My mixed bag collection (mostly British for a change)

[Mark P]

Great displays. Your Aussie helmet is in good nick.

Regards Mark

[tubist73]

Thanks, Mark.

It seems to be, compared to many of the other examples I have seen over the years. But they are so rare over here in Europe that any example in any condition is quite valuable.

Matthew

[tubist73]

Just getting back to taking some more pictures now my free time and the weather have improved. Here are some shots of a US bugler from World War 1.

Being a former professional musician I have a soft spot for military musicians, their uniforms and instruments. One of my 'sidelines' is collecting military bugles from various nations (and actually being able to play them, after a little clean).

This is the almost complete uniform of a US army bugler. I picked these items up many years ago in Germany, including the tunic, breeches, cap and bugle, all belonging to the same man. Certain items have been added by me to complete this impression - the leggings, cartridge belt and boots (from the late 1930s).

Matthew

[tubist73]

The uniform has been decked out with a few extras by the original owner; his victory medal pinned to the chest, a stars & stripes pin (now creased upside down) and his victory medal bar placed on the right side of his cap. These are obviously against regulations but I have left them exactly as found.

On the right sleeve is the buglers' badge, very firmly attached and sunk into the material. There are no divisional patches but I believe many of these were actually added in the immediate post-war period anyway.

[tubist73]

And finally a couple of shots of the M-1894 Bb bugle that came with the uniform. This was known as the 'trench' bugle due to its tightly wound design. There is very little damage but the surface of the bugle is incredibly tarnished to a deep brown. I have not found a date stamp anywhere but this is quite common on these instruments. It still plays nicely!

The bugle cord is actually British, and is the closest thing I have available. The bugle came with a short piece of knotted string attached, but a proper cord allows it to be slung correctly across the body.

Tucked inside the flap of the garrison cap was a typed sheet of paper from an army camp, presumably where this bugler was stationed. On it is a list of the bugle calls required for the day, dated 11 November, 1918, from the commanding officer. I guess the soldier decided to keep this list of calls from such a significant day.

[tubist73]

A quick update on a subject I don't cover often and which is not represented too much in my collection - the US soldier in WW2. I have a few representative items of the main uniform and equipment elements, but a mix of mint and well-worn things that don't always work well together in a display.

Here is a typical GI in the last winter of the war, in the attritional battles of the Ardennes and the Hurtgen Forest. The greatcoat was designed as a dress item but was worn during the cold of months of 1944-5, before the new M-43 uniform reached all frontline troops. This early coat is dated 1941 and is in excellent condition - but doesn't really blend with the battle-worn helmet, boots and equipment.

Matthew

[tubist73]

This M-1 helmet was purchased many years ago from France. One nice surprise was the snow camo on the liner, shown here. Unfortunately, the liner had been rotting away over the years and many pieces are coming apart (which is why I haven't risked pushing the liner further down). But it really is an evocative piece and I really like the well-used wear and tear, especially on the camo paint. Another item that could probably tell a fascinating story.....

[tubist73]

And lastly, the outer shell of the M-1 that came with the liner. No signs of any camo on this but plenty of character from service use, fixed bales and original chinstrap attached. The soldier's initials 'F.M.' have been scratched into the paint at the front of the shell, under the front lip and across the inside bottom of the helmet.

Fairly standard equipment, all picked up in Germany years ago. Probably left there at the end of the war, so in solid condition but well used. The boots came with bits of straw and mouse crap inside, mud caked on the soles - and the original laces were (and are) still tied!

[Lou58]

Well done Matthew, you do have some nice original uniforms in your collection!

Lou

[frank m]

what a collection, absolute top items

greetings Frank

[tubist73]

Lou and Frank - thank you for the nice comments, much appreciated.

I'm returning now to one or my favourite subjects - the BEF in France from 1939 until the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940. It is a less well-known time than the more 'glamorous' and victorious period after D-Day, and certainly the uniforms are less exciting with very few insignia or colourful flashes in use. However, I find it an interesting time, full of anachronisms, while the BEF were still completing the transition from a post-WW1 force into a more modern army capable of operating in the new war. The unusual mixtures of uniforms and equipment in this period intrigue me.

Here is an example of a Royal Artillery Lt. early in the battles of May 1940. He is based on a famous image of British officers holding a briefing in a field in France, wearing this same combination. His uniform is the standard service dress - used in combat during WW1 but not for most of WW2. His baggy dress trousers are tucked into officers' high leather boots. On top of this uniform he is wearing the fairly new 1937 Pattern officers' web equipment set. This mixture was rarely seen in the front lines throughout the war.

[tubist73]

The helmet is a Mk I shell from the Great War, reconditioned and given a Mk II liner just prior to WW2. Many helmet shells of this vintage can be seen in period photographs - they have a slightly broader and more sloping shell compared to the WW2 dome shape.

As you can see from the pictures, getting hold of this early blancoed webbing equipment in a matching shade is not very easy. All of these webbing items have dates between 1938-1940, except one webbing brace (no clear stamp). The canvas map case is the half-covered model, dated 1940. The gas mask bag is an early Mk. V from 1938.

Overall, this is a look typical of the trench fighting in WW1 - formal service dress mixed with infantry webbing for combat. In WW2 this look disappeared very quickly from the front lines after Dunkirk. Officers then switched to the more practical battledress clothing and blended in with the other ranks much better.

Matthew

[bobgee526]

Verrrrry Nice collection. Thanks for sharing. Bob

[tubist73]

Thanks, Bob. Next up is something new for me - a Great War Canadian setup.

I just found a WW1 kilt and sporran for sale in the UK on a certain auction site. I didn't recognise the tartan at all, but both items looked authentic. There was also an original paper label inside the kilt, showing a British maker of Davidson tartan, dated October 1917. I took a chance and won both items.

A little research showed both items to be for the 15th Battalion, 48th Highlanders of Canada. This unit was one of the first to sail for the UK in 1914, entering France in February 1915 and serving there until the end of hostilities. They have an impressive list of battle honours, including the dubious distinction of being one of the units present at the first gas attack during the second battle of Ypres.

One tiny and coincidental personal connection is that one of the ships that transported the 15th battalion to the UK in 1914, the SS Megantic, is the same ship that transported my great-grandfather from France to Salonika in 1915. Small world.

Here is a quick display representing a 1915 veteran a couple of years later. He still holds on to his Glengarry but the cut-away jacket has been replaced by a standard British version as was common. Many photos show 48th Highlanders without kilt covers, so I haven't used one here; it also helps to show the Davidson tartan unique to this unit. The inside label is damaged but still readable. The Pattern 1908 webbing is my standard early-war set all dated 1915 or 1916.

Matthew

[tubist73]

Here's a close-up of the 48th Highlanders badge. This I just purchased from a UK dealer to compliment the kilt, added here to a standard WW1 diced Glengarry (a little worse for wear). There appear to have been several badges in use during the war, this one I believe is an early style for troops serving overseas.

Finally, a shot of the standard Canada shoulder titles. These are maker marked and dated 1916 underneath. They should probably sit lower down on the shoulder straps but this is where the holes were for British titles - I'm not making any more on a uniform like this!

Matthew