas and their
great distance from the beach meant that,
within about ten minutes, 27 of these had been
swamped. Only the remaining two reached the
beach, although desperate radio messages from
the sinking Shermans did prevent any further
launchings and the surviving DDs were landed
directly on to the beach about an hour later.
That was just the beginning of the
Americans’ problems and it was not until late in
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10 Armourer Issue 129
7_Geoff_puddefoot_2.indd 10
Sherman DD tanks landing at Utah beach during the Normandy invasion. (Public Domain)
the afternoon that the vital ‘draws’ leading from
the beach were secured and men and vehicles
could begin moving, now somewhat behind
schedule. By nightfall, the Americans had
established a beachhead about one-and-a-half
miles deep, compared to British and Canadian
forces that, having encountered less resistance,
had been able to move significantly further
from their landing beaches. DD tanks were now
mostly stripped of their flotation screens, taking
up their role of conventional battle tanks for the
arduous battle which was to take place through
the Normandy bocage (hedgerows).
Amphibious Shermans were also to see
action later in the war when they took part in
the invasion of southern France (Operation
Dragoon) and during the Battle of the River
Scheldt in October 1944, when DD tanks of
the Staffordshire Yeomanry swam seven miles
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across the Western Scheldt, the longest trip ever
carried out by a DD tank.
Other ‘Funnies’ in use during D-Day
included the Armoured Vehicle, Royal
Engineers (AVRE), a Churchill specifically
designed to attack defensive fortifications and
Crab mine clearance tanks, as well as tanks
designed as bridge and road layers and recovery
vehicles. There was even a ‘Funny’ equipped
with a giant carbon-arc searchlight to aid troops
fighting in darkness.
Vehicles similar in conformation to the
WWII ‘Funnies’ are still in use with many
present-day armed forces, including the British
Army’s ‘Trojan’ and ‘Titan’ vehicles.
Gerald Prenderghast is also the author of
Britain and the Wars in Vietnam: The Supply
of Troops, Arms and Intelligence, published by
McFarland & Co Inc., 2015.
23/01/2015 12:47
22/04/2015 12:10
 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: 10th May NEXT FAIR: 17th May

FUTURE DATES: FUTURE DATES 2015:
2015 dates: 20th Sep, 18th Oct, 29th Nov
14th Jun, 12th Jul, 9th Aug, 13th Sep, 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

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 11

p11_ARMMayJun15.indd 11 21/04/2015 11:48

 LUSITANIA
Lusitania
A pictorial record by Greg Taylor, author of LUSITANIA R.E.X.
S
he was launched into the River Clyde to the
strains of ‘Rule Britannia’ on 7 June 1906,
the largest moveable object ever created by
man. On the Lusitania rested the hopes of the
Empire and Cunard Lines that Britain would
reclaim from the German liners the Blue Riband
for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. Despite
being financed with government loans on the
condition that she would be available for troop
transport, the Lusitania was fitted out to a standard
of luxury never seen before.
Her great riveted hull dwarfed the 3,000
men who had constructed her, metre by metre,
beginning with the laying of the first keel plate on
16 June 1904. They used more than four million
rivets to hold the massive plates of steel together
to form the hull. The Lusitania was far larger than
previous ships, with a length of 787 feet, a width
of 87 feet and displacement of 31,550 gross tons.
Her launch from the shipyard of John Brown
& Co. into the River Clyde in Scotland on 7 June
1906 heralded a new era of steamship travel. It
Lusitania at launch
Lusitania Cunard Postcard
12 Armourer Issue 129
12_Greg_taylor.indd 12
was during her maiden voyage to New York in
September 1907 that Cunard’s rival, White Star,
announced the commissioning of the Titanic.
The Lusitania used an innovative technology
that relied on more than three million steam-
driven blades to power her four gigantic
propellers. Her four boiler rooms consumed
1,000 tons of coal a day, all of which has loaded
and shovelled into the boilers by hand. She
reclaimed the Blue Riband for Britain on her
third Atlantic crossing with an average speed of
23.99 knots per hour.
The First Class public rooms were breathtaking
and designed to appeal to an ocean-going
elite that often sent their private yachts ahead,
preferring to cross the Atlantic on the great liners.
The Lounge & Music Room featured an 18-
foot ceiling of stained glass panels depicting the
Turbine launch
Lusitania 1st class lounge
months of the year in an elegant barrel vault that
made the room very light and airy.
Upholstered armchairs and smaller Queen
Anne chairs were grouped in the Lounge as
if already engaged in polite conversation. A
Broadwood grand piano completed the scene
while overhead, shells, fish and crabs and a girl
with seaweed in her hair cavorted about in the
plasterwork.
The glazed vault terminated in a heavy,
wooden chimneypiece that appeared weighty
enough to steady the room in the highest seas. In
its centre was a colourful enamel of a woman’s
face in profile called ‘The Glory of the Sunrise’
and on the opposite chimneypiece ‘The Conquest
of the Sea’. Metal rails kept the furniture settled
in heavy seas while permitting the passengers to
move their chairs a bit.
The Smoking Lounge was reserved exclusively
for men and also had a massive barrel vault of
skylights surrounded by plasterwork, although it
was more restrained than the Music Room. The
Italian walnut panelling was simpler in design
than that in the Music Room, but richer in tone.
The Smoking Lounge had the only working
fireplace on board, which burned coal and
vented through the fourth funnel.
Passengers embarked knowing they could look
forward to a pleasant crossing of only five days,
compared to the ten-plus days it had taken during
the era of the paddle steamers. First- and second-
class passengers enjoyed access to the open decks
and covered promenade.
22/04/2015 12:10
 LUSITANIA

The Lusitania at the end of it's record voyage 1907

The Dining Saloon occupied three vertical could not swim. His body
decks surmounted by a dome portraying the Four was never recovered
Seasons in the style of Francois Boucher. To feed despite his family
her passengers and crew for the five-day crossing, offering a large reward
the ship’s Lower Deck would typically be loaded for its recovery. When
with the meat of 130 pigs, 40 oxen, 10 calves, the Titanic Memorial,
80 sheep, 60 lambs, 150 turkeys, 350 ducks, 90 sculpted by Alfred’s sister
geese, 200 pheasants, 400 pigeons and roughly Gertrude Vanderbilt
4,000 other fowl. Whitney, was unveiled,
Third-class passengers, as well as the wealthiest the male figure standing
travellers of the day, such as Alfred Vanderbilt, with outstretched arms
who booked passage on her final voyage, was said to resemble
favoured the Lusitania. Like many others, Alfred Alfred.
Vanderbilt ignored the warning published by the To this day, experts
German Embassy in the papers on the morning continue to debate the
the Lusitania sailed from New York, 1 May 1915. cause of the second
He was confident the fastest ship in the world explosion that sealed
could outrun German submarines. the Lusitania’s fate after
When a single torpedo hit the Lusitania, she the torpedo struck.
sank in only 18 minutes at a list so severe that Imperial Germany
only eight of the 42 lifeboats were launched. The immediately claimed
Lusitania had longitudinal bulkheads, an old naval that she was loaded
design to protect vital machinery from shellfire, with explosives
which ran along the outside of the ship. Her destined for the Front.
32 transverse watertight bulkheads were placed Kapitänleutnant
between the longitudinal coalbunkers. When Schwieger of the U20
the torpedo struck a longitudinal bunker on the was initially hailed as
starboard side, the Lusitania listed immediately, a hero in Germany
making it nearly impossible to launch the but the Kaiser
lifeboats. The loss of life rivalled that of the quickly grew nervous
Titanic; 1,192 people drowned and 768 survived. about the political
Alfred Vanderbilt perished after giving his repercussions and called a
lifebelt to a woman passenger, knowing that he halt to unrestricted submarine warfare. Lusitania luncheon menu
Dining saloon of Lusitania Alfred in Lusitania coffins in Queenstown
top hat

Lusitania newspaper clipping Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 13

12_Greg_taylor.indd 13 22/04/2015 12:10

 LUSITANIA
Gertrude Sculpting
Titanic memorial close up 1st Viscount Mersey
Beginning in 1922, Germany repeatedly
requested international dives on the Lusitania
wreck to determine whether the second explosion
was a result of contraband munitions on board.
The alleged use by the British Navy of the site for
testing depth charges is considered by some as an
effort to destroy evidence.
The repercussions of the sinking of the
Lusitania have reverberated through the decades.
For example, in 1956 two Irish students walked
into the Tate Gallery and, in broad daylight,
walked out with the painting Jour d’Ete by
Berthe Morisot. The painting was one of 39
Impressionist paintings, including Renoir's Les
Parapluies, which had belonged to Sir Hugh
Lane. The paintings were on display at the
National Gallery in London when Sir Hugh
perished on the Lusitania. Although his will left
the paintings to the London National Gallery,
his handwritten but unwitnessed codicil left them
instead to the Dublin National Gallery. A British
commission decided in 1929 that the paintings
should not be returned to Dublin. Obviously
the Irish students
took a different view.
Poster Irish avenge Lusitania
In 1987, the
Republic of
Ireland extended
During the official 1915 inquiry its territorial waters
into the sinking of the Lusitania, the from three to twelve
Admiralty manipulated testimony nautical miles
so that Lord Mersey reached an off its coastline,
erroneous conclusion that multiple thereby including
torpedoes struck the ship. The the wreckage
Admiralty knew from an intercepted of the Lusitania,
message that Kapitänleutnant which lies eleven
Schwieger had fired only a single nautical miles off
torpedo. It was important to many the Head of Old
that the inquiry blamed only Imperial Kinsale. During a
Germany. Lord Mersey waived his dive in 1994, Gary
fees for the case and formally resigned Gentile claimed
two days after the verdict, saying, ‘The to have seen lead
Lusitania case was a damned, dirty tubes that might
business!’ have contained
In 1917, prior to his abdication, the priceless
rre Auguste Renoir
the Kaiser ordered his legal team to Pie paintings taken
investigate and report to him on whether he aboard by Sir Hugh. Since these were rumoured
could be tried for war crimes for sinking the to include canvases by Rembrandt, Rubens and
Lusitania. This apparently concerned him more Monet, it is perhaps not surprising that the Irish
than many other atrocities committed in the Arts Minister placed a Heritage Protection Order
name of his Empire during the war. over the wreck shortly afterwards.
American sentiment turned sharply against The last survivor of the Lusitania, Audrey
Germany following the sinking of the Lusitania Lawson-Johnston, died on 11 January 2011. She
but the United States did not declare war until was three months old at the time of the sinking
6 April 1917. This was largely a result of the and was rescued by her 18-year-old nurse, Alice
intercepted Zimmerman cable from Germany Lines, who remained a lifelong friend.
promising the states of Texas, New Mexico and On 1 May 2014, the British National Archive
Arizona to the Republic of Mexico in exchange released documents as required under the 30
for Mexico attacking America. Mexico ignored Year Rule that show that in 1982 the government
the request; the United States did not ignore was concerned that divers to the Lusitania wreck
the cable. were at risk due to submerged explosives. Internal
14 Armourer Issue 129
12_Greg_taylor.indd 14
Recruiting poster
drowning woman
government memos worried about ramifications
for British-American relations, since they implied
that the Lusitania had been a legitimate target.
The tale of the Lusitania gives us a glimpse into
both the elegant Edwardian world and the brutal
war that brought it to an end. The Edwardian
period officially ended with Edward VII’s death
in 1910 but carried on in spirit until the sinking
of the Titanic in April 1912 or the start of World
War I in August 1914. By the time the Lusitania
went down on 7 May 1915, it was already clear
to many that Edwardian society had become
hopelessly anachronistic. People who had suffered
through the war, spurred on by improved media,
would no longer tolerate the social inequalities
that prevailed before World War I.
• The Merseyside Maritime Museum recently
opened Lusitania: life, loss, legacy exhibition.
The exhibition marks the centenary year of the
sinking of the Lusitania. Highlighting new research
about the people involved in the Lusitania story,
the display also considers the role of Liverpool’s
liners in the First World War. For further details
visit: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
READER OFFER
LUSITANIA R.E.X
Published by Filament
Publishing and Autharium
Historical fiction/Faction
£22.95 + P&P for the Author’s
Limited Edition
Also available as an eBook.
LUSITANIA R.E.X weaves fiction around the
known facts to create a plausible explanation
of some of the mysteries surrounding the
sinking of this great ship. Since being hit
by a single torpedo on May 7th 1915, the
passenger liner has been wrapped in mystery
and intrigue. This is a story of the Lusitania
replete with spies and secret societies,
superweapons, millionaires and martyrs.
The Author has kindly offered readers of
the Armourer a discount of 20%. To obtain
your discount please visit the official website
www.lusitaniarex.com and click on
UK purchase, you will be
asked whether you have
a discount code at this
stage click Apply and
enter LREX1915. You
will then receive 20% off
the purchase price off the
book. Please note there
is a £1 handling fee and
£3.20 for shipping within
the UK.
22/04/2015 12:11
 WARE MILITARIA AUCTIONS
AUCTION DATE 17TH JUNE 2015
Viewing from 4.30pm on sale day.
Sale starts at 6.00pm.
Many good quality militaria items
including weapons, badges, medals, insignia etc
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8 martin@wmauk.com

HERTFORD HEATH VILLAGE HALL, LONDON ROAD,

HERTFORD HEATH, HERTS, SG13 7RH

www.wmauk.com

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. SS Officers Sword.
2. SS NCO’s Sword.
3. SS 1936 Pattern Chained Leaders Dagger.
4. SS 1933 Model Dagger, Choice Of Four.
5. Government Official Dagger With Straps And Knot.
6. Land Customs Officers Dagger With Straps And Knot.
7. Allgemine SS Officers Peaked Cap.
8. NSDAP Gold Party Badge Belonging To An SS Officer With Research File.
9. German Gross In Gold.
10. German Infantry Officers Field Piped Tunic.
11. German Infantry Officers Peaked Cap.
12. NSDAP Political Leaders Shirt With Insignia.
13. SS Typewriter With Carrying Box.
14. SS Allech Porcelain 1943 Yulfest Presentation Plate.
SA HIGH LEADERS CHAINED HONOR DAGGER WITH DAMASCUSE BLADE
15. NSDAP Party Flag. BY EICKHORN BELONGING TO SA OBERGRUPENFUHRER FRANZ BOCK.

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:-
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Tel: (01604) 719389
email: stewart@theoldbrigade.co.uk or theoldbrigade@btconnect.com

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p15_ARMMayJun15.indd 15 21/04/2015 11:49

 BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
An Illustrated Look at the
British Army of August 1914
Yeomanry Regiments Part Two
By Ray Westlake
Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Prince Alfred Road, Liverpool,
with squadrons: ‘A’ (Ashton-in-Makerfield), ‘B’
(St Helens), ‘C’ (Newton-le-Willows) and ‘D’
(Rainhill).
Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry.
Headquarters at Lancaster House, Whalley
Road, Manchester, with squadrons: ‘A’ (Oldham),
‘B’ (Bolton), ‘C’ (Manchester) and ‘D’ (Preston).
Fig.1, Training with wooden models of Vickers
machine guns.
Leicestershire Yeomanry (Prince Albert’s
Own). Headquarters in Leicester with
squadrons: ‘A’ (Melton Mowbray), ‘B’ (Leicester),
‘C’ (Loughborough), and ‘D’ (Lutterworth). Fig.2,
The cap badge includes scrolls inscribed with the
South Africa battle honour and regimental title.
Lincolnshire Yeomanry. Headquarters in
Lincoln with squadrons: ‘A’ (Grantham), ‘B’
(Louth), ‘C’ (Lincoln) and ‘D’ (Grimsby). Fig.3,
Regimental band.
City of London (Rough Riders).
Headquarters and all squadrons at 39 Finsbury
Square.
1st County of London Yeomanry
(Middlesex. Duke of Cambridge’s
Hussars). Headquarters and all squadrons
at the Duke of York’s Headquarters, Chelsea.
Fig.4, Print by R. Simkin.
2nd County of London Yeomanry
(Westminster Dragoons). Headquarters
and all squadrons in Elverton Street,
Westminster.
3rd County of London Yeomanry
(Sharpshooters). Headquarters and all
squadrons in Henry Street, St John’s Wood.
Lothians and Border Horse Yeomanry.
Headquarters at 7 Wemyss Place, Edinburgh,
with squadrons: ‘A’ (Dunbar), ‘B’ (Edinburgh),
‘C’ (Hawick) and ‘D’ (Edinburgh). Fig.21, Cap
badge featuring a garb (or wheatsheaf), which
is said to be symbolic of the Border farmlands
from where the regiment was recruited.
Fig. 7
16 Armourer Issue 129
16_ray_westlake.indd 16
1st Lovat’s Scouts Yeomanry. Headquarters
in Beauly with squadrons: ‘A’ (Roy Bridge), ‘B’
(Lochmaddy), ‘C’ (Skeabost) and ‘D’ (Beauly).
Fig.5, The Pipers at camp.
2nd Lovat’s Scouts Yeomanry. Headquarters
in Beauly with squadrons: ‘E’ (Kyle of Lochalsh),
‘F’ (Dornoch), ‘G’ (Alness) and ‘H’ (Inverness).
Montgomeryshire Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Welshpool with squadrons: ‘A’
(Llanfyllin), ‘B’ (Welshpool), ‘C’ (Newtown) and
‘D’ (Llaandrindod Wells).
Norfolk Yeomanry (The King’s Own
Royal Regiment). Headquarters in Cattle
Market Street, Norwich, with squadrons:
‘A’ (Norwich), ‘B’ (North Walsham), ‘C’
(Fakenham) and ‘D’ (King’s Lynn). Fig.6, A
clear photograph showing the King George V
cypher cap badge and KORR brass shoulder
title. Fig.7, A blue jacket with yellow facings and
Royal Arms collar badge.
Northamptonshire Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Clare Street, Northampton,
Fig. 4
Fig. 15
with squadrons: ‘A’ (Northampton), ‘B’
(Peterborough), ‘C’ (Kettering) and ‘D’ Fig
(Daventry).
Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Northumberland Road,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with squadrons: ‘A’
(Newcastle-upon-Tyne), ‘B’ (South Shields), ‘C’
(Morpeth) and ‘D’ (Hexham). Fig.8, Lieutenant
(and Bandmaster), H.G. Amers. He wears a blue
jacket with silver cord and lace.
Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood
Rangers). Headquarters in Retford with
squadrons: ‘A’ Newark), ‘B’ (Mansfield), ‘C’
(Worksop) and ‘D’ (Retford).
Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (South
Nottinghamshire Hussars). Headquarters
in Derby Road, Nottingham, with squadrons: ‘A’
(Bingham), ‘B’ (Watnall), ‘C’ (Nottingham) and
‘D’ (Wollaton).
Oxfordshire Yeomanry (Queen’s Own
Oxfordshire Hussars). Headquarters
in Oxford with squadrons: ‘A’ (Oxford), ‘B’
(Woodstock), ‘C’ (Henley-on-Thames) and ‘D’
(Banbury). Fig.9, Machine gun section.
Pembroke Yeomanry (Castlemartin).
Headquarters in Tenby with squadrons: ‘A’
(Tenby), ‘B’ (Haverfordwest), ‘C’ (Carmarthen)
and ‘D’ (Lampeter). Fig.10, Cap badge.
Exclusive to the regiment, the battle honour
‘Fishguard’ is the first to be carried by
any non-regular unit and the only one
awarded for service in the British Isles.
It commemorated the landing of a
French force in 1797 and its subsequent
surrender to the regiment’s commander,
Lord Cawdor.
1st Scottish Horse. Headquarters
in Dunkeld with squadrons: ‘A’ (Blair
Atholl), ‘B’ (Dunkeld), ‘C’ (Couper Angus)
and ‘D’ (Dunblane). Fig.11, The two yeomen
standing left and right wear the regimental
Atholl-grey full-dress uniform. The facings are
yellow.
Fig. 9
22/04/2015 12:11
 BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
Fig. 2

Fig. 1

Fig. 3

Fig. 6

Fig. 5

Fig. 11

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

Fig. 14

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 17
Fig. 13

16_ray_westlake.indd 17 22/04/2015 12:12

 BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914
Fig. 17
2nd Scottish Horse.
Headquarters in Aberdeen with
squadrons: ‘E’ (Elgin), ‘F’ (Kintore),
‘G’ (Aberdeen) and ‘H’ (Connell).
Shropshire Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Shrewsbury with
squadrons: ‘A’ (Shrewsbury), ‘B’ (Oswestry), ‘C’
(Ludlow) and ‘D’ (Wellington).
North Somerset Yeomanry. Headquarters
in Bath with squadrons: ‘A’ (Bath), ‘B’ (Weston-
super-Mare), ‘C’ (Shepton Mallet) and ‘D’
(Bristol). Fig.12, Trumpeters.
West Somerset Yeomanry. Headquarters
in Taunton with squadrons: ‘A’ (Wellington),
‘B’ (Taunton), ‘C’ (Bridgwater) and ‘D’ (Yeovil).
Fig.13, Blue uniforms with scarlet facings. Fig.14,
Cap badge.
Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen’s Own
Royal Regiment). Headquarters in Bailey
Street, Stafford with squadrons: ‘A’ (Walsall),
‘B’ (Stoke-on-Trent), ‘C’ (Burton-on-Trent) and
‘D’ (Wolverhampton). Fig.15, Uniforms are
blue with scarlet facings and the cap badges a
Staffordshire Knot surmounted by a crown.
Suffolk Yeomanry (The Duke of York’s
Own Loyal Suffolk Hussars). Headquarters
in Bury St Edmunds with squadrons: ‘A’
(Cambridge), ‘B’ (Bury St Edmunds), ‘C’
(Ipswich) and ‘D’ (Beccles). Fig.16, The cap
badge features a castle, said to be that of Bury
St Edmunds, and the formation date of the
regiment, 1793. Fig.17, Print by R. Simkin.
Surrey Yeomanry (Queen Mary’s
Regiment). Headquarters at Melbourne
18 Armourer Issue 129
16_ray_westlake.indd 18
House, King’s Avenue,
Clapham Park,
with squadrons: ‘A’
(Clapham Park),
Fig. 10 ‘B’ (Guildford), ‘C’
(West Croydon) and ‘D’
(Wimbledon). The regiment also had a squadron
(‘E’ Squadron) of cadets.
Sussex Yeomanry. Headquarters in Church
Street, Brighton, with squadrons: ‘A’ (Brighton),
‘B’ (Lewes), ‘C’ (Chichester) and ‘D’ (Eastbourne).
Warwickshire Yeomanry. Headquarters
at St John’s, Warwick, with squadrons: ‘A’
(Birmingham), ‘B’ (Warwick), ‘C’ (Coventry) and
‘D’ (Stratford-on-Avon). Fig.18, Blue uniform
with white facings and busby bag.
Welsh Horse Yeomanry. Although not
strictly in existence when war was declared in
1914, formation of the Welsh Horse was well
under way by 4 August – services recognised by
the War Office on 15 August. The responsibility
of the Glamorgan Territorial Force Association,
the regiment had its headquarters at 3-4 Park
Place, Cardiff. Fig.19, RSM Knowles holding a
bomb dropped by a German aeroplane shortly
after the regiment’s arrival in 1915 at camp in
Melton, Suffolk.
Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Penrith with squadrons ‘A’
(Kendal), ‘B’ (Penrith), ‘C’ (Whitehaven) and ‘D’
(Carlisle). Fig.20, Postcard.
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (Prince
of Wales’s Own Royal Regiment).
Fig. 20
Fig. 12
Headquarters at The Butts, London Road,
Chippenham, with squadrons: ‘A’ (Warminster),
‘B’ (Chirton), ‘C’ (Chippenham) and ‘D’
(Swindon). Fig.21, Blue jacket with scarlet facings.
Worcestershire Yeomanry (Queen’s Own
Worcestershire Hussars). Headquarters in
Worcester with squadrons: ‘A’ (Kidderminster), ‘B’
(Camp Hill), ‘C’ (Malvern) and ‘D’ (Worcester).
Yorkshire Dragoons Yeomanry (Queen’s
Own). Headquarters in Doncaster with
squadrons: ‘A’ (Sheffield), ‘B’ (Wakefield), ‘C’
(Doncaster) and ‘D’ (Huddersfield). F
Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry
(Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own).
Headquarters in York with squadrons: ‘A’
(Leeds), ‘B’ (York), ‘C’ (Knaresborough) and
‘D’ (Middlesbrough). Attached to the regiment
at 103 North Street, Leeds, was the Yorkshire
Squadron, Imperial Cadet Yeomanry. Fig.22,
Seen here at camp in 1914, the two signal-
instructor-sergeants (see crossed flags above
chevrons) are wearing full dress blue uniforms
with silver cord and lace.
East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry.
Headquarters in Railway Street, Beverley, with
squadrons: ‘A’ (Hull), ‘B’ (Beverley), ‘C’ (Fulford)
and ‘D’ (Driffield). Fig.23, The regimental badge,
a fox in full cry, can be seen here being worn on
the collar. The maroon tunic, with its light blue
facings, follows the lancer style.
SPECIAL RESERVE YEOMANRY
REGIMENTS
North Irish Horse. Headquarters in
Skegoniel Avenue, Belfast.
South Irish Horse. Headquarters at
Beggars Bush Barracks, Dublin. Fig.24,
The shamrock cap badge has (one on
each leaf) the letter S, I and H.
King Edward’s Horse (The King’s
Overseas Dominions Regiment).
Headquarters at the Duke of York’s
Headquarters, Chelsea, where recruits
were drawn from overseas volunteers
resident in the UK. Fig.25, Regimental
Quartermaster Master Sergeant D.
Fegan. A member of the regiment since
its formation in 1901, RQMS Fegan
wears the regimental khaki uniform.
The facings are scarlet and the
headdress plume black cock-feathers.
Fig.26, The NCOs here pose with a
sergeant of the 20th Hussars. Fig.27,
Postcard.
Note: For additional information
and illustrations see The British Army
of August 1914 (History Press) and
The Territorials 1908-1914 (Pen &
Sword).
22/04/2015 15:09
 Fig. 26 BRITISH ARMY OF AUGUST 1914

Fig. 16

Fig. 22 Fig. 24

Fig. 18

Fig. 27

Fig. 19
Fig. 23

Fig. 21

Fig. 25

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 19

16_ray_westlake.indd 19 22/04/2015 15:09

 NORTHERN ARMS FAIRS
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 4TH MAY - SCOTCH CORNER SUNDAY 28TH JUNE - LIVERPOOL
SUNDAY 17TH MAY - GIANT LEEDS SUNDAY 12TH JULY - GIANT LEEDS
SUNDAY 7TH JUNE - NEWARK SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST - NEWARK

THE GIANT LEEDS

ARMS, MEDAL & MILITARIA FAIR AT THE PUDSEY CIVIC HALL (LS28 5TA)
(just off main Leeds to Bradford Ring Road Dawson’s Corner – opposite Pudsey Railway Station 21⁄2 miles from Leeds City Centre, signposted)
10.00 am – 3.00 pm Early preview – 9am
A GIANT EVENT ATTRACTING DEALERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND ABROAD.
Up to 120 stands. Licensed bar, refreshments, ample free parking.

BOLTON LIVERPOOL
ARMS, MEDAL & MILITARIA FAIR ARMS, MEDAL & MILITARIA FAIR
Horwich Leisure Centre, Village Hotel, Whiston,
Victoria Road, Horwich, BOLTON (BL6 5PY) LIVERPOOL (L35 1RZ)
Minutes from M61 Junction 6, close to all major northern (on the junction of the M62 and M57 Motorways)
motorways, M61, M62, M63. 9am to 2pm. 9am to 3pm.
Ample parking, ground floor access, refreshments. Ample free parking, all day refreshments, ground floor access.

NEWARK SCOTCH CORNER

ARMS, MEDAL & MILITARIA FAIR AT THE NEWARK
SHOWGROUND (NG24 2NY) ARMS, MEDAL & MLITARIA FAIR
(Cedric Ford Pavilion, 2 miles from the A1. Permanently signposted.) Holiday Inn Darlington NEW
9am to 3pm. A1 SCOTCH CORNER DL10 6NR FOR
Flat unloading with catering facilities. AMPLE FREE PARKING.
(Permanently signposted - directly on A1)
THIS QUALITY EVENT WILL HAVE UP TO 80 OF THE COUNTRY’S LEADING
DEALERS IN ARMS & MILITARIA. 10am to 3pm (Preview at 9am) 2015
Ample free parking, ground floor access, hotel bar, restaurant, refreshments
ACCOMPANIED CHILDREN ARE FREE & SPECIAL RATES FOR O.A.PS. * VISIT US ON: www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk

TEL: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896

est. 1995
For the finest in antique arms and armour, naval & aviation items,
scientific instruments & militaria

The only military antiques, collectables & medal specialist in London's Mayfair W1 area
Tel: +44 (0) 207 491 2221, Mobile: +44 (0) 798 964 9972, Email: leon@leonsmilitaria.com, Web: www.leonsmilitaria.com
Grays Antiques Centre, 58 Davies Street, London, W1K 5LP (By Bond Street tube station) Many new
Store Opening Hours - Monday to Friday 10:30-17:00, Saturdays by prior appointment, All major debit/credit cards accepted items now
Quality militaria & scientific instruments purchased. Single items to complete collections considered added to the
website

20

p20_ARMMayJun15.indd 20 22/04/2015 16:01

 Strachan Militaria

WW2-MILITARIA
20th Century Militaria from around the world
www.ismilitaria.co.uk
German, British, US and international militaria at competitive prices A huge selection of
World War 2
Free mainland UK postage for smaller items.
Based in the heart of England.
items for sale including:
uniforms • helmets • footwear
insignia • equipment
& much more
Specialising in Third Reich militaria
All items guaranteed 100% original

Visit our website:

www.ww2-militaria.co.uk
or call: 07768 867 213

ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR

and MILITARY AUCTION
Tuesday 5th & Wednesday 6th May 2015 Auction Commences 10:30am
The Spa Hotel (York Suite) Mount Ephriam, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8XJ

Unit 25 Space Business Centre,

Knight Road
Rochester, Kent,
ME2 2BF
enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk
01634 292042

This auction includes Part 1 of the Colin

Churchill collection of British Army
Collar Badges and Cloth Formation Signs
and Shoulder Titles.

Auction also includes a good selection of

Police Memorabilia, Medals and Badges,
Uniforms, Headdress, Paper work and
Ephemera, Third Reich Items, Swords
and Antique Pistols.

www.candtauctions.co.uk
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 21

p21_ARMMayJun15.indd 21 21/04/2015 12:05

 MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES
Members of the post-WWII Bundeswehr
dismounting from an APC. Note the U.S.-style
uniforms and equipment and they are armed with
U.S. supplied M1 Carbines. (courtesy James Mock)
German Military Rifle Cartridges, Part II
From Peking to Afghanistan
By Paul Scarlata
Photos by: James Walters, & Lou Behling (unless otherwise indicated)
A
s we saw in Part I of this article, France’s
adoption of the Fusil d’Infanterie Ml.
1886 (‘Lebel’) firing a 8mm smokeless
powder cartridge threw the German High
Command into a panic. So much so that
the Gewehr-Prufungs-Kommission (GPK
- Rifle Testing Commission) at Spandau
Gewehrfabrik was ordered to design a
smokeless powder rifle post haste. The result
was the Infanteriegewehr 88.
Herr Paul Mauser was no doubt irritated
at not being consulted on his country’s new
service rifle and was not the type of man to take
this slight lying down. Over the next eight years
an R&D programme at Waffenfabrik Mauser
saw the introduction of the one-piece bolt with
integral frontal lugs that locked directly into the
receiver ring, a box magazine which could be
topped off at any time with loose rounds and
a stamped steel strip – known as a ‘charger’ –
which allowed five rounds to be loaded into the
rifle’s magazine quickly.
22 Armourer Issue 129
22_PaulScarlatamust.indd 22
In 1897, seeking a replacement for the
Infanteriegewehr 88, the German Army
purchased 2,000 of Mauser’s new rifles for
trials. It proved such a superior weapon that on
5 April 1898, the Kaiser approved its adoption
as the Infanteriegewehr 98. It was chambered
for the 7.9mm Patrone 88 that was discussed in
detail in Part I.
The Gewehr 98 saw its first combat in
1900 with the Deutsches Östasiatisches
Expeditonkorps which was sent to China to
help suppress the Boxer Rebellion. By 1907 all
regular army units had been re-equipped with
Infanteriegewehre 98 and by 1912 all first-line
reserve units had received them.
In 1900 the French Army adopted the
Cartouche 8mm balle 1898 D which was loaded
with a 198 gr. pointed, full metal jacketed (FMJ)
bullet made from solid brass. It provided a
flatter trajectory, longer range and improved
on-target performance over the round-nosed
projectiles previously used.
Once again the GPK had to play catch up
with their Gallic foes. By 1905 they modified
the Patrone 88 to use the new style projectile
which, in German, was known as a Spitzgeschoß
(pointed bullet), soon abbreviated to ‘Spitzer’.
• 7.9mm Patrone S: used the same case as
the Patrone 88 but was loaded with a 154 gr.
FMJ Spitzer bullet that was propelled to an
impressive 2,900 feet per second (fps). The
diameter of the bullet was also increased
from 0.318” to 0.323”.
The 7.9mm Patrone S was the standard rifle
cartridge of the German Army during WWI
and performed admirably.
Late in WWI the Germans introduced a
heavy bullet loading of the 7.9mm cartridge
intended for use in machine guns. Known as
the schweres Spitzgeschoß (heavy pointed bullet),
in official records it was sometimes abbreviated
to Patr. sS.
• 7.9mm Patrone s.S.: used the same case
as the Patrone S but with a 198 gr. FMJ
22/04/2015 12:13

boattail, Spitzer bullet traveling at 2,575 fps.
The aerodynamic shape of the bullet, and its
greater sectional density, allowed it to retain
velocity and provided in excess of 1000
metres of additional range than the S bullet.
Because of restrictions imposed by the
Treaty of Versailles the Germans were not able
to develop or sell any military equipment. In
the post-war years the 98-type Mauser rifle was
adopted by dozens of armies and was produced
in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Mexico,
Austria and China. This led to the 7.9mm
Patrone S becoming the most widely used
military rifle cartridge in the world during the
inter-war years.
Tests in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s showed
that the s.S. cartridge provided the same
advantages when fired from a rifle in addition
to producing less muzzle flash. When Hitler
came to power Germany began to re-arm and
one of the first priorities was a new rifle for the
Wehrmacht. Mauser modified its commercial
Standard Modell to produce the Karabiner 98k
(k for ‘kurz’: short) and chambered it for the
7.9mm Patrone s.S. in order to have a common
cartridge for all 7.9mm weapons.¹
The Karabiner 98k was the primary long
arm of the Wehrmacht, although it was
supplemented with limited numbers of semi-
automatic rifles such as the Mauser Gewehr
41(m), Walther Gewehr 41(w) and Gewehr 43
(also known as the Karabiner 43). The Luftwaffe
issued small numbers of the selective fire
Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 to their paratroopers
and after the occupation of Czechoslovakia
22_PaulScarlatamust.indd 23
MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES
Steel cased 7.9mm
Patronen SmE
made in 1941
the Wehrmacht
Comparing (L to R) the 7.9mm Patrone 88, 7.9mm
issued large
Patrone S and 7.9mm Patrone s.S.
numbers of CZ vz. 24
Mausers to their troops. All
were chambered for the 7.9mm
Patrone s.S.
As the war progressed, the Germans
experienced shortages of strategic metals, such
as brass and lead. In 1940 production began of
7.9mm ammunition with lacquered steel cases
loaded with bullets which had iron cores known
as Spitzgeschoß mit Eisenkern (pointed bullet
with iron core).²
• 7.9mm Patrone SmE: consisted of a
lacquered steel case identical to the 7.9mm
Patrone s.S. loaded with a 178 gr. FMJ
boattail bullet traveling at 2,525 fps. The
bullet had an iron core surrounded by a lead Comparing an
sleeve which allowed it to compress while Infanteriegewehr
passing down the barrel. Bullet jackets were 88 clip (L) and
made from mild steel plated with gilding Infanteriegewehr 98
metal or zinc. charger
• 7.9mm Patrone SmE (Lang): used the
same steel case as the SmE but loaded with a
162 gr. bullet with a longer (Lang) iron core
that was plated with zinc. Muzzle velocity
was 2,460 fps.³
The lessons of WWI had shown that the
7.9mm Patrone S was more powerful than
the average infantryman needed, had a longer
range than the average rifleman could take
advantage of, produced too much recoil and
the weapons firing it were overly heavy and
long. It needed a cartridge that produced
light recoil so it could be used in selective fire
German military rifles cartridges from 1940 to
Members of the Bundeswehr armed with the G1. the present (L to R): 7.9mm Patrone SmE, 7.9mm
Note they are still wearing WWII style stalhelms. Kurzpatrone SmE, Patrone für Karabiner Kal.
.30 M-1 (kurz), 7.62mm Patrone für Gewehr M-1,
Patrone AB22, 7.62mm x 51 DM41 and Patrone
AB 5,56mm x45 DM11. (Lou Behling photo)
Boxer Rebellion, Peking, 1900. Soldiers of the
Deutsches Östasiatisches Expeditonkorps in China
during the Boxer Rebellion. They are armed with
the new Infanteriegewer 98.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 23
22/04/2015 12:13
 MILITARY
Afghanistan RIFLE
2005. CARTRIDGES
A German soldier armed with a G3A3 rifle
The Mauser Infanteriegewehr 98 was the primary rifle of German soldiers from 1898 through the early 1930s.
1915. A German communications unit during WWI
armed with Infanteriegewehre 88.
weapons at close range but still provide rifle like
accuracy out to 300-400 metres, bridging the gap
between submachine guns and rifles.
In the late 1930s the Polte Munitionfabriken
in Magdeburg developed a cartridge that met
the Wehrmacht’s specifications. Contracts for
rifles firing the new cartridge round were given
to both Walther and Haenel, who were asked
to submit prototype weapons. Both designs
were gas operated, selective fire weapons with
high capacity magazines, and made extensive
use of stamped metal components. In order to
conceal their development they were referred to
as Machinenpistolen (MP - submachine guns)
and the cartridge the Pistolenpatrone (pistol
cartridge).⁴
• 7.9mm Pistolenpatrone 43: consisted of a
33mm bottle-necked, rimless case containing a
125 gr. iron core FMJ boattail bullet that that
was propelled to 2,250 fps. Early production
ammunition used brass cases.
The new cartridge and the Haenel-designed
rifle firing it -–known variously as the MP 43,
MP44 and later as the Sturmgewehr 44 (‘Assault
Rifle 44’) - proved so successful that even the
Führer’s opposition to them was overcome.
• 7.9mm Kurzpatrone SmE : dimensionally and
ballistically identical to the Pistolenpatronen
43 but used a lacquered steel case.
But the new weapons were not enough
to stand up to the overwhelming
firepower and manpower
the Allies were able
to bring against Nazi
Germany. Hitler
24 Armourer Issue 129
22_PaulScarlatamust.indd 24
1917. A German
soldier armed with an
Infanteriegewehr 98.
committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30
April 1945 to avoid capture by the Red Army, and
a week later General Alfred Jodl signed the terms
of unconditional surrender.
Germany was divided into four zones of
occupation: American, English, French and
Russian. By the terms of the surrender Germany
was not allowed an army, but to maintain order
in their zones, each of the occupying powers
established local police/gendarmerie forces that
at first were armed only with pistols and revolvers.
Increasing tensions with the Soviets led
to the Allies arming the Bundesgrenzschutz
(Border Police, founded in 1951) and Lander
Gendarmerie (State Rural Police) with carbines, WWII German
the most common of which was the US M1 soldiers armed with
Carbine.⁵ the Karabiner 43
• Patrone für Karabiner Kal. .30
M-1 (kurz): as the .30 Carbine was
known in German service. It consisted
of a rimless, tapered case 33mm long;
its 110 gr. Round-nosed, FMJ bullet was
propelled to 1,975 fps.
Iraq, 2011. A soldier
Germany was divided into two nations, the
of the Bundeswehr armed
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany
with and H&K G36 rifle
– FRG) and the German Democratic Republic
(East Germany – GDR). In response to
the Soviets rearming the GDR,
in November 1955, the Allies
allowed the FRG to form a
new army, the Bundeswehr,
whose role was defined by
the German constitution
as purely ‘defensive’.
That same year
the FRG became
a member of
NATO.
22/04/2015 12:14

Denmark, 1945. German soldiers surrendering
their rifles near Copenhagen. Most seem quite
cheerful.
A member of the Bereitschaftspolizei in the French
zone armed with an MAS Mle. 1936 rifle. (courtesy
James Mock)
Members of the Bereitschaftspolizei in the British
zone armed with No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifle.
22_PaulScarlatamust.indd 25
The Karabiner 98k was the most widely used German rifle of WWII.
Members of the West Berlin paramilitary
Bereitschaftspolizei armed with U.S. M1 Garand
rifles. (courtesy James Mock)
While they were at first equipped with
a hodgepodge of former Wehrmacht and
Allied smallarms, the Bundeswehr eventually
standardised on US weapons and between 1950
and1963 the US supplied West Germany with
46,754 M1 Garand rifles and 34,192 M1/M2
Carbines.
• 7.62mm Patrone für Gewehr M-1: the
German version of the US .30 Ball M2 consists
of a 63mm rimless, bottle-necked case loaded
with a 150 gr. FMJ spitzer bullet that achieves a
velocity of approximately 2,800 fps.
During the Cold War the Bundeswehr was the
core of NATO’s conventional defence in Central
Europe. At its height it had a strength of 495,000
military and 170,000 civilian personnel.
In the late 1950s the Bundeswehr began looking
for a new rifle to replace their ageing M1 weapons.
After testing the Armalite AR-10, CETME Mo.
58 and FN-FAL, in 1956 the FAL was adopted as
the Gewehr 1 (G1) and approximately 100,000
were ordered from FN in Belgium. The Germans
wanted to manufacture the G1 locally but FN
refused to grant them a licence which led to a
mini political crisis within NATO. Accordingly
the Germans adopted the CETME in 1959 as the
Gewehr 3 and arranged for it to be manufactured
in Germany by Heckler & Koch and Rheinmetall.
The finalised versions, the G3A3 and G3A4
(folding stock) would remain the standard rifles of
the Bundeswehr for the next 40 years.
• Patrone AB22, 7.62mm x 51 DM41: all the
above rifles were chambered for the standard
NATO cartridge based upon a rimless, bottle-
necked case 51mm long, loaded with a copper
washed, steel jacketed 148 gr. boattail spitzer
bullet at a velocity of 2,750 fps.
Over its service life the 7.62mm x 51 cartridge
went through several changes.
• Patrone AB22, 7.62mm x 51 DM111:
utilised a cupronickel-coated steel jacketed
bullet. Late production ammo used lead-free
‘green’ primers.
• Patrone AB22 7.62mm x 51 DM111A1:
was loaded with a gilding metal jacketed bullet
and ‘green’ primer.
MILITARY RIFLE CARTRIDGES
While a staunch member of NATO, West
Germany resisted changing over to 5.56mm
weapons longer than most member armies. In
1990 Heckler & Koch introduced their HK
G11 rifle which fired a unique 4.7mm caseless
cartridge developed by Dynamit-Nobel. While
the Bundeswehr expressed interest in it no
other NATO member did and it never entered
full production due to the political changes of
German reunification.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union her
satellite nations left the Warsaw Pact. A series of
protests by East Germans led to the GDR’s first
free elections in March 1990 and to negotiations
between the GDR and FRG that resulted in the
unification of the two countries on 3 October
1990. About 50,000 East German Volksarmee
personnel were integrated into the Bundeswehr.
Bowing to the inevitable, the Bundeswehr
adopted the 5.56mm Heckler & Koch G36 rifle in
1995. The 7.62mm Heckler & Koch G28 is issued
to designated marksmen.
• Patrone AB 5.56mm x 45 DM11: identical
to the FN SS109, it uses a bottle-necked,
rimless case 45mm long loaded with a 63 gr.
FMJ spitzer bullet with a steel insert in its tip,
travelling at 3,000 fps.
In 1994 the German Federal Constitutional
Court ruled that ‘defensive’ was defined to include
not only protection of the borders of Germany,
but also crisis reaction and conflict prevention, or
more broadly guarding the security of Germany
anywhere in the world. Accordingly Bundeswehr
personnel have served with UN and NATO forces
in the former Yugoslavia, Central Asia, Africa, the
Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Part III of this series we will examine the
foreign rifles and cartridges used by the German
armed forces from the 1870s through WWII.
Germany, 1945.
A member of the
Wehrmacht armed with
a Sturmgewehr 44.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the following for
providing information and materials used
to prepare this report: Lou Behling, James
Mock, Vince DiNardi, Stuart Mowbray
and Joe Puleo.
¹ By 1934 most rifles in German service had been modified for the Patrone s.S. and production of
the Patrone S ceased.
² The Germans had experimented with steel cartridge cases late in WWI but they were less than
successful.
³ Late production SmE cases used a single flashhole rather than the two more commonly encountered
with Berdan primed cases.
⁴ Reportedly these designations were used to conceal the development of the cartridge and rifles from
Adolf Hitler who opposed the introduction of such weapons.
⁵ After 1955 some Bundesgrenzschutz units in the British and French zones were supplied with Lee-
Enfield and MAS Mle. 1936 rifles, while others used ex-Wehrmacht Karabiner 98k Mausers.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 25
22/04/2015 12:14
 NEW
VENUE

Thursday 7 May 2015

12 noon
SPECIALIST
MILITARIA AUCTION
to be held at -
NEW VENUE - Ravon Court,
Drummond Road, Stafford ST16 3HJ
Future auction date: Thursday August 6th 2015

For further details, contact Kevin King

07789 628030 or
info@marlowsauctions.co.uk Selection of World War I items in the May auction

www.marlowsauctions.co.uk

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

26

p26_ARMMayJun15.indd 26 21/04/2015 12:07

 St George’s Hall
Liverpool
NEXT FAIR 23RD MAY
ST GEORGE’S HALL
MILITARY FAIR
Book early, interest has
grown for this event
See dates below

Liverpool City Centre Military Fairs 2015

Event time 10am – 4pm (set up between 7am – 9.30am), Admission £3 per adult (children free)
Saturday 23rd May, Saturday 22nd August, Saturday 24th October
Liverpool’s new military fair including military stalls and militaria display items
(plus military history talks)
Lime Street, Liverpool, Opp Train Station, Liverpool City Centre, L1 1JJ WWI
Call for bookings: 0151 259 6873 or 07932 844130 WWII

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 27

p27_ARMMayJun15.indd 27 21/04/2015 12:12

 STABLE BELTS

Stable Belts
By John Bodsworth

S
table belts are generally worn in No.14
Dress – Shirt Sleeve Order. They may also
be worn with No.7 Dress – Warm Weather
Barrack Dress, with a shirt, or No.13 Dress –
Temperate Barrack Dress, with a heavy wool
jersey. It was not worn by some regiments with
the jersey, as the belt damaged it. Also No.8 Dress
– Combat Dress, although with the introduction
of PCS (Personal Clothing System) MTP (Multi
Terrain Pattern) uniforms, the lightweight jacket
was to be worn outside the trousers. This was
not popular with the soldiers, who thought it
made them look slovenly, so the regulations were
therefore changed. They are now allowed to wear
a stable belt with this order of dress, making them
look much smarter.
All this sounds simple, until it is remembered
that stable belts are an optional item of dress
and soldiers cannot be made to buy them!
Although approved patterns are authorised for all
regiments, this does not mean that they are worn
by those regiments. There will be times when the
regimental colonels approve of stable belts being
worn, in certain orders of dress, but this may
change at a later date and stable belts are not to
be worn!
Stable belts are normally bought from one of the
specialist manufacturers and sold by the regiment.
Suppliers change, as companies either close or
competitors offer less expensive versions. This is
evident in the minor changes in detail observed
on belts from the same regiment. For the most
part the colours of regimental stable belts have
remained unchanged, although a few regiments
have even changed these! The main difference is
in the method of fastening stable belts, some have
single or double straps while others have locket,
plate, Mills’ ‘hook & loop’ and triple clasp buckles.
In the latter case, these are in the style of nurses’
elastic belt fasteners, worn in the past.
The following shows a selection of stable belts
worn by the Royal Armoured Corps, Royal
Artillery, Royal Engineers and the Royal Corps
of Signals.
In 1949, the Royal Armoured Corps consisted
of 24 regiments, including the Household Cavalry,
Royal Tank Regiment and Royal Armoured
Corps. After restructuring and amalgamations,
it now consists of only eleven regiments, two of
which are due to merge next year.
On their formation in 1969, the Blues and
Royals adopted the stable belt previously worn
by the Royal Horse Guards (Blues). The 3rd
Carabiniers’ stable belt was worn with the
buckles on the left side and was fitted with two
diagonal ornamental pieces on the opposite side
to counterpoint the buckles. This belt was later
adopted by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards,
but without the ornamental leather pieces. The
9th/12th Royal Lancers adopted the stable belt
previously worn by the 12th Lancers. The Queen’s
Royal Lancers changed their stable belt in 1998.
• The BLUES and ROYALS, formed in 1969
from the ROYAL HORSE GUARDS and
1st ROYAL DRAGOONS
• QUEEN’S DRAGOON GUARDS,
formed in 1959 from the 1st KING’S
DRAGOON
• GUARDS and the QUEEN’S BAYS
• ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON
GUARDS, formed in 1971 from the 3rd
CARABINIERS and the ROYAL SCOTS
GREYS
• ROYAL DRAGOON GUARDS,
formed in 1992 from the 4th/7th ROYAL
DRAGOON GUARDS and the 5TH
ROYAL INNISKILLING DRAGOON
GUARDS

Life Guards Blues and Royals Queen’s Dragoon Guards

Queen’s Dragoon Guards 1st King’s Dragoon Guards Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

3rd Carabiniers Royal Dragoon Guards

4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards

Queen’s Royal Hussars Queen’s Own Hussars 3rd King’s Own Hussars

Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars 9th/12th Royal Lancers and 12th Lancers 9th/12th Royal Lancers and 12th Lancers

9th Queen’s Royal Lancers King’s Royal Hussars Royal Hussars

28 Armourer Issue 129

14th/20th King’s Hussars

28_JohnBodsworth.indd 28
Light Dragoons 13th/18th Royal Hussars 22/04/2015 12:14
 STABLE BELTS
9th Queen’s Royal Lancers King’s Royal Hussars Royal Hussars

14th/20th King’s Hussars Light Dragoons 13th/18th Royal Hussars

Queen’s Royal Lancers 1998 onwards Queens Royal Lancers 1993 – 1998
15th/19th King’s Royal Hussars

16th/5th Queen’s Royal Lancers 17th/21st Lancers Royal Tank Regiment

Royal Tank Regiment Royal Armoured Corps Royal Horse Artillery

Royal Horse Artillery G Battery (Mercer’s Troop) RHA I Battery (Bull’s Troop) RHA

Royal Artillery Royal Artillery Royal Artillery

4th Regiment, Royal Artillery 95 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery

Royal Artillery

36 and 47 GW Regiments Royal Artillery Q Battery (Sanna’s Post) Royal Artillery 4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post
Battery RA

Royal Engineers Royal Engineers Royal Engineers, Parachute Squadrons

Royal Engineers, Commando Squadrons RE Diver Training Wing Royal Engineers, Technical Trades

33 & 101 Engineer Regt (EOD) RE attached 16 Air Assault Bde Royal Signals

Royal Signals Royal Signals Royal Signals

Royal Signals Royal Signals 200 Signals Squadron, 20 Armoured Bde

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 29

216 Para Signals Squadron 237 Signal Squadron Royal Signals, 4 Armoured Brigade
28_JohnBodsworth.indd 29 22/04/2015 12:15
 Royal Signals
STABLE BELTS
Royal Signals
216 Para Signals Squadron
3 (UK) Div HQ and Signal Regiment
41 (PLK) Signal Squadron (V)
• QUEEN’S ROYAL HUSSARS, formed
in 1993 from the QUEEN’S OWN
HUSSARS AND THE QUEEN’S ROYAL
IRISH HUSSARS
• QUEEN’S OWN HUSSARS, formed in
1958 from the 3rd KING’S OWN
• HUSSARS and the 7th QUEEN’S OWN
HUSSARS
• QUEEN’S ROYAL IRISH HUSSARS,
formed in 1958 from the 4th QUEEN’S
• OWN HUSSARS and the 8th KING’S
ROYAL IRISH HUSSARS
• 9th/12th ROYAL LANCERS, formed
in 1960 from the 9th QUEEN’S ROYAL
LANCERS and the 12th ROYAL
LANCERS
• KING’S ROYAL HUSSARS, formed in
1992 from the ROYAL HUSSARS and
the14th/20th KING’S HUSSARS
• ROYAL HUSSARS, formed in 1969 from
the 10th ROYAL HUSSARS and the 11th
HUSSARS
• LIGHT DRAGOONS, formed in 1992
from the 13th/18th ROYAL HUSSARS
and the 15th/19th KING’S ROYAL
HUSSARS
• QUEEN’S ROYAL LANCERS, formed in
1993 from the 16th/5th QUEEN’S ROYAL
LANCERS and the 17th/21st LANCERS
While both the Royal Artillery and Royal Horse
Artillery have their own stable belts, some of their
regiments and batteries have adopted their own
patterns of stable belts. Only a few of these are
shown here.
The Royal Engineers wear a belt in their
regimental colours of scarlet, dark blue, scarlet,
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
30 Armourer Issue 129
28_JohnBodsworth.indd 30
Royal Signals
Royal Signals
237 Signal Squadron
Royal Signals, attached 1 Mechanised Bde
Queen’s Gurkha Signals
dark blue and scarlet. The first pattern was
three inches wide, was fitted with two roller
buckles and blue leather straps. At some time,
between 1982 and 1995, its width was reduced
to two-and-a-half inches and was now fitted
with a locket buckle with the cap badge in the
centre. Parachute squadrons wore a similar belt
with ‘Pegasus’ on the centre of the locket, while
Commando squadrons wore a Commando
dagger motif on their lockets. Later, other
Corps specialists adopted their own lockets,
RE Diver Training Wing – a diver’s helmet;
RE Technical Trades – a Martello Tower; RE
EOD Squadrons – a bomb. The following are
not shown here: Band of the Corps of Royal
Engineers – Corps of Army Music badge; RE
Counter Improvised Explosives Devices – RE
grenade with SEARCH, a scroll below and an
all-seeing eye on the ball of the grenade, 42
Engineer Regiment (Geographic) – a plain globe
showing the lines of latitude and longitude. In
addition, the Royal Monmouthshire Royal
Engineers (Militia), Royal Jersey Militia RE (V)
and the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers wear their
own cap badges on the lockets of their belts.
At some time between the 1950s and 1980s RE
airborne troops wore the standard belt with
roller buckles and straps, but with an additional
thin blue central stripe. Finally, Royal Engineers
attached to 16 Air Assault Brigade wear the
brigade badge of a screaming eagle.
The Royal Corps of Signals’ stable belt
was authorised by Corps Memorandum No.7
of 1965, prior to which a variety of patterns
was worn. The earlier consisted of 1 inch pale
blue, over 1/5 inch dark blue over 1 inch dark
green webbing, fastening with either one or two
leather straps. This was replaced by a 2¼ inch
belt, dark blue, pale blue, dark blue, green and
COLLECTOR WANTS:
-anything-
Coldstream Guards:
Especially:
• Officers paggri badge
• Boer war service dress tunic
• Waistbelt clasp OR and WOI/II
• OR’s service dress tunic WWI
• White buff drum carriage
(brass buttons large, medium, small)
Please offer to: Wilfried Drygala,
Email: w.drygala@t-online.de
Tel: 049 421 44 53 81 • Fax: 049 421 44 53 61
Royal Signals
200 Signals Squadron, 20 Armoured Bde
Royal Signals, 4 Armoured Brigade
HQ and Sig Sqn, 19 Mechanised Brigade
Queen’s Gurkha Signals
dark blue, fitted with a MECo hook and loop
buckle.
The authorised pattern was light blue 11/16
inches, dark blue 3/8 inches and green 11/16
inches wide and fitted with two leather straps
and single pronged roller type buckles. This
pattern was still listed in the 1995 edition of the
Clothing Regulations. In an attempt to smarten
up the stable belt, the leather straps and buckles
were replaced with a belt plate, onto which was
affixed the regimental cap badge. Both chrome
and brass plates have been noted, similar to
those worn with No.1 Dress and Service Dress
on ceremonial occasions. This in turn seems
to have been replaced with a chrome locket
version. Three versions have been noted, the
first with the figure of ‘Mercury’ on the centre
piece, the second with the full regimental cap
badge (Mercury with the Queen’s Crown
above) and a final version with a smaller centre
piece and a much wider outer circlet. Over time
individual regiments and squadrons adopted
their own individual buckles, worn on the corps
coloured belt, while others wore the buckle of
the Division or Brigade to which they were
attached. A small selection of these is shown.
The final row of illustrations shows the stable
belt worn by 41 (Princess Louise’s Kensington)
Signal Squadron and the Queen’s Gurkha
Signals, early and later versions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Materiel Regulations for the Army, Vol.3
– Clothing, Pamphlet No.16 – Optional
Items of Dress 1982 and 1995.
Harfield, Major A.G., BEM, Headdress,
Badges and Embellishments of the Royal Corps of
Signals, Picton Publishing 1982.
WOLVERLEY
MILITARIA FAIRS
Wolverley Memorial Hall, Wolverley, nr. Kidderminster,
DY11 5TN (2 miles north of Kidderminster off the A449)
17th May 2015
Future dates: 6th Sep,
18th Oct, 15th Nov and 13th Dec
9am - 1.30pm
Admission £1.00
FREE VALUATIONS ON ALL MILITARY ITEMS
WE ALSO BUY
Phone: 01562 851489 / 07816 853878
22/04/2015 12:15
 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
Lee Enfield Savage mfg 1942 dated .................................................... £375
SMLE WW2 dated BSA mfg ................................................................. £385
SMLE WW1 .22 cadet rifle BSA mfg .................................................... £400
British AFV Signal gun ......................................................................... £550
British 2” Mortar ................................................................................. £350
Browning ,50 Cal M3 HMG ................................................................ £1600
Browning .50 cal aircraft wing gun ..................................................... £920
BRNO ZGB/Bren 1937 dated matching numbers ................................. £950
Bren Mk1 Kings Crown dovetail 1940 Matching Numbers ....................£POA
Bren Mk1 WW2 dated ......................................................................... £500
Bren Mk2 Ingilis 1943 dated ............................................................... £500
Bren MK3 1957 dated NEW PRICE ...................................................... £320
Bren MK3 as above 1949 dated .......................................................... £370
Chinese AK47 model 56-1 folding stock .............................................. £275
Japenese Arisaka B/A rifle with bayonet .............................................. £850
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
Yugo M56 smg c/w sling & mag .......................................................... £200
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
Browning .30 cal M2 tripod WW2 + pintle and T&e gear ...................... £300
Browning .50 cal carry handle .............................................................. £50
.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
www.byswordandmusket.co.uk
Tel: 01952 691132 Mobile: 07939 226976

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 31

p31_ARMMayJun15.indd 31 21/04/2015 12:15

 BAYONET FACT FILE
No. 63: The American Commercial Zero Tolerance ZT-9 Bayonet of 2009
BAYONET
FACT FILE
by R.D.C. Evans
Overall Length: 320 mm
Blade Length: 191 mm
Muzzle Ring: 22.0 mm
Scabbard (with webbing etc.): 405 mm
T
he knife bayonet described and illustrated
here is not the result of a government-
funded project aimed at developing a
new weapon for official military issue. Instead,
it was designed and manufactured by US cutlery
companies for sale on a strictly commercial basis
with the aim of engendering a financial profit.
The bayonet project was initiated by Duane
Dwyer who worked as a knife designer for Strider
Knives Inc. of Escondido, California, a firm
founded in 1997 by Mick Strider. The exercise
developed into a joint venture between Strider
Knives and Kershaw Knives, this second cutlery
firm being based at Tualatin, Oregon. Pete
Kershaw founded Kershaw Knives in 1974, his
knives being initially made in Japan by the Kai
Group. His US company became a subsidiary of
the Japanese firm in 1977 and Kai’s American
branch, Kai USA Ltd, commenced production
in the USA in 1997. Kershaw Knives have three
product lines, one of which is the Zero Tolerance
range which was founded in 2006. It consisted
of rugged, very high-quality items suitable for
general outdoor use but aimed specifically at law
enforcement and military customers. It included
a variety of folding and fixed-blade knife designs;
the ZT-9, which appeared in 2009, was the first
bayonet to be added to the Zero Tolerance
product catalogue. It was aimed at being
superior in every way to the two bayonet-knives
currently on issue to US service personnel, the
much-criticised Phrobis (later Lan-Cay) M9
of 1986 and the United States Marine Corps’
distinctive Ontario Knife Company OKC-3S
of 2003. It is of interest to note that both these
bayonets were developed by commercial cutlery
firms who were ultimately awarded lucrative
military contracts.
The ZT-9 bayonet (Plates 1 & 2) has a
pommel cap of the typically US design which
first appeared on the M4 bayonet-knife of
1944 and which was subsequently a feature of
the M7, M9 and OKC-3S bayonet-knives. Its
32 Armourer Issue 129
32_BayonetFactFile.indd 32
T-mortise extends through the entire thickness
of the pommel. The two fixing catch levers have Plate 1
ridged ends for ease of operation and pivot on
hollow split-spring
pins. The pommel
cap is attached to
the blade tang by
means of a black-
finished bolt which
has a hexagonal
socket for an Allen
key. It might be
assumed that the
bolt screws into a
threaded hole in the
blade tang, but in
fact it passes through
an unthreaded hole
bored in the tang
to be secured by a
nut housed in an
aperture bored
through the width
of the tang at the
forward end of the
unthreaded hole.
The substantial
blade tang is
a full 6.35mm
(0.25 inch) thick
and extends the full width of the hilt.
The straight grip of the bayonet
is of octagonal section, its eight
sides being made up of the two
exposed edges of the blade
tang plus two three-sided
grip scales. The scales are
of G10 laminate (glass
woven fabric plus epoxy
resin binder) coloured Ranger Green. They each
have two faces which have a pair of longitudinal
grooves, plus a plain face into which the black
grip bolts are set. There are two grip bolts
securing each grip scale, these being Allen bolts ricasso. It is unfullered
having domed heads with hexagonal sockets. and single-edged with a
The four bolts screw into the female threads series of nine serrations
of two brass sleeves set in holes drilled through at the base of the true
the blade tang. The straight cross-guard, like edge. A swage is present
the pommel, has a black Parkerised finish and which does not quite run
is cut from flat stock. It features a large muzzle as far as the point.
ring and a 9mm diameter hole bored through The blade carries a number of markings,
the lower quillon. lightly laser-etched into the two faces of the
The blade exhibits the same substantial ricasso. The marks on the obverse ricasso (Plate
6.35mm thickness of steel as its tang for most of 1) are ‘ZT-9’, ‘1491’ and ‘MADE IN USA’, the
its length. The steel employed is the very costly four-figure number being the serial number of
CMP S30V Stainless, with a stone-washed and the particular bayonet illustrated. Appearing
bead-peened finish. The blade back is flat with a upsidedown in comparison to the above marks
group of five grooves where the thumb may rest is ‘S30V’, the technical designation of the
if the bayonet is gripped in a forward hold with blade steel. Turning to the reverse face of the
the index finger hooked around the choil of the ricasso, two trademarks appear here (Plate 2),
those of Kershaw’s Zero Tolerance range and
of Strider Knives Inc.
The scabbard is of black Kydex high-impact
polymer and is made in two halves. There are four
eyelets spaced along the long edges, alternating
with three slots which can accommodate leg-straps
if required. There is a drain hole at the tip of the
Plate 2 scabbard body and a 25mm long indentation
on the obverse side near the throat helps hold
the bayonet firmly in the scabbard. A somewhat
complex arrangement of black ballistic nylon
strapping is attached to the reverse side of the
22/04/2015 12:16
 BAYONET FACT FILE

Plate 3 As far as fixing on a

scabbard body by four Phillips bolts. One of these
also secures a reinforced rubber strap furnished
with a snap-fastener, which can be looped
around the muzzle ring of the bayonet to retain
it in its scabbard. Loops in the nylon strap allow
the scabbard to be carried in various positions
on a MOLLE assault vest or similar garment.
An additional loop with Velcro fastening holds a
large black side-release strap clip furnished with
an extra length of nylon strap for attachment to
a waist-belt. This also has a Velcro fastening and
conceals a small fabric tab bearing the Stars and
Stripes and the words ‘MADE IN USA’. The
bayonet and scabbard were supplied to retail
customers in a black cardboard box with white
Kershaw Knives and Zero Tolerance adhesive
labels having two bar codes.
The bayonet as illustrated and described
above was manufactured and marketed
by the Kai-Kershaw
organisation. However,
it is understood that a
strictly limited number
of bayonets (perhaps
200) were supplied
directly to Strider Knives Inc. These appear
to have been separately serial numbered
and were marked with a large version of the
Strider trademark on the obverse ricasso,
together with the serial number. About ten
of them were given the Strider proprietary
DigiCam blade finish which resembled
camouflage or a disruptive pattern treatment
(Plate 3). The scabbard design was also
different.
A cut-price and decidedly inferior copy of
the ZT-9 has been made in China and sold
in the USA by Colt Industries of Hartford,
Connecticut. Known as the CT415, it can
be distinguished from the original ZT-9 by its
smooth black grips lacking the longitudinal
grooves, a blade without serrations at the rear
end of the cutting edge and by the Colt logo
etched on the reverse ricasso.
firearm is concerned, the
ZT-9 is interchageable with
the US service M7 and
M9 bayonet-knives, among
others. It will fit on the Colt
Armalite AR-15 and related
US military M16 family of
assault rifles, plus a few other firearms.
Although undoubtedly of very superior
quality as far as materials and construction
are concerned, the Zero Tolerance bayonet
is not beyond criticism. Retailing originally at
around $400 it was extremely expensive for
the average purchaser. It could be described as
over-engineered and was perhaps excessively
heavy (1 lb 3.4 ozs), particularly when fixed
on a firearm. The ZT-9 won no US or foreign
military contracts and production appears to
have ceased in 2014.
REFERENCES
Bellengier, Jean-Jaques, After the
commercial version, now the official
one. [Zero Tolerance Strider ZT9 Bayonet.]
Gazette de la Baïonnette. [International
Bayonet Association, France.] No. 35.
September 2013, pp. 1-2.
Ziegler, Carl, Commercial Copy!
[Chinese-made copy of Zero Tolerance Strider
ZT9 Bayonet.] Gazette de la Baïonnette.
[International Bayonet Association,
France.] No. 34 July 2013, pp. 11-20.

Over 1000 original items in stock...Uniforms, Headdress, Badges, Medals, Toy Soldiers, Model Tanks, Equipment, Awards and Sidearms... from Waterloo to World War II.

WW1 British Scarce early German Army Artillery

14-15 Trio with officers transitional peaked cap. These
Plaque and style of caps were only worn between
Scroll awarded 1934-1936 excellent condition. £895
to 10048 Pte Please see website for further details.
Alexander
James Bell,
Northumberland
Fusiliers.
Died Tuesday
9th July 1918
aged 25
£350.00

Early thirties Hitler Youth Marching drum ,with green WW2 German Kriegsmarine Tellermutze WW2 German
and white triangles.Complete with all its spanner bolts, “Donald Duck” style Kriegsmarine cap with Panzer Majors M36
turnkey and hook holding the snare wires. £295.00 early two piece insignia. £695.00 Please see pattern tunic with
Please see website for further details. website for further details. metal numerals to
shoulder straps
denoting Panzer
Regiment 35.
£1695.00 Please
see website for
further details.

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32_BayonetFactFile.indd 33 22/04/2015 13:52

 RIFLES OF WORLD WAR II
Allied vs Axis: Submachine
guns of World War II
In the latest in the series things get fully-auto as
Benjamin Russell reports from Las Vegas
M
any of the rifles carried onto the
battlefields of World War II were
veterans of some considerable years.
The Lee Enfield, which dates back to 1895 in its
earliest form, had been in the hands of troops
during the Second Boer War and spent five
long years in the waterlogged trenches of the
World War I. The Russian Mosin-Nagant also
predated the Great War by almost a quarter of
a century, while the 98 in the German Mauser
98k referred to 1898, the year its predecessor,
the Gewehr98, was introduced.
Long range, stopping power, simplicity and
accuracy had been the benchmark of infantry
weapons, but as Blitzkrieg saw the Wehrmacht
roll over the fixed positions of the Maginot
Line, a different type of battlefield tool was
emerging. Compact firearms able to keep heads
down with high rates of fire in up-close-and-
personal skirmishes were needed for highly
mobile and mechanised troops. The new face
of war needed a new type of weapon: the sub-
machine gun.
While many were forged in the midst of the
conflict, some had put down their roots before
it. The American Thompson first emerged in
late 1918 and had been used in equal measure
by gangsters turning a profit in the days of
Prohibition and by the law enforcers trying to
stop them.
‘The early Thompson had a drum magazine
which could hold 100 or 500 rounds,’ Battlefield
Vegas owner Ron Cheney told me as we stood
34 Armourer Issue 128
34_Benjamin.indd 34
in one of the complex’s bustling
armouries. ‘As the war got under
way the US gave tonnes and tonnes of
them to the British because they couldn’t
keep up with their own production and the
Brits stamped Tommy Gun on top of them.’
But the model proved too hard to produce
under wartime conditions so features such
as the fins on the barrel, the fin grip and the
compensator were cut from the design. The
provision for a drum magazine was also
removed and replaced with a regular stick mag.
‘GIs didn’t like the drum because if it drops and
dents it is no longer useable so the 30 round
stick mag was preferred,’ Ron added.
The first thing that struck me as I shouldered
the weapon was how solid it felt.The receiver
is made from solid steel and with its wooden
furniture weighs in at 10lbs. It also packed a
punch. The recoil when firing single shots came
as a positive thump. ‘The weight on the 9mm
round for the MP40 and the Sten is about 115
grains but the .45 this fires is 230 grains so it’s
double the weight.’
The Thompson’s bulk seemed to help keep it
stable despite the larger round size. When you
combined that with leaning into the weapon it
was possible to control its tendency to rise when
loosing off bursts of automatic fire. But its solid
construction had its drawbacks during the war.
‘This was really heavy compared to the
weapons the Brits and Germans had developed,’
Ron said. ‘Where they had stamped steel tubes,
this was a piece of built steel. They had to take
their time to machine it, which required a lot of
time and effort.’
Next up was another weapon that predated
the war, but this already had the stamped
steel tube design. The MP38 had been
developed before Hitler’s Panzers
rolled into Poland but its combat
debut would see it reworked
into the MP40 to put right its
jamming issues.
‘This has got all the
Nazi markings on it
still – you can see all
the Waffen stamps,
it’s an original all-
matching gun,’ Ron
told me as he picked
up a late war MP40
dated 1944 from
one of the well-
stocked racks. ‘The
Germans were really
good at making
sure it all matched –
numbering everything
– whereas the Brits and
the US wouldn’t. I hate
abusing guns like this on
the range here, but it is what it is – they don’t
make new ones – so this gun gets shot every day.’
That’s what is truly remarkable about Ron’s
business. As well as the scores of weapons
available for some serious fun-gunning, there
are also genuine pieces of history that are
incredible to bring to life.
‘This thing is beautiful,’ Ron exclaimed. ‘It
shoots like a dream. It’s so smooth, when you
shoot it you’ll notice a difference and see why
guys like this weapon.’
After admiring the MP40 for some time it
was time to swing down the foldable stock and
see what it could do. Ron wasn’t wrong. The
recoil felt slow and soft, as if you were shooting
it underwater, and the rate of fire was steady
enough to keep a good bead on your target.
With some weapons it’s a fight to combat the
kick but the MP40 felt as if it was working
with you, and once in the groove, it made for
extremely enjoyable shooting.
What came next wasn’t quite as slick. Ron’s
endorsement of the Sten wasn’t as glowing as
some of the other weapons we’d tried. ‘It’s real
cheap, it’s not the most accurate weapon, it
jammed a lot, it still jams a lot.’
The Sten wasn’t actually designed to be
fired using the instantly recognisable side
magazine as a grip, but I found that unless I
held it this way, it lived up to its reputation and
malfunctioned. Being a lefty meant I had to fire
the weapon out of my right shoulder in order to
keep it working. But after a bit of time getting
comfortable, the weapon soon stirred up images
of British airborne troops landing in Normandy,
resistance fighters carrying out ambushes in
French towns and SOE agents dropping behind
enemy lines. The compact design had made it a
hit with these fighters and the fact that it could
be fired without the stock made it even easier to
conceal and transport.
Surprisingly the gun I had got off to the
slowest start which stirred up the strongest
images. But for the same reasons the iconic
silhouette of the Sten cast such stark shadows in
my mind, the Germans had started altering any
22/04/2015 15:02
 RIFLES OF WORLD WAR II

that fell into their hands before throwing them

into circulation. ‘So many were captured at
Dunkirk, but the profile meant Germans were
mistaking their comrades for Brits, so they had
the magazine dropped down underneath,’ Ron
explained.
As another target was sent down range, I
paused to consider how the guns I had shot
so far differed. Trying to compare the Sten
with something like a Thompson felt a bit like
comparing a Rolls-Royce to a Lada. Similarly,
though, the Sten had one point it could win on
hands down – price.
‘There are reports that it cost around $5
dollars to make, it was real cheap,’ Ron said.
‘Because the factories were being bombed
throughout Britain, one person’s job was to
take home one piece of tube and drill holes
through it. Another person would take home
a big rod of metal, cut it and so on. Then
they would bring it into work the next day
and weld it all together in the factory. They
couldn’t make them fast enough. It was such
a cheap weapon to make.’
As the war went on, cheapness became a
greater priority. The US’s answer to this was
the M4. Ron said: ‘This cost about $8 to make
– whereas the Thompson was more in the $85
range. It’s a Clamshell design, with a piece
either side which is then it’s welded down the
centre – real easy. They took the magazine of a
Sten and just enlarged it so they could stick to
.45 and not have to worry about 9mm.’
Earlier models had a charging handle but this
soon gave way to a hole and just a finger was
used instead. Another natty feature was that the
reservoir of the grip would be filled with oil to
keep the weapon lubricated in the field.
Firing it had a similar feel to that of the
MP40. ‘It’s a nice slow shooting weapon but
it’s a .45 so it has the knock-down power and
when you shoot this it’s just “pop pop pop”, real
nice and slow. So you don’t have to worry. Over
90 per cent of our staff are ex-servicemen and
some of the guys still had these in their tanks
during the first Gulf War.’
It wasn’t quite as easy-going as the MP40, but
considering it fired the same larger round as the
Thompson it wasn’t far off.
The M4 was nicknamed the Grease Gun
because it closely resembled a mechanic’s grease
gun. This was actually quite fitting as during the
war it was manufactured by General Motors.
‘The guys in the company’s headlamp division,
Guide Lamp, made these. Because these are all
just stampings they stopped making headlights
and started making machine guns.’
Arriving in Style
Several other US companies turned their Battlefield Vegas Owner Ron said he would arrange for me
hand to gunsmithery during the 40s, including to be collected from the tour bus lounge of my Vegas hotel.
juke box manufacturer Rock-Ola and parking Standing outside the Flamingo in the cool Nevada morning
metre producer, National Postal Meter. air, I watched the raft of minivans and taxis arrive and depart,
Although the Grease Gun came into the war ferrying people off to their various destinations. Those waiting
the latest of these four weapons, it best sums carefully peered at the name in the window of each vehicle as it
up their journey of adaptation and evolution pulled in to see if it was for them, or asked the driver who they
in the face of a new type of warfare on an were here to collect.
unprecedented scale. I heard my ride before I saw it. Rather than leather seats my lift
The US started fighting the war with the had a camo net. It also didn’t have air-con, because it didn’t have
heavyweight Thompson, machined from solid a roof. Former US soldier Jonathon Oelkers greeted me with a firm handshake. I climbed on board
steel. By the end of it they had taken inspiration and we made our way through the morning traffic. But this wasn’t special treatment – Battlefield
from the MP40 to make a pressed weapon with Vegas offers a free Humvee shuttle service to all their visitors.
retractable stock and borrowed the magazine After a long day on the range it was time for the ride back to the hotel. ‘Are you in a rush, or
and stripped-down simplicity of the Sten. In the do you have time to cruise the strip?’ Navy veteran Gabe Milbauer asked me. Even in weird and
process they had created a weapon that would wonderful Las Vegas you get some double takes as you pass the Bellagio and Caesars Palace in a
go on to see combat for almost half a decade vehicle more at home in Iraq and Afghanistan.
after its inception.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 35

34_Benjamin.indd 35 22/04/2015 14:20

 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.

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.

Welcome to www.military-collectables.com

36

p36_ARMMayJun15.indd 36 21/04/2015 12:18

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

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Medal and Arms GHQ FAIRS
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13th Sept, 4th Oct, 13th Dec

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on 07919 455799

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The Maltings, off Bridge Square,
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For Map and Traders Booking Forms +
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WWW.GHQ.UK.COM

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 37

p37_ARMMayJun15.indd 37 21/04/2015 12:22

 BRITISH FIGHTING POSITIONS

British Fighting Positions

By Yngve Sjodin

I
n late May 1940 a strengthened company
of Irish Guards and a couple of Norwegian
troops had dug their positions some miles
north of the Polar Circle. They was supposed
to be a larger force but the troop transport ship
Chobry and the cruiser Effingham, bringing more
troops to the area, was attacked and ran ashore,
making it impossible to get reinforcements to
the front line in time.
On both sides of the valley there were
defensive positions with riflemen, mortar
crews, machine gun nests and a battery
of 25-pounder guns. The main force was
dug down on a hill to the east of the river
running through the valley to the fjord. On
the morning of 25 May the shooting started.
Experienced Gebirgsjäger troops attacked
along the river and road driving the defenders
away but the Germans were halted by mortar
and artillery shelling. Later in the afternoon
five Heinkel bombers made several attacks on
the hill, while at the same time the mountain
troops managed to use a very difficult terrain
and sneak up close to the trenches on top
of the hill. The Irish troops was surprised
to have the enemy suddenly coming out of
nowhere just in front of the trenches. They
also saw the Germans trying to flank them
and in close combat they began to retreat.
They crossed the river and blew up the
bridges behind them. It took the Germans a
few hours to make a pontoon bridge and on the
morning of 26 May a steady stream of troops
was crossing the river. There was still a troop
of Irish Guards holding positions on the slope
of the hill but at 11.30 Brigadier Gubbins gave

25.May 1940 the Germans

attacked Pothusnakken.
Here fell two British and two
Austrians”

38 Armourer Issue 129

38_Yngve Sjodin Must.indd 38 22/04/2015 13:54


the order to retreat. The German shooting was
so intense that the troops couldn`t get out until
7 p.m. For the next 24 hours the Allied troops
steadily withdrew down the valley towards the
fjord where boats were waiting to bring them to
Bodø. During this retreat they had support from
a couple of Gloster fighter planes attacking
German ground targets.
As they evacuated the valley morale was high
and they hoped to continue the fight reinforced
with fresh troops, but as soon as they arrived in
Bodø on 27 May it became clear to them that
the Allied High Command had already decided
to evacuate all troops and give up the fighting in
Northern Norway. The German war machine
had now a clear path to the Narvik front.
I had long wanted to make a trip up to the
hill and see if there was anything left from the
dramatic days there. It is a climb that’ll make
most folks a bit sweaty and sure enough some
500 metres in I wondered if it wouldn`t have
been better to stay on the sofa. But soon I
was warm and it didn’t feel so exhausting and
before I knew it I had reached the top. Here I
took a short break and took a photograph of
the sign someone had put up there years ago.
Some of the trenches and positions were also
marked with signs.
I turned the metal detector on and started
searching. Judging from the amount of casings
and shrapnel I found it couldn’t have been a
long fire-fight when the troops suddenly found
the Germans in front of them. I found a few
casings scattered here and there, and some
more of them in the trenches. There was
also the typical rusted food tin garbage in the
positions.
I soon saw that someone else had been
searching here and decided to check if they
had left anything behind. I had a really good
signal and removed the loose soil and checked
it again: still a signal. I removed a few rocks
and soil and saw something shiny. It looked
like three aluminium boxes. I brushed away the
soil around them and carefully got them loose
from the ground. There were three British
food containers, all of them missing their other
part, but in very nice condition. If only the guy
before me had dug five more centimetres ...
38_Yngve Sjodin Must.indd 39
BRITISH FIGHTING POSITIONS
Now I wanted to see if I could find any evidence
of the advancing German troops. I started some
50 metres in front of the trenches and searched
for a while without a signal. Then I moved to the
north-west side of the hill and moved towards
the trenches, and there it was. If the vegetation
hadn’t been so thick I would have been able
to see the trench from where I had the signal.
I dug it and there was some German ammo. I
then made a flanking manoeuvre towards the
trenches and soon had another signal. More
German ammo. All the casings had a little ding
on the neck, which casings have when they are
fired with an Mg, so I had found the route that
one of the German machine gunners had taken.
When I was tired of finding ammo I started
to walk back down. Now I moved on the side
where the Heinkel bombers had made their
attack and soon found some large pieces of
shrapnel, probably from both the bombs and the
25-pounder shells. There were several big craters
around and in one of them was a large piece of
a bomb.
To be honest, I had hoped to find more items
here, but I’m very happy with the result anyway.
I always wondered what route the Gebirgsjãgers
attacked from, and now I know. Next time I’m in
this area I’ll check if I can find the Irish Guards’
river crossing point and the positions on the
opposite side of the valley.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 39
22/04/2015 13:55
 BANGOR COLLECTORS
HERITAGE CASE COMPANY
Custom
DROP ZONE
THE SOUTHS LARGEST MILITARY WAREHOUSE
& MILITARIA FAIRS One stop shop for military Land Rovers,
Medals, Badges, Antique Guns, Swords, Tie-Tac’s,
made gun
new & used spares, deactivated guns,
Postcards, Stamps, Books, Toys, Military Uniforms, cases surplus and collectables
Coins, Bric-a-Brac & Many Many Other Small
Collectables & Memorabilia.
Original case Trade and retail welcome
First Bangor Presbyterian Church Halls,
restoration Official suppliers to the film
Main Street, Bangor, N. Ireland. (Opposite Asda)
and TV industry
Saturday 13th June “We can make a case for anything”
Tel: 01798 831955 Fax: 01798 839009
FUTURE DATE: 8th August
First Presbyterian Church Bangor Halls, Main Street, Bangor www.heritagecasecompany.com Bury Mill Farm, Burygate, Pulborough,
West Sussex RH20 1NN
A GREAT DAY OUT. PO Box 1411, Delaware, Ohio, Email: info@dropzonemilitary.com
Email: cmartin123@btinternet.com
43015 U.S.A 740-816-5758 www.dropzonemilitary.com

Jim Bush
britisharmycapbadgesandmilitaria.com
The AIRBORNE BAYONET Man
Very reasonably priced
Anodised cap badges at...
WANTED: WANTED:
MILITARIA MILITARIA
britisharmycapbadgesandmilitaria.com
British & Commonwealth
- Badges -
Excellent selection of Sweetheart, Cloth Insignia
Anodised, Colonial badges at... Original items only
TEL 01233 637188 www.gnmilitaria.co.uk • geoff@gnmilitaria.co.uk
MOB 07950 267862 britisharmycapbadgesandmilitaria.com
airborne9756@btinternet.com
Unit 12, The Malthouse Antiques Centre, Hythe, Kent

The Militaria Dealers

Printed Catalogue with colour
photos available. Send cheque
(payable to M Bentley) for £6.50
to cover print, p&p (£22 for 1
year subscription of 4+ issues) to:
Website: www.themilitariadealers.com
Email: info@themilitariadealers.com
A constantly changing stock of guaranteed
Original Militaria, updated on a daily basis.
Covering Aeronautica and Flying Clothing,
Uniforms and Headgear, Binoculars, British and
German Helmets and uniform items generally. Just a
few of the mainly Combat Orientated or Historically
significant items I shall be offering from countries
around the world. Similar items are always wanted
Most payment methods are accepted, including
Credit Cards. Part exchanges may be considered.

Please Email or Call +44 (0) 7775 661417

40

p40_ARMMayJun15.indd 40 21/04/2015 12:51

 THETFORD
MILITARIA FAIR
Breckland Leisure Centre, Croxton Road,
THETFORD, Norfolk IP24 1JD

SUNDAY 24th May 2015

Followed by Sun 27th Sept
Open 10am-2pm, admission £2.50 (u/16s free)

Around 80 tables of quality Militaria, Free parking, licensed café

Thetford is situated 2 mins off A11 close to Suffolk border.
NORFOLK FAIRS 07596 436260
www.norfolkfairs.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 41

p41_ARMMayJun15.indd 41 21/04/2015 12:43

 THE SS LONG SERVICE AWARDS
The SS Long
Service Awards
By Jamie Cross
C
ontrary to popular belief, the SS
service awards were not for the Waffen
SS but were instituted for the SS
Verfugungstruppen, SS Totenkopfverbande
and members of the SS Junkerschulen who
were on active service. Other members of the
SS were only entitled to the NSDAP service
crosses, making these awards scarcer, as fewer
members qualified.
The awards follow the armed forces’ criteria
of a set of four awards but instead of being for
4 years, 12 years,18 years and 25 years, the SS
awards were for 4, 8, 12 and 25 years. These
decorations were designed by Professor Karl
Diebitsch of Munich, (who was an early party
member, No. 1436, but his membership lapsed)
and the institution date was 30 January 1938.
To qualify for the award, the recipient had to
have served honourably for a number of years
and, as an officer, you could not be awarded
the 4-year service award. This was, however,
open to other ranks. It is worth pointing out at
this juncture that these awards were issued in
retrospect of service and that service from 1925
to 1933 (Time of Struggle) counted double,
so these 8 years counted as 16 years. So, for
example, Untersturmfuhre Otto Mooseburger,
whose SS membership number was 489 and
who joined the SS in 1928 at the time of the
SS 8 Year Award with
its corresponding
Miniatures
42 Armourer Issue 129
42_jamie_cross.indd 42
A pair of SS Service medals on the Original 2nd
part of the Institution document
One original and
two fake 25 year
crosses
institution of these awards,
was entitled to both the
8-year service award and the
12-year service award as he
had 15 years’ credit. Also,
those who had undertaken
military service within
the armed forces but still
kept up their NSDAP/
SS membership were
also credited with double
years for their military
service. Therefore, it is
possible that some 25-
year service awards were
issued.
The awards are of
two main designs: a
A catalogue page showing the
circular medal in black metal
costs of the SS awards in 1938 A pair of SS Service Crosses on the
for the 4-year awards and
Original institution document
bronze for the 8. Both these awards have the
SS runes as the central design and the 4-year 35mm wide for the medals and from 35mm
is encompassed with an oak-leaf wreath. To to 50mm wide for the service crosses. These
the reverse it says ‘Fur Treue Dienste in der ribbons have silver or gold bullion runes sewn
SS’ over the top of a number 4. The 8-year is to them. When only the ribbon bar was worn, a
the same except that the front has the SS runes, pair of SS runes in either gold or silver denoted
within an oak-leaf wreath which is laid that the holder had either 25 years’ or 12 years’
over a swastika. To the reverse it again service, or if it was the 8-year, a mini emblem
says ‘Fur Treue Dienste in der SS’ over was affixed to the ribbon, and the same for the
the top of a number 8 for eight years. 4-year.
Then the design moves on to a swastika All the awards were originally issued in a case
cross with the SS runes within an oak- or award box that has the SS runes to the lid.
leaf wreath (this is the design as The 4-year and 8-year boxes are just card and
shown on the 8-year medal). paper-hinged affairs with a mouse-grey colour
The 12-year cross is in flocking base divided into two, and a piece stuck
silver and the 25-year to the lid. The cases are in black leatherette,
cross is in gold. These with either silver (8-year) or white (4-year) runes
are of one-piece to the lid. The cases for the 12-year and 25-
stampings and do year crosses are again similar to each other but,
not have the wreath unlike the card cases, these are hard cases with
glued or soldered to hinges and press studs. These also have gold
the centre. All the (25-year) and silver (12-year) runes to the lid
awards are about with white silk to the underside and red flocked
38mm in diameter, two-part bases affixed by glue to the bottoms.
and suspended from This was done to separate the ribbon from
a blue ribbon, usually the award. It is worth pointing out that these
22/04/2015 13:55
 THE SS LONG SERVICE AWARDS
A catalogue page showing the Rounded type loop

The awards in their cases

The award cases closed showing the Runic emblems

to the lids

The front of the original Service awards showing

awards normally have an unusual teardrop the 25 year, 12 year, 8 & 4 Year awards
eye ring on most of them, though at least
one manufacturer stuck to the usual rounded
type. On the teardrop types the eye ring that
is soldered onto the awards is also chamfered.
These awards have been heavily copied, so
homework should be done and care taken when
purchasing one of them, especially the 12-year
and 25-year awards, as these are very rare.

Reverse of one original (left) and two fake 25

Year Crosses, notice the one with the separately The back of the original Service awards showing
A comparison of a real SS 8 Year Service Medal applied wreath (middle one) the 25 year, 12 year, 8 & 4 Year awards
applied wreath (left) and a fake SS 8 Year Service Medal

A comparison of a real SS 8 Year Service Medal

and a fake SS 8 Year Service Medal Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 43

42_jamie_cross.indd 43 22/04/2015 13:56

 4 contemporary
th

history auction
104 year old widow consigns SS-Totenkopfring
and Knight´s Cross of her husband

Family
consigned!

The personal belongings of SS-Standartenführer

Friedrich-Wilhelm Karl were consigned for auction by
Karl´s granddaughter on behalf of his wife who is still
alive and celebrated her 104th birthday in October
last year. The family wants to raise money for the care of
Mrs. Karl who now resides in a nursing home. The photo
shows Mrs. Karl next to her husband in the 1960s.

Knight´s Cross recipient Friedrich-Wilhelm Karl (1911–

1970) was an early SS member (number 101 983) and
graduated from SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz in 1934. He
joined SS-Standarte Germania and participated in the
French Campaign where he was awarded the Iron Cross
1st and 2nd Class and was promoted up to a SS-Standar-
tenführer and commander of SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-
Artillerie-Regiment 11 „Nordland“ at the end of WW2.
Karl was awarded the German Cross in Gold (August
1944) and the Knight´s Cross on 26.12.1944.

SS-Totenkopfring and Knight´s Cross to SS-Standartenführer Karl

1939 Knight´s Cross
by C.F. Zimmermann (20 marked).
Starting price: € 1.500
SS-Totenkopfring „S.lb.Karl 7.3.36
H.Himmler“. Certified by Don Boyle.
Starting price: € 3.000

p44_ARMMayJun15.indd 44 21/04/2015 12:40

 www.ratisbons.com

16 –24 May 2015

th th

„Bubi“ Hartmann´s Soldbuch at auction

Important Soldbuch of Erich Hartmann

Personal Soldbuch of the world´s most successful fighter
ace of all time. Erich „Bubi“ Hartmann had 352 confirmed
victories. He was one of only 27 soldiers ever awarded the
Knight´s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

Starting price: € 20.000

ratisbon's – a project of Klaus Butschek

Hofmark 31 | 94575 Windorf | Germany
info@ratisbons.com | www.ratisbons.com ratisbon’s
p44_ARMMayJun15.indd 45 21/04/2015 12:40
 THE AA DURING THE GREAT WAR

The Automobile Association

during the
Great War 5

By John Milewski

A
great wave of patriotism swept across Miniature Rifle Clubs (SMRC) encouraged for staff members and a good place to encourage
Great Britain and her Empire when war rifle practice with reduced calibre rifles, which employees to enlist after war was declared.
broke out in 1914, which saw numerous could be used safely in specially adapted indoor With its military origins, the AA encouraged
companies and associations donate personnel, ranges. This way, the huge expanse of land and staff of military age to enlist for the duration
goods and services towards the war effort. This suitable backstop for targets was not required of the war and many ‘patrols’ of ex-servicemen
is the story of one such organisation, which still and long trips to full-bore ranges, which may returned to their former regiments. Stenson
remains with us today and may well have come be located some distance away, could be Cooke lobbied the War Office to accept patrols
to the rescue of more than one reader over time. avoided. The AA built a practice range in the into one regiment on the basis of the special
The Automobile Association (AA) was just basement of Fanum House, its London based training they had received and authority
nine years old when war broke out in Europe. headquarters, for the benefit of employees and was gained to raise two Companies. These
It had originally been formed in 1905 to look a photo from an archive entitled ‘1914 War subsequently became part of the 8th (Cyclist)
after the interests of the motorist at the dawn of Photos’ of this range still exists. Although it is Battalion of the Essex Regiment. Cooke himself
horseless transport. The first cars were not the probable that the range was built prior to 1914, was commissioned as a Captain in charge of one
reliable vehicles we take for granted today and it would have served as a useful practice venue of the Companies. One hundred and ten men
a relatively local trip could end quite abruptly as
a vital part wore out or a car overheated. Then
7
there was the prejudice against ‘new fangled’
motorists who were seen as road hogs travelling
at up to 20 miles an hour at times!
Ironically, the AA was initially organised
upon military lines by the company’s secretary
Stenson Cooke, a former Lieutenant in the 1st
London Rifle Volunteers. Although seen as the
Association’s founding father, Cooke was actually
the second secretary, with the first only serving
in office for a matter of a few days. A link with 1
the UK’s armed forces has been maintained ever
since and the Association even had a Territorial
Provost Company entirely consisting of staff
members until recent defence cuts resulted in its 6
disbandment. 4
PATROLLING HIS ‘BEAT’
The AA initially provided a service to its members
in the south east of England, before expansion
provided a nationwide breakdown service
throughout the UK. At first an AA Patrolman
would ‘patrol’ his beat on a bicycle looking out
for stranded motorists, who could be recruited
as members if they were not already. His ‘beat’
consisted of an area within several miles of a
sentry type box, which he was responsible for
maintaining. The box would consist of fuel,
water, tools and spare parts, for which there
would be a regular demand and many ‘patrols’ 3
were kept very busy in those early days.
The custom of AA patrolmen saluting 2
motorists is said to originate from warnings that
speed traps were hidden in the vicinity and the
motorist may want to slow down. Yes, there were
speed traps even then but what a quintessentially
English way of signalling a warning!

A MINIATURE RIFLE RANGE AT THE

OFFICE
Small-bore rifle shooting probably enjoyed
more popularity in Edwardian Britain than
at any time before or since. The Society of

46 Armourer Issue 129

46_John Milewski must.indd 46 22/04/2015 13:56

 THE AA DURING THE GREAT WAR

joined the Battalion in this way with a further
340 AA employees joining other regiments. Most
were to see action on the Western Front and at
least 20 were killed in action.
BICYCLE TROOPS
Bicycle units were not unique to the Great War
and their origins may be found in the penultimate
decade of the 19th century. Recruits were issued
with a bicycle and whilst they were not intended
to be deployed as front-line infantry, the bicycle
was found to be invaluable for reconnaissance
and communications in the hands of dispatch
riders before wireless radio became reliable
enough to be used for the latter. Bicycles did
not require fodder and were lighter as well as
quieter than horses from a logistical perspective.
Also for communications, cyclists were trained in
semaphore signalling, where conditions allowed
its use. For personal defence, a rifle would be kept
in a scabbard on the bicycle or across the soldier’s
back on a sling. Photos in the AA’s archives include
images of bicycle troops training with Long
Lee Enfield rifles in the Colchester area prior to
deployment in France. Once on active service, the
newer Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) rifle
was issued to each soldier.
As well as encouraging their own staff to
enlist, AA members were called upon to donate
their vehicles so that they could be converted to
ambulances for service in France. The vehicles
were refitted with ambulance bodies and many
were donated to the French Army Medical
Services. Indeed, French President Raymond
Poincare inspected donated AA ambulances
at the Cours d’Honneur, Hotel des Invalides
in Paris during July 1915, demonstrating the
importance of this gesture. AA ambulances
were not just used in France, as recuperating
soldiers were taken to theatres and other similar
venues in the UK. The Association’s members
also transported wounded soldiers in their own
vehicles when called upon to do so.
THE AA ROLL OF HONOUR
A Roll of Honour was produced in 1915 by
the AA in recognition of the bravery of all the
company’s employees who had either re-enlisted
or volunteered to serve in the armed forces. The
photo reproduced here is of an original, which
was donated to the AA by Mrs Violet Eleanor
Race, the daughter of Chief Inspector (James)
Henry Shepherd, who served with the 8th (Cyclist)
Battalion of the Essex Regiment. Mrs Race has
kindly consented to the image being reproduced
here and to share details of her father’s service.
(James) Henry Shepherd was a former
policeman, who had lived in South Wales and
then emigrated to Canada. He returned to the
UK with his wife and joined the AA as a Patrol
operating in the London area in 1912. Upon the
outbreak of war in 1914, Patrol Shepherd enlisted
with 8th (Cyclist) Battalion of the Essex Regiment
and served as a Dispatch Rider. Mr Shepherd
survived the war and subsequently returned to the
AA, where he obtained several promotions. He
finally attained the position of Chief Inspector
for the Leeds area and, after 34 years of service,
retired in 1946.
The Automobile Association was the first
motoring organisation to be founded anywhere in
the world and went on to enjoy immense success
after peace was finally declared. World War II
saw AA Patrols serving in Provost Companies
and directing traffic flow consisting of probably
the greatest number of military vehicles ever
assembled. The former Patrols’ mechanical skills
would undoubtedly have also been put to good
use in both World Wars.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to convey my thanks to Mrs Race
for providing permission for her father’s
details to be shared with readers. My
sincere thanks also go to Mark Durston, the
AA’s archivist, who recently arranged an
exhibition of archived material at the AA’s
head office and without whose immense
help this article could not have been written.
All images are provided with the kind
consent of the Automobile Association.

10

9
13

12

11

1. Itala 1914 donated by an AA President Poincare

member
2. Transporting wounded soldiers using
donated vehicles
3. AA ambulances converted from
donated vehicles
4. Fanum House rifle range
5. Rifle shooting practice
6. Patrols at Liverpool Street Station
7. Transport for AA Patrols W & G
Coys taxi cabs
8. Roll of Honour
9. AA ambulances being inspected by
10. AA ambulances assembled at the
Hotel des Invalides
11. Captain Stenson Cooke at Liverpool
Street Station
12. AA ambulances converted from
donated vehicles.
13. Chief Inspector (James) Henry
Shepherd with bicycle ready to patrol
his beat
14. Chief Inspector (James) Henry
Shepherd in later life 14
15. An AA Patrol in uniform 15

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 47

46_John Milewski must.indd 47 22/04/2015 13:57

 NORTHUMBERLAND WATERLOO
MILITARIA
COUNTY AUCTIONS We buy & sell quality militaria
are pleased to announce a Sale by Auction
WW1 GERMAN M1915 AMMUNITION FRENCH 1ST EMPIRE FLINTLOCK PISTOL
of European, Asian and African edged weapons, POUCHES AND BELT CODE: G180591
CODE: M190598 French 1st Empire Cavalry flintlock pistol this is a
reference works and other items of militaria, German First World very scarce
War pair of M1915 pattern that
formerly the collection of a late County Durham ammunition pouches came in at
and belt to the the end of the
gentleman, consigned to us by the Executor. Prussian Infantry. Napoleonic
£275.00 wars. £1100.00
Approximately 200 lots.
WW1 BRITISH KING’S OWN MALTA BRITISH 1850C 4TH IRISH DRAGOON
on Sunday 14th June 2015 PEEK CAP
CODE: H190612
GUARDS TUNIC
CODE: U180554

commencing at 1pm WW1 British King’s

Own Malta Regiment
1850c 4th Royal Irish Dragoon
Guards tunic. A very scarce
Officers tropical item in very good condition to
at Ancroft Memorial Hall, Ancroft, peek cap.
£330.00
a regiment that was involved
with the heavy brigade charge at

Berwick upon Tweed TD15 2TL Balaklava in 1854. £195.00

FRENCH OFFICER’S GORGET

Viewing day prior Noon - 6pm VICTORIAN OFFICERS 15TH
HUSSARS SWORD CODE: M180307
French
and Sale day 9am - 1pm CODE: S180633
Victorian Officer’s Officer’s
Levee Sabre Of the gorget from
the first half
Sign Posted; Ample Car Parking; Refreshments 15th King’s Hussars
with a Mameluke of the 1800’s.
hilted grip. £145.00
Nearest Railway Station: Berwick upon Tweed (5 miles) £2,600.00

Catalogues (£3.00 incl. postage) available from the Gary Lawrence 07935 324562 /
auctioneer by post from 1st June
Unit 23, Glendale Business Park, Wooler,
01708 500994 Denise 07918 881432
Northumberland, NE71 6QP • Telephone 07796 758974 www.waterloomilitaria.com

MARK CARTER MILITARIA & MEDAL FAIRS 2015

THE INTERNATIONAL Militaria Collectors Club present their
Excellent new venue WOKING - 2015 Excellent new venue

MILITARIA
Sunday 14th June 2015
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
Woking to Guildford Road - follow excellent local brown “Leisure Centre” signage.
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)
AND
WEST COUNTRY (YATE) - 2015 COLLECTABLES FAIRS
Sundays 28th June, 23rd August & 29th November 2015
at Yate Leisure Centre, Kennedy Way, Yate, nr Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 4DQ
(Easy access to M4 - just 10 minutes from either direction. From Swindon/London/The East:
North Star Hotel
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)
Amien Street Dublin 1
on
STRATFORD UPON AVON - 2015
Sunday 11th October 2015
Saturday, 16th May
at Stratford Leisure & Visitor Centre,
Bridgefoot, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6YY 2015 fair dates:
(just off A439 Warwick Road. Close to town centre, just 10 minutes from 15th Aug, 14th Nov,
Junction 15 on M40 giving excellent access to nationwide motorway network) 20th June Gorey, Co. Wexford
ALDERSHOT - 2015 Medals, Badges, Uniforms, Helmets, Caps,
Sunday 1st November 2015 Equipment, Swords, Daggers, Bayonets,
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 Postcards, Books, and much, much more.
between Farnborough and Farnham. 10 minutes from Junction 4 on M3)
For further details contact:
ALL EVENTS OPEN 10.30am - 2.00pm (preview at 9.30am)
★ Top quality fairs held at established, well lit venues with catering facilities Mark: 0861602228
★ 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 Eddie: 0863410159
★ 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
Fran: 0879615047
Admission: £2.50 (accompanied children free). Preview admission: £3.50 (open to all) From the UK dial: 00 353 861602228 • 00 353 863410159
Email: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com 00 353 879615047 • 00 353 18479100
Website: http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm 10am - 3pm. Admission €4
ENQUIRIES: SLOUGH (01753) 534777
48

p48_ARMMayJun15.indd 48 21/04/2015 12:19

 SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR • EST.1983
With 40 dealers under one roof, our maze of 10
rooms is crammed full of antiques & collectables 63 West Street • Dorking • Surrey • UK • RH4 1BS
including a large selection of militaria We sell883487
Tel. +44(0)1306 on •commission
Email: weststant@aol.com
www.antiquearmsandarmour.com
Free
car If you are thinking of selling any British
park
Waterloo, Wellington and
antiquetheweapons,
Napoleonicwe
Waroffer a service that
Exhibition
isatmore flexible,
the Olympia secure and
International financially
Art & Antique
beneficial than selling at auction.
Fair 18–28 June 2015 • Stand 100
For no obligation advice please call or
email us at our Dorking shop or see our
1 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 6DJ website for details.
Open: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm & 11am-4pm Sun We have a long established, excellent
reputation and have been selling items
on commission for over 20 years, from
single items to entire collections.

63 West Street • Dorking • Surrey • UK • RH4 1BS

Tel: +44(0)1306 883487
Email: weststant@aol.com
www.antiquearmsandarmour.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 49

p49_ARMMayJun15.indd 49 21/04/2015 12:22

 No fair in January
Sunday, 3rd May 2015
8am to 1pm

FUTURE DATES:
7th Jun, 5th Jul,
2nd Aug, 6th Sep, 4th Oct, 1st Nov, 6th Dec

M&T
Don’t want the Gestapo telling you what you
can buy and sell on your online auction?

MILITARIA
SPECIALISTS IN THIRD REICH
List and buy anything you like on warstuff.com

MILITARIA FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS.

AWARDS & DECORATIONS
HEADWEAR & EQUIPMENT
PLUS MANY OTHER ITEMS

ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED

100% PRE-1946 MANUFACTURE.

We are always looking This is a small collection of our stock, please visit us on-line for more details.
to buy collections or single items.

VIEW THE CATALOGUE ON OUR WEBSITE

www.mandtmilitaria.com

The Banks, Banks Lane,

Over 1000 items on-line supplying the WW11 re-enactor and collector
Victoria Road, Carlisle CA1 2UD
Tel/fax: (01228) 531988 Mobile: 07736 074047 www.militarytour.com welcome
We
new
Email: dj@militarytour.com
Email: L3mnt@aol.com Tel: 1-204-334-4939
suppliers

50

p50_ARMMayJun15.indd 50 21/04/2015 12:14

 P O BOX 376,West Malling, Kent ME6 9DP Mobile: 07850 031056
Email: robert.tredwen@btinternet.com WWW.MILITARYANTIQUES.CO.UK
Below are some of the items currently for sale on our website with full
detailed descriptions and photographs @ www.militaryantiques.co.uk
All items guaranteed of the period stated and are sold with a full money back cover
WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING TO PURCHASE ANY PAPERWORK OR EQUIPMENT RELATING TO GERMAN U BOATS - PLEASE CALL WITH DETAILS - CALL 07850 031056

THIRD REICH MILITARIA approximately 22.5 x 24 inches. .................................................................................£695

Third Reich Army Officers Sword Complete with Sword Knot ................................£395
Third Reich HJ Dagger 1940 Dated with Rare Motto Variation ................................£495
Weimar Period Clamshell Dress Sidearm with Engraved Blade ..............................£1250 WWI MIXED MILITARIA
Scarce metal WKC Solingen retailer/office sign. Lovely condition ..........................£485 Prussian Garde Officers Field Grey Peaked Cap ........................................................£465
Third Reich Hunting Association Sidearm engraved with hunting scenes. Nicely toned Prussian Other Ranks 1916 dated Jager Rifleman’s shako .........................................£685
fittings in veteran bring back condition ......................................................................£885
Imperial German Jager zu Pferde Helmet Trench Cover – Very Rare To find ..........£885
1st Model Luftwaffe Officers Dagger with Chains. Early Nickel mounts. Nice un-
cleaned and un-touched condition ...............................................................................£685 Prussian Artillery Officers Picklehaube. Complete with its original silk and leather
Scarce Allgemeine SS Feldmutze .Complete with bevo SS eagle to side and skull button lining. whole helmet in excellent condition. ................................................................£985
to front. Dated 1938 & SS/RZM issue label ...............................................................£985
Scarce British Army Cavalry Officers Scarce Trench Whistle ..................................£150
Scarce 1st Pattern Afrika Korps Engineers ski cap. Complete with its original bevo
insignia and black Waffenfarbe. ..................................................................................POA 1916 dated British army officers trench whistle. Hudson & Co ...................................£98
French WWI Other Ranks Kepi. Good condition for age ..........................................£650
WWII BRITISH AND OTHER NATIONS MILITARIA
1st Pattern FS Fighting Knife By Wilkinson Sword Company ................................£1400
Fascist Italian silk and bullion banner. Silk and gold bullion with large gold fascist WANTED FOR CASH: ANY ITEMS RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGN IN
eagle to centre and marked “Feaerazione nazionale Fascista Degli Esercenti”. Measures CHINA INCLUDING WEAPONS, PHOTOS ETC FROM PRE 1914

Please join Military Antiques Mailing List to receive updates on New Listings, Special Offers and Show Dates.
Log on to the website and find the link at the bottom of the page. We post worldwide.

David Douglas BRIGHTWELLS

Specialist Fine Art Auctioneers

Militaria Fairs Further Entries invited…

Militaria Items inc Winston Churchill Related Memorabilia
CALENDAR OF FAIRS FOR 2015 Wednesday 12th August
To include medals, swords, daggers and other ephemera

at German Militaria
Wednesday 14th October
The Community Centre This sale includes a large private collection of Third Reich items.
Bowburn Village, Durham DH65AT
If you have items to sell,
28th June we offer a free valuation
either in our saleroom
Future dates: 30th Aug, 25th Oct and 27th Dec
or your home.

AA Sign Posted; Free Car Parking; Refreshments For further information

contact: Daniel Webb
Tel: 01568 61122 or
Open to the public from 9am to 2pm. Admission £2.50 email: daniel.webb@brightwells.com

All enquiries to: David Douglas Militaria Fairs

Tel: 01668 215571 • Mobile: 07796 758974
To be offered in our German
Email: david.douglas500@btinternet.com Militaria Sale: German
Cross in gold with brilliants

www.daviddouglasmilitariafairs.co.uk Easters Court, Leominster,

01568 611 122
Herefordshire HR6 0DE brightwells.com

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 51

p51_ARMMayJun15.indd 51 21/04/2015 12:05

 Under the Hammer Auction News
Marlow's 7th May at its new location at Ravon Court, Stafford

M
arlow’s next Militaria sale will
be held on Thursday 7 May
at its brand-new location at
Ravon Court, Stafford, commencing at
12 noon with viewing from 10 a.m. The
next full-colour catalogue containing
over 650 lots is now available. There
will be the usual variety of categories
including badges, medals, curios,
equipment, uniforms and weapons.
A small collection of items
relating to Captain Fleming of No 6
Commando has been consigned to this
sale and they will be distributed amongst the
relevant categories. This will include a very
clean 2nd pattern F-S Commando knife with
Wilkinson logo to the forte, a pair of No 6
Commando titles and Combined Operation
badges as removed from his battle-dress, and
a very interesting photograph album showing
Officers and men of No 6 Commando, many
named. There will also be a large rolled
panoramic photograph of No 6 Commando
taken in 1945 just before their disbandment,
and also a post-war Scottish Rifles Officer’s
cut-away khaki service dress tunic.
The Knife section will include an extremely
rare WWII Middle East Commando knife
complete in scabbard, a WWI American
M1917 trench combat knife, a WWII British
beaded and ribbed F-S Commando knife, a
WWII dated short pattern machete combat
knife, a rare Italian model 1925 MVSN
officer’s pattern knife with ivorine grips,
an unusual Shakespear pattern knife with
Scottish style blade and well-checkered
wooden grip, and a small selection of German
trench knives, including a private purchase
named push dagger. There will also be an
Australian Air Force survival knife dated 1944
by East Brothers, Sydney.
The larger than normal German category
will consist of a 1933 model SS dagger, two
Hitler Youth daggers, a Luftwaffe Officer’s
2nd pattern dagger, a Kriegsmarine Naval
Officer’s dagger, an SA Group Westmark
OR’s home service
dress helmet, a scarce
Queen’s Westminster
OSS pancake flipper F-S knife Rifles Officer’s grey cloth
helmet, a rare WWII
glider pilot’s helmet and
a WWI dated Royal
Scots Fusiliers
glengarry.
Items are
already being
dagger, a scarce pre-1886 consigned for our next Militaria sale on 6
Bavarian NCO’s/Officer’s August and will include an early pattern
converted Raupenhelm, a rare WWII Baker rifle, complete with its brass-handled
Luftwaffe M1938 paratrooper steel helmet, a bayonet, an English-made French pattern
model 1935 single decal Army steel helmet, a flintlock musket, a York Volunteers Brown
rare Normandy pattern camouflaged M1935 Bess musket, complete with bayonet, a Colt
steel helmet, an Imperial German M17 model 1860 Army revolver, a 1916 dated
camouflaged steel helmet and a rare official Russian Cossack sword and an OSS pattern
flak pennant award for the shooting down of pancake flipper F-S fighting knife.
enemy aircraft. All future auctions will be held at Marlow’s
The Gun section will include a rare 1914 new venue at Ravon Court, Drummond
dated Imperial Russian Maxim machine gun Road, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3HJ.
mounted on its wheeled Sokolov mount, a There will be facilities for disabled parking
Mauser Model 1871 Infantry rifle complete onsite and for collection of items during the
with its rare muzzle cover, a rare Dreyse sale. General free parking will be a short walk
Model 1860 Fusilier needle-fire rifle, a away from the venue. Full details can be found
Mauser Model 1871/84 rifle by Spandau, on our website at www.marlowsauctions.
a Turkish Model 1887 Mauser-made rifle, a co.uk. Kevin King can be contacted on
Chassepot Model 1866/74 Gras converted 01785 214100 or 07789 628030 to help with
rifle, a Turkish Model 1905 Cavalry carbine, any of your questions.
a German WWI GEW 98
rifle, a Japanese Model 1905
Arisaka rifle and a Portuguese
Kropatschek Model 1886
rifle complete with
bayonet.
The Head-Dress
category will include
a WWI Officer’s
Wolseley pith helmet,
a rare WWI khaki
drill neck curtain flap, a Victorian Royal
Engineers Officer’s home service helmet, a
Victorian Artillery Volunteers Officer’s home
service helmet, a Victorian Royal Artillery Colt model 1860 army revolver

Giant Leeds Medal/Militaria Fair - late cancellation of

5th April 2015
For only the second time in their 37 years of
business, Northern Arms Fairs were forced to
cancel their Giant Leeds Fair which should
have taken place on Sunday 5th April last.
Word came through to us at 5pm the
previous day (Saturday) from the Pudsey
Civic Hall management that owing to a
massive water mains failure our event would
have to be cancelled as the building had to
closed immediately!
Northern Arms Fairs worked well into the
night contacting virtually all our exhibitors
in order to save as many as possible from an
unrewarding visit.
Fortunately many of the collecting
public heard about the cancellation due to
Facebook & word of mouth. Nevertheless
many failed to hear the news & turned up
the following Sunday morning. We met our
visitors early at the entrance of the car park
with the disappointing news explaining that
the closure was out of our control & could
only apologise for their wasted journeys.
However several of our regular dealers
did turn up to meet pre arranged customers
(who hadn't been able to be reached) & it
was decided that an impromptu open air
event would be held in the very large car
park. Thanks to the wonderful weather & the
understanding of all concerned the attendant
dealers reported a very profitable day.
Northern Arms Fairs would like to thank
all concerned for their patience & would
invite everyone to attend our next planned
GIANT LEEDS FAIR on SUNDAY 17th
MAY.

52 Armourer Issue 129

52_auctions.indd 52 23/04/2015 10:58

 Ratisbon’s 15th-24th May
104 old wife of SS Knight´s Cross recipient consigns for auction at Ratisbon´s
SS-Standartenführer Friedrich-
Wilhelm Karl (1911-1970) was an
early SS member (number 101 983)
and graduated from SS-Junkerschule
Bad Tölz in 1934. He joined SS-
Standarte Germania and participated
in the French Campaign where he was
awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class
and was promoted up to SS-Standartenführer
and Commander of SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-
Bosleys 1st July
Bosleys next public auction will be held on
1 July; to all Great War collectors this date
represents the worst day in British military
history, when the youth of Great Britain
answered the whistles and went over the top
on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
It seems appropriate therefore that the
deeds of the Great War will be remembered
in a number of lots that will represent this
conflict.
The first was an incredible Bosleys’
discovery of a large travelling trunk, that had
not been opened since purchased in the 1970s,
and which contained the uniforms of brothers,
one an Officer of the Durham Light Infantry
and the other a Private of the Machine Gun
Corps. The trunk even contained the Imperial
German plunder brought back as souvenirs.
The collector’s story of this discovery will
feature in a future Armourer article, but for
Auctioneer Bernard Pass it will remain one
of the most memorable discoveries of his 40-
year career. Other items will include a very
fine example of an attributed RFC Pilot’s
‘Maternity’ tunic, again a new discovery by
an antique clothing dealer and never before
offered for sale. This will not be the only RFC
tunic included in the sale; there will be a pair
worn by an Observer, the rare dark blue Patrol
tunic, with bullion brevet and his 1918 RAF
52_auctions.indd 53
Artillerie-Regiment 11 “Nordland” at the end
of WWII. Karl was awarded the German
Cross in Gold (August 1944) and the Knight´s
Cross on 26.12.1944. He survived the war and
ten years as a captive of the Russians from 1945
to 1955. Karl died on 21.8.1970.
The personal belongings of SS-
Standartenführer Friedrich-Wilhelm Karl (SS
Honor Ring, Knight´s Cross and documents)
were consigned for auction by Karl´s
granddaughter on behalf of his wife who is
still alive and celebrated her 104th birthday in
October last year. The family wants
to raise money for the care of
Mrs. Karl who now
resides in a
nursing home.
All items are now available
for preview at www.ratisbons.
com - Bidding is open from
16th until 24th May 2015.
Sign up your free account now.
khaki tunic, complemented by medals and
a photograph album, including a picture of
him wearing the actual tunic. Remaining with
uniforms, the sale will include the incredible
collection of items, including the special
pattern saddle, cloth horse harness, holster,
uniforms and headdress of Field Marshal Paul
Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen GCB,
GCMG, GCVO, DL who commanded the 1st
Division during the Boer War and was later
captured and taken prisoner by the Boers.
Badges, as would be expected at a Bosleys
auction, will take up well over 300 lots and
will include examples from a number of
collections, but principle examples will include
an Officer’s Bell Top shako plate of the 88th
Foot (Connaught Rangers), 1844 pattern
Officer’s Albert shako plates of the Scottish
25th Foot and 6th Foot Royal Warwickshire RFC Observer
Regiment, a selection of shoulder belt plates,
78th plaid brooch, some fine rare waist belt
clasps (including Irish), buttons etc., as well as Other items consigned for this sale include
several lots of multiple badges. WWII RAF flying helmets, Irvin flying
World War II will be represented by a large jackets, a rare Officer’s sword by Wilkinson
selection of German militaria, including SS and an unusual Royal Navy Officer’s sword,
daggers, TeNo Hewers, Kriegsmarine, Army a mid-19th century piped-back example, but
and Luftwaffe Officer daggers as well as daggers of small proportions, possibly for a naval
representing several Nazi party organisations. A pageboy.
selection of Iron Cross 1st Class lots is also on For further information visit Bosleys’
offer, as well as numerous badges. website www.bosleys.co.uk
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 53
23/04/2015 10:58
 MEDAL COLLECTING

‘The Hut Tax War’ in Sierra Leone:

a forgotten colonial campaign
MEDAL
COLLECTING
WITH
PETER DUCKERS

F
ollowing the American Revolution (1776-
83), many British ‘loyalists’ fled from the
new USA. Many went to Canada or the
West Indies and included thousands of black
settlers and workers. More than 3,000 ‘Black
Loyalists’ settled in Nova Scotia, where they
were granted land and founded Birchtown. But
they found the climate and conditions there
unworkable and pressed the British authorities
for relief and aid. As a result, the British
abolitionist John Clarkson and others founded
‘The Sierra Leone Company’ specifically to
relocate black loyalists who wanted to return
to West Africa. In 1792, nearly 1,200 such
people from Nova Scotia crossed the Atlantic
to found the colony of Sierra Leone, with its
capital, the pointedly named ‘Freetown’. It
was a harsh environment, with few facilities or
much money and the continual threat of illegal
slave raids and re-enslavement. From 1807,
when Britain abolished the seaborne trade in
slaves (and tried to force other nations to do so!)
it maintained a naval squadron in the Bight of
Benin aimed solely at intercepting slave vessels Bai Bureh in captivity
and freeing their ‘cargoes’. It was an expensive
and (for the crews) dangerous and unpopular being that Britain should annex territory in the It was also a good way to get local people to work
policy – service in ‘the white man’s grave’ hinterlands of its existing West African territories for their new rulers (e.g. on plantations or road
might earn higher pay but the death toll from not on the basis that they had any immediate making) since they would need cash to pay the
tropical diseases and heatstroke was appalling. economic value but on the basis that they might taxes.
Over the next 80 years, British ships rescued have in the future – the ‘undeveloped estates’ The new Governor of Sierra Leone, the
and freed thousands of captured Africans, theory. Stake your claim before someone else does! experienced soldier Colonel Sir Frederick Cardew
liberating them at Freetown. Although they It was this policy which saw, for example, rapid KCMG, followed exactly this policy. In January
came from all over sub-Saharan West Africa, expansion inland from the Niger Delta (what 1898, he imposed a new tax on dwellings (the
most chose to remain in Sierra Leone. As the became the colony of Nigeria), along the Gambia ‘hut tax’), which was immediately unpopular,
century progressed, they were joined by freed and into the Ashanti Empire in 1896. Throughout not simply because no such imposition had ever
black Americans, refugees from the American- the period 1895-1900, the British established been levied before but also because the taxes were
founded territory of Liberia, and particularly by treaty, annexation or force a series of much deemed to be far too high – at between five and ten
by West Indians. The new settlers were known larger colonies in West Africa, following the 1885 shillings per hut (depending on size), the annual
as Creoles (or Krio). Berlin Conference’s requirement to demonstrate assessment was often greater than the value of the
Sierra Leone existed only as a small coastal ‘effective occupation’ of claimed territories. In dwelling. Almost immediately, 24 leading chiefs
enclave for most of the 19th century. Like other 1896, a large swath of territory inland of the petitioned Cardew, to convince him that the tax
British settlements along the West African coast, existing Sierra Leone frontier was annexed by was unfair. The failure of Cardew and the colonial
it was not until the 1890s that the colony was Britain to form a much larger Protectorate. government to respond sympathetically was
enlarged, during the greatest era of Britain’s However, somewhat understandably, this was not the immediate cause of the Temne-Mende war,
expansion in tropical Africa, when all her popular amongst many local leaders and chiefs, known to history as ‘the Hut Tax war’ of 1898-
coastal holdings were greatly increased in size. since it interfered with their sovereignty and local 99. This turned into one of the largest-scale anti-
The urgent motive for this development was an standing as they simply became units within a new colonial revolts West Africa ever saw and fairly
aggressive French expansionist policy across the British colonial government. quickly drew in just about the whole of the new
Sahara and in West Africa which threatened to It was a long-established principle of British colony. The British authorities found themselves
cut off and limit Britain’s coastal holdings unless colonial administration that colonies should almost overwhelmed by the scale (and spread)
steps were taken to seize territory inland. Under contribute to their own government, defence and of the opposition and what followed was a very
the determined Conservative Colonial Secretary, development – hence the imposition of taxes; it fragmentary series of operations, largely relying
Joseph Chamberlain, a deliberate policy of was this policy which had alienated the American on small columns of West African troops under
‘land grabbing’ was begun after 1895, the idea colonists and fomented their Revolution in 1776. British officers, operating in different districts and

54 Armourer Issue 129

54_Peter Duckers.indd 54 22/04/2015 13:57


Medal for Sierra Leone, with clasp for earlier service,
to a soldier of 2nd West India Regiment.
trying, with varying degrees of success, to keep the
lids on several boiling pots at once.
The rebellion against the new Hut Tax began
in the Karene district, which became known as
‘the northern front’, where officials had been
visiting Temne villages trying to raise the new tax
in full, in part or in kind, but with little success.
To provide a back-up to the process, a small force
of the Sierra Leone Frontier Police (SLFP) under
Major A. Tarbet was sent to support the District
Commissioner Captain Sharpe and try to arrest
Bai Bureh, chief of Kasse, and regarded (unfairly
as it now appears) as the leading instigator in
the non-payment of the tax in that area. Bai
Bureh – who unsuccessfully tried to make peace
overtures throughout the spring of 1898 – quickly
gained the support of several prominent chiefs,
including the powerful Kissa chief, Kai Londo,
and the Limba chief, Suluku. Both sent their own
warriors and weapons to aid Bai Bureh, who felt
he had to defend himself against what he saw as
unprovoked aggression. Other leaders who soon
rose to the fore were chiefs Niagu of Paguma,
chief Guburu of Bompe and Bai Sherbro of the
Yonni tribe.
The 61-year-old Bai Bureh was a powerful
and well-regarded chief, not prepared to sit back
and await arrest. Mobilising his followers, he
fought the progress of the SLFP from the start,
to the extent that Tarbet’s force was virtually
isolated within Karene, since all the roads to Port
Loko and Freetown were blocked by Bai Bureh’s
men and passed through hostile territory. After
two weeks of struggling to find Bai Bureh, and
frequently attacked en route, they were joined by
a company of 1st West India Regiment. under
Major Richard Norris DSO, who had reached
them via a circuitous route to avoid potential
ambushes.
On 3 March 1898, the combined force under
Norris made a determined attempt to find and
arrest Bai Bureh but from the moment they
set out towards Port Loko, they came under
continual harrassing attacks in the dense forest
tracts and suffered considerable casualties; volley
firing into the trees had little effect. Eventually
reaching Port Loko, Major Norris took up a
defensive position and summoned reinforcements
from Freetown. On 6 March 1898, Norris was
joined by 94 officers and men of the 1st West
54_Peter Duckers.indd 55
Map of Sierra Leone.
India Regiment under Major W.B. Stansfield
who came up from Freetown. In the meantime,
Bai Bureh’s supporters began to construct
blockhouses, manned by only a few men, but
skilfully constructed out of banana wood and
hidden in the forests; from these almost invisible
stockades, they could fire on passing columns and
then flee into the woodlands before they could be
surrounded and attacked. It was becoming clear
that the ‘rebels’ were gaining the upper hand –
British firepower and superior armament was of
little advantage in forests which completely hid
the enemy – and the rebellion began to spread.
As the situation seemed to be worsening, naval
forces from the Cape Squadron were brought
into action, with brigades (amounting to about
250 men) landed at Bonthe from HMS Fox (Capt.
F.H. Henderson), Blonde (Cdr. P. Hoskins) and
Alecto (Lt. A.F. Holmes); these ships also conveyed
reinforcements in the form of the 3rd West
India Regiment, shipped from St Helena, while
a small detachment of Royal Artillery and other
specialists (e.g. Royal Engineers) was sent from
England. In total, including the Sierra Leone
Police and ‘odd’ detachments, some 2,500 men
were immediately available to take the fight to Bai
Bureh. It is believed that the timely arrival of these
reinforcements was actually what saved the colony
from being completely overrun; they were able, for
example, to relieve Major Norris’s heavily-pressed
column and get him back to Freetown. Bai Bureh
was finally captured in October 1898 by a force
under Col. E.R.P. Woodgate of the West Africa
MEDAL COLLECTING
Regiment. Bai Bureh and two colleagues were
exiled to the Gold Coast, though he was allowed
to return in 1905 and reassumed the chieftaincy
of Kasse.
However, the success of Bai Bureh encouraged
others to rise against the government. The
central Mende (or Mendi) tribe, under Momoh
Jah, and tribes in the south of the colony (the
‘southern front’) showed a particular willingness
to take on the British, aiming to drive them out
of the country; merchants and civilians, both
Europeans and those of mixed race deemed to
be ‘westernised’, were attacked, with over 1,000
estimated to have been killed. From April 1898,
beginning from the district of Imperri, armed
bands of Mende overran the coastal area, taking
control of smaller ports as far as the Liberian
frontier. Other rebel groups operated further
inland and many SLFP posts and bases were
attacked or besieged; even major towns like
Bonthe and Waterloo were attacked.
Throughout the country, people were under
arms and out of (government) control. Captain
C.B. Wallis with only 28 men of the SLFP was
attacked at Kambia, forcing him to fall back to
Bonthe, with all his ammunition gone. Lt. Col.
Cunningham, DSO, serving with the West Africa
Regiment, retook Kambia in May, then proceeded
along the Jong river to Mafwe, where the civilian
post had been attacked and destroyed. Here,
he was attacked by over 1,000 Mendes, driven
off with heavy casualties, as was another attack
soon afterwards. Cunningham then captured two
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 55
22/04/2015 13:57
 MEDAL COLLECTING
Mende tribesmen during the campaign.
solid, well-hidden stockades – impervious even to
artillery fire – near the town of Bumpe.
One of the besieged government posts was
Panguma in the eastern central area of the
country. Sir Frederick Carew ordered that
Panguma be relieved immediately by a column
from Badajuma, itself defended by only 50 SLFP
under Captain Eames and a good four day’s
march away. Accordingly, on 9 June, a force of
only 45 SLFP – far too few – set off to reach the
town. Under attack from the start, they got as far
as Doja, 30 miles from Bandajuma, before the
refusal of their porters to continue forced them to
turn back. Another attempt at relief was made on
12 June when a column of 75 men of the SLFP
with 300 ‘friendly’ natives under Major E.D.H.
Fairtlough set out from Kwalu. This force also
had a seven-pounder field gun, manned by the
artillery section of the SLFP. The column came
under serious attack at Gagboro, but succeeded in
driving off the enemy, capturing three stockades
and entering the town. Fairtlough came under
continual harrassing attack as he edged towards
Panguma, but defeated another major assault at
Dodo and finally reached the besieged town on
23 June. They found the defenders under Capt.
J.E.C. Blakeney in a bad way; they had defended
their stockaded position for over two months,
under almost daily attack from over 2,000 rebels,
and had just about run out of ammunition and
food (down to meagre rations, chiefly of rice)
when relieved.
However, this particular ordeal was not yet
over. The combined column now had to fight
its way out, under ambush and passing (and
usually capturing) many hidden blockhouses.
The greatest action took place at Yomundu on
6 July. This large town was well-defended by a
triple stockade but the seven-pounder gun made
a world of difference. Three columns attacked
different points: Captain H. de L. Ferguson to the
right, Major Fairtlough on the left and the third,
comprising largely the ‘friendlies’, attacked the
centre. When the stockade was breached, hand-
to-hand fighting took place in the town, the end
result of which was the death of three local chiefs
and 115 of their supporters.
56 Armourer Issue 129
54_Peter Duckers.indd 56
Africa. No such continuity of opposition had at
any previous time been experienced on this part
of the coast.’
Army Order 152 of 1899 authorised the
award of what was then called ‘the West Africa
Medal’ with clasp Sierra Leone 1898-99 to the
following units, the figures taken from Magor’s
‘African General Service Medals and British Battles and
Medals’ which differ only slightly from each other.
Misc. civilians, surgeons, officials etc. 109
Misc. British officers  9
Royal Garrison Artillery  85
Sierra Leone RGA 184 (Magor = 177)
Royal Engineers 56
Army Service Corps  29 + local labourers
Army Medical services 44
Army Ordnance Corps 16
Army Pay Corps 4
1st West India Regt. 1123
2nd West India Regt. 594
3rd West India Regt. 159
West Africa Regt. 895
Sierra Leone Volunteers 126
Waterloo Volunteer Corps 61
Sierra Leone Frontier Police 553
Colonial steamer Countess of Derby 19
HMS Blonde 124 (Magor = 117)
HMS Alecto  51 (Magor = 34)
By this time – early July 1898 – six separate HMS Fox  95 (Magor = 87)
SLFP and WIR columns were criss-crossing The differences for the naval issues may
the country, burning ‘rebel’ villages and trying simply reflect the inclusion of awards to native
to re-impose order, and some chiefs were kroomen. Interestingly, there is no record of
beginning to offer their submission. Though medals to personnel from HM ships Blake,
a number of raiders and marauding bands Phoebe and Tartar which landed men in May
remained at large for some time, no further 1898. These ships are mentioned in the official
large-scale opposition developed and gradually dispatches – as are some of their officers –
units of the SLFP were able to round-up rebel published in The London Gazette; perhaps they
leaders and re-establish government authority. were not deemed to have complied with the
Officially, the operations were not deemed to be award regulations, which stipulated that medals
over until 9th March 1899. were only granted to naval personnel who
The campaign in Sierra Leone was one of the actually took part in shore operations or in
largest fought during the early days of Britian’s boat expeditions which came under fire along
conquest of a new West African empire. The various rivers; these included the River Lokko
extent of the rebellion, in terms of the territory on 5 March 1898, in the Sherbro hinterland,
it affected and the number of people who 1-15 May, in the expedition along the Boom-
rose in rebellion, was far greater than in other Kittam river, 16 May, and along the Bumpe
colonial uprisings. The colony’s slender military River, 11-14 May.
resources were stretched to the limit and only In all, about 4,000 men were eventually
the involvement of outside forces, like the small involved, mostly in the small columns which
RN and RM brigades, with reinforcements, ranged around the colony restoring order. This is
landed from warships, enabled the government quite a large number for this sort of campaign, but
to suppress the uprising. Colonel Marshal, the medal is quite scarce. As can be seen, medals
the British commander-in-chief, said that the will be more common to the West India Regiment
operations in 1898, involved ‘some of the most and to the SLFP, with awards to some of the
stubborn fighting that has been seen in West smaller detachments being rare. With 66 killed
The besieged town of Panguma
22/04/2015 13:57
 MEDAL COLLECTING

Capt. F.M. Carleton, West African Regt.

Major C.B. Morgan, West India Regt. (awarded DSO)
Lt. H.D. Russell, West India Regt. (awarded DSO)
Major A.H. Thomas, ASC att’d West India Regt. (awarded DSO)
Major R. Crofts, RAMC. (awarded DSO)
Lt. W.R. Howell, 1/ Glamorgan Arty. Vols. att’d Sierra Leone Vols. (awarded
DSO)
Major H. G. de L. Ferguson, 4/ Norfolks and SLFP. (awarded DSO)
Major E C.D. Fairtlough, DSO, 4/ Ryl Dublin Fus.; District Commissioner.
(appointed CMG)
Capt. W.S. Sharpe, 4/ Ryl. Irish Rifles; District Commissioner. (appointed
CMG)
Major A.F. Tarbet, 3/ S. Lancs; Inspector General, SLFP. (appointed CMG)
Major A.R. Stuart, RA; commanding RA.
Major E.S.C. Kennedy, Brigade Major, West India Regt.
Major H.C. Buck, West India Regt.
Lt. H.T. Eckersley, West India Regt.
Lt. N.E.F. Safford, West India Regt.
Medal for Sierra Leone – obverse. Medal for Sierra Leone – reverse. Capt. O.H.E. Marescaux, Shrops. L. I., att’d West African Regt.
Capt. C. Dalton, RAMC.
and 186 wounded (mostly in Karene district) casualties were significantly Capt. J.M. Harrison, RAMC.
high for a colonial campaign: Corpl. Greenidge, 1st West India Regt.
Imperial forces: 4 officers 17 men killed; 16 officers and 94 men wounded Pte. Grant, 3rd West India Regt.
The Sierra Leone Frontier Police: 46 killed and 76 wounded. Sgt. A.G. Wells, ASC.
In addition, among locally-hired porters and bearers, there were 50 killed Sgt. B. Thomas, West African Regt.
and 96 wounded. Capt. A.L. Winsloe, HMS Blake.
Medal rolls are in series WO.100/92 for military personnel and Capt. F.H. Henderson, HMS Fox (appointed CMG)
ADM.171/45 for the Navy. The London Gazette of 29 December 1899 has Capt. R L. Rolleston, HMS Phoebe
the main dispatches on the campaign. Lt. F. K.C. Gibbons, HMS Fox.
Cdr. P. Hoskyns, MVO, HMS Blonde (appointed CMG)
Officers and Men mentioned in Dispatches : Lt. Cdr. Holmes, HMS Alecto.
Col. E.R.P. Woodgate (appointed CB and KCMG) Lt. E.O. Gladstone, HMS Alecto.
Bvt. Col. G G. Cunningham, DSO, Derbys. and West African Regts. Lt. W.F. Benwell, HMS Fox.
Lt. Col. W.J.A. Marshall, West India Regt. Lt. G.H. Welch, HMS Blonde.
Capt. N.J. Goodwyn, West India Regt. (awarded DSO) Chf. Engr. W.W. Hardwick, HMS Blonde.

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Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 57

54_Peter Duckers.indd 57 22/04/2015 13:58

 THE MODEST SOLDIER

The Modest
Soldier
By Ken Rimell

I
knew the subject of this story for almost
35 years. He was always polite, kind and
possessed a great sense of humour. He had
a great love for animals, in particular dogs and
horses – the latter will feature later in this story
– and his always happy banter would apply to
almost any subject but for one, the Great War.
That taboo would only ever be broken if it was
to deliver a short, sharp and sometimes critical
complaint regarding something he had seen on
TV or read in a magazine or newspaper. The
Great War, and strangely hospitals and camping,
seemed to be no-go areas, and to try and coax
further information from him saw a rapid change
of subject matter. He was well educated and
an accomplished mouth organist, and would
sometimes play a Jew’s harp in moments when
he thought he wasn’t being observed. The songs
were nearly all French, and ‘Mademoiselle from
Armentiers’ was the one he played the most.
Calculating his age led me to believe that he must
have fought in that ‘war to end all wars’ and we
respected his reluctance to talk about the matter,
suspecting he was like millions of other men of
his age who had seen service and had had a bad
time. Indeed, when he died in 1980 he took many
secrets to his grave. We were still not certain as
to his actual age but guessed he must have been
about 86. In spite of his senior years he was often
thought to be much younger. To him the word
‘retirement’ had no meaning and he continued to
work a full day till just before he died; when his
end came it was sudden.
After my own military service in the RAF, with
a pressured job and a small a family to raise, the
subject of the Great War never came up when
we met; it was only after his death that I tried to
find out a little more. I found five small pictures
showing a man in military uniform, among a
stack of old papers at the bottom of a dusty
cupboard. I realised they were of him, but only
one picture gave any clue as to his regimental
unit; it showed him wearing a cap, and it wasn’t
particularly clear. A magnifying glass on the lens
of my camera revealed an image that looked
mysteriously like the shape of a harp. I
sought expert advice from vendors of cap
badges and military ephemera at various
military sales and was finally able to confirm
that the badge was that of the London Irish
Rifles, which was odd since I knew that our
subject’s background didn’t include any Irish
antecedents. I contacted the London Irish
Regiment’s HQ, then at the Duke of York’s
Barracks, Kensington, to ask for assistance and
a very helpful Captain Nigel Wilkinson, curator
of the small London Irish Museum and Archives,
replied but could only offer a few details from
the very scant regimental records that survived.
However, it gave me my first clue about the link Private John Rimell (left) somewhere in France, 1917.
with the London Irish Rifles.
I gathered that he lived in Kensington and had had already suffered didn’t put him off. The
a job in a photographer’s darkroom nearby. The Territorials underwent nightly training sessions
Duke of York’s Barracks was a short distance in the Duke of York’s Barracks and at weekends
away, and when recruitment for the London they could be found under canvas in Epping
Regiments was in full swing as WWI started he Forest during exercises. By the summer of 1916
joined the London Irish Rifles Territorials late in the unit was deemed fit for battle and warned of
1915. No age was given on any paperwork and I impending embarkation to France – his war was
deduced that he was not old enough to join the about to begin.
main part of the London Irish Rifles fighting in Now with the 18th Battalion London Irish
France. No doubt news of the regiment’s bloody Rifles, part of the 47th London Division, he
battles at Loos and the terrible loss of life they embarked at Southampton on 12 August 1916 for
While recovering from wounds his photographic knowledge was put to use in X-raying. He is pictured
on the left.

58 Armourer Issue 129

58_KenModestmust.indd 58 22/04/2015 13:58


passage to Le Havre, arriving there the following
day and continuing to their camp at Neuville St
Vaast, just a few miles from Arras. Little time
was given for the troops to settle in for they were
immediately in full training. On 11 September
they marched to a new camp just outside Albert
and a day later they arrived at Mametz Wood.
Hardly any trees remained; the ground was
littered with their splintered remains as well as
huge holes, many containing the bodies of dead
soldiers and horses after two months of bloody
fighting on the Somme. The London Irish Rifles’
job was to support a major attack by the 4th
Army on High Wood, known by the French as
Bois de Foureaux, and it was wasn’t going to be
easy. Bitter fighting for the high ground had seen
the Allies constantly forced back from the position
held by the Germans eager to hold their ground,
but things were now about to change.
British artillery had pounded the site and on
15 September the shelling stopped and orders
were given to fix bayonets and move forward;
his war had started. I later found out that it was
also his birthday, and also the day that tanks first
went into action. Two of these new weapons got
through but promptly got stuck on the mass of
fallen trees. In its efforts to extract itself one tank
ended up facing the advancing London Irish,
and its gunners, totally disorientated, opened
fire, suspecting them to be the enemy. Those
who managed to survive the friendly fire debacle
started an encircling manoeuvre in an effort to
quell the murderous German machine gun fire.
Trench mortars were brought into action by the
London Irish lads and by late afternoon the whole
of High Wood was in British hands. A report
indicates that the London Irish made good use
of the bayonet but it was a costly exercise: 230
of their men were killed and a similar number
wounded. The German losses were even heavier,
at almost a thousand. After consolidating their
position the London Irish Rifles were relieved on
17 September, but no sooner had they started to
march to rest camp when they were immediately
called back for further action. Finally, covered
in mud and dog-tired, they were relieved three
days later. Their losses were high, with blame
placed squarely on the tanks. The London Irish
Rifles were recalled for further action on 29
September for an attack on the enemy-held
Flers Line. Their Commander, Major Mahon,
asked that artillery support should not be given
and the London Irish, advancing almost in
silence, caught the enemy by surprise. The
advance to Eaucourt L’Abbaye was achieved
without difficultly and the village and many
German soldiers were captured.
Offloading the wounded at
The Royal Norfolk hospital.
58_KenModestmust.indd 59
October 1916 saw the London Irish Rifles
moved from the Somme to Ypres, where they
received more training, and they rejoined the
Front at Ravine Wood on 8 November. For nine
days they were held in reserve just a short distance
from the line, sustaining casualties from enemy
shell fire; one officer and a dozen ranks were killed.
The enemy held Hill 60, with a commanding
view of the British trenches, a position they
had held almost from the beginning of the war
and which they had turned into a fortress. Here
again fighting was furious but inconclusive and,
weary from the fighting, they were withdrawn to
replenish men and equipment.
Without doubt the London Irish Rifles was a
well-trained and drilled unit, highly regarded by
the top brass at British Command HQ. If there
was a tough job to do it was they who were called
to action. With the situation on Hill 60 almost the
same as it was in late 1916 they returned there in
January 1917, greeted by a thick carpet of snow.
Any movements by the Allied troops were easily
observed by the enemy from their hill-top vantage
point. To alleviate this problem the London Irish
were issued with white smocks, and to boost
morale an extra ration of rum was ordered, to
try to offset the extreme winter conditions. For
almost two months the stalemate continued and
the London Irish were switched between the front
line and reserve. By March they were withdrawn
for further training in preparation for a raid to
check the enemy defences south of Hill 60 but
heavy enemy shelling forced a withdrawal. On 7
April the whole battalion was to take part but they
were caught in the open while trying to negotiate
the glutinous mud, and the severe enemy machine
gun fire killed two officers and 57 other ranks; two
officers and 134 men were wounded. From a total
strength of 500 men there were 196 causalities.
The enemy had obviously been aware of the
impending attack and had brought up a unit of
Storm Troops to support their defence.
Most of April was spent either in training or in
reserve and for the first time in many months they
were out of range of the enemy guns. By May
there were rumours of a major offensive and the
London Irish were immediately mobilised to move
to Messines Ridge, but the order was cancelled
and they remained in reserve with 25 officers and
700 other ranks. An order to move forward was
made on 7June and three days later they were
back in the thick of the action, encountering a
huge enemy unit dug in at Spoil Bank; caught by
surprise the enemy suffered many casualties. Odd
skirmishes with the enemy took place throughout
the month but by early July the Battalion was out
of the line at Ridge Wood, Dickebusch, awaiting
London Irish Rifles marching through Lille on their way to the Front.
THE MODEST SOLDIER
the next battle, but still providing night parties in
the forward areas. The Battalion was surprised
one day to see none other than King George V
passing through and he was cheered by the troops.
By August the unit found itself back in Ypres
and under intense enemy shelling and it was
here that the subject of this story received his
first wounds. It’s not certain how he was injured,
but on 21 August he was stretchered away from
the action and transported two days later to a
large Casualty Clearing Station(CCS) run by the
Canadians. His injuries were serious enough for
him to be sent back to the UK for treatment; he
had received his first of five ‘Blightys’ (a jocular
term used by British troops for men injured
and sent home to recover). From comments he
made to me over the years I think he may have
been sent to the huge Royal Victoria Military
Hospital at Southampton and from there to a
smaller recovery hospital near Winchester. His
treatment and recovery were such that by the end
of September he had rejoined his unit, now at
Arras. Enemy aircraft were strafing and bombing
the British horse lines, inflicting terrible wounds
and killing a large number of the animals. I know
he went to the aid of the stricken animals and, to
the astonishment of many, he calmed many of the
surviving and very frightened horses. But it was at
a cost for he was wounded again, possibly from an
air attack, and was again sent back to the UK for
recovery. By late November he was back with his
unit and, quoting from an official report:
‘On taking over at Bourlon Wood the London
Irish were bombarded with gas shells causing many
casualties. On 30th November the enemy made
another counter attack in force followed by heavy
bombardment. This action became the greatest
in which the London Irish were to take part until
the great retreat in March 1918. Ground was only
yielded under extreme pressure and successful
counter attacks were soon initiated but the flanks of
the Division were not secure and eventually it was
decided to evacuate Bourlon Wood and withdraw
to the safety of the Hindenburg Line on the night
of 4th December. Casualties in the six days of
fighting were high with two officers and about
50 men. Other battalions had suffered even more
heavily. The enemy gas in Bourlon Wood hung
in the trees and bushes so thickly that everyone
was compelled to wear respirators continuously.
But digging in respirators became difficult and
without the cover of deep trenches the persistent
shelling took its toll. The general outcome of these
heavy casualties was that all infantry brigades were
reduced from four to three battalions with the
three weakest being broken up namely 6th, 7th
and 8th of the London Regiment.’
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 59
22/04/2015 13:58
 THE MODEST SOLDIER
Private John Rimell,
London Irish Rifles.
He had an affinity
with horses and
his ability to
calm a troubled
animal was often
put to good use.
A large number of
London Irish soldiers
have no known graves
and their names are
etched on the top plate
on the Thiepval
Memorial, among
the 72,195 others
The winter of 1917 and 1918 was bitter and
the London Irish found themselves with time
to reorganise and retrain. By March 1918 the
unit was deemed ready for further action with
rumours of a big German offensive, and it came
at 4 a.m. on 21 March. The London lads were in
the La Vacquerie sector, south-west of Cambrai
and about two miles south of the most forward
point of the Flesquieres Salient. At the risk of
being out-flanked by enemy patrols, advancing
under a smoke screen, these were soon driven
off by the London Irish where again the bayonet
was prominently used. But eventually and in spite
of their best efforts in the face of overwhelming
enemy numbers, the Londons were forced to
withdraw to a prearranged position at Highland
Ridge. But as dusk fell on the 22 March the enemy
attacked yet again, this time from Villers Plouich,
but the London Irish were ready and stood firm,
beating off four attacks by rifle and machine gun
fire and finally by a bayonet charge, annihilating
all but seven Germans who were captured.
The next battle saw the London Irish, along with
the Civil Service Rifles (15th London Regiment),
making a stand against persistent enemy attacks
at Neuville and protecting the withdrawal of the
140th and 142nd Brigades, and the fighting was
desperate. The withdrawal continued through
The Royal Norfolk Hospital
where John Rimell spent
months recovering from
Spanish flu.
60 Armourer Issue 129
58_KenModestmust.indd 60
Le Mesnil, Le Transloy, Norvel and High Wood,
reaching Bazdentin on 26 March. They were
relieved a day later but their rest was short-lived
when they returned to the front line on 5 April.
During the retreat a further 100 men were killed.
On their first day of action our subject was
wounded yet again with shrapnel wounds and he
was sent back again to the UK for treatment. (I
was later to learn that a great deal of that shrapnel
remained embedded in his back for the rest of his
life.) He seems to have recovered sufficiently to be
back with his unit by 6 June, only to go down with
a nasty attack of bronchitis a day or so later. He
was treated at the Casualty Clearing Station in
France and once again he was cleared for action,
returning to his unit which was now based a few
miles south of Albert. Here he found himself
training newly arrived American soldiers. On 1
August the enemy, now demoralised, withdrew
east of the River Ancre and the London Irish were
able to enter Albert during daylight. By 9 August
the enemy had all but gone, thanks mainly to the
sheer grit and determination of the London Irish.
The fighting continued and with a successful
French offensive it led to a British advance in mid-
August. By the 22 August the 47th Division were
fighting fiercely between Albert and the Somme,
in one instance rushing into Happy Valley and
capturing three German officers and more than a
hundred other ranks. Recovering from the shock,
German escapees mounted a counter attack but
a Captain Neely led 50 men behind the enemy
lines and captured a further two officers and 65
men. But again their losses were severe: 34 other
ranks killed, and seven officers and 170 other
ranks wounded. As the end of August neared the
London Irish were advancing at a pace through
Maurepas and on to Rancourt, but again they
sustained further casualties. Their advance was
now relentless and on 5 September they crossed
Canal du Nord with orders to attack the village of
Lieramont. The attack was successful with large
numbers of the enemy either killed or captured.
On 10 September the unit finally left the Somme
by train for a more comfortable base at Raimbert,
but their stay was short-lived. As the London
Irish were summoned back into action on 21
October the subject of my story contracted the
dreaded Spanish flu, an epidemic which swept
through both British and enemy forces, and he
was transported, along with many other afflicted
British soldiers, to 56 General Hospital at Étaples
on the French coast. His illness was serious and
a letter was sent to his mother. The hospital was
unable to deal with such a massive intake of
soldiers with the illness, and he and the others
were invalided back home.
The war ended on 11 November 1918 and he
now started the long recovery process at Norfolk
The London Irish Rifles also had an entertainments’ group
War Memorial Hospital, Thorpe, until he was
discharged as fully fit on 27 February 1919. This
quiet, well-spoken and genial man had served
his country for three years and 287 days, two
years and 51 days in France. He was wounded
numerous times and proudly wore his good
conduct stripe, less so the ones for the wounds he
sustained. He returned to a busy life and put the
war behind him.
It’s been difficult and sometimes very
frustrating piecing together his war service
but without the help of the London Irish
Rifles Museum this story may never have been
written. In conclusion, one comment he once
made was when passing an imposing statue
in London, of a man astride a horse: ‘That
man was a butcher and an idiot and should
have been shot.’ Being young, and somewhat
gullible, I pondered for ages on why a statue to
an idiot butcher on a horse should be erected in
London. It was later that I discovered that the
statue was of Field Marshal Earl Haig, leader
of the British Expeditionary Forces in WWI.
The Battle Honours for the London Irish Rifles
during his term of service from 1916 list the
Somme, Flers-Courcelette, Morvan Le Treansloy.
1917: Messines Ypres, Langemarche, Cambrai,
St Quetin, Bapaume. 191: Ancre, Albert, Pursuit
to Mons and Flanders, and for this they lost 1,016
men killed in action with 2,644 wounded and 300
captured. Awards included 7 DSOs, 33 MCs, 20
DCMs and 101 MMs.
So who is this man, whose name I have
deliberately left till now to reveal? Well, he was
my father, Private John Rimell 3373-591351,
and his war left him with many scars (physical
and mental), of which he never complained,
and he kept his memories, both fond and sad,
silently. He never sought to rise from the ranks
but was always happy to serve alongside his pals.
Having researched the many other battles in
which he fought, collected from contemporary
reports, many now damaged, both in the UK
and in France, I now respect his wish not to talk
about his terrible experience. To my knowledge
he never returned to France to tour the former
battlefields, or even view High Wood where it’s
claimed over 1,000 dead still remain, many of
whom were his pals who now rest peacefully in
a privately owned sanctuary. On Remembrance
Sunday every year he would stand solidly and
silently to attention for two minutes at precisely
11 a.m., where his memories of pals lost would
cause his eyes to glisten, to be quickly wiped
away by a crisp white handkerchief before any
of us noticed. To me he’s a true hero, and I
acknowledge this every time I pass a picture of
him proudly displayed on our living room wall
at home.
22/04/2015 13:58
 BROMLEY
CAMDEN www.sbmilitaria.com
MILITARY Shop online for
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COLLECTORS FAIR interesting and
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collectables
10th7th
March 2013
June from WWII

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GM12.12/???/d
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24 HAVERSTOCK HILL,
BROMLEY, KENT, BR1 3UH Deactivated and edged weapons
OPPOSITE CHALK FARM TUBE STATION



9.30am Uniforms/headgear/equipment
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16th Aug, 25th Oct 
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2013 Dates:
and 20th Dec
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ENQUIRIES:
0771 409 4009 hotline +44 (0)7969 036652 email steve@sbmilitaria.com

Many stock items reduced in price, URGENT PROOF

also now selling Original items on the site
Please check this proof carefully for errors in style, content and layout.
under the heading Militaria
Although every care is exercised in preparing your advert, we cannot hold
ourselves responsible for any inaccuracies you may overlook.
Specialising In German Militaria,
SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ANY ALTERATIONS TO THIS PROOF PLEASE
WWI and WWII
TELEPHONE BEFORE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AND QUOTE ADVERT NO. _ _ _ _ _

Gun
Stocking authentic Reproductions
Mart
Uniforms and equipment
Also selling Original Items, including refurbed
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finished to your requirements
Telephone 01206 506 Fax 01206 500226
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Or call 01909 518661/07958 449161is a departure from the original copy

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 61

p61_ARMMayJun15.indd 61 21/04/2015 11:15

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

Always a good selection in stock.

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

ANDREW P. BOSTOCK Medals and Militaria bought and sold -

‘Pinewoods’ 15 Waller Close, Specializing in WW1 Aviation
Leek Wooton, Nr. Warwick CV35 7QG
Contact Justin Tel +44(0)141 840 2622
Phone: 01926 856381 Mobile: 07815 615512 Email enquiries@jagermedals.com Web www.jagermedals.com
Email: bostockmilitaria@aol.com Jager Medals, 272 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JR

Website (regular update):

www.bostockmedals.co.uk
JM_AD_THE_ARMOURER_2.indd 1 07/03/2013 15:56

‘THE INTERNATIONAL’ BIRMINGHAM ARMS FAIR

The UK’s most popular ANTIQUE ARMS & MILITARIA FAIR
held in the luxurious & prestigious suites of the
NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
Superbly located on Junction 6 off the M42 Motorway
Come and see the best selection on offer in the UK,with over 100 dealers filling the 184 tables.
It’s the biggest & the best!
SUNDAY 21st June 2015 10.00am to 3.00pm
(dealer & keen collector preview 8.45am to 10.00am Adm. £8.00, thereafter £5.00)

BULLDOG MILITARIA
Specialising in British
Militaria & Badges Scenes from a recent fair, just a small selection of what is usually on offer! Future dates: 2015 13 Sept, 15 Nov

For further details or to register on our waiting list

Tel: +44 (0)7710 021541 (all tables usually rebooked by existing exhibitors) Write to :-
ANTIQUE ARMS & MILITARIA EXHIBITIONS P.O.BOX 194, WARWICK CV34 5ZG
www.bulldogmilitaria.com 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 time

BRITISH ARMY CAP BADGES

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
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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_ARMMayJun15.indd 62 21/04/2015 11:12


Medals of the Great War:
Part Four: the British War Medal
THE CENTENARY OF
1914-18
T
his circular medal, 36mm in diameter,
was essentially the basic service award
for World War I, authorised by Army
Order 266 of 1919, amended in 1922. As the
only silver medal in the WWI series, it comes
closest to the style of earlier campaign medals,
bearing the monarch’s effigy and formal titles
on its obverse and a symbolic design on the
reverse. This is the medal which would
have carried campaign and battle
clasps, had they been approved.
The BWM will commonly
be seen accompanied by
any of the other 1914-18
medals, but is the only one
in the series which could
be awarded by itself; such
awards were earned by those
who served overseas but did
not enter a designated ‘theatre
of war’ – for example, doing
routine garrison duty in India, the
Far East, South Africa etc. Some were
also awarded ‘by themselves’ for service in the
UK – most commonly to personnel of the Royal
Navy who were mobilised for war service, to the
Coast Guard or to the Royal Naval Air Service.
The medal is also found paired with just the
Victory Medal or the Mercantile Marine Medal
or the Territorial Force War Medal.
The obverse adopts the existing ‘coinage
head’ of King George V by Sir Bertram
MacKennal with the abbreviated titles Georgivs
v Britt: Omn: Rex et Ind: Imp. but without the
usual D.G. and FID. DEF. The reverse was
designed by W. McMillan, whose initials
are visible on the reverse, lower
right, and was based on that
of an ancient Greek coin. It
has the dates 1914 and 1918
above a scene in which a naked
warrior on horseback tramples
the emblems of the Central
Powers, while the sun breaks
through in ‘a new dawn’.
The sea is just visible in the
background. The mounted
warrior is apparently meant to
symbolise man’s control over
the forces of war, though it has
been claimed to be simply an
adapted image of St George.
63_Peter Duckers.indd 63
MEDAL COLLECTING
The BWM is machine impressed (not hand
engraved) around the rim in a variety of styles,
mainly sans-serif block capitals of varying
widths and heights, since the medals were
named in different places; those to African
personnel are often found in a variety of locally-
impressed, often uneven, types whilst those to
Indians were named in the Calcutta Mint. The
details normally give the number, abbreviated
rank, initials, surname and abbreviated unit of
the recipient. Those to Army officers only give
the rank, initials and surname – no unit. It was
intended that the unit named on the medal was
that with which the recipient entered a theatre
of war, thus qualifying for the award, though
this does not seem to have been applied in a
hard and fast way and some show the recipient’s
later unit.
Medals to the Navy and Marines have RN
or other branch abbreviations (RNR, RNVR,
RMLI, RMA, MFA etc.) not the names of ships
and those to aerial forces have ‘RFC’ (for the
Royal Flying Corps), ‘RNAS’ (for the Royal
Naval Air Service) or ‘RAF’ (for the Royal
Air Force).
The watered ribbon, 32mm
wide, has a wide central band of
orange, flanked with thin stripes
of white, black and blue; it
apparently has no heraldic
or symbolic significance and
is carried from a straight,
undecorated, non-swivelling
suspension bar.
Since approximately
6,500,000 of these awards
were issued – they were also
given to all qualifying Imperial
forces – this is the commonest British
campaign medal. ABOVE: British War medal, obverse.
LEFT: British War medal, reverse.
THE BRITISH WAR MEDAL IN BRONZE BELOW: British War medal in bronze, reverse.
Bronze versions of medals had been awarded
in earlier Imperial campaigns to African and British War Medal in bronze to non-combatants
Indian non-combatants – ‘followers’, servants, simply followed this precedent but it was in fact
porters etc. – who had gone on active service the last time that such an award was made; after
with military forces. In India, the system had 1918, all recipients of medals, combatant or not,
been applied since the mid-19th century and received the same type.
bronze versions of the appropriate medals The bronze medal was identical in all respects
were also awarded to Sudanese and other to the silver version and was awarded largely to
African non-combatants for service in some of those who had served as porters and labourers
the smaller African campaigns. The issue of a ‘behind the lines’ or in depots and ports, in
various Indian Labour Corps (e.g. Peshawar
Labour Corps), the Chinese, Maltese and
South African Labour Corps and in
the Macedonian and Maltese Mule
Corps. It was not awarded with a
Star or the Victory Medal. The
medals were usually named in the
normal way, but some are found
with only the recipient’s number (not
name) and abbreviated unit.
As only approximately 110,000 were
issued, this is a scarce medal and is rarely
seen with other awards.
By Peter Duckers
British War and Victory medals with packets of issue.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 63
22/04/2015 14:00
 MARK AND DAVID HAWKINS PHILIP BURMAN
OF

THE LANES ARMOURY

Orders, decorations and
medals bought and sold
26 MEETINGHOUSE LANE • THE LANES • BRIGHTON • EAST SUSSEX • BN1 1HB • UK Send large S.A.E for current list -
TEL: 01273 321357 (INTERNATIONAL TEL: 00 44 1273 321357) four lists issued per year.
EMAIL: mail@thelanesarmoury.co.uk We are always interested in purchasing
INVITE TO OUR AMAZING WEBSTORE
single items & collections.

www.TheLanesArmoury.co.uk
IMMEDIATE CASH SETTLEMENT
Blackborough End, Middleton,
Probably the best source for original Samurai Swords, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE32 1SE
worldwide Antique Swords, Guns, Militaria & Armour in Europe Telephone: 01553 840350
Family dealers since the Reign of King George V. - Also, military book specialists Fax: 01553 841118
To GOOGLE us worldwide, just enter LANES ARMOURY www.military-medals.co.uk

Wittmann Q & C
Antique Militaria MILITARIA
22 Suffolk Road, Cheltenham GL50 2AQ
Offering Collectors the World’s Foremost Inventory of Fine RFD Glos D167
Telephone: 01242 519815
Mobile Telephone: 07778 613977
German Imperial & WWII Third Reich Militaria qcmilitaria@btconnect.com
International Reputation for AUTHENTICITY & HONESTY www.qcmilitaria.com

We Wish to Buy for Cash

Buy • Sell • Appraise • Restore All items of Uniform, Helmets & Headwear,
Swords & Bayonets, Medals, Orders & Decorations,
Thomas T. Wittmann
PO Box 350 - Moorestown, NJ 08057-0350 Half a Century Badges & Uniform Furniture,
Military Memorabilia, Trench Art
Phone: (856) 866-8733 or (856) 231-0323 of Experience Top Prices Paid Absolute Discretion Assured
Fax: (856) 235-4954 Email: Twittm350@aol.com in German Medals mounted for wearing
Militaria!
World’s Largest On-Line Catalogue Cased for Display & Refurbished
Miniature Medals and Mess Dress
Accoutrements Supplied
www.wwiidaggers.com Send S.A.E. for free list

www.bobsimsmilitaria.co.uk MATTHEWS
email: tiger.six@virgin.net
07885 443731
MILITARIA
P.O. BOX 4401 WORTHING BN11 5WG
Overseas telephone dial 0044-7885-443731
FOR FREE 16 PAGES LIST SEND A FULL
Specialising in WWII to Vietnam. American, British, A4 SIZE, S.A.E. WITH LARGE LETTER STAMP
Allied Forces, Log Books, Medals, Wings BRITISH AND FOREIGN CAP BADGES
USAAF-RAF-Airborne-Special Forces-Paras-Glider Troops-Military Huge stock list of mainly Gaunts,
Watches-Marine Corps Firmins, Marples Beasley, etc
Constantly changing list also includes
I buy-sell-trade and accept items on consignment,
See us at
Police, Colonial, Naval, R.A.F, Cloth.
single pieces and collections the War & Peace
Show Folkestone
July 22nd - 25th GUARANTEED SATISFACTION
Discrete and immediate settlement Stand H15
and H17 OR IMMEDIATE REFUND

Contact Dave at
dbgmilitaria@hotmail.co.uk
or 07805 399132
www.dbgmilitaria.co.uk
DBG Militaria would like to offer you original WW1 and WW2 British and German Militaria of all types
Gloucestershire Military Antiques
with some Polish and Canadian equipment included. I will also offer for sale military watches from WW1 and offer a varied selection of
WW2 and a good selection of military books on equipment and events from the Boer war to post war period. fine military related antiques,
militaria, memorabilia and collectibles
ASHFORD MILITARY FAIR DATES 2015 dating back to the Napoleonic Wars.
DBG militaria will be running the Ashford military fair at All Items Guaranteed Genuine.
Sellindge village hall TN25 6JY during 2015, dates as follows:
Sunday 31st May, Sunday 1st November Gloucestershire Based
Office: +44 (0) 1452 542895 • Mobile: +44 (0) 7854 215597
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.
Sellindge military fairs dates for 2015 will be announced at dbgmilitaria.co.uk very soon. www.28-LXI.com

64

p64_ARMMayJun15.indd 64 21/04/2015 10:58

 By Appointment
to the RoyAl house of itAly

AuktionshAus AndReAs thies ek

steingaustrasse 18 • d-73230 kirchheim unter teck (Germany)
telephone +49 - (0) 1 71 / 2 66 27 81 • e-mail: afthies@t-online.de • www.andreas-thies.de
Next auction dates:
thies & Johnson: June 18th – 20th, 2015
AuktionshAus AndReAs thies ek: septemBeR 25th – 26th, 2015
selected hammer prices from auction 58 (prices exclusive of buyer’s premium)

lot 263: 12.000 € lot 260: 19.000 € lot 278: 14.500 € lot 388: 21.000 €

lot 55: 17.500 € lot 100: 16.500 € lot 241: 80.000 € lot 194: 8.000 €

lot 464: 7.200 € lot 517: 80.000 € lot 485: 22.500 € lot 467: 11.000 €

p65_ARMMayJun15.indd 65 21/04/2015 13:36

 A DYNASTY OF GUNMAKERS

George
Wallis
(1731-1803)
of Hull,
gunsmith
and
antiquary

Silver-cased
pocket watch
of Francis
Conyers, 1822.

1855 plan showing properties in the Swine Market, Pocklington, Yorks

The Conyers, a dynasty

of gunmakers
Beginnings in Hull and East Yorkshire. Part I, by Arthur G. Credland

F
rancis Conyers (I), the founder of a long
line of gunmakers, born 1763-64 and
buried in the Castle Street cemetery, Hull,
in 1842, is described as a gunmaker living in
Mytongate. His apprenticeship would have been
completed 1784-85 and since no independent
craftsman of this name was working in Hull
at the time there is little doubt he was in the
workshop of George Wallis (1731-1803) who
occupied 19-20 Mytongate. Wallis was an
outstanding gunmaker and also a collector who
built up a museum of antique weapons, coins,
medals and curiosities. His museum proved so
popular that he had to introduce a charge of
one shilling in order to reduce the numbers
of visitors who were impeding his business.
Among the outstanding pieces he displayed was
a hunting sword that had belonged to Henry
VIII, the blade etched with scenes of the siege
of Boulogne.
The family connections between the Conyers
and Lofleys dispel any doubts about where
Francis worked. John Lofley had been in the
Wallis workshop before setting up on his own
in Brigg, on the other side of the Humber in
Lincolnshire. Francis married Elizabeth Hunter
on 26 June 1782, in her parish of Broughton-
by-Brigg and his pocket watch, engraved
‘Francis Conyers 1822’, is still in the family. A
small cannon (the barrel 7¼ in long), evidently
made by him, is still displayed in the Conyers
shop window in Dorset. Probably intended as
a starting or signal gun, it is stamped several
times with the initials F.C. on the axles.
Leonard Conyers was living at Star Entry
in 1841, with a son, also Francis, aged 15 and
described as a gunmaker’s apprentice, and also
with Eliza Lofley, a female servant the daughter
of John Lofley.
THE LOFLEYS
Hannah Conyers, daughter of Francis Conyers I,
had married John Lofley, a mast and blockmaker.
George Lofley (baptised 1818) is described in the
1881 census as a retired gunmaker and his elder
brother John (baptised 1808) is recorded working
as a gunsmith at Brigg, Lincolnshire, from
c.1841-61. His bill heads proclaim ‘John Lofley
Gun Maker, Market Place, Brigg (from the late G.
Wallis, Hull). Manufacturer of the copper tubes
and cap guns. Rifles, pistols etc on the newest

66 Armourer Issue 129

66_ArthurCredland.indd 66 22/04/2015 14:00

 A DYNASTY OF GUNMAKERS

and most approved principles’. G. Wallis is the

younger George Wallis, who devised the first
successful harpoon gun and who died in 1833.
Above the Lofley billhead is a representation
of the royal arms, though there is no specific
claim to his holding a royal warrant. One of
his customers was Sir John Nelthorpe (1814-
65), the last baronet, who lived at the nearby
Nelthorpe Hall, Scawby. After Lofley died in
1865, his widow Maria carried on the business
for a number of years .
George Lofley Ross, also employed in
the Brigg shop, was the son of Charles and
Elizabeth Ross, née Lofley. The latter was the
younger sister of John Lofley Jnr and an elder
sister of George Lofley. In the 1871 census G.L.
Ross is described as a gunmaker in Brigg with
Mrs Mary (i.e. Maria) Lofley, and in the 1872
directory as the manager. The business in Brigg
continued as Lofley & Co, from c.1876-89 at
12 Market Place.
John Lofley’s younger son George was
baptised at Hull in 1818 and appears in the
Hull census of 1841 as a gunmaker, living
with his parents in Carr Lane. By the 1851
census he had joined his brother at Brigg
but later established his own shop at 45
Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, as shown by
the census returns of 1861.He was at 37½
Gallowtree Gate in 1871 and is recorded in
the directories till 1877.

FRANCIS CONYERS I AND HIS

SUCCESSORS
An administration bond, dated 14 February
1815 and regarding the will of a Samuel Lofley, Receipt for goods supplied to Sir John Nelthorpe Bt. by John Lofley, Brigg, 1860.
includes the names of Francis Conyers, John
Deain, hatmaker, and George Humphreys, also
a gunmaker. The latter must surely have been a
colleague of Conyers’, working with him in the
Wallis workshop.
Francis Conyers II, son of Francis Conyers
I, baptised in Holy Trinity Church, Hull on
24 May 1787, was also a gunmaker. He died,
apparently without issue, in 1822 aged 35, and
was buried on 15 May.

POCKLINGTON AND DRIFFIELD

Francis Conyers III (baptised 1822, Holy Trinity, Swine Market: Hunters Estate Agents, former shop
Hull), the son of Leonard Conyers, occupied a of Francis Conyers
shop in the Swine Market, Pocklington, from
c.1847-58. The plan of Pocklington made in
1855 not only indicates individual properties
with a thumbnail elevation and their numbers,
but also records the occupants and their trade.
Francis occupied number 10 Swine Market,
along with a shoemaker named John Horsley.
The latter, though a famous name in Yorkshire
gunmaking, is not uncommon in the northern
part of the county. This property, of two storeys
and three bays, is now numbered 75 and 77
Market Street, two thirds of the accommodation
occupied by an estate agent and the remainder
by a fishmonger. This division probably reflects The former Conyers shop, now an optician,
that between Conyers and the shoemaker, the Driffield, Yorks. Conyers Gunmaker’, corner of the Swine Market
larger portion being the gun shop.
Conyers succeeded James Wakefield Day,
a gunsmith at 10 Swine Market in 1846-47.
In 1843 Day was a witness in the prosecution
of Richard Butterfield, a labourer of Hutton
Cranswick, for the theft of ‘one double-barrelled
gun of the value of five pounds and one powder
flask of the value of one shilling’ from John
Catton the younger . Presumably he was called
upon to identify a gun he had sold or repaired. Pocklington today: the original Conyers shop on the left; the later shop on the corner, right.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 67

66_ArthurCredland.indd 67 22/04/2015 14:01

 A DYNASTY OF GUNMAKERS
The guilty party was sentenced to six months
in the House of Correction ‘and kept to hard
labour’.
From c.1872 the Conyers’ address is given
as Market Street, but without the numbers it is
impossible to know when the shop moved over
to the opposite side of the road to what was
originally number 20 Swine Market. A Robert
Conyers is listed at the same address in 1870.
Gunmaking ceased there about 1905.
This property also survives and is now the
‘Market Cafe’, 72 Market Street. A photograph
from the end of the 19th century shows a
painted wooden sign ‘Conyers/Gunmaker’ over
the shop window.
Francis’ brother John Conyers, a gunmaker,
born in Hull (b.1837and died after 1901), is
recorded in the 1881 census at Driffield, aged 44
and married to Emma, 43, born at Pocklington.
In trade directories he is recorded as John Henry
Conyers at Middle Street, Driffield, in 1872 but
otherwise simply as John Conyers.
John Conyers was at 71 Middle Street,
Driffield, from c.1870. This property still
survives and is currently occupied by an
optician. An alley between it and number 70,
New Market Building built in 1886, leads into a
yard at the back.
In the directories for 1905, John Conyers
& Son are recorded at 71 Middle Street,
Driffield, as well as Market Place, Pocklington
and Blandford, Dorset. This shows that all
three businesses were trading simultaneously, as
indicated by some surviving 16-bore cartridges
labelled ‘THE Champion Cartridge LOADED
BY CONYERS & SONS, GUNMAKERS,
Militaria
THE
NETWORK
A militaria community for dealers,
collectors and re-enactors!
Visit us to browse dealers, list on our
classified ads page or search for that
special item you’ve been looking for.
Check out our new re-enactors section!
www.themilitarianetwork.co.uk
BRITISH ARMY INSIGNIA
Most comprehensive range of current
British Army Insignia from 50’s to the
present day, including over 450 cloth
TRFs and Formation Signs and over
150 obsolete anodised cap badges
www.british-military-badges.co.uk
Plus Officer Metal and Embroidered
Cap badges. Guards RSM ranks,
Wings and most WO’s Arm badges.
MIKE LAPWORTH
mike.lapworth@gmail.com
26 Southdown Road, Bristol, BS9 3NL
68 Armourer Issue 129
66_ArthurCredland.indd 68
DRIFFIELD, POCKLINGTON AND in business at 59 East Street (recorded 1889-95),
BLANDFORD’. then also at number 67 as a cycle dealers shop.
Harry Conyers, a gunmaker’s apprentice, son Francis King, gunmaker and Armourer to the
of John and Emma, was also born at Pocklington 8th Dorset Rifle Volunteers was at an address
and was aged 19 in 1881. The shop in 71 Middle in East Street, c.1872-85, and it is likely that
Street, South Driffield is under his name from Conyers took over this shop.
1909 to 1913 and evidently closed at the outset
of World War I, leaving only the Blandford
business in operation.
Arthur Conyers, a younger son
aged 17 in 1881, and also a
gunmaker’s apprentice, was born
at Guildford, Surrey . The Conyers Miniature
are absent from the Yorkshire cannon made
trade directories c.1860-70, the by Francis
family residing in the south of Conyers
England, but returning north
sometime before 1871. The
father was apparently working
in a Guildford gunmaker’s shop,
maybe as a manager. This would have Conyers ‘Champion’ cartridge showing Driffield,
been with either James Adsett (active c.1839- Pocklington and Blandford addresses
66) or Richard Jeffery (active c.1850-66) .
Interestingly a Richard Jeffery was at Poole,
Dorset, 1850-66 and a Robert Jeffery both at
Poole (1847-55) and at Lymington, Hampshire
(1858-67). Even earlier a Robert Jeffery
was at Tadcaster in Yorkshire, 1817-20,
indicating the probable origins in the north
of this gunmaking family. A William Jeffery
& Son was at Plymouth (1849-69) and at
Dorchester in 1866. William Jackman Jeffery
(d.1909), founder of the London firm, makers
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
of ‘best guns’ may be of the same stock.
My thanks to Nick and Sue Conyers for
Arthur Conyers (1863-1951) moved to
their help with the writing of this article.
Blandford Forum in Dorset in 1889. Beginning
BYGONE DAYS HISTORICAL GROUP KEN TROTMAN LTD
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Telephone ANGELA-07782222790 / ANN-07704061922 Fax: +44 (0) 1480 384651
Visit us at www.kentrotman.com
email: enquiries@kentrotman.com
22/04/2015 14:01

WATFORD
Arms, Militaria
& Medal Fair
10.00 am - 2.00 pm
on
Sunday 3rd May
at
THE BUSHEY ARENA
London Road, Bushey,
Hertfordshire,
WD23 3AA
Tables from £30
Future date: Sunday 28th June
For further information
please call:
SOVEREIGN ARMS FAIRS
Tel: 01438 811657
or 01923 448903
www.sovereignfairs.com
Email:
SovereignFairs@aol.com
p69_ARMMayJun15.indd 69
MILITARIA
COLLECTORS
SWAP SHOP & FAIR
To be held at
BRECON TOWN INDOOR
MARKET HALL
SUNDAY 31st May
10.00am - 2.00pm
The aim of this fair is not only to attract the
commerical militaria dealer, but to give the
collector with surplus items to sell or exchange
the opportunity of having his own affordable
stall for the day. Do you have any military
medals, books, badges, buttons, bayonets,
swords, helmets, uniforms, maps, prints etc
that you may have been left and wish to move
on or just get valued? Don’t be afraid, give it a
try, someone is here to help. Share a pitch with
a friend or just have a day out.
Future dates: 16th Aug, and 6th Dec
Tables
Full size pitch-10ft/12ft...£30
Entrance fees
Adults... £1-no concessions • Children... 50p
Serious collector preview 9am-9.50am... £3
For further information please contact
Roy: 01639 722479 / Jon: 01874 658342
Many thanks to those who attended the last event.
One of the most heroic battles of all time, the
battle of Rorke’s Drift (1879) is commemorated
in the South Wales Museum at Brecon Barracks.
At Rorke’s Drift 140 soldiers of the regiment
faced more than 4,000 Zulu warriors.
DCM
British & Imperial orders,
decorations & medals
www.dcmmedals.com
DCM Medals is a new
internet site which aims
to offer an interesting
selection of British and
Imperial medals, orders
and decorations.
We are always interested in
buying or exchanging medals.
What have you got to sell?
Phone Mark on:
07793 707324
German WW1 and WW2
Militaria at sensible prices.
All items guaranteed original,
layaway scheme available.
Similar items always wanted.
+44 (0)7831 178007
PO BOX 75, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7WF
steve@pastgloriesmilitaria.com
www.pastgloriesmilitaria.com
BRITISH MILITARY
BADGES
All types from Waterloo to today’s
amalgamations. Shako Plates,
Glengarries, Cap, Police, Gurkha etc.
Send SAE for extensive list to
Manufacturer and Supplier.
P. Green
35 Old Silk Mill, Brook Street,
Tring HP23 5EF
Email: P_R_Green@hotmail.com
Bexley Medals
& Militaria
Based in Bexley, Kent. We buy & sell all
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 28th June
Militaria Fair Dates for 2015
May NONE, 19th July, 23rd August,
27th September, 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
Contact Rick on 01322 523531 for more details
or visit www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 69
21/04/2015 11:07
 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.

Collecting World of Militaria Essentials!

CAMPAIGN COMING
New Text here......

by Chris Pollendine VOLUME 2

SOON!
CAMPAIGN 1915

Volume two of
Uniforms & Equipment of the British Servicemen in the First World War

a five volume
series covering the
uniforms, equipment
and personal effects
Volume 2

of the British soldier

We are a leading British War Medal dealership during The First
based in the heart of London. World War. A hand

We specialise in British and World Orders, Decorations picked selection of

by Chris Pollendine

and Medals and carry an extensive range of general often exceedingly

militaria from both Great Britain and around the world.
rare items have

www.london-medals.co.uk been studio

photographed in
020 7836 8877
the finest detail.
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 Due for release March 2015. RRP £49.99

Military Mode Publishing

01462 817 093 • PO Box 130, Hitchin, Herts. SG5. UK.
info@militarymodepublishing.com • www.militarymodepublishing.com

70
Campaign96x130v2.indd 1 04/02/2015 11:21

p70x_ARMMayJun15.indd 70 23/04/2015 09:28

 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 Websites Or Make An Appointment To Visit Our Shop
Medals always wanted Unit One, Walnut Tree Farm, Silver Street, Besthorpe,
Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 2LF • Tel: 01953 454744
Tel: 01942 671 980
www.grahamcurriemilitaria.co.uk • www.bcmilitarytreasures.co.uk
E-mail: sales@billfriarmedals.co.uk

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
28 / LXI ................................................................................... 64
AMORINI ANTIQUES CENTRE............................................... 49
ANDREAS THIES AUCTIONS ................................................ 65

OFFICERS COLOURS
ANDREW BOTTOMLEY ......................................................... 91
ANDREW TAYLOR .................................................................. 70
ANTIQUE ARM & MILITARIA EXHIBITION ............................. 62
ARMS & ARMOUR UK ............................................................ 4
ASBRIDGE PROMOTIONS / ST GEORGE'S HALL................ 27
BANGOR FAIR........................................................................ 40
BEXLEY MEDALS AND MILITARIA ........................................ 69
BILL FRIAR MEDALS ............................................................. 71
BLUNDERBUSS ..................................................................... 70
BOB SIMS MILITARIA ............................................................ 64

DEALING IN MEDALS OF DISTINCTION AND

BOSLEYS ....................................................................... 26 & 92
BOSTOCK MILITARIA ............................................................ 62
BRECON FAIR ........................................................................ 69
MILITARIA FOR THE DISCERNING COLLECTOR
BRIGHTWELLS ...................................................................... 51
BROMSGROVE MILITARIA FAIR ............................................ 37
BULLDOG MILITARIA ............................................................. 62
BYGONE DAYS HISTORIAL GROUP ..................................... 68 Specialists in British & Commonwealth decorations and campaign
C&T AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS .......................................... 21
CAIRNCROSS & SONS .......................................................... 62 medals as well as varied selection of Foreign medals and Militaria
CHELMSFORD MILITARIA FAIR............................................. 11
CHISWICK AUCTIONS........................................................... 49
CORNWALL MVT ................................................................... 37
DAVID DOUGLAS MILITARIA FAIRS .............................. 48 & 51
DBG MILITARIA ...................................................................... 64 E-mail: paulread1944@gmail.com Mobile: 07867 805032
web-site: www.officerscolours.com
DROP ZONE ........................................................................... 40
EPIC MILITARIA LIMITED ....................................................... 11
G N MILITARIA ....................................................................... 40
GHQ MILITARIA FAIRS ........................................................... 37
GRAHAM CURRIE MILITARIA ................................................ 71
HERITAGE CASE COMPANY ................................................. 40
IAN STRACHAN ..................................................................... 21
IRISH MILITARIA FAIR ............................................................ 48
JAGER MEDALS & MILITARIA ............................................... 62
JAMIE CROSS........................................................................ 36
JEREMY TENNISWOOD ........................................................ 41

Phoenix Militaria
KEN TROTMAN ...................................................................... 68
KIRK EMMERICH ................................................................... 31
KLAUS BUTCHEK .......................................................... 44 & 45
LAIDLAW AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS .................................. 31
LEON'S MILITARIA ................................................................. 20
LOCKDALES .......................................................................... 41
M & T MILITARIA .................................................................... 50
MARK CARTER MILITARIA & MEDAL FAIRS ......................... 48
MARLOWS MILITARY AUCTIONS ......................................... 26
MATHEWS MILITARIA .................................................... 40 & 64
MIKE LAPWORTH .................................................................. 68

Militaria bought & sold

MILITARY ANTIQUES ............................................................. 51
MILITARY MODE LIMITED ..................................................... 70
MILITARY ODYSSEY LIMITED ............................................... 50
MILITARY TOUR ..................................................................... 50
MINDEN MILITARIA ................................................................ 57
MJR SUPPLIES ...................................................................... 57
MORTON & EDEN LTD ........................................................... 27
MR MORRIS ........................................................................... 62
MR R BROUGH ...................................................................... 61

www.phoenixmilitaria.net
NORFOLK FAIRS.................................................................... 41
NORTHERN ARMS FAIRS ...................................................... 20
OFFICERS COLOURS ............................................................ 71
PAST GLORIES MILITARIA..................................................... 69
PETER DUCKERS .................................................................. 69
PETER GREEN ....................................................................... 69
PETER NICHOLS CABINET MAKERS ................................... 62
PHILIP BURMAN .................................................................... 64
PHOENIX MILITARIA .............................................................. 71
PLATOON ................................................................................. 6
PRESTON ARMS FAIR ........................................................... 68
Q & C MILITARIA .................................................................... 64
REGIMENTALS ....................................................................... 10

Rare German Items for sale

RICHARD A UNDERWOOD.................................................... 61
RICHARD PANASUIK ............................................................. 71
S B MILITARIA ........................................................................ 61
SARACEN EXPORTS (J PRICE) ............................................. 31
SCOTMINT LTD ...................................................................... 61
SHOOT & SCOOT .................................................................. 57 General Karl Von
SHOOTERS RIGHTS ASSOCIATION ..................................... 75 Karl Von Eberstein
SOLDIER OF FORTUNE ........................................................... 2
SOVEREIGN FAIRS ................................................................ 69 Eberstein totenkopf ring
STEPHEN WHEELER ............................................................. 57 Gold Party Badge With authentication
STOCKPORT ARMS & MILITARIA FAIR ................................. 75 Needs Restoring £2,000
TERRY ABRAMS .................................................................... 30 documentation
THE AIRBORNE BAYONET MAN ........................................... 40
THE HOMEFRONT COLLECTION.......................................... 36 POA
THE LANES ARMOURY ......................................................... 64 Generals great
THE LONDON MEDAL COMPANY......................................... 70
THE MEDAL CENTRE ............................................................ 50 leather coat
THE MILITARIA DEALERS ...................................................... 40
THE MILITARIA NETWORK .................................................... 68 Size 44 £1,000
THE OLD BRIGADE ................................................................ 15
THE TANK MUSEUM LTD ...................................................... 75
THE WAR STORE ................................................................... 69 Very rare original
THE WITTMANN OFFERING .................................................. 64
TIGER COLLECTABLES ......................................................... 40
TIME MILITARIA ..................................................................... 62
totenkopf ring box
TREASURE BUNKER ............................................................. 33 £2,000
WARE MILITARIA AUCTIONS ................................................ 15
WARTIME IN THE VALE ......................................................... 75
WATERLOO MILITARIA .......................................................... 48 Call Richard for more information on
Cigar case
07956 635084
WEST STREET ANTIQUES..................................................... 49
WILFRIED DRYGALA.............................................................. 30
WOLVERLEY MILITARIA FAIR ................................................ 30 £250
WW2 MILITARIA ..................................................................... 21

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 71

p71x_ARMMayJun15.indd 71 23/04/2015 09:56

 Reviews
A look at some of the latest military titles
WIN ME
British
Armoured
Formations
The Tank Factory: British Military Vehicle WIN ME 1939 - 1945
A Bibliography
Development and The Chobham Establishment
Hardback
By William Suttie Published March
336 pages,
2015, £17.99 Paperback Original, ISBN
32 colour
9780750961226
illustrations
The Tank Factory Groundbreaking research, inventions and RRP: £36.00
designs that sought to ensure the British Army would never ISBN: 978-0-9930228-0-7
be underprotected or outgunned again.
Published by: Tank Factory
Despite being the inventor of the tank and responsible for
campaign-winning tactics, by the start of the Second World War www.tankfactory.co.uk
the United Kingdom had fallen behind other nations in the design
and development of armoured vehicles. Described as a future classic in its field,
Looking at both the decisions and the failures that led to that this ‘comprehensive and ground breaking’
state of affairs, this is the complete history of tank design from a bibliography provides a listing for each
government research and development perspective. armoured regiment, brigade and division,
William Suttie uncovers the formation of the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development and includes not only the standard
Establishment at Chertsey. It was known as the ‘Tank Factory’. histories of each unit but also their private
• A history of the Chobham establishment that sought to ensure the United Kingdom became regimental publications. For the first time
world-leading in military vehicle research and design. the memoirs and biographies of veterans
• Drawing on unpublished sources and photographs. are listed under each relevant unit. This
• Including first-hand insights from those who worked there. bibliography also includes a summary of
William Suttie worked as a scientist for the UK Ministry of Defence for over thirty years, each unit’s journals and newspapers and
mainly working on military vehicle research and technology. He started work at the Military has a colour illustration section showing
Vehicles and Engineering Estalishment in 1978 and worked there until it closed in 2002. Since some of the rarer titles.
then he has undertaken a number of research and advisory roles with-in the MOD in the An uncommon feature praised by
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. readers to date is the Notes section which
accompanies each book’s entry. These notes
provide guidance on the presence of awards
WIN and honours lists, rolls of honour, print run
History Press have given us 3 copies of The Tank Factory by William Suttie to giveaway. numbers where established, guidance on
All you need to do is visit www.bit.ly/thehistorypress and answer the simple question. the quantity of content relevant to WWII,
Competition closes 30th June 2015. and précis commentary of the book’s
Good Luck! contents or veteran’s service.
The book is available directly from the
author and can be ordered online at www.
‘KAJAKI. The True Story’ tankfactory.co.uk. Further details about
OUT ON DVD, BLU-RAY,VOD & EST the book are on the website and for any
questions please contact the author at
ON 1ST JUNE, 2015 sales@tankfactory.co.uk
Running Time: 108 mins
Certificate: 15
WIN
Pukka Films is delighted to announce that the were both nominated for Outstanding Debut The Author has kindly give us a copy of
BAFTA nominated gritty thriller KAJAKI. for KAJAKI at this year’s BAFTAs. British Armoured Formations 1939 - 1945
The True Story will be released on DVD and The stand-out British cast is led by David A Bibliography to giveaway simply visit
Blu-Ray by Spirit Entertainment on 1st June Elliot as Corporal Mark Wright, with Mark
2015, with digital and television rights being Stanley, Scott Kyle, Benjamin O’Mahony, Bryan
managed by The Movie Partnership. Parry, Liam Ainsworth, Andy Gibbins, John tragic consequences, for leader Corporal Mark
Paul Katis commented: “We are all Doughty, Paul Luebke, Thomas Davison, Grant Wright and his comrades, who risked their own
fantastically excited to be releasing KAJAKI on DVD. Kilburn, Robert Mitchell, Jon Paul Bell, Malachi lives to help each other.
We had such a brilliant response from everyone when Kirby and Ali Cook. A portion of the profits from the film’s release
we released in cinemas and we are hugely proud to It opened in November 2014 to endorsements are benefitting equally four military charities
have struck a chord with the British public with such from Afghanistan veterans for its authenticity, and – Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion,
an important story. With American military titles glowing praise from UK press. Walking With the Wounded and The Hashemite
coming onto the market we are really pleased that our The film depicts an incident involving a group Commission for Disabled Soldiers.
film can join the military based stories that are in of soldiers, mostly from the British Army’s 3rd Pre-Order Links:
circulation and can represent the British contribution Battalion, The Parachute Regiment [3 Para], • iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/
to contemporary campaigns”. stationed at the Kajaki Dam in Afghanistan in kajaki-the-true-story/id964451408
KAJAKI. The True Story is an acclaimed 2006. After one member of a three man patrol • Amazon DVD - http://www.amazon.
war thriller, recounting an inspiring but detonated a land mine, blowing off his leg, his co.uk/K ajaki-DVD-Mark-Stanley/dp/
shocking episode in recent British war history. fellow soldiers rushed to his rescue, only to find B00T6DN7PW
The film is directed by Paul Katis and written themselves trapped in an unmarked minefield, • Amazon Blu-Ray - http://www.amazon.
by Tom Williams, with Gareth Ellis-Unwin a relic of the Russian invasion of the 1980s, co.uk/Kajaki-Blu-ray-Mark-Stanley/dp/
of Bedlam (BAFTA and Academy Award® knowing that any movement in and out risked B00T6LQHB0
winner for The King’s Speech) serving as one certain injury and possible death. •www.facebook.com/Kajakimovie
of the Executive Producers. Producers are Out of this harrowing day came extraordinary •twitter.com/kajakimovie
Paul Katis and Andrew de Lotbinière who tales of bravery, selflessness and heroism, but also •www.kajakimovie.com

72 Armourer Issue 129

72_Books.indd 72 23/04/2015 11:24

 Gallipoli – 25 April 1916 to
9 January 1916
WIN ME
Major General Julian Thompson CB OBE
Dr Peter Pedersen
Dr Haluk Oral
Published by Andre Deutsch
£30

If any single action shows how ‘cheap’ life

was a century ago, it is Gallipoli.
Many consider this action a ‘balls-up’ from
start to finish, and the man behind much
of the inept decision-making was Winston
Churchill.
Gallipoli is on the European side of the
Dardanelles Strait, one of the narrow gaps
that separates the Mediterranean from the
Black Sea – Europe from Asia.
At the start of the First World War, the
Entente countries, Britain, France and
Russia wanted Turkey to join them, but after
Churchill requisitioned (read ‘nicked’) two
Turkish battleships that were being fitted-out
in Britain, the angry Turks joined the Central like that today? Despite the intense fighting delivery, with accessible tranches of text,
Powers – Germany and Austria-Hungary. and shelling, it was disease and infection that make this an fascinating and enlightening
The Dardanelles were strategically killed many thousands of soldiers. read. Recommended.
important, allowing the Russian Fleet access This tome is more than just a book, John Sootheran
to the Mediterranean, while control of them it’s an in-depth reference work, featuring
would limit Turkey’s effectiveness in the war. pockets that contain copies of original maps,
Ultimately, Churchill ignored good advice documents and even cigarette cards of the WIN
and research and ordered first a naval attack period. Carlton Books have given us 5 of Gallipoli by
and then reinforced it with a military ground Each part of the disastrous offensive is Professor Haluk Oral, Dr Peter Pedersen and
offensive. What many thought would be reported and analysed in a balanced way, Major General Julian Thompson CB OBE to
a ‘smash-and-grab’ action, turned into a and, though it makes somewhat grim reading, giveaway. To enter visit www.collectors-club-
gruelling eight-month offensive, at the end the sheer scale of the action and the many of-great-britain.co.uk/Competitions/The-
of which 58,000 Entente soldiers and sailors acts of heroism make it a compelling work. Armourer-Book-Competition/_cm640 ) and
were dead, and not a yard of ground had been Quite complex situations are explained in answer the simple question.
gained. Can you even imagine something a very readable way and the picture/caption Closing date 30th June, Good Luck!

Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing has established itself as a publishing house with a wide base
of military titles ranging in time-scale from the earliest times to the present
day. It offers books on weapons, campaigns, battles and uniforms, each within
its own series. The time we offer five of the many new titles on offer. They
are all very readable, good sources of information, illustrated in colour and
inexpensive, making them widely accessible to historians, re-enactors and
collectors.
From the ‘Weapon’ series: Mauser Military Rifles by Neil Grant.
The German soldier’s firearm from 1871 until the 1950s. PRP £12.99
From the ‘Combat’ series: Chindit versus Japanese Infantryman by
Jon Diamond. Orde Wingate’s men slog it out with the crack Japanese
18th Division in split-screen artwork. Comparisons of arms,
uniform and tactics can be made at a glance. RRP £11.99
From the ‘Men-at-Arms’ series: Armies of the Russo-
Polish War 1919 - 21 by Nigel Thomas PhD. This book
looks in detail at the forces engaged in the bloody post-war
struggle for what would become modern Poland. RRP £9.99
Two from the ‘Warrior’ series: British Paratrooper
1940-45 by Rebecca Skinner. The story of the formation,
development and combat performance of Britain’s airborne
infantry from Operation Biting to Operation Market
Garden. Apache Warrior 1860-86 by Robert N. Watt
concentrates on the Chiricahua Apache, and shows how
they became the US Army’s most feared opponents in New
Mexico and Arizona. RRP £11.99 each.

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 73

72_Books.indd 73 23/04/2015 11:24

 Flight Gear 1942-1945
By Mathieu Bianchi
Histoire & Collections
Hardback, 176 pages, £34.95
ISBN 978 2 35250 302 6
The publishers of this book point out that
it has been designed as a guide to the flight
clothing and equipment issued to American
airman in Europe from August 1942 (the
first bombing mission over France) to May
1945. Hundreds of period photographs and
hundreds of detailed pictures of surviving
artefacts are included for the first time,
introducing the reader to the evolution of
this equipment, from the early use of British
items, to local modifications, up to the latest
technical breakthroughs. In their use of the
word 'guide' the publishers have, in my opinion,
done themselves down. For this magnificent
book is most certainly no guide, but instead
probably the most comprehensive (as far as the
illustrations are concerned anyway) reference to
the subject possible to produce.
Let's look first at the subjects covered. Under
the heading of 'Headwear and Equipment' we
find: flight caps, flying helmets, goggles, oxygen
masks and radio equipment. 'Flying Clothing
next where we find: winter flight suits, summer
flight suits, electrically heated flying clothing,
flight jackets, anti-G suits, gloves, boots and
shoes. For 'Protection and Survival' the author
deals with parachutes, life jackets, portable
oxygen bottles, flak jackets, body armour,
survival equipment, individual weapons,
escape and other equipment. He then goes on
to cover: navigation instruments, flight bags,
medals, unofficial awards, good luck charms
and prisoners of war. To end with, a most
useful glossary of terms and index.
Marching to the Sound of Gunfire -
North-West Europe 1944-45
By Patrick Delaforce
Pen & Sword Books
Hardback, 218 pages, £19.99
ISBN 978 1 78346 264 3
This is another very readable book from an
author well known to students of the Second
World War. Patrick Delaforce on this occasion
treating us to page-after-page of soldier stories
drawn from those eleven months of bitter
fighting between D-Day and VE Day. The
stories are short—a page to half page usually—
but each one carefully chosen so as to grip the
reader. These, of course, are tales
of life and death. Sad stories
often, but here too—we are
dealing with the British soldier
after all—is humour. Courage
seems to have been the order of
the day. You may not want to put
this book down, but it is a very
'dip into' volume. Dip into at
random and you may well come
across Sergeant Reg Romain
of the 5th Wiltshires who
remembers 'We were digging in
on our objective when a flurry
of mortar bombs came down
amongst us. I dived into what I
74 Armourer Issue 129
72_Books.indd 74
Thanks to hundreds of period photographs
from the US National Archives and as many
from the author's collection, the purchaser of
this volume will not be disappointed. Take the
headdress section for example. In eighteen
pages, Mathieu Bianchi treats us to some
seventy well produced photographs in which
he illustrates; not just the items themselves, but
close up shots of interiors—linings, makers'
labels, etc. Another twenty-five images in this
section show, in period photographs, the items
being worn. Other chapters are comparable.
A personal joy for me to see, among the
navigational instrument section, was what
I now know to be, a 'Type A-11' navigation
watch. A cherished possession of a post-war
boy growing up in London, possibly before he
had learnt to tell the time. I wish I had it now.
This is a fantastic book.
Ray Westlake
thought was a disused German slit trench—it
was a latrine hole. I came out quicker than I
went in—smelling and fighting mad.' Martin
Lidsay of the 1/5th Gordons welcomed a party
of surrendering enemy led by their officers, but
one member of the 1st Worcesters would never
forget how a German machine gun cut down
and killed two stretcher bearers armed only with
a stretched and a Red Cross flag. They were
tending a wounded man at the time. Geoffrey
Picot tells of how the 1st Hampshsires were
'....still a superbly efficient fighting machine...'
having lost 231 killed (twice that of most
battalions) and some 1050 wounded. We hear
of how Private J Stokes (2nd KSLI) won his
Victoria Cross, how the Sherwood Rangers spent
Christmas day at Schinnen, how
the 1st Suffolk Regiment liberated
Weert, of 'Potato Picking' (the
art of searching for mines with a
bayonet while flat on you stomach)
and the hell of Hill 112—Private
D O'Connell remembering how
'Every blade of grass seemed to
be targeted by German shells and
bullets....the attacks coming day
and night...Edgar Allan Poe could
not have described the hell on
those slopes....' This superb book is
illustrated and has a useful three-
page index.
Ray Westlake
Memoirs of a Rifleman Scout
By Major F M Crum
Frontline Books
Hardback, 350 pages, £25.00
ISBN 978 1 848327559
Frederick Maurice
Crum (1879-
1952) was born
into a Scottish
family that had
made its money
supplying dyes to
Glasgow's rapidly
expanding
textile industry.
But, after an
Eton College
education, he
decided not to
join the family
business, but
instead embark
on a military career. Passing
out at Sandhurst then taking a commission
in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in
the Second Boer War as part of his battalion's
Mounted Infantry company. The young
lieutenant soon in action at Talana Hill on
20 October where he was wounded and later
captured by a Boer patrol. 'I realized', wrote
Crum, 'that in the first steeplechase of war, I
had come down at the first fence.' Released,
he would go on to take part in counter-
insurgency operations, but ill-health would
force sick leave in January 1902.
After peacetime service in India the legacy
of his several injuries forced retirement from
the army. His wide experiences then taking
him on to the Boy Scout movement within
which he founded the 7th Troop at Stirling,
Scotland in 1909. Upon the outbreak of war
in 1914 he rejoined his old regiment and
being posted to the newly raised 8th Battalion
went on to served on the Western Front until
1919. His speciality being in trench sniping.
Made up from his extensive diaries and
letter to friends and family, Memoirs of a
Rifleman Scout provides a comprehensive
account of the development of First World
War sniping in the British Army. It was
through the work of expert marksmen like
Major Crum that the initial dominance of
the Germans in this type of fighting was
eventually overcome. 'It was in Sanctuary
Wood in July that I first made my debut as
a sniper', notes the author, his subsequent
determination to take on the enemy then
dominating No Man's Land in the Ypres
Salient during 1915 later urging him on
to become one of the founding fathers of
British sniping. The formation of a sniper
section within his own battalion first, then an
important role dedicated to the introduction
of training methods throughout the army.
This important book was first published
in 1950 and survives in this edition as a
fascinating incite into war service: eighty-
eight pages being dedicated to South Africa,
117 to the First World War. The rest tells
of life within the Boy Scout movement and
the daily experiences of what was surely a
wonderful man.
Ray Westlake
23/04/2015 11:25
 STOCKPORT
THE WORLD’S BEST DISPLAY OF MOVING ARMOUR

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p75_ARMMayJun15.indd 75 22/04/2015 14:41

 TANK MUSEUM
Behind the Scenes
at the Tank Museum
A Most Interesting Visit, by John Norris
T
he Tank Museum at Bovington in
Dorset is pre-eminent among military
museums for its modern style and
interactive displays. It enjoys an enviable
reputation for its restoration and conservation
programmes to preserve armoured fighting
vehicles, AFVs, many of which have been
in battle for real. At present its collection
of vehicles stands at around 300 from 26
countries as far apart as Brazil and China.
Many of these vehicles are serviceable and
can be driven under their own power and the
remainder form the basis of displays in the
main central building.
The numbers of visitors to the Tank
Museum is staggering: in 2014 more than
172,000 people from around the world visited
the collection, and that is only part of the story.
The museum tells the history of the tank from
the earliest days as a concept and brings the
story right up to date with stories from Iraq
and Afghanistan. As can be expected, it takes
a lot of hard work to keep such a collection in
good condition and apart from its permanent
staff the museum can count on the assistance
of around 150 volunteers, of which around 50
are regular supporters.
Of course, what visitors see during their trip
to the museum is the finished result of many
thousands of hours of work which has gone
into restoring the vehicles. There is a whole
other side to the museum which few people
get to see and these are the maintenance crews
which keep the demonstration fleet in working
order for special events, such as the annual
The PzKpw IV of
which over 8,500 of all
types were produced
76 Armourer Issue 129
76_JohnNorrisTankShow.indd 76
Tankfest Show. Enthusiasts of armoured
warfare are keen to learn about this side of
things, and to meet this interest the museum
has organised a series of visits which look at
this work which goes on behind the scenes.
These special visits are called ‘Access All
Areas’ and are guided tours around the
workshops, archive library, storage facilities
and a conducted tour of the main display. The
highlight is being allowed to enter one of the
tanks in the collection and take up position as a
member of the vehicle’s crew. These visits used
to be organised five times a year, but interest
was so great that the museum now arranges six
of these tours. These tours are popular and The
Armourer was recently privileged to be invited
along to join one to see what it was all about.
Each group has a maximum of 16 guests so
one never feels ‘crowded out’ and the escorting
guide can be heard clearly. Guides are highly
knowledgeable in the history of tank warfare
and many are actually ex-servicemen. Indeed,
the guide during our visit was a former Royal
Engineer who explained things concisely and
informatively.
Access All Areas tours begin early at 8.45
a.m., more than an hour before the museum
opens to the general public. As it is a small group
it is very informal and, of course, everybody
has a like-minded interest in military history
and especially armoured warfare. Once we
were all gathered there was a short introduction
to welcome us to the museum and then we were
off to look at parts that are normally sealed off
to visitors.
Our first stop was at the archive centre,
where thousands of books on tanks are stored for
reference not only by the staff, but also members
of the public who may be conducting research
into either a tank battle or a particular design of
vehicle. This part of the museum can be accessed
through written application and files and other
documents may be requested for viewing. The
files are brought to a table in the reading room
where they may be studied. Some individual
records of former servicemen are also stored here
and these too can be seen for family research,
which is now very popular. Paper documents
stored here in a controlled environment range
from small postcards sent home by servicemen
to large blueprint plans with the technical
specifications of historical vehicles. Again, there
are many thousands of such items here and space
is a premium. However, any donation made to
the museum is never refused if it has a direct
connection with armoured warfare.
Our guide then escorted us through a series
of doors to show the storeroom where textiles
are kept for any exhibition and the items
here include uniforms, badges, headdress and
divisional pennants and flags. Through more
fire-proof doors and we were taken into the
storeroom where weapons are kept. All weapons
held in the museum’s collection are legally
deactivated from pistols all the way through
to heavy machine guns and larger items such
as anti-tank guns. This part of the museum’s
collection is a treat for military enthusiasts who
collect weapons because it holds some rarities
from around the world.
Interior of an FV432 APC being serviced
Our group makes its way past
tanks in one of the garage buildings
22/04/2015 14:29

German PzKw II which was
used in the campaigns in Poland and France
When this part of the tour had concluded,
we were taken to the main building where our
guide began a brief history of the development
of the tank by introducing us to the first
working model of the concept known as ‘Little
Willie’ from 1915. Our guide explained how
the tank was developed by Britain in order
to break the deadlock of trench warfare by
crushing the barbed wire entanglements and
the machine gun positions. Standing by a Mk
II he elaborated on the role of the tank and
explained what conditions were like inside such
a vehicle.
The presentation continued with an
explanation of tank development between the
wars and how Germany was able to produce
tanks despite the restrictions of the 1919 Treaty
of Versailles. Standing by each tank in turn
the guide explained its capabilities, merits and
failings. Suddenly we were alongside the pride
of the Tank Museum, the only functioning
Tiger 1 tank in the world. There are other
examples in museums, but this is the only one
capable of being driven, and over the past
few years has become the star attraction of
the Tankfest Show where it puts on a mobility
demonstration. Our guide explained how Tiger
131 came to be captured which is a remarkable
story involving one of the luckiest shots of the
war.
Other German designs were examined and
the designs of tank the Allies put up against
them, including the range of specialist vehicles
developed for the Normandy Landings as part
of the 79th Armoured Division. This part of
Forward vision was very limited
Inside the turret
of the PzKpw IV
76_JohnNorrisTankShow.indd 77
The Panther which
proved a fearsome opponent
the tour concluded with a look at some of the
designs which entered service just as the war
was coming to a close; these served for many
years and were used in conflicts such as the
Korean War. Then it was into the main hall and
the opportunity to get inside a tank.
We had no idea which vehicle we were to be
allowed inside and with so many to choose from
we could not even begin to guess. Our guide
took us to stand by a German SdKfz 161, better
known as the Panzerkampfwagen IV, fitted with
a long 75mm gun, and told us that this was our
vehicle. It was unlocked and stepladders were
brought over. Five at a time we were allowed
to enter the vehicle and take up the places of
the crew. For my experience I chose to sit in
the driver’s position at the front left-hand side.
Access was through a small hatch and I lowered
myself onto the seat which was an original item
and very battered. The hatch was left open, but
even so the position was very cramped with
restricted room to move my arms other than to
drive the vehicle. Vision in any direction was
very limited and the driver would have had to
rely on instructions from the commander. In
other crew positions in the turret and fighting
compartment where the gun was, space was
also very cramped. If all the hatches had been
closed it would have been a very different
experience. As it was, it was a truly memorable
experience and one could only feel sorry for
any crew who were trapped in the vehicle if it
caught fire.
After such an experience we were all imbued
with a different opinion of tanks and respect
The Royal Tank
Regiment memorial at the museum,
showing the crew of a Comet tank
TANK MUSEUM
Centurion tank which entered service just too late to
see action in WWII
for the men who served in them. We were then
taken over to the workshop and garage facilities
where some of the vehicles used during the
Tankfest and Tiger Day events are stored.
The maintenance workshops are like the most
exclusive garage in the world where mechanics
service some of the rarest and most exclusive
vehicles in the world. There is a workforce of
around nine mechanics, some of which have
served in the military, and they are supported by
volunteers. Between them they keep the tanks
in working order for mobility displays. On the
day of our visit they were working on several
vehicles, including a Matilda Mk II which was
having its engine overhauled.
Other vehicles were being worked on in
another building and had this been a civilian
garage the bill for a service with parts and
labour would have been massive. Some of the
group had previously attended Tankfest and
watched the vehicles being put through their
paces in the arena; now we appreciated all
the hard work which went into making such
displays possible. Next it was into the Vehicle
Conservation Centre where yet more vehicles
are stored. Some have not been driven in years
while others regularly participate in Tankfest
and other special events. From the largest
down to some of the smallest, dozens of tanks
are stored here.
The vehicles stored in the VCC facility are all
maintained to prevent rust and checked for any
deterioration. It takes time to restore a tank and
it could be years before some of these are in a
condition to go on display. The Tank Museum
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 77
22/04/2015 14:30
 ■ Infantry regiments ■ Bayonets ■ Medal collecting ■ Auction news ■ Book reviews ■ Diary dates

ARMOURER
the
■ Infantry regiments ■ Bayonets ■ Medal collecting ■ Auction news ■ Book reviews ■ Diary dates

ARMOURER
the

militaria magazine May/June 2015 Price £3.95 www.armourer.co.uk militaria magazine March/April 2015 Price £3.95 www.armourer.co.uk

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ISSUE 129 May/June 2015

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p78_ARMMayJun15.indd 78 22/04/2015 14:56

 TANK MUSEUM

receives vehicles from all over the world and

new arrivals have to be checked for all manner
of material, including toxic or hazardous
substances such as asbestos. If anything toxic
is found, then a specialist company has to be
called in to deal with it. This garage space
where tanks are parked is constantly busy as
volunteers and maintenance staff service the
vehicles. Paint is stripped away, rust is treated
and dust removed by vacuum cleaners. If more
radical treatment is required, such as sand
blasting, then the vehicle is taken outside.
After a walk through the maze of vehicles
our guide escorted us back to the main building
where we parted company with him. Before
he departed he told us we were welcome to
wander around the museum in our own time
to complete the day’s visit. The time had flown
by and looking at my watch I saw we had been
on the move with Access All Areas for over four
hours. The tour is excellent value for money
and can be enjoyed by young and old alike and Some of the original dials and controls at the
even the ladies like the visit too. There is full PzKpw IV’s driver’s position
access for wheelchairs and the pace of the tour
is unhurried, although guides do have to keep Sand blasting before renovation begins
to a timetable.
Places for Access All Areas tours fill up
quickly and for availability it is recommended
to check the website at: www.tankmuseum.org.
Full details of times of opening and dates of
special events such as Tankfest and Tiger Day
are also listed. Booking an Access All Areas tour
would make an ideal present for an enthusiast’s
birthday or as a special treat for someone
who is fascinated by the history of tanks. The
Tank Museum also produces an electronic
newsletter which can be subscribed to online
and which keeps one up to date with all the
latest developments at the museum. It’s free and
certainly comes in very handy.
The Armourer would like to extend its sincere
thanks to all the staff at the Tank Museum for
inviting us to take the tour and also for their
hospitality.

The entrance to the British Mk II which saw

Tank Museum service in France in WWI and bears the battle scars Inside the PzKpw IV with very cramped conditions

Little Willie which started it all off

The breech and gun sight of

the PzKpw IV’s 75mm gun

One of the
conservation
workers
keeping
British Matilda II undergoing vehicles in
a service in the workshop order

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 79

76_JohnNorrisTankShow.indd 79 22/04/2015 14:31

 News and Views
By Ken Rimell
THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK 75 YEARS ON
F
rom 27 May to 4 June 1940 over 340,000
troops from the British Expeditionary
Force (BEF), were evacuated from the
beaches at Dunkirk by the Royal Navy and a
flotilla of some 700 ‘little ships’ commandeered
by the Royal Navy, in what was to become ‘The
Miracle of Dunkirk’ during the darkest few
days of WWII.
Operation Dynamo echoed the days when
sailors were press-ganged into service with
the Royal Navy, but this time it was the ships
they enlisted. Among the vessels pressed into
service was Tug Challenge, a Thames handling
tug built in 1931, which made three trips to
Dunkirk, firstly towing out smaller vessels with
only enough fuel for a return journey, and
hauling back damaged ships to Dover. Allied
troops stranded on the French beaches looked
in vain for help from the RAF, but during those
few days of epic struggle 177 RAF aircraft were
shot down by the Germans.
Tug Challenge, the last surviving example
of a large purpose-built Thames ship
handling tug, is now part of the Dunkirk Little
Ships Restoration Trust. She’s berthed at
Southampton where a small team of dedicated
enthusiasts keep her looking as good as ever.
Her wartime history is exemplary: having seen
service at Dunkirk she also helped place the
famous metal and concrete Maunsell Forts in
the Thames Estuary in the early days of WWII.
Named after their designer Guy Maunsell, the
forts had a crew of 120 men and were heavily
armed to protect the Thames and Mersey
Estuaries against sea or air attack.
D-Day Mulberry Stone in danger!
I O
n the weeks leading up to D-Day in 1944,
50 huge floating concrete caissons, each
weighing 11,000 tons, were towed into
position and sunk off the beach at Pagham in
West Sussex. Sinking these massive structures
was to hide them from any prying enemy
aircraft which may work out that they were
to form two large floating harbours on the
Normandy beaches.
Of the 50, only 48 could be raised, leaving
two that are still visible from the shoreline at
Pagham, about half a mile out to sea at low tide.
In May 1994, to mark the 50th anniversary of
this historic achievement, the author arranged
for a granite stone (donated by the Environment
Agency), to be placed at a vantage point
overlooking the distant structures, and a metal
plaque was attached with a brief history about
the Mulberry project. A service of dedication
took place and the stone was dedicated by Revd
John Maynard (Vicar of Pagham at the time).
The event was attended by several members
from the local Military Vehicle Trust, with their
vehicles, and a few veterans who had assisted
in the towing of these structures to France on
6 June 1944.
However, recent storms and high tides along
the southern coast of England have caused
serious beach erosion, particularly in Pagham,
and several beach properties are now in danger
80 Armourer Issue 129
80_News & Views.indd 80
We welcome letters and feedback on articles and subjects of interest to
collectors. Please post to: News and Views, Armourer, Warners Group
Publications plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH
or email: armourer@warnersgroup.co.uk
Tug Challenge also became a TID Tug
(Tug Invasion Deployment), during D-Day
when, four years after Dunkirk, she helped tow
Mulberry Harbour sections to France on the
night of 6 June.
I went along to see Tug Challenge and was
shown around her by one of the dedicated
team, David Kerr, who told me that the team
are now working hard to have the ship ready
for the pilgrimage back to Dunkirk on 4 June
to mark the 75th anniversary of the famous
strategic withdrawal from France. They will
be among some 60 or so other surviving ‘Little
Ships’ which will also make the journey.
Another surviving memory of Dunkirk is
the 1938 Austin K2 which now serves as an
Information vehicle for the London to Brighton
Pioneer Motorcycle Run. From within it hot tea
and sandwiches were served to hungry soldiers on
the quayside at Dover during May and June 1940.
of slipping into the sea, as is the historic
Mulberry Stone. Remedial work by contractors
to save the properties also included pushing the
Mulberry Stone to a safer location and shoring
up the concrete platform on which it sat and
this was completed early on the morning of
27 February. A programme to tackle the beach
erosion is now in hand by various agencies
and it’s hoped that the Mulberry Stone’s new
position will be permanent as a result of their
efforts.
Mulberry Stone with tributes
Tug Challenge at her
Southampton moorings
Tug Challenge helping to place a Maunsell
Fort into place in the Thames Estuary
VE Day 75th Anniversary
n 7 May 1945 the war in Europe
ended, the declaration of surrender
by the Germans was signed by
Reichspresident Karl Dönitz (of U-boat
fame), and General Eisenhower at the Allied
HQ in Reims. For political reasons the actual
and official day for ending hostilities in
Europe was set a day later on 8 May.
Towns, cities and hamlets in Europe
rejoiced that war was finally over. In the United
Kingdom church bells rang and in London
and other major UK cities celebrations got
under way when the public in their thousands
were in party mood for the first time in many
years. But not everyone was celebrating
that spring day, for in over 300,000 homes
in the United Kingdom thoughts turned to
those who were not coming home and who
had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Perhaps any
celebrations of war’s end were also dulled for
those whose houses had been destroyed by
bombing or by Hitler’s terror weapons, the
V1 and V2.
According to statistics the losses encountered
by the main warring nations were: Germany
4,200,000, France 600,000, the USA 400,000
and the United Kingdom 388,000. By far the
highest number of casualties was experienced
by the Soviet Union where the total figure
stands at 20,000,000. China lost 10,000,000
22/04/2015 14:07
 RIVERSIDE MEMORIAL TO AN ARMY MASCOT
I
f you take a stroll along the banks of the
beautiful River Arl in Hampshire you might
be surprised to find a stone tablet marking
the grave of an Army mascot accidentally killed
in May 1944. The inscription on the stone reads:
‘Here lies Hambone Junior Faithful Friend of the
47th Infantry Regiment 9th Division US Army
May 1944’. The original wooden memorial was
replaced with a concrete one funded by the people
of Alresford in Hampshire, from which the river
gets its name. The story of this little mongrel’s end
was tragic, and those now-few people still living in
the village of Alresford who remember the dog do
so with fond memories.
How it all happened and the legacy that followed
is a story I have been working on for years, since the
first time I first spotted the grave way back
in 1990. Hambone, a local village
stray, took his name from Private
Karl Hambone, the American
soldier who befriended him,
and the dog became the soldier’s
constant companion. The dog
was well fed and it is said he even
slept on the floor by his new friend’s
bed. The villagers of Alresford were
at first somewhat bemused to see a
dog driving an American truck, only
later to discover that the US military
vehicles were left-hand drive and the dog was in
fact sitting up comfortably on the passenger seat
with his paws firmly on the vehicle’s dashboard.
The 47th Infantry Regiment, known as The
Raiders, had arrived in the Hampshire village in
November 1943 as the countdown to D-Day got
under way, and had a large campsite not far from
the renowned local watercress beds. Local shops
did a roaring trade providing fresh goods while
the Americans made sure that a regular supply
Celebrating VE Day with a cup of tea
(my thanks to Jacqui at Four Teas Havant)
and Poland 5,800,000. All nations put together
give a tally of 48,231,700 by war’s end in
August 1945.
Among those paying the highest price in a
single organisation were the men from RAF
Bomber Command who, in taking part in
392,137 sorties, dropping 955,000 tons of
bombs and sowing 48,000 mines, lost 12,300
aircraft which took the lives of 55,573 aircrew,
and that does not include the great number lost
while training.
Now that the war was over, the United
Kingdom time to re-adjust. Those lucky enough
80_News & Views.indd 81
of items, that hitherto had been either rationed or
just not obtainable during wartime, were slipped
surreptitiously into the eager English recipients’
hands.
The Raiders had a creditable history: they
were formed at Fort Bragg Carolina in 1940 and
took part in the North African campaign in 1942,
helping the Allies to claim victory there in late
August 1943. By the autumn of 1943 they had
arrived in England and found themselves in this
delightful Hampshire village on a special mission –
only a few of them party
to its purpose. They
were training and often
could be seen see them out in
the country lanes route marching, while singing
their typical American marching .It’s said that
some of the renditions made the younger ladies
blush, while their elders just shrugged it off in good
humour.
With just days before embarkation to France
for D-Day the enlisted dog and now company
mascot was accidentally run over by one of the
American trucks and killed. The loss of Hambone
Junior in late May was to bode ill for the 47th.
Information of the dog’s death soon reached the
to survive returned to their daily jobs, some
held open from the outbreak of war, and life
slowly returned to normal, but rationing was
still in force and continued for a further few
years. The ‘make do and mend’ philosophy
of the average UK resident saw them through
until rationing was lifted.
When celebrating this year’s 75th
anniversary of VE Day, spare a thought
for those who didn’t survive and remember
those immortal words ‘For your tomorrow we
gave our today’ often quoted at our annual
Remembrance Day ceremonies.
ears of the officer commanding the 47th at his
HQ in the main street in Alresford. Major General
Manton S. Eddy, knowing many of his troops
were superstitious, ordered a secret burial for the
dog to keep it quiet. Hambone’s handler, Karl
Hambone, was ordered to carry out the grim task
at midnight. One of the dog’s regular haunts was
the river bank along the Arl, where he would sit for
hours peering into the water which teemed with
fish and wildlife. This was to be his final resting
place. A deep hole was dug and his body, draped
in the Stars and Stripes, was carefully lowered. A
short farewell blessing was given by Karl and the
hole was filled. A day later a small wooden cross
made by his handler was placed by the grave and
the lone soldier walked sadly back to his billet.
With their mascot now missing questions were
asked as to his whereabouts by the troops but all
Karl Hambone could say was that he may have
been claimed by his original owner or he may
be down by the river bank. With the tension of
something big ahead for the Americans a new dog
was quickly enlisted, but it wasn’t the same, and
the troops were concerned as to Hambone Junior’s
whereabouts. They were used to the animal always
being there and it’s said that search parties went
out looking for him, but obviously to no avail.
D-Day on 6 June arrived and the 47th
were mobilised to move to Southampton for
embarkation to France. They left on 10 June,
landing on Utah beach, scene of bloody fighting
by the US forces days earlier. Their march inland
was to pass a huge number of their dead comrades
who had suffered on the beaches, neatly laid out
for burial. Undaunted they moved on and by 14
June they were soon in the thick of battle, blocking
a German escape from the Cotentin Peninsula.
They quickly moved on to liberate Cherbourg on
the 28 June. They forced their way to the Ardennes
and in the bitter winter fought right through to the
Rhineland and war’s end, but all at a terrible cost.
It’s estimated that nearly 5,000of the men who
once enjoyed the quiet of a lovely English village
perished in the following months. Perhaps the
death of Hambone Junior was a bad omen.
With the war over a steady stream of US veterans
revisited Alresford but with the passing years that
number has now diminished. Occasionally a
younger relative of one of the veterans visits, and
it was one of these who made sure that Hambone
Junior’s name was added to the United States of
America War Dogs Association listings, with the
animal’s epitaph ‘unlike so many others at least
he’s buried in home soil’ on their register.
I have done extensive research to see if Private
Karl Hambone survived the war but so far have
drawn a blank. His name is not listed among the
thousands of US troops who now rest in France,
nor does it appear on any of the UK sites that
contain American war dead so one must presume
that he survived. If he did I would like to think
that Karl Hambone did return to the UK to pay
homage to his pal at some stage. As for Hambone
Junior, resting in such a tranquil place, where the
gushing water flows along the River Arl and the
wind whistles in the trees, may he rest in peace ...
his duty duly done.
Each year on the anniversary of Hambone
Junior’s death villagers lay tributes by his grave
and hold a silent two-minute vigil. Long may this
continue for this very special pal of the US Army
in wartime, which was made welcome by the
people of Hampshire.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 81
22/04/2015 14:07
 Falklands War 33 years on
I
n the run up to Easter 1982 I found myself on
standby for what I was told was to be a massive
operation regarding the Falkland Islands. I
was already aware that we were at war with the
Argentineans over the sovereignty of the island,
and things looked pretty serious between our two
nations. At that time I was a senior photographer
on my local daily newspaper and as I had RAF
photographic experience I was allocated the job
of taking pictures of our departing Task Force
(Task Force 317). Arriving at Goodwood Airfield
east of Chichester, the nearest civilian airfield to
the centre of operations, just after sun up I met
with my pilot John Gratten for a short briefing.
John’s flying experience was well known to me;
he was ex-RAF where he had flown Javelins and,
now retired, was CFI (Chief Flying Instructor)
at the flying school at Goodwood. I was in
experienced hands as we had previously done
many photographic sorties together.
This was long before mobile phones came
along we so sat by the flying school’s landline to
await a call from my news desk to take off, but as
time ticked slowly by for takeoff so the weather
worsened and at one stage it became unlikely
that we would be able to fly. While my pilot was
happy to fly in almost any conditions we were
well aware that other aircraft from other media New Museum of Falklands Ships for Falmouth?

T
organisations would also be in the area, not least he National Maritime Trust is bidding the Thames, has 300,000 visitors a year),
Royal Navy helicopters, so the possibility of a to save HMS Edinburgh, a Type 42 but would also save a more modern fleet
mid-air collision might be likely. The weather destroyer, among other Royal Navy of classic warships for future generations
cleared but only slightly when the call to take ships that took part in the Falklands campaign to enjoy.
off came. We were directed by Air Traffic at 33 years ago. A new charity, headed by Tory To complement this gathering of ships,
Goodwood to liaise with the Royal Navy MP David Campbell-Bannerman, hopes to it’s hoped, will be HMS Conqueror, the
operational at RNAS Lee on Solent – HMS save a number of vessels for a huge museum nuclear submarine that sank the Argentines’
Daedalus – as we climbed into the sky and set a in Falmouth. Among the ships will be the Belgrano during the conflict, and which
course for Portsmouth, a few minutes flying time Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, is currently moored at Plymouth Naval
away. Arriving over Portsmouth Harbour we currently with the Indian Navy and due to be Dockyard awaiting an uncertain future. The
could already see a number of aircraft jockeying paid off by them next year. plan is to house this unique collection of
for position as the first of our Task Force, HMS A huge number of Royal Navy ships with a ships in a special Falklands Museum built on
Hermes, her deck lined with Sea Harriers edged post-WWII historic pedigree were sent to the the site, and the whole project, should it get
her way through the Portsmouth Narrows. scrap yard, one of which was the Falklands the go-ahead, should be ready in time for the
Behind her came the recently commissioned veteran HMS Plymouth, lost forever when 35th anniversary of the conflict in 2017.
HMS Invincible: she too had her deck packed she was sold to the Turkish Government to In my opinion this will be a very valuable
with aircraft. Both ships were escorted by a huge be scrapped. asset to the nation and if the various
flotilla of small vessels, their crews all waving as Saving these important ships for a organisations involved with the project
the two carriers and other Royal Navy warships collection would not only create a huge can actually pull it off it will receive my
destined for the South Atlantic slowly made tourist attraction (HMS Belfast, moored on wholehearted support.
for the open sea. We joined the flying mêlée,
cautious and aware of so many aircraft all in
the same small area at the same time. I started
taking my pictures as and when my pilot was
able to position me correctly. But both fixed wing
and rotary aircraft were all going in different
directions with little control from Air Traffic
at Daedalus. However, in spite of the chaos all
seemed to be going well until directly in front
of our aircraft up popped a small helicopter, its
pilot oblivious to our presence while its occupant
leaned out holding a large TV camera while
filming. Luckily I was firmly holding both my
cameras as my pilot pulled sharply away to avoid
collision. We then suggested to Daedalus that a
rota system of a right-hand circuit for fixed-wing
aircraft at no lower than 500 feet, and rotaries
to remain below that level. The message, on our
suggestion, soon came from control and some
sort of normality prevailed for the duration of
the Task Force’s departure. I’m pleased to report
that the same conditions were in place for the
departure and return of the commercial ships
supporting the Task Force from Southampton
soon afterwards.

82 Armourer Issue 129

80_News & Views.indd 82 22/04/2015 14:09

 Lancashire Fusiliers
who would win six VCs
in one morning

Main display area of the ‘Myth and Memory’ Exhibition.

Gallipoli Centenary Show

Exhibition
By John Norris
Repor t
T
he Armourer magazine is contacted comprehensive collection of artefacts showing means there is plenty of time to visit the display,
by many museums to pass on news an aspect of WWI which is often overlooked. full details of which can be found on the website
of new exhibitions which will be of The Royal Navy supported the landings with at: www.nmrn.org.uk
interest to readers. The most recent was news bombardments, losing a number of ships in the The Royal Navy has created a fitting tribute
of the new Gallipoli exhibition at the National process, including HMS Goliath, and the assault to the fighting men of all nations and a timely
Museum of the Royal Navy to mark the from the converted ship River Clyde was a sad reminder of what was happening in other
centenary of the operation in 1915. The new episode of the campaign. theatres of the global war. This was not a
exhibition, called ‘Myth and Memory’, opened The ANZACs entered history here and sideshow as the numbers of troops involved
at the Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth in although it was hoped that the landings would proves. Over 500,000 Allies fought at Gallipoli
Hampshire on Saturday 28 March, in readiness prove useful, they were ultimately to fail. Many and the Turks and their German allies were
to commemorate the first wave of landings on fine regiments fought during the campaign, forced to deploy over 300,000 troops to fight
the peninsula in April 1915, and already it has including the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers them. The action involved many new innovative
attracted a great deal of interest. who won an incredible six Victoria Crosses ‘… objects of warfare, such as aircraft carriers and
As well as British troops, the Allied landings at before breakfast… ’, and they are remembered landing craft, all of which can be learned about
Gallipoli involved Australian and New Zealand in this display. This regiment alone suffered 700 in this thrilling exhibition.
troops (the ANZACs) along with French troops, casualties when it landed on ‘W’ Beach on 25
whose task it was to draw Turkish forces away April. The poet Rupert Brooke died en route to
from threatening Russia so that the Russian Gallipoli, having contracted blood poisoning
Black Sea Fleet could sail into warmer after being bitten by a mosquito. He is
waters. It was the first large- remembered in the display along with the
scale amphibious assault in 26,000 British dead and countless
modern warfare, and was thousands wounded during the
supported by warships and fighting, which lasted almost
aircraft. The preparation, nine months.
purpose and outcome When it was finally realised
of the campaign are all that the Allies could not
explained in this new succeed it was decided to Ben My Chree (Manx for Woman of My Heart)
exhibition which contains withdraw the troops in survived the campaign but was sunk by Turkish
rare items, photographs, an evacuation which was artillery in January 1917
artefacts and first-hand masterfully planned. The
accounts. reputations of a number of A British ‘ten bob note’ as issued to the troops
Some of the exhibits leading figures, including
have never been on Winston Churchill, were
display before, such as the severely damaged by the
model of HMS Swiftsure failure of the campaign.
and the periscope of The troops were
submarine E11, which withdrawn in January
was damaged during an 1916 and it is no coincidence
engagement with a Turkish that this exhibition runs
gunboat. A captured until that date, so that the
Turkish machine gun and entire period of the Gallipoli
items of uniform present a British tunic as worn centenary is covered. This
during the campaign

For more of the latest news, visit our website at www.armourer.co.uk

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 83

83_Gallipoli.indd 83 23/04/2015 10:14

 PAGE TURNER
Tank Factory
Exhibition Opens at the
Tank Museum in Bovington
by John Norris
The production line display.
T
he Tank Museum at Bovington in
Dorset is internationally recognised as
the traditional home of the tank. The
collection is without equal and the calendar
of special events attracts visitors from around
the world. This is not a museum which stands
still, however; new items are being added to the
displays all the time and new exhibitions are
being created. The latest exhibition is called
‘Tank Factory’ –it opened on Thursday 26
March and The Armourer was invited along
for the ceremony.
84 Armourer Issue 129
84_JohnShow.indd 84
This new exhibition tells another part of
the story of the tank but from a different
perspective. The role of the tank on the
battlefield is already covered profusely, but this
new display tells how the tanks were built by
a civilian force largely made up of women.
After a few words of introduction from David
Willey, the museum curator, HRH The Duke
of Kent officially declared the exhibition open.
The honours of the actual opening ceremony,
however, fell to Mavis Jones, who had worked in
a tank factory during the war making Churchill
Recreated engineer’s office in Tank Factory.
Show Repor t
tanks. The Duke of Kent served for 20 years
with the Royal Scots Greys and was posted to a
number of deployment areas.
During the war factories across Britain
produced a range of different tank designs and
built many thousands. For example, during
1942 factories built over 8,600 tanks and
many other types of AFVs. More than 5,300
Crusader tanks were built and some 1,600
Churchills, to name just two types. To counter
the fall in the factory labour force due to men
joining the armed forces women entered the
workplace. Building tanks is the top end of
heavy industry and women proved they were
capable of the task.
It is rather fitting that the new exhibition has
been created in a part of the museum complex
which was once part of a tank factory. The new
display is entered through a section which has
been laid out to resemble the drawing room
with blueprints of tank specifications and
wooden models which visitors are encouraged
to handle. In one corner is a desk with filing
cabinets, representing the countless offices
which would have been in tank factories across
the country. Photographs with accompanying
captions explain this part and the technical
drawings show the complexity of the tank.
From here one moves through an entrance
to be confronted by a row of three Centurion
tanks to resemble a post-war production line.
Former workers who had assembled later
designs of tank were among the guests and
some of their stories are used in the display. A
large gantry with a crane has been erected from
22/04/2015 14:11

The technical drawing
office for tank design.
The sectionalised turret
of the T-55.
which is suspended a life-size fibreglass replica
of a turret for a Centurion tank. It is ready for
fitting to the chassis of a real tank and the effect
is most dramatic. The suspended turret is most
realistic and gives a perspective of scale. Special
flooring has been laid to resemble that of a tank
factory and a worker’s locker is put to good use
as a display cabinet.
Moving along the various stages one comes
to information points which use the stories of
workers to explain the conditions. It is a fully
interactive display and monitors play archive
newsreel film showing wartime tank production.
This is a story of civilians who served on the
Home Front but supported the fighting man
with their output. Looking at the archive films
the conditions are a world away from the health
and safety-conscious conditions in factories
today. The hours were long and tiring in a
noise-filled atmosphere which was exhausting.
By way of example, it took around 2,000 hours
to build a Matilda Mk II A 12 tank using all the
components on the production line.
New viewing gantries have been built to allow
the exhibits to be seen from an elevated point
and to examine up close some of the vehicles
such as the Soviet T-55. This vehicle has had its
turret sectionalised to show the thickness of the
84_JohnShow.indd 85
➞
Centurion
tank assembled
complete.
➞
Sectionalised
Ferret Scout
Car.
➞
Left-hand
side of the
interior of the
Centurion,
showing the
gunner. Note
the thickness
of armour
painted red.
Welder showing one aspect Mavis Jones opening the Tank Factory exhibition.
of tank construction. David Willey centre and HRH Duke of Kent right.
armour. A manikin shows how welders replaced which is displayed a crew-member’s view of
the role of riveters as designs improved and the things. Orders are given and the on-screen gun
older types of tank were taken out of service. fires. Looking to one’s left there is the gunner’s
Personal items such as overalls for work show position with him hunched over the breech of
just how ordinary things could be. the gun, with empty shell cases. To the right
The production line of Centurions forms there is the commander and driver which
the central theme of the display and visitors shows what very little room there was inside
make their way round this, stopping at such a vehicle.
information points to learn about the guns The Tank Museum has created another
and the ammunition of tanks. Ferret scout fascinating exhibition which will add an
cars in various stages of production line the additional 45 minutes to one’s visit. This new
wall and one has been sectionalised to show display is innovative and moves the story of the
its levels of armour protection. Display cases tank forward. Tank Factory is about civilians
show how sometimes things went wrong, such and if one has ever seen the 1943 film Millions
as the 2-Pounder barrel of a tank which burst Like Us, which depicts women working in the
on firing. The end has been folded back and factories, this is how it was. The individual
resembles a banana being peeled. stories of those who worked in the factories, like
Towards the end of the exhibition one comes Mavis Jones, make for interesting reading. The
across the Centurion tank which has been cut display is permanent and full details, along with
in half lengthways. This is other special events at the Tank Museum, can
actually quite an old exhibit in be found at the website: www.tankmuseum.org
the museum’s display but this We would like to extend our sincere thanks to
new exhibition makes full use the Tank Museum and all the staff for inviting
of it for the first time and to us along to the opening and making our visit
good effect. Visitors stand so enjoyable.
between the two halves, as
though inside the tank, and
face an interactive screen on
Barrel of a 2-pounder gun which burst on firing.
Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 85
22/04/2015 14:12
 Ask
Ask the
theArmourer
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
129-1
I wonder if anyone can help me, I have
a 1907 patt bayonet that was made
in 1917 at the Rifle Factory Ishapore,
India,and on the pommel it has P G 141
stamped, I have seen that the PG could
be the Pushpati Guards based on medal
abbreviations for the Indian Army, but
have been unable to find any reference to
them, who they are or what they did, or if
there are any other ideas ?
R. Polton
129-2
I have recently purchased a very old bugle,
made by Henry Potter & Co, 30 Charing
Cross, London, below this inscription is
another as follows: “C&M 1886”. Yet
another inscription, above the main makers
name inscription is:
ECR
WD
Could the letters: “ECR' be an abbreviation
for a regiment? Perhaps our Readership
could enlighten me, yet again.
M Hall
86 Armourer Issue 129
86_Ask.indd 86
129-3
Shown is a French ceramic memorial plaque
to a soldier killed on 28th September 1914.
It is a very attractive and colourful memorial
to Gaston Dausse, who was killed in action in
Lorraine on France’s eastern frontier early in
the war. Since all the illustrations were fired
into the porcelain plate, they retain their
original vivid colours.
The portrait of Dausse clearly shows him
wearing the collar badges of the 20th Infantry
Regt., but French archives record that he was
“killed by the enemy on the field of battle”
near Bernecourt, Department of Meurthe et
Moselle, serving with the 10th Company, 3rd
Battalion of the 80th Regiment of Infantry.
The French of course expected that the
German attack in 1914 would cross their
eastern frontier via Alsace and Lorraine, as
in 1870, and prepared accordingly. As is well-
known, however, the actual German attack in
that frontier region, though significant, was
something of a feint, while the main German offensive went through neutral Belgium (thus bringing
Britain into the war) and swinging towards Paris.
Jean-Gaston Dausse (to give him his full name) was born in November 1890 and was not quite
25 when he was killed; he came from Massels, a tiny hamlet in the southern province of Lot et
Garonne - a long way from Lorraine - and enlisted in the nearby town of Frespech. His death was
reported in French newspapers (like the Express du Midi) as late as October 1916 - so perhaps he
was originally returned as “missing”. I can find no trace in French records of an individual war
grave for him, though he is one of 13 local men named on the town memorial at Frespech and
was their earliest war casualty; perhaps the plaque shown is all that now remains as an individual
memorial recording his death.
I find information on the war activities of French regiments equally hard to find in any detail
and I don’t know what exactly the 3/80th were doing on 28th September 1914. They had heavy
casualties on 20th August 1914 and again on 23rd and 24th September but Dausse seems to
have been one of only 11 men killed on the 28th, though their commanding officer was seriously
wounded on the same day. The 80th eventually suffered over 2700 fatalities during the war.
When inspected, the back of the plaque revealed that it was made as a “plaque funeraire en
ceramique” by the famous Limoges factory - and perhaps cost quite a sum in its day. It stands to
reason that Limoges would not have produced these plaques in tiny numbers, but despite a long
search of the internet and other sources, I have not (to my surprise) been able to find another single
example of this type of Limoges memorial plaque.
If any reader has seen similar Limoges plaques or has information on them, I’d be pleased to
hear from them!
Peter Duckers
129-4
I am hoping that this recent acquisition will elicit the usual
superb response form the font of knowledge that is our
readership! Measuring: 3⅝"x2½", and set into a wooden
plinth, it is made of steel plate, with the Machine Gun
Corps insignia then attached with tiny nuts and bolts.
At the bottom of the plate, superbly painted to give a
3D effect, are the initials: J.H.D. Could this have been
affixed to a staff vehicle, perhaps, and are the initials of any
significance? What could they stand for? Any help, as always
would be greatly appreciated.
M Hall
23/04/2015 10:48

129-5
Trusting in the collective knowledge of
readers, I require information on the
following brooch/badge. It consists of a silk
pin back red and white cockade 50mm (2")
diameter, the gilded brass centre consists
of a crowned breast plate with a ‘£’ in
the centre. A top red and white enamelled
banner reads ‘EHRENMITGLIED’, below
the breast plate is the date 4.6.45 and a
banner ‘HOHENFRIEDBERG’.
I know that red and white are the
Hessian State colours and that the Hessian
Dragoons played a major part in the battle
of Hohenfriedberg in 1745, but what is the
significance of and who would have worn
this rather expensively produced badge?
Bob Payne
Once again I think I can provide some assistance
for your readers who submitted queries.
Philip Haythornthwaite
128-4
This badge represents the British royal arms
of the period from 1837 to 1902, and while
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Call 01778 392476 (quoting ref: ARM/CAAM/MAYJUN15)
or visit www.classic-arms-and-militaria.com
Offer is open to UK residents and closes on 30th July 2015
CAAM 188x50 Subs.indd 1
86_Ask.indd 87
Responses
128-2
I am sure that Polish eagle presented on the photo is one of the Polish
emblems used by the Polish community in the USA. Characteristic
for them is a crown on the eagles head. Coat of Arms on the Polish
eagle breast comes from the time of the Polish January Uprising in
1863. Poland was then under occupation of Austria, Germany
and Russia, and the insurrection broke out in the Russian
partition against the Tsar of Russia. On the coat of arms are
three emblems, from left: Polish eagle, Lithuanian “chase”
and Byelorussian Archangel (on the bottom). These emblems
together mean Triple Alliance under one crown. Eagle with
the coat of arms on his chest was, and is still used by the Polish
community in the USA. Owned by you eagle probably comes
from the years 1919 - 1945 and could be used both as an emblem
for hanging on the wall and badge on shako. Is there on the reverse
any wire for hanging or attaching this badge to shako?
The image shows a Polish Coat of Arms from 1865.
Andrzej Grazul
similar badges may have had a number of Army Order no.
purposes, a version was used as a pouch 80 of 1917,
badge by the Royal Horse Guards. A similar replacing
design with the current ‘Queen’s’ crown is the earlier
still used by the Household Cavalry. badge for
machine-
128-8 g u n n e r.
The design,
of which
there were
some variations,
was usually in buff
or light khaki embroidery on dark khaki
background. From 1921, although the
basic design remained the same, the badge
was re-titled as that for the light machine-
gunners. The image below is one of mine,
almost identical to that queried (but for the
size of the wreath).
The crowned ‘VR’ cypher of Queen
Victoria may have had a number of
purposes, such as that for a pouch, but it
is worth remarking that a gilt badge of this
design was carried on the sabretache of
officers wearing the uniform of Colonel on
the Staff; the 1900 Dress Regulations, for
example, note that the pattern was ‘sealed’
(i.e. authorised) on 11 May 1895.
128-5
The badge worn on the lower left sleeve
consists of the letters ‘LG’ in script, within
a wreath. This was the qualification insignia
for a lst Class Lewis Gunner, introduced by
Pay just £10
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or
st £23
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23/04/2015 10:48
 Collectors Corner
COLLECTORS CORNER is now free! There is no catch, you can sell, seek or swap absolutely free. Please send your completed form to:
The Armourer Collectors Corner, Warners Group Publications plc, The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH

TO PLACE A COLLECTORS ADVERT: Your advert must consist of no more than 50 words (including contact address and tel. number). Please write the copy
clearly on the form below and provide a contact telephone no. where you can be reached in case of any query. Warners Group Publications does not guarantee
the validity of any articles sold in this section - any transactions are carried out solely at the reader’s discretion.

FOR SALE
RAF HEAVY DON-R M/C COAT in very good
condition. £50 Buyer Collects. Tel: 01273
461501 W.Sussex
BRITISH WW2 DIRECT FIRE TELESCOPIC
SIGHT fits most cruiser tanks 1942 £35.
Israeli bayonet fits Uzi SMG, mint condition,
scarce, with scabbard £60.
Scout telescope MkII s with leather case
with shoulder strap. Fits in transit case
No.4T sniper rifle £75. Postage at cost.
Tel: 07971 223707
MILITARY RIFLES (BRITISH ARMY)
1. Brown Bess (copy) 1793;
2. Baker Rifle (copy);
3. Brunswick Rifle (Genuine);
4. Snider Rifle (Genuine);
5. Martini Henry (Genuine);
6. 1853 3 Band Enfield (copy)
7. Long Lee Enfield (Genuine).
BAYONETS 2. No. 9;
3. 1903;
4. 1872;
5. 1888 (x 2);
6. 1887
7. 2 x 1872 copies;
8. Brown Bess (copy);
9. Sword bayonet for Brunswick (copy)
Offers : Peter & Margaret Tompkins
Tel: 01908 370555 (Buckinghamshire)
WW2 GERMAN MOUNTAIN SOLDIERS ICE
PICK with movable ring with webbing, wrist
strap. Ring missing. This one is the longer
pick. Fine condition. Makers mark is current
champion. £100 plus p&p.
Tel: 01255 812148 Essex.
AIR COMPRESSOR 1.5 HP, 8 bar, 230 volt,
including spray gun set. Flexi hose. Air tools.
24ltr, £110. Tel: 01524 858511 Lancaster
LUGER S4Z BREN MK1 1940 Jungle Carbine
H + K P95 boxed with certs £2,300.
T: 077969 07485. 25 Fulbrook Rd, Spital,
Wirral CH63 9HT.
13 VOLUMES OF THE GREAT WAR The
History 1914-1918 edition by H W Wilson,
very good condition with colour prints.
Books being over 100 years old £175 plus
p&p. A real collectors item.
Also 6 Del Prado diecast military figures, still
boxed £28 plus p&p.
WANTED
BOER WAR MEDALS to Pte A Cotton 5th Irish
Lancers to complete family group also any
Lancer Shapka uniforms, swords, pistols,
carbines. Any Cavalry related items.
Tel: 01977 678671 Yorkshire.
ANY UNMADE OR MADE PLASTIC MODEL
KITS wanted, all types. Also diecast military
vehicles and models, military books, replica
and de-activated firearms etc.
Write to – 27a The Grove, Biggin Hill, Kent
TN16 3TA. Tel: 07973 885 754.
WANTED ANY INFORMATION ON METAL TOY
GUN of 1950’s that used rolled up strip of
newspaper instead of caps to make bang?
Does anyone have such or know of where
I can acquire such a gun for sentimental
reasons. Any information greatly received.
Tel: 07720 957411 N.Ireland
PLASTIC TOY SOLDIERS, Vikings, Knights,
cowboys, forts, castles from 1950 to 1970’s.
Britains plastic garden and folk. Timpo Trains.
Catalogues, adverts by Herald, Lone Star,
Charbons, Marx. Tel: 01455 286510 Leics.
WANTED TO COMPLETE 1871 Patt Steel/
Brass Helmet, the fluted plume holder, also
a plume, any 1871 type Helmet badge, plus
a brass chin strap, fair price paid. (Sadly at
present Helmet fitted with a spike and minus
the above pieces).
Tel: 01977 678671 Yorkshire
LOST
WW1 BRITISH WAR MEDAL AND WRIST
DOGTAG. Issued to: Driver John McBrearty
37704 3 DAC AIF misplaced early 1960s, part
of family set. Costs and reward.
Call collect 08 93433016
Perth, West Australia
✃

ARMOURER
the
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Please write the copy clearly on the form below and provide a contact telephone no. where you can be reached in case of any query.
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Photocopies will be accepted

88 Armourer Issue 129

88 Collectors corner.indd 88 21/04/2015 13:25

 ARMS FAIR & EVENTS DIARY
AUCTIONS 6 August Pudsey Civic Hall, Leeds LS28 5TA
5 & 6 May Marlow’s Military Auctions, Tel:01423 780759 or 07889 799896
C & T Auctioneers and Valuers NEW VENUE or www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk
The Spa Hotel, (York Suite) Mount Ephriam, Ravon Court, Drummond Road, Stafford ST16 3HJ 17 May
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8XJ T: 07789 628030 Wolverley Militaria Fairs
T: 01634 292042 E: info@marlowsauctions.co.uk Wolverley Memorial Hall
E: enquiries@candtauctions.co.uk W: www.marlowsauctions.co.uk Wolverley, nr. Kidderminster, DY11 5TN
W: www.candtauctions.co.uk 12 August T: 01562 851489
Brightwells M: 07816 853878
7 May Easters Court, Leominster, 23 May
Marlow’s Military Auctions Herefordshire HR6 0DE St Georges Hall, Lime St
NEW VENUE T: 01568 611122 Liverpool opp.Train Station,
Ravon Court, Drummond Road, W: www.brightwells.com Liverpool City Centre, L1 1JJ
Stafford ST16 3HJ E: Daniel.webb@brightwells.com T: 0151 259 6873 or 07932 844130
T: 07789 628030 24 May
E: info@marlowsauctions.co.uk MILITARY FAIRS GHQ Fairs
W: www.marlowsauctions.co.uk 3 May The Maltings, off Bridge Square, Farnham,
The Medal Centre Surrey GU9 7QR
16-17 May Wakefield Medal Fair, Outwood Memorial Hall, T: 07919 455799
Lockdales Victoria St, off Leeds Rd, Outwood, nr. Wakefield, W: www.ghq.uk.com
52 Barrack Sq, Martlesham Heath, I W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE 24 May
pswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RF T: 01434 609794 Thetford Militaria Fair
T: 01473 627110 M: 07950 421704 Breckland Leisure Centre, Croxton Rd,
E: sales@lockdales.com W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk Thetford, Norfolk IP24 1JD
9 June 3 May T: 07596 436260
Wallis & Wallis Sovereign Arms Fairs W: www.norfolkfairs.com
West Street Auction Galleries, Lewes, The Bushey Arena, London Rd, Bushey, Herts 25 May Bank Holiday Monday
Sussex BN7 2NJ WD23 3AA Preston Arms & Militaria Fair
T: 01273 480208 F: 01273 476562 T: 01438 811657 or 01923 448903 Park Hall Hotel, Charnock Richard,
E: auctions@wallisandwallis.org E: SovereignFairs@aol.com (via Charnock Richard Services
W: www.wallisandwallis.org W: www.sovereignfairs.com M6),Chorley, Nr Preston,
11-12 June 4 May Lancashire PR7 5LP
Morton and Eden SCOTCH CORNER ARMS, MEDAL & MILITARIA T: 01254 263260
Nash House, St George St, London W1S 2FQ FAIR M: 07884 284 390
T: +44 (0) 20 7493 5344 Holiday Inn Darlington, W: www.prestonarmsfair.co.uk
E: info@mortonandeden.com A1 Scotch Corner DL10 6NR 22-26 May
W: www.mortonandeden.com Tel:01423 780759 or 07889 799896 or Military Vehicle Trust Cornwall & 1940’s
14 June www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk Road Show
Northumberland County Auctions 9 May Ord Statter Pavilion, Mylor Bridge, Falmouth,
Ancroft Memorial Hall, Ancroft, Stockport Antique Arms, Armour, Medals & Cornwall TR11 5NH
Berwick upon Tweed TD15 2TL Militaria Fair T: 01872 863233
T: 07796 758974 Britannia Hotel, Dialstone Lane, Offerton, E: cmvt@yahoogroups.com
17 June Stockport SK2 6AG 31 May
Ware Militaria Auctions T: 0161 6246211/07966 276033 DBG Militaria
Hertford Heath Village Hall, London Rd, E: davidowensmcs@ymail.com Ashford Military Fair
Hertford Heath, Herts SG13 7RH W: www.stockportmilitaria.org Sellindge Village Hall, TN25 6JY
T: 01920 871383 10th May T: 07805 399132
M: 07747 860746 Arms & Armour UK E: dbgmilitaria@hotmail.co,uk
E: martin@wmauk.com The Bedford Militaria Fair, Stantonbury Campus, W: www.dbgmilitaria.co.uk
W: www.wmauk.com Milton Keynes, MK14 6BN 31st May
27 June T: 01832 274050 Militaria Collectors Swap Shop & Fair
TW Gaze Auctions E: info@arms-and-armour-uk.com Brecon Town Indoor Market Hall.
Diss Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, 10 May T: Roy 01639 722479 or Jon 01874 658342
Norfolk IP22 4LN Chatham Militaria Fair 7 June
T: 01379 650306 The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ The Medal Centre
30th June T: 07595 511981 Wakefield Medal Fair,
Chiswick Auctions E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk Outwood Memorial Hall,
1 Colville Rd, London W3 8BL W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com Victoria St, off Leeds Rd, Outwood, nr. Wakefield,
T: 020 8992 4442 16 May W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE
W: www.chiswickauctions.co.uk Militaria and Collectables Fairs T: 01434 609794
North Star Hotel, Amien St, Dublin 1 M: 07950 421704
1st July T: Mark 0861602228 or Eddie 0863410159 or W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk
Bosleys Military Auctioneers & Valuers Fran 0879615047 from the UK dial 00 353 then 7 June
The Old Royal Military College, Remnantz, number. Bromley Military Collectors Fair
Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2BS 17 May Civic Centre, Kentish Way, Bromley,
T: 01628 488188 Chelmsford Militaria Fair Kent BR1 3UH
E: sales@bosleys.co.uk Marconi Social Club, Beehive Lane, T: 0771 409 4009
Chelmsford, Essex 7 June
11-12 July T: 07595 511981 NEWARK ANTIQUE ARMS, MEDAL &
Lockdales E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk MILITARIA FAIR
52 Barrack Sq, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com Cedric Ford Pavilion,
Suffolk, IP5 3RF 17 May NEWARK Showground NG24 2NY
T: 01473 627110 GIANT LEEDS ANTIQUE ARMS, MEDAL & Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896
E: sales@lockdales.com MILITARIA FAIR www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook

Join us at www.armourer.co.uk 89

89_Events.indd 89 22/04/2015 14:16

 13 June T: 01753 534777 11-12 July
Bangor Collectors & Militaria Fairs E: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com Bygone Days Historical Group Ramsgate
1st Bangor Presbyterian Church Halls, Main St, W:http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/ Thanet at War, Government Acre, Royal
Bangor, N.Ireland (opp Asda) markcarter.htm Esplanade, Ramsgate, CT11 0EZ
E: cmartin123@btinternet.com 28 JUNE T: Angela 07782 222790 or Ann 07704 061922
14 June LIVERPOOL ANTIQUE ARMS, MEDAL & 12 July
Chatham Militaria Fair MILITARIA FAIR GIANT LEEDS ANTIQUE ARMS, MEDAL &
The Historic Dockyard Village Hotel, Whiston LIVERPOOL L35 1RZ MILITARIA FAIR
Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ Tel: 01423 780759 or 07889 799896 Pudsey Civic Hall, Leeds LS28 5TA
T: 07595 511981 www.northernarmsfairs.co.uk & on Facebook Tel:01423 780759 or 07889 799896 or www.
E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk 28 June northernarmsfairs.co.uk
W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com David Douglas Militaria Fairs 12 July
14 June The Community Centre, Bowburn Village, Chatham Militaria Fair
Mark Carter Militaria & Medal Fairs Durham DH65AT The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TZ
Woking Leisure Centre, Woking Park, T: 01668 215574 M: 07796 758974 T: 07595 511981
Kingfield Rd (A247) Woking, Surrey GU22 9BA E: david.douglas500@btinternet.com E: james@chathammilitariafairs.co.uk
T: 01753 534777 W: www.daviddouglasmilitariafairs.co.uk W:www.chathammilitariafairs.com
E: markgcarter@bulldoghome.com 28 June 19 July
W:http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/ Bexley Medals & Militaria Bexley Medals & Militaria
markcarter.htm Hildenborough Militaria Fair,Hildenborough Hildenborough Militaria Fair,Hildenborough
18-28 June Village Hall, Riding Lane, off the B245 Tonbridge Village Hall, Riding Lane, off the B245 Tonbridge
West Street Antiques Rd, Hildenborough, Kent TN11 9HY. 5mins by car Rd, Hildenborough, Kent TN11 9HY. 5mins by car
Waterloo, Wellington and the Napoleonic War from M25, jct 5. from M25, jct 5.
Exhibition at the Olympia International Art & T: 01322 523531 T: 01322 523531
Antique Fair, Stand 100. W: www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk W: www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 1306 883487 28th June
E: weststant@aol.com Sovereign Arms Fairs, the Bushey Arena EUROPE AND ABROAD
W: www.antiquearmsandarmour.com London Rd, Bushey, Herts WD23 3AA 28 April – 13th May
20 & 21 June T: 01438 811657 or 01923 448903 Hermann Historica
Ashdown WW2 Camp, E: SovereignFairs@aol.com Linprunstr.16, D-80335 Munich
Wartime in the Vale, Ashdown Farm, Badsey, W: www.sovereignfairs.com T: +49 89 54726490
Nr.Evesham, Worcs WR11 7EL 5 July E: contact@hermann-historica.com
T: Paul on 0779 159 1528 GHQ Fairs W:www.hermann-historica.com
W: www.ashdowncamp.webs.com The Maltings, off Bridge Square, Farnham,
20 June Surrey GU9 7QR 16 – 24 May
Militaria and Collectables Fairs T: 07919 455799 Klaus Butschek
Gorey, Co. Wexford W: www.ghq.uk.com Ratisbon’s, Hofmark 31, 94575 Windorf,
T: Mark 0861602228 or Eddie 0863410159 or 5 July Germany
Fran 0879615047 from the UK dial 00 353 then The Medal Centre, Wakefield Medal Fair, E: info@ratisbons.com
number. Outwood Memorial Hall, W: www.ratisbons.com
21 June Victoria St, off Leeds Rd, Outwood, nr. Wakefield,
The International Birmingham Arms Fair W.Yorkshire WF1 2NE
Antique Arms & Militaria Exhibitions, T: 01434 609794 M: 07950 421704 18 – 20 June
PO Box 194, Warwick CV34 5ZG W: www.themedalcentre.co.uk Thies & Johnson
T: 07710 274452 Steingaustrasse 18, D-73230 Kirchheim unter
W: www.birminghamarmsfair.com 5 July Teck Germany
27 & 28 June Bromsgrove Militaria, Medal and Arms T: +49 (0) 1 71/ 2662781
Tankfest, The Tank Museum Collectors Fair E: afthies@t-online.de
Bovington, Dorset BH20 6JG Spadesbourne Suite, W: www.andreas-thies.de
T: 01929 405096 (The Council House) Burcot Lane,
W: www.tankmuseum.org Bromsgrove B60 1AA
28 June T: 07980 608211 Highlight your entry for
Mark Carter Militaria & Medal Fairs E: fairs@RZMilitaria.com £30 plus VAT call Scott on
Yate Leisure Centre, Kennedy Way, Yate, W: www.RZMilitaria.com
nr. Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 4DQ 01778 395002

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militaria magazine January/February 2015

The Royal visit of 1911

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bevm@warnersgroup.co.uk • Tel: 01778 392055 Published every two months Territorials lining the
streets of South London
The Armourer

Annual subscription
ISSUE 127 January/February

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Dates, information and prices quoted are believed to be correct at time
of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. Neither the editor nor the publisher accept responsibility
2015

for any material submitted, whether photographic or otherwise. While we endeavour to ensure that firms and organisations mentioned are reputable, the editor can
give no guarantee that they will fulfil their obligations under all circumstances.Whilst every care has been taken to compile current valuations, the publishers cannot (6 issues): UK £23 PLUS Great War Russian Rifles

accept liability for loss, financial or otherwise, incurred by reliance placed on the information herein. Quoted prices are indicative and are for illustrative purposes
and Bayonets ■ Medals
of WWI ■ In my collection

only. Always seek expert advice with regard to valuations.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of
Eur £30 • ROW £35
the magazine are accurate but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements, the publishers
cannot accept any responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. They will however investigate any written complaints.

90 Armourer Issue 129

89_Events.indd 90 22/04/2015 14:16

 See our website: www.andrewbottomley.com

ANDREW BOTTOMLEY
ANTIQUE ARMS & ARMOUR
TELEPHONE: 01484 685234
MOBILE: 07770 398270
Email: asbottomley@yahoo.com

WANTED... A NTIQUE ARMS ARMOUR AND ASSOCIATED ITEMS

We have been dealing in antique weapons for 46 years and we have a long list of clients
who wish to buy any interesting weaponry. Please phone or email to discuss any object you
might be thinking of selling. Discretion assured. All transactions treated in strict confidence.

We are currently looking to purchase the following specific items for clients...
• Guns/pistols made in Maastricht • Spanish swept-hilt Rapiers
• Dutch flintlock pistols and Dutch wheel-lock rifles • Bronze
cannon barrels • Any flintlock or percussion pistols made in Berlin
or Dusseldorf • German pistols and rifles made by Tanner, Stormer,
Krause, Mantz, Drechsler • Weapons marked E.I.G. or E.I.C • All
cased pistols, especially cased duelling pistols • French military
weapons • German percussion rifles • Matching European breast
plate and back plates • Cased pair of flintlock & percussion pistols
• Knife pistols marked “Unwin and Rodgers” Sheffield • Silver
mounted Persian daggers • Any “Kerrs patent” revolvers, cased or
uncased • All revolvers in .577 calibre • Any fine quality Indian,
Turkish or Russian weapons • English marked revolvers by Le-Mat
• Any Miquelet or Snaphaunce pistols • All multi-shot pistols • All
Chinese weapons especially swords from the Boxer rebellion • Any
combination weapons especially sword-pistols • Early Scots dirks
• Scottish basket hilted swords • Double barrelled flintlock sporting
guns by Joseph Egg, John Manton • “Webley Longspur” revolvers
• All miniature arms • Any profusely decorated weapons especially
pistols inlaid with Gold or silver • 451 calibre rifles made by The
Whitworth Rifle Company • Brown- Bess musket with a 46 inch
barrel • Jade handled weapons • Native American items including
any quill work or beadwork items ie. head-dress, knife scabbards,
quivers, shields, moccasins • Scottish all steel flintlock pistols
• All Danish and Norwegian weapons • Any unusual African swords,
daggers & artefacts • Mail-Coach blunderbuss • British military
Flintlock Padgets carbines • South Sea wooden clubs, weapons and
objects • Japanese matchlock rifles swords and pistols • Any Swiss
weapons • Helmets and armour • All bowie knives especially knives
made by Joseph Rodgers • Baker flintlock rifle with bayonet • World
War souvenirs • Spanish Ripoll belt pistols • Naval swords especially
with Silver hilts • British 1796 pattern Heavy cavalry sabre (disc hilt)
• North American Indian trade weapons, peace pipes, tomahawks
• 18th century engraved powder horns engraved with maps • 1805
pattern naval boarding cutlasses • Any Albanian, Greek, Turkish
weapons especially with silver mounts • All Napoleonic period
weapons • Any unusual Naval weapons especially if named to
officers • Ottoman/ Persian steel recurved bows • Turkish Quivers
• Any genuine Roman or Greek weapon, armour, etc. • Good quality
English sporting guns especially guns made by William, Charles
and Samuel Smith • Revolvers made by Colt and Remington either
percussion system or Rimfire.

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

A rare all Brass British Percussion Blunderbuss American Marlin .32 Rimfire 5 shot, tip up A scarce American Colt Pocket Percussion A very good Pair of Napoleonic period
Naval Officer’s pistol with folding bayonet. Circa action, pocket Revolver. Circa 1875-1880. revolver converted to rimfire. Circa 1871- Flintlock Blunderbuss Pistols. Circa 1780-
1830-1840. Excellent condition. Ref: 8303 VERY GOOD CONDITION. Ref: 8557 1872. Good condition. Ref: 8550 1820. Engraved Duon A Nancy. Ref: 8293

£1,950.00 £640.00 £950.00 £5,850.00

A scarce British 6 shot percussion pepper- A scarce French officer’s Military Flintlock A good English Flintlock pocket pistol with folding Napoleonic all brass Continental Naval
box revolver with German silver frame. Pistol of the Napoleonic Period. Circa trigger, made by the world famous gunsmith officers Flintlock Blunderbuss Pistol.
Circa 1845. Good condition. Ref: 8272 1790-1815. Good condition. Ref: 8162 “H.Nock”. Very good condition. Ref: 8125 Circa 1803-1815. Ref: 6485

£850.00 £1,150.00 £875.00 £1,100.00

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.

p91_ARMMayJun15.indd 1 21/04/2015 10:35

Advert 2014:Layout 1 5/12/14 10:30 Page 3

ESTABLISHED 1994
www.bosleys.co.uk Telephone 01628 488188 sales@bosleys.co.uk
21 Years of Achieving the Highest Prices at Auction for Original Medals, Badges, Uniforms, Equipment, Helmets & Swords

p92_ARMMayJun15.indd 1 21/04/2015 10:34