WW1 / WW2 / 20th Century

A Fabulous 1953 Pattern Original Headdress Badge For Officers of "The Life Guards", In Gilt with St. Edward's (Queen's) Crown Surmounting a Garter With Blue Enamel Over Red Enamel. Nr Mint Condition

The badges for the 'Household' cavalry regiments (Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards) originated in 1913. In that year's manoeuvres the Regiments wore khaki for the first time, and thus could not, as previously, be distinguished by their uniforms. King George V noted that his Household troops, of all the Army, had no cap badge and offered to supply the deficiency if they so wished. As Household troops the badge was inevitably going to be closely associated with the sovereign. The first design was for the Service Dress cap, showing the Royal Cypher surrounded by a circlet bearing the name of the Regiment, surmounted by a Royal crown. This design was first issued on the outbreak of war in 1914. A second design, with the circlet replaced by a Garter with motto and including no Regimental title, was common to all three regiments of the time (1 & 2 Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards). This was for the Forage cap, which was re-introduced in 1919.

Identical as worn by His Royal Highness, Prince William, The Prince of Wales

Photo of His Majesty's loyal son and his wonderful bride HRH Princess Catherine, The Princess of Wales

Made by Gaunt of London  read more

Code: 25958

A1930's Third Reich, Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei Air Ship Silver Knife & Fork, From The Hindenberg Dining Room, Allegedly Recovered After The Crash By a Lakehurst Based Military Officer. Made by Gebr.Hepp {the Hepp Brothers}

The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei (the German Zeppelin Transport Company, or DZR) was established on March 22, 1935, to operate German passenger airships.

On May 6, 1937. The world reknowned Nazi airship Hindenberg, upon landing at Lakehurst USA, exploded into a ball of fire. One of the very first international disasters that was captured live on film.

If one looks at the live disaster explosion photos in the gallery it seems remarkable that most of the passengers and crew survived. There were about 97 people onboard just 36 of them perished. During an attempt to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, the Hindenburg airship caught fire and disintegrated into a raging ball of fire near-instantaneously, in a display of rapid combustion unlike any other. Despite its enduring legacy as a horrific disaster, less than half of the people on board the Hindenburg actually died. 62 passengers and crew escaped with their lives.

A simple yet powerful memorial marks the site of the crash. A cement outline in the shape of the Hindenburg stretches across the airfield in the spot where the airship crash-landed in flames.

The site was declared a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1961.

Prior to the establishment of the DZR, passenger zeppelins were built by the Luftshiffbau Zeppelin (the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company, known as the “LZ”) and operated by DELAG (Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft, or German Airship Transportation Corporation Ltd), which was established in 1909 as an offshoot of the LZ and dominated by Hugo Eckener. With the establishment of the DZR, airship activities were divided between the LZ, which would continue to build the airships, and the DZR, which would operate them. Consistent with Nazi ideology, the airship was expected to be more than just a private commercial venture; it was to be a public symbol of the new German nation. In a speech marking the founding of the DZR, Göring commented: “I hope that the new ship will also fulfill its duty in furthering the cause of Germany… The airship does not have the exclusive purpose of flying across the Atlantic, but also has a responsibility to act as the nation’s representative.”

The establishment of the DZR may have also been partly inspired by the bureaucratic rivalry between Air Minister Göring and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and Goering’s commitment of 9 million marks to the zeppelin project, on condition of the creation of the DZR, came shortly after Goebbels offered the Zeppelin Company 2 million marks toward the completion of LZ-129 in the summer of 1934.

In March 1935, the South Atlantic flights became the responsibility of the Nazi controlled Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei, after this company had been set up jointly by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, the German Air Ministry and Deutsche Lufthansa. The DZR was created at the instigation of Air Minister Hermann Goring as a way to increase Nazi control over zeppelin operations, and can be see as part of the larger policy of Gleichschaltung, or coordination, which affected all aspects of German life in the years following Hitler’s assumption of power.

Consistent with Nazi ideology, the airship was expected to be more than just a private commercial venture; it was to be a public symbol of the new German nation.

In a speech marking the founding of the DZR, Goring commented:

“I hope that the new ship will also fulfil its duty in furthering the cause of Germany
The airship does not have the exclusive purpose of flying across the Atlantic, but also has a responsibility to act as the nation’s representative.”

The even larger airship, the LZ 129 'Hindenburg' joined the 'Graf Zeppelin' in 1936, and, in addition to South Atlantic flights with its partner, inaugurated a service over the North Atlantic, between Frankfurt and Lakehurst in New Jersey, in the summer. Also in 1936 the South American route was extended to Rio de Janeiro. Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei ceased operations as the commercial use of airships came to an abrupt end on 6 May 1937, when the 'Hindenburg' exploded at Lakehurst.
We also have a silver tray from the same flights, and was the product of the same silver company that made the Third Reich military cutlery and other silver objects for the Third Reich hierarchy - Gbr. Hepp. {Hepp Brothers}

His company, alongside his rival, Wellner, was a maker of much of the Fuhrer's formal dinnerware, and the Reich chancellery dinnerware pieces. Many items by were used in several of Hitler's residences, the Hotel Der Deutscher Hof personally used by Hitler, and numerous state offices. The Zeppelin Corps became one of the shortest-lived German service branches of World War II. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the Luftwaffe ordered the last two Zeppelin airships moved to a large Zeppelin hangar in Frankfurt. In March of 1940, Goring ordered their destruction and the aluminium fed into the Nazi war industry. In May, a fire broke out in the Zeppelin facility which destroyed most of the remaining parts. The rest of the parts and materials were soon scrapped with almost no trace of the German "Giants of the Air" remaining by the end of the year.

Although the dining-room cutlery was the same for both the Hindenberg and the Graf Zeppelin, by family repute this cutlery pair came from the Hindenberg, recovered after the fatal crash. They were blackened with soot but were polished up beautifully, and fully intact. The family originally had a military officer stationed at the base at Lakehurst, New Jersey, at the time, and he witnessed the explosion and helped directing the clear-up over the following few days. the last photo in the gallery is the crash site with the clean-up crew to the top left of the photo, the officer that found this knife and fork is apparently one of those men.

Another fork from the Hindenburg was featured on an episode of the show Antiques Roadshow {US} in the "Vintage Tampa" episode, which aired as Season 18, Episode 20.
Mon, Jun 23, 2014  read more

Code: 25947

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 Rare Piece of Early 20th Century Movie Equipment. A Mitchell Camera Corporation Movie Camera Tripod. Known As The Camera That Filmed Hollywood. Mitchell Movie Co. of Glendale Calif.

1920 patent. Three adjustable legs, bears the Mitchell movie corporation maker label with serial number, company address, model name, and patent number. Photos in the gallery of Buster Keaton with his camera and same Mitchell tripod, plus Rudolph Valentino, the most famous silent movie heartthrob in the world, with his, plus a movie director and cameraman with theirs. Original Mitchell tripods, complete with their mounted cameras can now command six figure values. Overall in very nice condition for age.

The Mitchell Camera Corporation was founded in 1919 by Americans Henry Boeger and George Alfred Mitchell as the National Motion Picture Repair Co. Their first camera was designed and patented by John E. Leonard in 1917, and from 1920 on, was known as the Mitchell Standard Studio Camera. Features included a planetary gear-driven variable shutter (US Patent No 1,297,703) and a unique rack-over design (US Pat No 1,297,704). George Mitchell perfected and upgraded Leonard's original design, and went on to produce the most beloved and most universally used motion picture cameras of the Golden Age of Hollywood under the name of The Mitchell Camera Company. The company was first headquartered on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, then building a new factory in West Hollywood and moving there in 1930, and finally moving operations to their final factory location in Glendale, California in the 1940s.

Mitchell Camera Corporation was privately and quietly purchased in mid 1929 by William Fox of Fox Film Studios, just before the Great Depression began, though George Mitchell continued working with the company until he retired in the 1950s. Although William Fox had lost control and possession of his own Fox Film Studios and theaters empire in March of 1930, he apparently quietly retained possession of the Mitchell Camera Company, as William Fox's two daughters still owned the Mitchell Camera Company when the company closed operations and ceased in the late 1970s. The famous Mitchell Tripod - a wood base tripod was introduced about 1920, this tripod was manufactured and sold by Mitchell with very little change, other than the addition of a "Baby" shorter version introduced in 1928. 75cm high with legs extended.  read more

Code: 24261

A Good Original Imperial German Pickelhaube German Spiked Helmet Case

In pressed fibreboard and leather strapping. Overall in very nice condition but the straps have either partially of fully seperated. A rare collectable that is now very scarcely seen. Ideal to accompany any good pickelhaube, either spike or ball topped. The Pickelhaube was originally designed in 1842 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, perhaps as a design based on similar helmets that were adopted at the same time by the Russian military. It is not clear whether this was a case of imitation, parallel invention, or if both were based on the earlier Napoleonic cuirassier. The early Russian type (known as "The Helmet of Yaroslav Mudry") was also used by cavalry, which had used the spike as a holder for a horsehair plume in full dress, a practice also followed with some Prussian models.
Frederick William IV introduced the Pickelhaube for use by the majority of Prussian infantry on October 23, 1842 by a royal cabinet order. The use of the Pickelhaube spread rapidly to other German principalities. Oldenburg adopted it by 1849, Baden by 1870, and in 1887, the Kingdom of Bavaria was the last German state to adopt the Pickelhaube (since the Napoleonic Wars, they had had their own design of helmet, called the Raupenhelm.

From the second half of the 19th century onwards, the armies of a number of nations besides Russia, (including Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Portugal, Norway, Sweden and Venezuela,) adopted the Pickelhaube or something very similar.

The Russian version initially had a horsehair plume fitted to the end of the spike, but this was later discarded in some units. The Russian spike was topped with a grenade motif. At the beginning of the Crimean War, such helmets were common among infantry and grenadiers, but soon fell out of place in favour of the fatigue cap. After 1862 the spiked helmet ceased to be generally worn by the Russian Army, although it was retained until 1914 by the Cuirassier regiments of the Imperial Guard and the Gendarmerie. The Russians prolonged the history of the pointed military headgear with their own cloth Budenovka in the early 20th century. All helmets produced for the infantry before and during 1914 were made of leather. As the war progressed, Germany's leather stockpiles dwindled. After extensive imports from South America, particularly Argentina, the German government began producing ersatz Pickelhauben made of other materials. In 1915, some Pickelhauben began to be made from thin sheet steel. However, the German high command needed to produce an even greater number of helmets, leading to the usage of pressurized felt and even paper to construct Pickelhauben.
During the early months of World War I, it was soon discovered that the Pickelhaube did not measure up to the demanding conditions of trench warfare. The leather helmets offered virtually no protection against shell fragments and shrapnel and the conspicuous spike made its wearer a target. These shortcomings, combined with material shortages, led to the introduction of the simplified model 1915 helmet described above, with a detachable spike. In September 1915 it was ordered that the new helmets were to be worn without spikes, when in the front line  read more

Code: 20806

Trio of WW1 Service Medals of Sapper Mumby Royal Engineers. He Was Attached to Machine Gun Regiments, And We Also Have His Badges as Well. All Offered For Sale Seperately

Formerly the three badges and trio of Sapper Mumby R.E. who was assigned to the Guards MGC, the MMGS & The Tank Corps {possibly 3rd battalion}. We also have his trio of medals {named}, all the medals and badges are to be sold seperately. His tank Badge was WW2 issue

Sappers and the Machine Gun Corps (MGC)
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a specialized unit within the infantry that operated heavy and light machine guns.
While the MGC was focused on the use of machine guns, the engineering efforts of the Royal Engineers (Sappers) were indispensable to the overall effectiveness of the MGC, the Tank Corps and other infantry units.
Therefore, sappers worked in conjunction with MGC units, providing the necessary engineering support to enable their operations, especially in trench warfare  read more

Code: 25945

1st Army WW2 Hampshire Regiment 5 Medal Group With Territorial Named Medal

1939-45 Star Afrika Star 1st Army Bar, Defence Medal War Medal and Territorial Efficient Service Medal named Hampshire regiment with post 1953 cap badge.

The British First Army was reformed during the Second World War. It was formed to command the American and British land forces which had landed as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. The First Army headquarters was formally activated on 9 November 1942 when Anderson arrived in Algiers to assume command of the redesignated Eastern Task Force.3

The First Army initially consisted of American and British formations only. After the surrender of French forces following the German abrogation of their armistice agreement with Vichy France, French units were also added to the First Army's order of battle. It eventually consisted of four corps, the US II Corps, the British V Corps, British IX Corps and French XIX Corps.

After the landings, Anderson's forces rushed east in a bid to capture Tunis and Bizerte before German forces could reach the two cities in large numbers. They failed. Following that lack of success, a period of consolidation was forced upon them. The logistics support for the First Army was greatly improved and bases for its accompanying aircraft greatly multiplied. By the time General Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army approached the Tunisian border from the east, following its long pursuit of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel's forces after El Alamein, the First Army was again ready to strike.

Supported by elements of XII Tactical Air Command and No. 242 Group RAF, the First Army carried the main weight of General Sir Harold Alexander's 18th Army Group's offensive to conclude the Tunisian Campaign and finish Axis forces in North Africa off. The victory was won in May 1943 in a surrender that, in numbers captured at least, equalled Stalingrad. Shortly after the surrender, the First Army was disbanded, having served its purpose  read more

Code: 24071

Group of 5 Medals for Soldier of the 1st Army Group; 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with 1st Army Bar. Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal

Very good group. 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with 1st Army Bar. Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal

The British First Army was reformed during the Second World War. It was formed to command the American and British land forces which had landed as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. The First Army headquarters was formally activated on 9 November 1942 when Anderson arrived in Algiers to assume command of the redesignated Eastern Task Force.

The First Army initially consisted of American and British formations only. After the surrender of French forces following the German abrogation of their armistice agreement with Vichy France, French units were also added to the First Army's order of battle. It eventually consisted of four corps, the US II Corps, the British V Corps, British IX Corps and French XIX Corps.

After the landings, Anderson's forces rushed east in a bid to capture Tunis and Bizerte before German forces could reach the two cities in large numbers. They failed. Following that lack of success, a period of consolidation was forced upon them. The logistics support for the First Army was greatly improved and bases for its accompanying aircraft greatly multiplied. By the time General Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army approached the Tunisian border from the east, following its long pursuit of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel's forces after El Alamein, the First Army was again ready to strike.

Supported by elements of XII Tactical Air Command and No. 242 Group RAF, the First Army carried the main weight of General Sir Harold Alexander's 18th Army Group's offensive to conclude the Tunisian Campaign and finish Axis forces in North Africa off. The victory was won in May 1943 in a surrender that, in numbers captured at least, equalled Stalingrad. Shortly after the surrender, the First Army was disbanded, having served its purpose.  read more

Code: 16032

A Fabulous Group Of 6 WW2 RAF Medals With Two Campaign Bars.The 1939-1945 Star, The Atlantic Star, The Italy Star, The Africa Star with the 1942-3 bar, the Burma Star With The Pacific Bar {most rare}, And The War Medal.

With the campaign medals of; The 1939-1945 Star, The Atlantic Star, The Italy Star, The Africa Star with the 1942-3 bar, the Burma Star with the Pacific bar {most rare}, and the War Medal.

Awarded to a WW2 RAF officer, 6 medals, and just one medal short of the maximum amount of campaign medals any man serving in the Army, Navy or RAF could have been awarded for the entire war.

This is an incredible symbol of an extraordinary service career in the war.  read more

Code: 17803

A Stunning British Royal Horseguards, Blues and Royals and Lifeguards Officer's Mint Condition Helmet Plate in Enamel and Fire Gilt One of The Most Beautiful Helmet Plates Ever Designed and Worn

Worn upon the Albert pattern dress helmet of a mounted cavalry officer of Her Late Beloved Majesty Queen Elizabeth IInd's mounted bodyguard.

This fabulous quality officer’s helmet plate, in use since the Queen’s coronation in 1953, was used by an officer of the Queen’s mounted bodyguard, from either the Blues and Royals or the Life Guards regiments, that combined, make up the Royal Horseguards. The helmet plate is identical for both helmets, only the colour of the yak hair plume was different, white for Life Guards, red for Blues and Royals.

The Albert helmet is the current ceremonial headgear of the British Army's Household Cavalry, for both the Life guards regiment and the Blues and Royals regiment, known collectively as Horseguards.

This pattern has been changed for the design designated for His Majesty King Charles lII. The crown has 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. However, officer's that previously served her late beloved majesty will still be permitted to wear the Queen's Crown helmet plate upon their helmets.

The Albert pattern helmet 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 mint. A complete Horseguards officer’s helmet from the 1953 coronation period, in mint condition, will cost today somewhere between £6,500 to £10,000.

Photo in the gallery of royal Horseguards officers and men; Credit MOD  read more

Code: 25940