An SA/Political Cap Eagle by Augustin Hicke

RZM M1/16 . SA der NSDAP Hocheitsabzeichen - Kepi eagle M1939. in die stamped silvered aluminum, 58.2mm wingspan, marked for Augustin Hicke, Tyssa b. Bodenbach, in extremely fine condition. The SA were colloquially called Brownshirts (Braunhemden) because of the colour of their uniform's shirts, similar to Benito Mussolini's blackshirts. The official uniform of the SA was the brown shirt with a brown tie. The colour came about because a large shipment of Lettow-shirts, originally intended for the German colonial troops in Germany's former East Africa colony, was purchased in 1921 by Gerhard Roßbach for use by his Freikorps paramilitary unit. They were later used for his Schill Youth organization in Salzburg, and in 1924 were adopted by the Schill Youth in Germany.3 The "Schill Sportversand" then became the main supplier for the SA brown shirts. The SA developed pseudo-military titles for its members, with ranks that were later adopted by several other Nazi Party groups, chief amongst them the Schutzstaffel (SS), which originated as a branch of the SA before it was separated from it after the Night of the Long Knives.

After Adolf Hitler ordered the Night of the Long Knives (die Nacht der langen Messer) in 1934, he withdrew his support for the SA. The SA continued to exist but had lost almost all its influence, and was effectively superseded by the SS, which had carried out Hitler's orders in the purge, and thereafter was formally removed from the SA. The SA remained in existence until after Nazi Germany's final capitulation to the Allies in 1945, after which it was disbanded and outlawed by the Allied Control Council.  read more

Code: 23872

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 Fabulous Original Victorian Woolwork Regimental Crest of the Suffolk Regt

In still highly vividly embroidered colours, and superbly executed with great skill. Bearing the regiments crest surmounted with Queen Victoria's crown, with a scrolls of the regiments battle honours, from Dettingen up to the South African Wars against the Boers. Very unusually is it surmounted with a Union Flag and a Moon and Crescent flag of Egypt. In a gesso mounted gilt wooden framed. Members of the Suffolks were based in Egypt from - 17 December, 1889 - to 10 February, 1891. The 1st Battalion served in the Second Boer War: it assaulted a hill near Colesberg in January 1900 and suffered many casualties including the commanding officer.
Between 1895 and 1914, the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was stationed for the majority of the time in India. Garrison postings during this period include; Secunderabad (India) 1895, Rangoon and the Andaman Islands (Burma) 1896 to 1899, Quetta (North West Frontier) 1899 to 1902, Karachi and Hyderabad (Northern India, now Pakistan) 1902 to 1905, Madras (India) 1905 to 1907, Aden 1907, returning to England in 1908.

During its service in India the 2nd Battalion became known as a "well officered battalion that compared favourably with the best battalion in the service having the nicest possible feeling amongst all ranks". The 2nd was also regarded as a good shooting battalion with high level of musketry skills.

The spirit of independence and self-reliance exhibited by officers and non-commissioned officers led to the 2nd Battalion taking first place in the Quetta Division of the British Army of India, from a military effectiveness point of view, in a six-day test. This test saw the men under arms for over 12 hours a day conducting a wide selection of military manoeuvres, including bridge building, retreats under fire, forced marches and defending ground and fixed fortifications.
The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 84th Brigade in the 28th Division in January 1915 for service on the Western Front and then transferred to Egypt in 24 October 1915.[30] It suffered some 400 casualties at the Second Battle of Ypres in May 1915.

The 2nd Battalion landed at landed at Le Havre as part of the 14th Brigade in the 5th Division in August 1914. The value of the 2nd Battalion's 20 years of peacetime training was exemplified at the Battle of Le Cateau on 26 August 1914, a mere 23 days since Britain had declared war on Germany. In this action the 2nd Battalion undertook a fierce rear-guard defence out-manned and out-gunned by superior numbers of enemy. The 2nd Battalion held their defensive position despite losing their commanding officer, Lt. Col. C.A.H. Brett DSO, at the commencement of the action and their second in command, Maj. E.C. Doughty, who was severely wounded after six hours of battle as he went forward to take ammunition to the hard-pressed battalion machine gunners.

Almost totally decimated as a fighting unit after over eight hours of incessant fighting, the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was gradually outflanked but would still not surrender. This was despite the fact that the German Army, knowing the 2nd Battalion had no hope of survival, entreated them to surrender, even ordering the German buglers to sound the British Cease Fire and gesticulating for the men of the 2nd to lay down their arms. At length an overwhelming force rushed the 2nd Battalion from the rear, bringing down all resistance and the 2nd's defence of Le Cateau was at an end. Those remaining alive were taken captive by the Germans, spending the next four years as prisoners of war and not returning home until Christmas Day 1918  read more

Code: 21639

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

A Beautiful Antique Suit of Original Edo Period Samurai Gosuku Armour

Edo period 1598-1863. Completely untouched for the past 200 years. With shinari kabuto acorn shaped helmet of built up lacquer over iron construction. With fully laced shikoro neck armour lames. Open hanbo face guard, with laced nodowa throat armour. Dark brown lacquer thin plates with full lacing to the do in maru-do type form breast plate without hinge, single side opening. Chain mail over silk kote arm armour with plate tekko hand armour. Fully laced and plate sode shoulder armour Fully laced four panels of haidate waist armour Fully laced kasazuri thigh armour, without lower suneate. The armour is trimmed in printed and decorated doe skin and all the connection fittings are in traditional carved horn. This armour is absolutely beautiful. It's condition is very good indeed apart from some areas of lacquer wear to the helmet but this we can attend to, some silk perishing on part of the thigh armour top section, and some colour fading to one hand armour lacquer. Japanese armour is thought to have evolved from the armour used in ancient China and Korea. Cuirasses and helmets were manufactured in Japan as early as the 4th century.Tanko, worn by foot soldiers and keiko, worn by horsemen were both pre-samurai types of early Japanese cuirass constructed from iron plates connected together by leather thongs.

During the Heian period 794 to 1185 the Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style of armour worn by the samurai known as the dou or do. Japanese armour makers started to use leather (nerigawa) and lacquer was used to weather proof the armor parts. By the end of the Heian period the Japanese cuirass had arrived at the shape recognized as being distinctly samurai. Leather and or iron scales were used to construct samurai armours, with leather and eventually silk lace used to connect the individual scales (kozane) which these cuirasses were now being made from.

In the 16th century Japan began trading with Europe during what would become known as the Nanban trade. Samurai acquired European armour including the cuirass and comb morion which they modified and combined with domestic armour as it provided better protection from the newly introduced matchlock muskets known as Tanegashima. The introduction of the tanegashima by the Portuguese in 1543 changed the nature of warfare in Japan causing the Japanese armour makers to change the design of their armours from the centuries old lamellar armours to plate armour constructed from iron and steel plates which was called tosei gusoku (new armours).Bullet resistant armours were developed called tameshi gusoku or (bullet tested) allowing samurai to continue wearing their armour despite the use of firearms.

The era of warfare called the Sengoku period ended around 1600, Japan was united and entered the peaceful Edo period, samurai continued to use both plate and lamellar armour as a symbol of their status but traditional armours were no longer necessary for battles. During the Edo period light weight, portable and secret hidden armours became popular as there was still a need for personal protection. Civil strife, duels, assassinations, peasant revolts required the use of armours such as the kusari katabira (chain armour jacket) and armoured sleeves as well as other types of armour which could be worn under ordinary clothing.Edo period samurai were in charge of internal security and would wear various types of kusari gusoku (chain armour) and shin and arm protection as well as forehead protectors (hachi-gane).

Armour continued to be worn and used in Japan until the end of the samurai era (Meiji period) in the 1860s, with the last use of samurai armour happening in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion. This is one of the most attractive ones we have had since we supplied two full antique gosuko, with eight museum grade katana and tachi, to a world famous artist  read more

Code: 22649

A Most Rare Victorian Waist Belt Buckle of The Dundee Volunteer Rifles of Scotland

In jolly good condition, and a most rarely seen Scottish military buckle. With rococo acanthus terminals, and the Dundee City arms to the centre, with the regiments intials, D V R, at the top of the circlet above the laurel wreath.

A volunteer rifle regiment that in 1881 was integrated with other militia, into what became, The Black Watch, [The Royal Highlanders].

When the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot amalgamated with the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot, to become the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, seven pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Fifeshire, Forfarshire, and Perthshire were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army

1st 1739 1st Battalion, 42nd Highlanders
2nd 1780 1st Battalion, 73rd Regiment of Foot

Militia
3rd (Militia) 1798
The 86th Royal Perthshire Rifles
Volunteers
1st (Dundee) Volunteer 1859
1st Forfar (Dundee) Rifle Volunteer Corps
2nd (Angus) Volunteer 1859
2nd Forfar (Forfarshire, or Angus) Rifle Volunteer Corps
3rd (Dundee Highland) Volunteer 1860
3rd Forfar (Dundee Highland) Rifle Volunteer Corps
4th (Perthshire) Volunteer 1859
1st Perthshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
5th (Perthshire Highland) Volunteer
1860
2nd Perthshire (The Perthshire Highland) Rifle Volunteer Corps
6th (Fifeshire) Volunteer 1860
1st Fifeshire Rifle Volunteer Corps  read more

Code: 21065

A Scarce Volunteer Artillery Officers- Busby Plume Holder Badge circa 1860 to 1873.

A rare and most collectable silver badge from the mid Victorian period. Now naturally silver age blackened but it would polish up beautifully, which we can do if required. Following the Crimean War, it was painfully clear to the War Office that, with half of the British Army dispositioned around the Empire on garrison duty, it had insufficient forces available to quickly compose and despatch an effective expeditionary force to a new area of conflict, unless it was to reduce the British Isles' own defences. During the Crimean War, the War Office had been forced to send militia and yeomanry to make up the shortfall of soldiers in the Regular Army. The situation had been complicated by the fact that both auxiliary forces were under the control of the Home Office until 1855.

Tensions rose between the United Kingdom and France following the Orsini affair, an assassination attempt on Emperor Napoleon III on 14 January 1858. It emerged that the would-be assassin, Felice Orsini had travelled to England to have the bombs used in the attack manufactured in Birmingham. The perceived threat of invasion by the much larger French Army was such that, even without sending a third of the army to another Crimea, Britain's military defences had already been stretched invitingly thin. On 29 April 1859 war broke out between France and the Austrian Empire (the Second Italian War of Independence), and there were fears that Britain might be caught up in a wider European conflict  read more

Code: 20589

A French 1830's Belltop Shako Helmet Plate 2nd Regiment

Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 - 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 as the leader of the Orleanist party. As a member of the cadet branch of the Royal House of France and a cousin of King Louis XVI of France by reason of his descent from their common ancestors Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France, he had earlier found it necessary to flee France during the period of the French Revolution in order to avoid imprisonment and execution, a fate that actually befell his father Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans. He spent 21 years in exile after he left France in 1793. He was proclaimed king in 1830 after his cousin Charles X was forced to abdicate in the wake of the events of the July Revolution of that year. His government, known as the July Monarchy, was dominated by members of a wealthy French elite and numerous former Napoleonic officials. He followed conservative policies, especially under the influence of the French statesman Francois Guizot during the period 1840-48. He also promoted friendship with Britain and sponsored colonial expansion, notably the conquest of Algeria. His popularity faded as economic conditions in France deteriorated in 1847, and he was forced to abdicate after the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1848. He lived out his life in exile in Great Britain.  read more

Code: 20588

A Victorian, Stilleto Style, So-Called Prostitute’s Dagger

With very attractive pressed ivorine handle made to simulate ivory. A prostitutes dagger was so called due to their attractiveness and useful size for concealment by unaccompanied ladies abroad after dark. Of course they would never have been sold as such by retailers, and the term has entered the vernacular of collectors probably even after the time they were actually made, however, like the term 'mortuary hilted swords' that bore the engraved visage of the king in the hilt from the English Civil War, they were never actually called that until almost 200 years later. They are attractively designed elegant daggers, just such as this one, with a slender and most efficient blade. Prostitution became a major concern and a focal point for social reformers in the 19th century. Concerns were seen everywhere including the literature of notables such as Charles Dickens. He created characters (some of which may have had real life versions) like Nancy in Oliver Twist, and Martha Endell in David Copperfield.

No one knows for certain, but there were somewhere between 8,000 and 80,000 prostitutes in London during the Victorian Age. It is generally accepted that most of these women found themselves in prostitution due to economic necessity.

There were three attitudes towards prostitution – condemnation, regulation, and reformation. Dickens adopted the last and was intimately involved in a house of reform called Urania Cottage. No scabbard Blade 4.25 inches, overall 8.25 inches long  read more

Code: 24413