Try not to be a Boer... (Or World War One trench art that is not what it appears to be)

Almost universally recognisable, trench art has attracted a huge following in recent years and always commands considerable prices at auction, even given the amount currently on the market. But that should not concern us. The real appeal of trench art is the personal touch; its provenance. Each piece is, by its nature, unique having been carefully crafted from mundane items of kit or munitions available to the soldier at the time. That is why these pieces are not what they appear… On the surface this pair, although very well executed, are not particularly interesting. We know nothing about their origin, they are not engraved with any information, we do not even know the conflict (although we always guess at either the First or Second world wars). These items have a better story to tell, however. If we unscrew the shell itself[1] we can have a look at the head stamp. Where trench art is not engraved, the head stamps can reveal a lot of information, especially when more than one piece of ammunition has been used.

Firstly, the letter ‘N’ stands out. N denotes that the shell was a naval shell so we are presented with an oddity; is this naval trench art? No. Because we have a date of 31 7 99. This is just what it looks like, the 31^st of July 1899. What we have is a Mark II 6 inch BLC naval shell from the Boer war period. Both these items are the same type of shell, the other has a date of 1904. By 1915 the British army was rapidly depleting its stockpile of artillery ammunition and production could not keep up with demand. Commanders were now aware that cavalry could not achieve a breakthrough on the Western front and were convinced that they could batter the enemy aside with artillery instead. Any serviceable shell in storage was dragged out and re-used, these naval shell were converted to 8 inch howitzer shells. The red paint on our 1899 example shows that they were re stamped for use as mark VII ammunition. Clearly, although originating at different times, both these shells ended up being fired during the same action, and subsequently being made into vases during a quiet period. Unfortunately, we will never know why or by whom. But since the shell crisis had largely ended by the end of 1916 by increased production, we can guess at a date of 1915 or 1916 for the creation of the vases. It's as simple as that...

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[1] Which you can sometimes do with ease with items like this, it’s always worth trying. Take great care, of course, not to damage the item.

Nazi piece of work... (Or, Operation Market Garden and Nazi medal and badge souvenirs)

Many people are fascinated, nay obsessed, with relics from the Third Reich. I am not one of them. So why I am I posting about a set of Nazi war medals and Badges? Well, Ill tell you. It would hardly be fair otherwise... First, as is traditional and only sensible, let's take a look:

Ok, fair enough, they do look pretty cool. What are they? Firstly, let's talk about what they are not. They are not about neo-nazism or the modern right or any of that nonsense. They are pieces of history. On the left is an Order of the Iron Class, 2nd class. It's probably the most instantly recognisable foreign historic medal ever issued. The date at the is 1939, but it was first issued in 1813 for service against Napoleon's French army. If you have one of those you can pretty much name your price. It was re-issued for the Franco-Prussian war in 1871, again for WW1 and a final time for WW2 when it was raised to the honour of an 'order' by hitler. The WW2 issues are the most common, they were issued out like biscuits towards the end of the war to try and boost morale. Biscuits may have been more useful... How do we know it's a 2nd class and not a 1st class? The ribbon. i.e. it has one; the 1st class awards had pins. To its right is a 25 year faithful service medal, similar to the British Long Service and Good Conduct, LSGC (or, Long Service and didn't Get Caught!). It is what is it, fairly unusual though. Right again and were back to the early Reich with a 1934 Bremen assembly march badge, quite a scarce little thing. That's Hitler's ugly mug, its fairly self explanatory. Right again, and rarer still, a Kreigsmarine (German Navy) officer's breast eagle. Ignore the coins... Yes, the labels are wrong, we've had a re-assessment and corrections have been made before you ask!

Question is, what are they doing in the museum, and what had Market Garden got to do with it?

Oddly enough, these items belonged to a British soldier. But they hadn't always... In 1944 1st army was advancing into Holland. It was part of the Ground element of the offensive (the 'Garden' bit). Within its ranks was 72 Regt RA, a Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment. Troops from one its batteries, 262, would see heavy fighting at Son bridge. During the fight, a number of German POWs were taken, including men drafted in from the Kreigsmarine manning coastal defences. These items were swapped for cigarettes by the war-weary troops. And that is why they have a place here. This set of items is not about the Third Reich, or Market Garden, its about that moment in 1944 when two opposing soldiers made an exchange of items as two ordinary men. The items may be rare, but the story is priceless. 

I don't mean to medal, but... (Or, World War Two campaign medals and stars)

This is what I lovingly refer to as our 'Top row'. It's a collection of (very nearly) all the campaign stars and medals from the Second World War. Despite the wealth of literature on the web, a lot of people ask about these medals, so here is a post from the mobile museum's 'World at War' section. A lot of information can be taken from a medal set. Unfortunately, unlike WW1, the medals are not named. But still, what set your family member has will still tell you a story. Lets start from the Left and work across:

The Defence Medal

The Defence Medal was awarded for non-operational service. This type of service was usually in the UK and included those service personnel working in HQ or on training bases and airfields and members of the Home Guard. Home Guard service counts between the dates of 14 May 1940 and 31 December 1944. 1080 days was the qualifying criteria. The Medal was also awarded for non-operational service overseas, for example in India or South Africa, where the qualifying length of service was shorter. The most common medal ever issued, the ribbon is said to represent the green fields of Britain, the blackout and the fire of the Blitz.

The War Medal

Perhaps the second most common, this was the award for 28 days minimum service with the armed forces, anywhere in the world. Like the Defence medal, it is cupro-nickel (the Canadian issue is silver). Anyone who had a campaign star automatically qualified, so if your family member has a star, they were entitled to this aswell. 

The Voluntary Medical Services Medal

Not a government issued medal, but one that turns up fairly regularly. It was awarded by the British Red Cross and the Scottish St Andrew's ambulance Corps in 1932 after direction from King George V. It often accompanies the Defence or War medal in a set belonging to VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) personnel providing field nursing services at home and abroad.

The Italy Star 

For 1 or more days' service in Sicily or Italy between 1943-5, and in the Balkans for various set dates. In the main an Army star, but Navy and RAF personnel involved in combat operations also qualified. 

The Burma Star 

For 1 or more days' service in Burma between 1941 and 1945. The ribbon, dark blue overlaid with a central red stripe, represents the Commonwealth Forces with two narrow stripes of orange to symbolise the sun. The design, in common with all the campaign stars, are said to have been designed by George VI personally.

The Africa Star

1 or more days' service in North Africa or Malta between 1940 and 1943, when the campaign was brought to a successful conclusion. Service with 8th or 1st army will qualify recipient for the relevant clasp.

The Pacific Star

A more elusive medal, this is for service on between 1941-2 in Singapore or Malaya, or at sea until 1945. A disastrous land campaign which saw Singapore fall to the Japanese was none the less the scene of some intense and brave actions. The ribbon is wide central stripe of green bisected by a central narrow yellow stripe to represent the forests and beaches of the Pacific, flanked by one stripe of dark blue and one of light blue with red edges to represent the three services. It is worn with the dark blue stripe furthest from the left shoulder.

the Atlantic Star 

This star could only be awarded after the 1939-45 star (see below). 180 days' additional service at any time between 1939-45 as ships crew (Royal Navy or Army) in Home Waters or the Atlantic was required. RAF air crew qualified after an additional 60 days service in an operational unit (having taken part in operations against the enemy at sea).

1939-45 Star

The most common star, it was awarded for 180 days service anywhere in the world between 1939-45 (although the period was shortened to a single day in some areas at certain times). RAF air crew qualified after 60 days service in an operational unit. Air crew of fighter aircraft engaged in the Battle of Britain between 10 July and 31 October 1940 were awarded the Clasp 'Battle of Britain'.

The France and Germany Star

Star awarded for 1 or more days' service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands or Germany 1944-45. Naval personnel could qualify with service in the English channel and North Sea.

The Territorial Efficiency Medal 

In a WW2 medal group, this signifies the recipient was a member of the Territorial Army at the start of the war. It replaced the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal in 1921, and was in turn replaced by the Efficiency Medal. 12 years service were required, but wartime counts as double, so anyone with this medal had to have been in the TA in Sept 1937 at the latest. 

I hope this helps, we always welcome questions/queries about medals you have and need help identifying. They can be helpful in starting the process of digging into your family history. I am, of course, missing the Aircrew Europe Star and for that I can only apologize. 60 days operational service on top of the 180 days needed for the 1939-45 star allowed personnel, almost exclusively of the RAF to gain this medal for service over Europe from UK bases. Why is it missing? Have you seen what they go for?! If anyone has this medal, the museum would be VERY grateful...

For more information, the MOD operates an extensive database:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Veterans/Medals/