WW1 / WW2 / 20th Century

A Most Desirable Canadian WW1 Historical Regimental Ross Bayonet of The 1st Depot Battalion, 1st Quebec Regt.

A veritable museum grade collectors piece. With superb regimental markings from the small number of conscripts and heroes of the ill fated, 1st Depot Batt. The Quebec Regt. Who suffered a terrible percentage of casualties at the Western Front. A fairly uncommon bayonet to find unmarked these days, but, very rare to find with good regimental markings, especially by such a small detachment of conscripts from a regiment of such noble history. A draft of Military Service Act, 1917 conscripts from the 1st Depot Battalion, Quebec Regiment, Montreal sailed on the S.S. Scandinavian March 25, 1918 arriving in England April 3, 1918. The total size of this draft at present is unknown probably about 500 soldiers. What is known is that 140 of this draft were channelled through the 23rd Reserve Battalion into the 14th (Royal Montreal) Battalion. Of this draft of 140 soldiers,100 were casualties with 22 deaths all within the last 100 days of the war! Photo in the gallery of Headquarters, Depot Battalion, Quebec Regiment, Montreal, March 27, 1918, Lt.-Col. L.J. Daly-Gingras, D.S.O., O.C. A photo in the gallery of a mounted soldier, Onil Basette of Marieville, 1st Depot Battalion, 1st Quebec Regiment, taken in 1918. The bayonet metal is unusually painted red . Details of their noble and heroic service in just those 100 days are including in the following engagements; The Advance in Picardy (8 August 3 September, 1918) Amiens 8-11 August 1918
The Breaking of the Hindenburg Line (26 August ? 12 October, 1918) Arras, 1918 26 August 3 September 1918
Scarpe, 1918 26-30 August 1918
Drocourt-Queant Line 2-3 September 1918
Hindenburg Line, Battles of the 12 September 9 October 1918
Canal du Nord 27 September 2 October 1918
Picardy (17 October 11 November) Pursuit to Mons 11 November 1918  read more

Code: 20566

WW1 Hudson 1907 Patent Trench Whistle & Khaki Webbing Button Strap, Cheshire Regt. Trio of Medals Plus His Overseas Service Stripe, and Anzac Sweetheart Badge

Trio, including faithful service police medal, red stripe for 1 year service overseas, Anzac sweetheart brooch, medal uniform bar and his trench whistle. Private Herbert Cox, of the Cheshire Regiment, who served in WW1, survived the war and became a 'Special' Police Officer in WW2, where he continued to use his WW1 whistle. We have his named WW1 and Special Constabulary Faithfull Service Medal. medal group. Original Vintage Acme City Whistle with ring top, this particular example is in great condition, full working order and extremely loud.

Maker - Hudson & Co of Birmingham, England

The City whistle was a 1907 Patent [number 25619]
The Whistle is attached to a khaki army button strap

First World War, the Cheshire Regt.
Both regular battalions deployed to the Western Front in 1914-15. 1st Battalion stayed there for the duration of the First World War (1914-18), but suffered 771 casualties at Audregnies during the Battle of Mons in August 1914. 2nd Battalion transferred from France to Salonika in late 1915.

The regiment also raised 36 Territorial, New Army and Garrison battalions, fighting in Gallipoli, Sinai, Mesopotamia and Palestine as well as on the Western Front.

The regiment’s battalions spent the inter-war years in Ireland, Malta, Sudan, India and Palestine.
We show an advert for Hudsons whistles in WW1 demonstrating examples that saved the serviceman’s lives.
For example; BULLET BOUNCED OFF HIS WW1 WHISTLE

Corporal Clucas, a veteran of the 1914 Battle of Mons, was fighting in France with the Royal Field Artillery the following year when he was hit by enemy fire. But his luck was with him that day as the bullet bounced off a whistle he was carrying. The Liverpudlian soldier’s luck ran out later in the war when he was wounded fighting in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917. While being taken by stretcher to a dressing station a shell exploded, killing the 22 year old.  read more

Code: 24448

The Scottish Rifles, Helmet Plate, With Battle Honours, Silvered

In jolly nice condition, die cast, two lugs 10cm x 9.5cm.

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry. In 1968, when reductions were required, the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the York and Lancaster Regiment. It can trace its roots to that of the Cameronians, later the 26th of Foot, who were raised in 1689. The 1881 amalgamation coincided with the Cameronian's selection to become the new Scottish Rifles.

The regiment's battle honours included:

Early wars: Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, South Africa 1846-72, South Africa 1877-8-92, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902
The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914 '18, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Ypres 1917 '18, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, St Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenberg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Cambrai 1918, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Doiran 1917 '18, Macedonia 1915-18, Gallipoli 1915-16, Rumani, Egypt 1916-17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jaffa, Palestine 1917-18
Second World War: Ypres-Comines Canal, Odon, Cheux, Caen, Mont Pincon, Estry, Nederrijn, Best, Scheldt, South Beveland, Walcheren Causeway, Asten, Roer, Rhineland, Reichswald, Moyland, Rhine, Dreierwalde, Bremen, Artlenberg, North-West Europe 1940, '44-45, Landing in Sicily, Simeto Bridgehead, Sicily 1943, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio, Advance to Tiber, Italy 1943-44, Pegu 1942, Paungde, Yenagyaung 1942, Chindits 1944, Burma 1942 '44.

Silver coloured metal, not hallmarked  read more

Code: 24444

Royal Gurkha Rifles, Pouch Belt Badge & Plate - Silver Plate "Come and fight a Gurkha!" Gurkha Lachhiman Gurung VC Who Single Handedly Fought Off & Beat 200 Japanese With One Hand Blown Off & Blinded in 1 Eye By Grenade

Considered to be one of the greatest and bravest regiments in the world. The very finest men to fight alongside, and the very, very worst to fight against.

"Ayo Gorkali" the battle cry of the Gurkhas, "The Gurkhas Are Coming", has been known to instill terror in any confronted enemy of the Gurkhas. Many battle hardened Japanese infantrymen in WW2, and Argentinian soldiers in The Falklands were known to have run and fled or surrendered immediately upon that battle cry being heard.

The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth.

Just one example of Gurkha heroism is Corporal Dip Prasad Pun of the 1st battalion (1 RGR) was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for an act of bravery during the War in Afghanistan in 2010. He alone defended his outpost against a force of up to 12 Taliban fighters. He fired more than 400 rounds, 17 grenades, and one mine. He resorted to fighting with his machine gun tripod after his ammunition had run out

The battle honours of the Royal Gurkha Rifles are as follows:29

Amboor, Carnatic, Mysore 1792, Assaye 1803, Ava 1852, Burma 1885–87, Bhurtpore, Aliwal, Sobraon, Delhi 1857, Kabul 1879, Afghanistan 1878–80, Kandahar 1880, Tirah, Punjab Frontier, Afghanistan 1919
First World War: La Bassée 1914, Festubert 1914–15, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Loos, France and Flanders 1914–15, Egypt 1915, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916–18, Persia 1918, Baluchistan 1918, Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli 1915, Suez Canal, Egypt 1915–16, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1916–18, Persia 1916–1918, North West Frontier India 1915–17, Egypt 1915, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1918, Shaiba, Kut al Amara 1915–17, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Baghdad, Sharqat, Mesopotamia 1915–18
The Second World War: Tobruk 1942, El Alamein, Akarit, Tunis, Cassino 1, Poggio Del Grillo, Gothic Line, Tavoleto, Coriano, Santacangelo, Monte Chicco, Bologna, Medicina, Italy 1944-45, Jitra, Slim River, Sittang 1942, 1945, Kyaukse 1942, 1945, North Arakan, Imphal, Tuitum, Bishenpur, Tengnoupal, Shwebo, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Mandalay, Myinmu Bridgehead, Fort Dufferin, Meiktila, Irrawaddy, Rangoon Road, Chindits 1943,44 & 45, Tamandu, Maymyo
Falklands War.

Picture 8 in the gallery is of Jemadar Jangia Bullets Thapa, 5th Gurkha Regiment, 1890

One of Major-General Frederick Roberts's orderlies during the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880), Jemadar Jangia Thapa was nicknamed 'Bullets' because regimental tradition had it that he had once been hit on the forehead by a bullet which had been completely flattened without causing him the least discomfort. Thapa was admitted to the Second Class of the Order of British India in April 1897 and was selected as one of the representatives for India at the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth in January 1901.

One of the most famous Gurkhas in the British Army

Lachhiman Gurung VC ( 30 December 1917 – 12 December 2010) was a Nepalese–British Gurkha recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He is best known as the "Gurkha who took on 200 soldiers with only one hand" because of his actions in World War II.

On 12/13 May 1945 at Taungdaw, Burma now Myanmar, Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung was manning the most forward post of his platoon which bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. He hurled back two hand grenades which had fallen on his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand after he attempted to throw it back, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm and severely wounding him in the face, body and right leg. His two comrades were also badly wounded but the rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours (all while he screamed "Come and fight a Gurkha!"), calmly waiting for each attack which he met with fire at point blank range.

His citation in the London Gazette ends with...

...Of the 87 enemy dead counted in the immediate vicinity of the Company locality, 31 lay in front of this Rifleman's section, the key to the whole position. Had the enemy succeeded in over-running and occupying Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung's trench, the whole of the reverse slope position would have been completely dominated and turned.

This Rifleman, by his magnificent example, so inspired his comrades to resist the enemy to the last, that, although surrounded and cut off for three days and two nights, they held and smashed every attack.

His outstanding gallantry and extreme devotion to duty, in the face of almost overwhelming odds, were the main factors in the defeat of the enemy.1

He received his Victoria Cross from the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal Lord Wavell at the Red Fort in Delhi on 19 December 1945

Four threaded mounting screw posts, with two affixing rounded nuts present.
93mm x 75mm  read more

Code: 24442

A Rare Original Handwritten German Picture Postcard From Hitler's Titanic, One of The Most Famous Ships of WW2. German Ship Sunk By Soviet Submarine with the Loss of up to 11,000 Lives Making It The Greatest Loss in Worldwide Maritime History

It is most rare to find an original, dated, addressed and handwritten postcard from the Willhelm Gustloff.

MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German military transport ship which was sunk on 30 January 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while evacuating civilian evacuees from East Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Estonia and German military personnel from Gotenhafen (Gdynia) as the Red Army advanced. By one estimate, 9,400 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history.

Originally constructed as a cruise ship for the Nazi Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude) organization in 1937, Wilhelm Gustloff had been requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine (German navy) in 1939. She served as a hospital ship in 1939 and 1940. She was then assigned as a floating barracks for naval personnel in Gotenhafen before being fitted with anti-aircraft guns and put into service to transport evacuees in 1945.

Headline from a German newspaper recording the disaster, translation;

​"Wilhelm Gustloff" - Disaster
​Party stormed with inquiries

​​ ​The offices of the Party and the Navy in all parts of the Reich were yesterday stormed by anxious persons, who suspect that their relatives were perhaps onboard the "Wilhelm Gustloff", which was torpedoed by a Russian submarine on January 30th at 9:00 pm in the Danzig Bay and sunk within 15 minutes. The number of victims of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" disaster is still not certain, since no office of the Party or of the Kriegsmarine can accurately say, how many Eastern refugees and members of the Wehrmacht were on board, when the ship left Gotenhafen.

​​932 saved
​ On the basis of the latest research, it must be assumed that not 8,000, as we reported yesterday, but 10 to 11,000 passengers were on board. Only 932 were saved. ​Of which 658 were members of the Kriegsmarine. Serious accusations are now being raised against the Danzig Party offices, who insisted that the "Wilhelm Gustloff" should depart on January 30th, even though the head of the Security Baltic Sea had pointed out that the necessary number of security units could not be placed before February 4.
​
​The "Wilhelm Gustloff" departed nevertheless on the 30th of January in the evening with the completely inadequate securing from an outpost boat and two R-boats. All the decks of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" were so crowded that no one could move. At the embarkation it was said, the journey takes however only a few hours.When the ship was hit by the Russian torpedo at exactly 9 o'clock pm, just an hour after the departure, hardly anybody could escape from the lower decks. Many passengers were thrown into the sea at the time the ship capsized, frozen in the icy water before they could be helped.
​
​Survivors report the horror scene, which took place after the explosion onboard the ship. All lights on board are extinguished at a stroke. In wild panic, the passengers tried to find a way to the deck despite the darkness. Hundreds of women and children were trampled to death on the stairs and corridors.
​
​Women and children
​ In the fierce battle that took place around the few rescue boats, women and children were ruthlessly pushed overboard. After just ten minutes, the 25,000 - ton ship listed hard. Five minutes later, the "Wilhelm Gustloff" capsized and took many thousands with her into the depth. Others, who had fallen from the deck or hurled into the sea, fell into the wake of the sinking ship and disappeared into the flood. The "Wilhelm Gustloff" was finished in 1937 as a KdF ship and was taken over by the Kriegsmarine in 1940 first as a hospital ship. Since March 1941 she was the home of the submarine teaching division in Gotenhafen.

The newspaper is shown for education purposes only  read more

Code: 24443

A Most Scarce Third Reich Period Deutche Luftfahrt/DLV Officer's Visor Cap Insignia, German Flyers Associoation

DLV (German Flyers Association). The German Air Sports Association (Deutscher Luftsportverband, or DLV e. V.) was an organisation set up by the Nazi Party in March 1933 to establish a uniform basis for the training of military pilots. Its chairman was Hermann Göring and its vice-chairman Ernst Röhm. Since the Treaty of Versailles officially forbade Germany from building fighter planes of any sort, the German Air Sports Association used gliders to train men still officially civilians for the future Luftwaffe. The first steps towards the Luftwaffe's formation were undertaken just months after Adolf Hitler came to power. Hermann Göring, a World War I ace with 22 victories and the holder of the Orden Pour le Mérite, became National Kommissar for aviation with former Deutsche Luft Hansa director Erhard Milch as his deputy. On 25 March 1933 the German Air Sports Association absorbed all private and national organizations, whilst retaining its 'sports' title. In April 1933 the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM – Reich Air Ministry) was established. The RLM was in charge of development and production of aircraft, and soon afterwards the test site or Erprobungsstelle at Rechlin became its testing ground, a military airfield that had been first established in August 1918. Göring's control over all aspects of aviation became absolute.

The German Air Sports Association was dissolved in 1937 and replaced with the National Socialist Flyers Corps, a corporation under public law and subordinate to Reichsluftfahrtminister Göring.  read more

Code: 23870

A Piece Of Zeppelin Air Ship, The L32 Shot Down by the Royal Flying Corps 24.9. 1916, Reshaped From A Section of The Airship With a Flattened Oval Panel, 5.2 cm Across

Made from the crashed Zeppelin’s rare alloy after it was shot down by 2nd Lt Sowrey and stamped with the airship’s designation and the date on a flat oval panel. Beautifully constructed as a souvenir for 2nd Lt. Sowrey, [later, Group Captain]

Group Captain Frederick Sowrey, DSO, MC, AFC (25 July 1893 - 21 October 1968) began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was most noted for his first victory, when he shot down Zeppelin L32 during its bombing raid on England. Having risen rapidly in rank during the war, he remained in service until 1940. Piece of the framework of German naval airship L32. This airship was shot down by 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Sowrey of 39 Squadron RFC on the night of 23/24 September 1916. It crashed near Billericay in Essex resulting in the death of all 21 crew members. The airship was under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Werner Peterson. Sowrey was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his action.  read more

Code: 18013

WW1 Middlesex Regt. Officer's Silver Cap Badge, With Rare Battalion Battle Patch

The battalion battle patch, is a very rare surviving piece of divisional command identification, here, it is set mounted behind the silver badge, as the colour designation of the regiment, and in WW1 it was often used thus so on the tropical helmet with the helmet badge together, it could also be sown separately on the uniform as a patch, with the silver badge affixed as usual on the cap, and it is very rare to see complete, the patch with its silver officer’s badge.

On the Brodie helmet it would be added as a painted regimental badge for identification.

The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre, as line of communication troops, in August 1914 for service on the Western Front.


Lieutenant-Colonel John Hamilton Hall (standing directly in front of the Red Cross on the ambulance), the CO of the 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (98th Brigade, 33rd Division), with his officers. Photograph taken during the battalion's rest near Cassel, 25 April 1918.
The 2nd Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 23rd Brigade in the 8th Division in November 1914 also for service on the Western Front.[18]

The 3rd Battalion landed at Le Havre aspart of the 85th Brigade in the 28th Division in January 1915 for service on the Western Front before moving to Egypt in October 1915 and to Salonika in December 1915.

The 4th Battalion land at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 8th Brigade in 3rd Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front. Some 400 men of the 4th Battalion were killed at the Battle of Mons later that month  read more

Code: 22371

A Stunning Original Horseguards, Life Guards and Blues And Royals, Other Ranks Pattern Helmet Plate, Order of the Garter Badge Star

This fabulous quality other ranks badge, in use since the coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth in 1953, was used by a trooper or NCO by both the Blues and Royals or the Life Guards, that combined, make up the Royal Horseguards.

This pattern will now be changed very soon for the design designated for His Majesty King Charles lII. The crown will be changed to the single domed crown of all the kings since Edward VIIth. The domed crown is called either The King’s Crown or the Imperial State Crown. The late Queen’s crown, is known as St Edwards Crown.

The Albert helmet is the current ceremonial headgear of the British Army's Household Cavalry, the Life guards regiment and the Blues and Royals regiment. It was introduced by Prince Albert in 1842 and adopted by the Household Cavalry the following year. In 1847 the helmet was introduced to all heavy cavalry regiments. It remains in use as the full dress headgear of the two remaining Household Cavalry regiments, the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards. The magnificent helmet remains in use with the two current Household Cavalry regiments, the Blues and Royals with red plume and the Life Guards with white plume. These regiments are amalgamations of the four earlier regiments. The Life Guards retain the white plume and the onion from the 2nd Regiment, the Blues and Royals retain the red plume of the Royal Horse Guards. Blues and Royals officers wear a yak hair plume. Farriers in both regiments wear different plumes, the Life Guards farrier wear black and Blues and Royals farrier red.

The regiments also differ in how they wear the helmet's chin strap. The Blues and Royals wear it under the chin while the Life Guards wear it under the lower lip. The helmet is now in white metal for all ranks and the same helmet plate is worn by both regiments (they were different historically).

The Albert helmet is only worn in full dress review order, guard order and front yard order by other ranks and in full dress, levee dress and ceremonial rehearsal dress by officers. Medical and veterinary officers do not wear the helmet, instead wearing a cocked hat.

The other ranks of the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry wear the helmet in full dress (with the plumes of their parent regiments), except when parading in the presence of the royal family, when they wear state dress with jockey caps. Band officers wear Albert helmets on both occasions.

Its condition is considered by us as near
mint  read more

Code: 24067

German WW2 RAD Buckle by Gustav Brehmer Markneukirchen 1937

The RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst) or Reich Labour Service was instituted to help alleviate the depression of Germany in 1934. It was similar to the WPA and other programs initiated by Roosevelt in the USA. Young men served a six month program of camp life, while taught the merits of drilling, digging, bridge and road building.  read more

Code: 19782