This Auxiliary Bomb Disposal Unit button appears to have started out in the neighborhood of Birmingham, England. Can anyone shed some light on the number 9? A unit number? District number? Something else?
The "IBS" button belonged to the same fellow. Since he was in the Merchant Marine, my initial reaction was that this stood for something like International Brotherhood of Seamen or ?? British Seamen. However, the union membership book that I obtained was for the National Union of Seamen. A Google search for IBS turns up 14 zillion citations for irritable bowel syndrome, so no help there. Any ideas?
These items have had something of a wandering history, having started in Europe, emigrated with their owner to Canada and then across the border to western New York state in the U.S., where the old fellow passed away recently. A variety of his momentoes turned up at a flea market a couple of weekends ago and I was able to reunite some of them before they got blown to the four winds. Probably the most significant is a diary of wartime convoy duty, but there are also items indicating service in the 42nd Warwickshire Home Guard and the Gloucestershire Regiment.
The "IBS" button belonged to the same fellow. Since he was in the Merchant Marine, my initial reaction was that this stood for something like International Brotherhood of Seamen or ?? British Seamen. However, the union membership book that I obtained was for the National Union of Seamen. A Google search for IBS turns up 14 zillion citations for irritable bowel syndrome, so no help there. Any ideas?
These items have had something of a wandering history, having started in Europe, emigrated with their owner to Canada and then across the border to western New York state in the U.S., where the old fellow passed away recently. A variety of his momentoes turned up at a flea market a couple of weekends ago and I was able to reunite some of them before they got blown to the four winds. Probably the most significant is a diary of wartime convoy duty, but there are also items indicating service in the 42nd Warwickshire Home Guard and the Gloucestershire Regiment.