Antique Arms & Militaria

A Good Original 'Desert Rat' British WW2 British Infantry 4 Medal Group

From a former Desert Rat veteran of the 8th Army. Acquired with his helmet but sold separately. He fought Rommel's Afrika Korps, [who, under Montgomery's command, kicked the DAK's bottoms at El Alamein] and then with the 8th Army transferred to Italy in order to fight from the south right through to Rome, however, the owner of this medal group and helmet was severely wounded before he qualified for the Italy Star medal, however, he did get the Afrika Star with 8th Army bar, plus his other 3 medals. The Eighth Army was a field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Free French Forces, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Significant formations which passed through the Army included V Corps, X Corps, XIII Corps, XXX Corps, I Canadian Corps and the II Polish Corps. On 26 November the Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command, General Sir Claude Auchinleck, replaced Cunningham with Major-General Neil Ritchie, following disagreements between Auchinleck and Cunningham. Despite achieving a number of tactical successes, Rommel was forced to concede Tobruk and was pushed back to El Agheila by the end of 1941. In February 1942 Rommel had regrouped his forces sufficiently to push the over-extended Eighth Army back to the Gazala line, just west of Tobruk. Both sides commenced a period of building their strength to launch new offensives but it was Rommel who took the initiative first, forcing the Eighth Army from the Gazala position.

Ritchie proved unable to halt Rommel and was replaced when Auchinleck himself took direct command of the army. The Panzer Army Afrika were eventually stopped by Auchinleck at the First Battle of El Alamein. Auchinleck, wishing to pause and regroup the Eighth Army, which had expended a lot of its strength in halting Rommel, came under intense political pressure from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to strike back immediately. However, he proved unable to build on his success at Alamein and was replaced as Commander-in-Chief Middle-East in August 1942 by General Harold Alexander and as Eighth Army commander by Lieutenant-General William Gott. Gott was killed in an air crash on his way to take up his command and so Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery was appointed in his place. Alexander and Montgomery were able to resist the pressure from Churchill, building the Army's strength and adding a pursuit formation, X Corps, to the Army's XIII and XXX Corps.

At the beginning of November 1942 the Eighth Army defeated Rommel in the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein, pursuing the defeated Axis army across Libya and reaching the Mareth defensive line on the Tunisian border in February 1943, where it came under the control of 18th Army Group. The Eighth Army outflanked the Mareth defences in March 1943 and after further fighting alongside the British First Army, the other 18th Army Group component which had been campaigning in Tunisia since November 1942, the Axis forces in North Africa surrendered in May 1943  read more

Code: 22243

French Medal Commemorating the Universal Exhibition in Paris,1855. E.Oudine

A large, original, mid 19th century French metal medal of beautiful quality made in 1855. Laureate bust of Napoleon III left. NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR (Obverse by E.A. Oudin?) Reverse: Three allegorical figures. EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE In exergue: LA FRANCE COURONNE / L'ART ET INDUSTRIE (Reverse by A.A. Caqu?) 6.83 cm diameter. A near identical example in the Royal Collection Trust number;RCIN 444908
AA Caqu? (medallist) and E.Oudine
Napol?on III, Emperor of the French, 3rd son of Lodewyk I, King of Holland (1808-73)
Exposition Universelle (1855 : Paris) Very crisp example in nice condition, two very small edge nicks on the reverse. Exactly ten years before the opening of the first universal exposition in Paris, the future father of the event was serving a lifetime prison term in the state military fortress at Ham. Charles Louis Napol?on Bonaparte, nephew and adopted godson of the Emperor, had failed in his second attempt at a coup d'?tat against the restored monarchy of Louis Philippe. After the first attempt in 1836, the government had exiled him to America. The second attempt in 1840 earned him the detention term at Ham, behind the very walls that, over four centuries before, had held Joan of Arc captive. Many monarchists and conservatives in the Court of Peers and the National Assembly wished for terminal punishment; but the name of Napol?on was in the ascendant once again throughout France. On the very day when Charles Louis was sentenced, Emperor Napol?on's ashes were received by both royalty and the multitudes of Paris with great pomp at the church of Les Invalides. And so, rather than arouse the wrath of the still considerable number of Bonapartists, the Court of Peers determined to make the military fortress at Ham the Elba of Charles Louis. In spite of a decree banning the Bonaparte family from France forever, Charles was elected in absentia to the Assembly. He skillfully parlayed his popularity, and the halo of glory around the name Napol?on, into the presidency of the National Assembly in 1848. After a parliamentary struggle with the retreating forces ? supporters of the monarchy and revolutionaries who wished France to become a republic ? Charles Louis took command of the army and forcibly dismissed the assembly. He was proclaimed Emperor of the French on December 1, 1851.  read more

Code: 21482

Natal Carabiniers Other Ranks Helmet Plate Circa 1901-13. South Africa

Boer war period. A good die-stamped example. Crowned floreated "NC" cypher. Three loops to reverse. VGC. The Natal Carbineers participated in the invasion of Zululand in January 1879, and on 22 January, 23 members of the Regiment perished in the famous battle of Isandlwana. The unit was subsequently relegated to garrison duties at Landman?s Drift on the Mzinyathi, or Buffalo River.

South Africa, 1899?1902

Main article: Second Boer War

In September 1899, the Natal Carbineers were mobilized for active service in the British campaign to subdue the Boer republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Regiment served until October 1900, when the Natal Volunteer Forces were demobilized. Some men continued their service in the Volunteer Composite Regiment until the end of the war in May 1902.
Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal: From 2 November 1899 until 28 February 1900, the bulk of the Natal Carbineers was besieged in Ladysmith, and played a prominent part in that famous engagement. The most prominent military action was the attack by Colonial Forces on the Boer artillery emplacement at Gun Hill on the night of 7?8 December 1899. The Regiment lost heavily from the diseases that ravaged the garrison. A solitary squadron of the Natal Carbineers, the Estcourt-Weenen Squadron, avoided the siege of Ladysmith, and instead participated in the relief operations of Sir Redvers Buller as part of Hubert Gough's Composite Regiment. This squadron?s most notable military action of this period was the disastrous battle of Colenso on 15 December 1899, when four men were killed. These were their most serious losses for any one action during the Anglo-Boer War. Height 3 inches, width 2.75 inches  read more

Code: 21474

Souvenir de la Revision Classe 1905, 42nd Infantrie 8th Co. 2nd Bn

Republic Francais framed medallion with rosette and print of cavalry. Translation; Remembrance of Class 1905 revision. 42nd Infantry Regiment (42e r?giment d?infanterie or 42e RI) was an infantry regiment of the French Army, raised in 1635 as the 'R?giment de Calvisson'. It was renamed the 1638 : 'R?giment de Montpezat' in 1638 and the 'R?giment du Limousin' in 1684, before first gaining its numeral of 42 in 1791. During the First World War it was nicknamed the 'As de Carreau', since it was part of the 'Division des As' (a nickname for 14th Infantry Division).  read more

Code: 20776

A Fine Prussian Military Honour Medal In Silver 1814.

A large silver medal on its original silk ribbon. King Fredrick William III's Ehrenzeichen (honour medal). The inscription "VERDIENST UM DEN STAAT" (Meritorious Service to the State) which appears in the centre of the medal surrounded by a circular wreath of laurel leaves remained unchanged from its inception in 1814 until 1918. To better appreciate the reason why this particular decoration survived virtually unchanged as a continuous service award for subsequent Prussian kings and German Emperors after Friedrich Wilhelm III's death in 1840, to even include the retention of his initials, it may be helpful to understand the historical importance and context of his rule to the eventual founding of the German Empire.

In furtherance to this, King Frederick William III (1770-1840) succeeded to the throne of Prussia in 1797, at the age of 27, during the French Revolution. Fearful of the possible spread of democratic concepts to Prussia, he attempted to maintain a policy of strict neutrality in the political and military conflicts which were constantly taking place at that time between the new French republic and her bitter enemies in the long standing monarchies of Austria and England. Medal 1.5 inch across. Silver weight 25 grams approx.  read more

Code: 20649

Volunteer Artillery Busby Plume Holder Badge circa 1860 to 1873.

Other ranks nickel badge with slide to the reverse. 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: 20595

The Prussian v Austria War Medal 1866, Made From Captured Cannon

Bronze cross patt?e alis?e, a laurel wreath between the arms, with ribbed loop for ribbon suspension; the face with a circular central medallion bearing the cipher ?WR? for King Wilhelm I, circumscribed ?PREUSSENS SIEGREICHEM HEERE? (Prussia?s victorious armies), the Prussian crown on the upper arm of the cross, the left, right and lower arms inscribed ?GOTT WAR MIT UNS. IHM SEI DIE EHRE? (God was with us. To Him be the glory); the reverse with a circular central medallion bearing the crowned Prussian royal eagle perched on a cannon, the upper, left, right and lower arms inscribed ?TREUEN?, KRIE-?, ?GERN?, ?1866? respectively; some slight age oxidisation and wear to gilding; on replaced correct ribbon. The medal was instituted by King Wilhelm I on 20 September 1866 following the victorious war against Austria and its German allies. The medal was cast from the bronze of captured Austrian cannon. The Austro-Prussian War or Seven Weeks' War (also known as the Unification War, Prussian?German War, German Civil War, War of 1866, as well as Brothers War or Fraternal War, and in Germany as German War) was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation ("Deutscher Bund") under the leadership of the Austrian Empire ("Kaisertum ?sterreich") and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the other, that resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states. In the Italian unification process, this is called the Third Independence War.

The major result of the war was a shift in power among the German states away from Austrian and towards Prussian hegemony, and impetus towards the unification of all of the northern German states in a Kleindeutsches Reich that excluded the German Austria. It saw the abolition of the German Confederation and its partial replacement by a North German Confederation ("Norddeutscher Bund") that excluded Austria and the other South German states. The war also resulted in the Italian annexation of the Austrian province of Venetia.  read more

Code: 19934

A 19th Century Leather Shot Flask By Renown Maker James Dixon and Son

Embossed leather relief design of hanging game. J Dixon & Sons (James Dixon & Sons) founded 1806 in Sheffield, was one of the major British manufacturers in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. They were well known as manufacturers of Pewterware, Electroplated Britannia metal Silverware and Electroplated nickel silver. Their products included hundreds of items for use in the kitchen (e.g. bowls, cutting-tools) and the dining room(e.g. tea services, cocktail shakers and mixers) as well as items like candlesticks for all rooms. They were a world leader in manufacturing shooting accessories through nineteenth century and exported powder flasks in large quantities to America, They were known as whistle makers, which like most of their products were of outstanding quality; they were one of the 4 great whistle makers, the others being W Dowler & Sons, J Stevens & Son & T Yates.

It was located first at Silver Street (1806), Cornish Place (1822) Sheffield . They were also famous for their sporting trophies. Two of the most well-known are the Hales Trophy commissioned in 1932 (sometimes called the Blue Riband) though this really refers to the pendant flown by the sailing ship currently holding the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. The trophy was then held by the owners of that ship. The other great trophy is the one presented to the winner of the American Masters Golf tournament held annually in Augusta Georgia. This trophy is a scale model of the clubhouse made in 1959-60 and contains 453 troy ounces of silver.  read more

Code: 19867

George Vth 13th County of London Kensington Helmet Plate

Excellent condition. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the 26 Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform.

Now part of the Territorial Force, the London Regiment expanded to 88 battalions in the First World War. Of these 49 battalions saw action in France and Flanders, 6 saw action at the Gallipoli Campaign, 12 saw action at Salonika, 14 saw action against the Turks in Palestine, and one saw action in Waziristan and Afghanistan.

The London Regiment ceased to exist in 1938 and the battalions transferred to regular infantry regiments, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers.  read more

Code: 18849

A Victorian Kaffrarian Rifles Badge, of South Africa, Motto "Nunc animus"

Nunc animus (meaning "Now with courage" or "Now without fear") This unit was formed in East London in 1876, as the Buffalo Corps of Rifle Volunteers, for service in the 9th Frontier War. It disbanded in 1879. (East London is situated on the Buffalo River, hence the name).

The unit was re-formed in July 1883 and was named after the region of Kaffraria, the 19th-century name for the region around East London. There had previously been many other units from this region, from which the Regiment can also claim descent: Kaffrarian Volunteer Corps, Kaffrarian Mounted Rifles (Kaffrarian Rangers), Buffalo Volunteer Rifles Corps, Buffalo Volunteer Engineers, Kaffrarian Volunteer Artillery Corps, Berlin Mounted Volunteers, Cape Mounted Yeomanry (1st Regiment), Frontier Mounted Riflemen (Brabant's Horse), East London Volunteers (Von Linsignen's Buffalo Corps and later Walkers Horse).

On 1 December 1900 George Herbert Farrar was appointed as a Major in the Kaffrarian Rifles.

In 1913 it was embodied in the Citizen Force as the 5th Infantry (Kaffrarian Rifles), but regained its old name in 1932. The unit was temporarily amalgamated with the First City Regiment, as the First City/The Kaffrarian Rifles from 1954 to 1956. In order to keep pace with the changing political climate in South Africa, the regiment was renamed the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles in 1999.

This Regiment and its predecessors took part in all of South Africa's armed conflicts, including the Bechuanaland Campaign (1897), the Second Boer War, World War I (when it fought in the then German South-West Africa and most of its members went on to serve in East Africa and Europe), World War II (when it fought in the Western Desert during 1941 - 1943 . 62 mm high  read more

Code: 18566