WW1 / WW2 / 20th Century

A WW2 British Royal Navy Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat Binnacle Steering Compass

In superb condition for age. A Cockpit enclosed MTB steering compass with side mounted petrol lamp and red glass filter in order for the boat to avoid being seen by Kriegsmarine ships and u-boats at night. Top viewing lid opens, the top section may be removed entirely revealing the compass fully, the bottom plinth section is still painted battleship grey, and also bears its patent number and serial number stamped upon its makers base plate. The top section is brass and naturally age discoloured as it hasn’t been polished for likely 20 years or more.

There is a photo of the open bridge of a WW2 Vosper 73-foot boat (MTB 383) showing the ship's wheel, with this MTB steering compass above it. To its right are (in order) the engine throttles, the engine telegraph, the torpedo firing levers, and the engine room voice pipe. The hatch and companion way to the left of the wheel leads down to the wheelhouse.

The wartime success of Vosper is largely due to Commander Peter du Cane, a former naval officer and aviator who joined Vosper in 1931 to boost their involvement in high-speed craft The following year he won a controlling interest in the company and secured the contract from Sir Malcolm Campbell to build his record-breaking speedboat Bluebird II. By this stage the company was already building launches for the Royal Navy, and du Cane naturally considered tendering a bid for high-speed 'offensive torpedo boats'. The award of just such a contract to Vosper s rival, the British Power Boat Company, spurred du Cane on to develop a Vosper design, and he personally funded the design and construction of a 68-foot experimental boat with a hard-chine hull, designated PV 1 (standing for 'private venture'). It was duly purchased by the Admiralty as MTB 102. Unlike the Thornycroft and BPB designs (and after some experimentation), it was capable of firing its torpedoes from deck mounts rather than by dropping them astern. To power the craft, du Cane selected the powerful Italian Isotta-Fraschini petrol engine.

Being made of brass, we have seen the upper sections in the past versions we have had, fully polished, and the resulting finished instrument is very beautiful and can look amazing in the right setting..  read more

Code: 24826

A Very Good WW1 Gloucester Regt. Sterling Silver & Blue and White Enamel Military Sweetheart Brooch

The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their regimental colours than any other British Army line regiment. During the course of the war, the regiment raised 25 battalions, seeing service on the Western Front, Gallipoli, Macedonia, Mesopotamia, Persia and Italy. Battle Honours gained in WW1; The Great War (25 battalions): Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914 '18, Ypres 1914 '15 '17, Langemarck 1914 '17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916, '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozi?res, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Messines 1917 '18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosi?res, Avre, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, B?thune, Drocourt-Qu?ant, Hindenburg Line, ?p?hy, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914?18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917?18, Struma, Doiran 1917, Macedonia 1915?18, Suvla, Sari Bair, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915?16, Egypt 1916, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916?18, Persia 1918  read more

Code: 18819

Superb WW1 Slouch Hat Badge of the 5th Mounted Rifle Ortago Hussars

A super original badge of one of the great and heroic New Zealand Horse Regiments. Probably for officers as it is gilded and manufactured with a separate silver central shield attached. Bears a small makers affixed label, Gaunt of London. The Otago Mounted Rifle Regiment was a New Zealand Mounted Regiment formed for service during the Great War. It was formed from units of the Territorial Force consisting of the 5th Mounted Rifles (Otago Hussars) the 7th (Southland) Mounted Rifles and the 12th (Otago) Mounted Rifles. They saw service during the Battle of Gallipoli, with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and was later withdrawn to Egypt. They later left the brigade and served in served in France with the New Zealand Division becoming the only New Zealand Mounted troops to serve in France. Battle of Gallipoli
Battle of Flers - Courcelette. 15-22 Sep 1916.
Battle of Morval. 25-28 Sep 1916.
Battle of Le Transloy. 1-18 Oct 1916.
Battle of Messines. 7-14 Jun 1917.
Battle of Polygon Wood. 26 Sep - 3 Oct 1917.
Battle of Broodseinde. 4 Oct 1917.
Battle of Passchendaele. 12 Oct 1917.
Battle of Arras. 28 Mar 1918.
Battle of the Ancre. 5 Apr 1918.
Battle of Albert. 21-23 Aug 1918.
Battle of Bapaume. 31 Aug - 3 Sep 1918.
Battle of Havrincourt. 12 Sep 1918.
Battle of the Canal du Nord. 27 Sep - 1 Oct 1918.
Battle of Cambrai. 8-9 Oct 1918.
Pursuit to the Selle. 9-12 Oct 1918.
Battle of the Selle. 17-25 Oct 1918.
Battle of the Sambre. 4 Nov 1918, including the Capture of Le Quesnoy.  read more

Code: 19167

A Cast Iron Plaque of Graf Von Zeppelin The Pioneer of German Airship Travel, & The First To Realise The Potential of Airship’s Ability of Bombing Combat Against Cities Far Behind Enemy Lines

Dated 1920. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (German: Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin; 8 July 1838 – 8 March 1917) was a German general and later inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airships. His name soon became synonymous with airships and dominated long-distance flight until the 1930s. He founded the company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.

Ferdinand von Zeppelin served as an official observer with the Union Army during the American Civil War. During the Peninsular Campaign, he visited the balloon camp of Thaddeus S. C. Lowe shortly after Lowe's services were terminated by the Army. Von Zeppelin then travelled to St. Paul, MN where the German-born former Army balloonist John Steiner offered tethered flights. His first ascent in a balloon, made at Saint Paul, Minnesota during this visit, is said to have been the inspiration of his later interest in aeronautics.


Russet finish overall. Approx 4 inches  read more

Code: 16535

A Third Reich, Kriegsmarine, 6. Schiffsstammabteilung Der Ostsee Training Crew Recruits Baltic Command

A very impressive German, Kriegsmarine cap tally from the 1930's and WW2. Photo in the gallery of the Schiffsstammabteilung Der Ostsee officers and men.

The tally on a sailor's cap is a ribbon usually bearing the name of a ship or some other establishment to which they belong.

Practice varies with each navy, though a conventional tally is black, with a gold or yellow inscription. The inscription may be simply a ship's name (e.g. "H.M.A.S. ARRERNTE"), the name of the navy ("MARINE NATIONALE") or a longer name such as "Red Banner Baltic Fleet" ("КРАСНОЗНАМЕН. БАЛТ. ФЛОТ"). During World War II, the ship's name would often be omitted from the tall—leaving just "H.M.A.S", for example—as a precautionary measure against espionage.

Likewise, the manner a tally is fastened onto the cap varies with each navy. For example, the British tie it into a bow on the left side; the Germans and Russians tie it at the back, leaving behind a pair of streamers; while the French stitch it onto the cap like an ordinary cap band.

Occasionally, the tally's colour may vary from the usual black, such as the Ribbon of Saint George tallies used in the Soviet and Russian navies to denote Guards units.  read more

Code: 19855

WW1 Ottway Naval Gunsight Telescope V.P 5 to 15,. Made by W Ottway & Co, Ealing

As used on the Dreadnought class battleships.
This amazing looking scientific instrument is a 1913 WW1 Ottway Military Gunsight Telescope V.P 5 to 15,. Made by W Ottway & Co, Ealing, 6 kilos, a noted high quality manufacturer of optical instruments.

On the gun deck of the battleship it would be securely mounted accordingly. Jolly good optics.

Composed of, predominantly, brass and its very heavy! This type of gunsight was often used on the gun turrets of British Royal Navy ships, including the capital ships the “Dreadnought.” The small additional viewing site {shown in position and separate in the photos} affixes on the top is lacking its small mounting screws.  read more

Code: 24675

An Original, Patriotic War Period Infantryman’s, Red Army Russian Service Belt From A WW2 Veteran

Just acquired from it's original owner who served in the USSR's Red army in WW2 and in the early Cold War Era. This was his Red Star service belt that he wore, and another belt we show in the gallery was from his comrade who served in the USSR navy [now sold]. With it's original leather belt. A most scarce original example straight from it's original owner. The Red Workers' and Peasants' Army was the name given to the army and the air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and from 1922 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It was established in the immediate period after the 1917 October Revolution (Red October or Bolshevik Revolution), when the Bolsheviks constituted an army during the Russian Civil War opposite the military confederations (especially the combined groups summarized under the preamble White Army) of their adversaries. From February 1939, the Red Army, who together with the Soviet Navy, embodied the main component of the Soviet Armed Forces, took the official name "Soviet Army" until its dissolution in December 1991.  read more

Code: 18089

A Polish Republic Order Of Merit Medal with Miniature in Original Box

Originated in 1923. At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awarded to citizens who went beyond the call of duty in their work for the country and society as a whole. May be awarded twice in each grade to the same person. 1950's PRL centre  read more

Code: 20828

A Very Important Piece of US Aeronautical Pilot Headgear A WW1 1917 United States Air Service Pilot's Helmet

The first pilot's helmet made, in WW1, for the US Army Air Service [designed for use with electric earphones]. U.S. Air Service Western Electric Type 1-A Flying 1917 Patt U.S. Air Service Type 1-A Pilot’s Western Electric Leather Flying Helm The Type 1-A Flying Helmet was the first flying helmet standardized by the United States Army Air Service in 1917. It remained in use throughout the mid-1920s. A similar example, also with earphones lacking, is in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the helmet was worn by Lt. Byron M. Bates. WWI U.S. Air Service Western Electric Type 1-A Flying Helmet and Airplane, Interphone Type S.C.R. 57. The Western Electric Type 1-A was the first helmet to incorporate radio telephone communication equipment. The russet brown leather helmet is lined in flannel and laces in the back for a snug fit. The crown of the helmet is also fitted with an strap and buckle for further adjustment. There are leather housings for earphones mounted on each side (earphones lacking) and coverted in leather. Tag mounted on the inside reads "Western Electric Co. Inc. / No. 1-A Helmet / Medium Size". Thaw came from one of the 100 wealthiest families in the United States. (During her lifetime, Thaw’s grandmother donated $6 million to charity.) In 1913 he soloed in a Curtiss hydroaeroplane, bought for him by his dad. When the war began, he went to France hoping to join the French air service, but settled for the French foreign legion and fought in the trenches for months until the air service made him an observer. Despite bad eyesight, Thaw became an ace, and is probably the first American to fly in combat.The first U.S. aviation squadron to reach France was the 1st Aero Squadron, which sailed from New York in August 1917 and arrived at Le Havre on September 3. A member of the squadron, Lt. Stephen W. Thompson, achieved the first aerial victory by the U.S. military while flying as a gunner-observer with a French day bombing squadron on February 5, 1918. As other squadrons were organized, they were sent overseas, where they continued their training. The first U.S. squadron to see combat, on February 19, 1918, was the 103rd Aero Squadron, a pursuit unit flying with French forces and composed largely of former members of the Lafayette Escadrille and Lafayette Flying Corps. The first U.S. aviator killed in action during aerial combat occurred March 8, 1918, when Captain James E. Miller, commanding the 95th Pursuit Squadron, was shot down while on a voluntary patrol near Reims. The first aerial victory in an American unit was by 1st Lt. Paul F. Baer of the 103rd Aero Squadron, and formerly a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps, on March 11. The first victories credited to American-trained pilots came on April 14, 1918, when Lieutenants Alan F. Winslow and Douglas Campbell of the 94th Pursuit Squadron scored. The first mission by an American squadron across the lines occurred April 11, when the 1st Aero Squadron, led by its commander, Major Ralph Royce, flew a photo reconnaissance mission to the vicinity of Apremont.

The first American balloon group arrived in France on December 28, 1917. It separated into four companies that were assigned individually to training centers and instructed in French balloon procedures, then equipped with Caquot balloons, winches, and parachutes. The 2d Balloon Company joined the French 91st Balloon Company at the front near Royaumeix on February 26, 1918. On March 5 it took over the line and began operations supporting the U.S. 1st Division, becoming the "first complete American Air Service unit in history to operate against an enemy on foreign soil." By the beginning of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive the Air Service AEF consisted of 32 squadrons (15 pursuit, 13 observation, and 4 bombing) at the front, while by November 11, 1918, 45 squadrons (20 pursuit, 18 observation, and 7 bombardment] had been assembled for combat. During the war, these squadrons played important roles in the Battle of Château-Thierry, the St-Mihiel Offensive, and the Meuse-Argonne. Several units, including the 94th Pursuit Squadron under the command of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, and the 27th Pursuit Squadron, which had "balloon buster" 1st Lt. Frank Luke as one of its pilots, achieved distinguished records in combat and remained a permanent part of the air forces.  read more

Code: 23499

Mightier Yet! Every Day More Planes Every Day More Pilots Original WW2

Propaganda poster for the British wartime RAF and the mighty Hurricane. Printed for HM Stationary Office by J. Weiner Ltd London WC1. A propaganda information and recruitment poster. The size as were used in the underground trains advertising panels, or the back of black cabs. Britain re-created the World War I Ministry of Information for the duration of World War II to generate propaganda to influence the population towards support for the war effort. A wide range of media was employed aimed at local and overseas audiences. Traditional forms such as newspapers and posters were joined by new media including cinema (film), newsreels and radio. A wide range of themes were addressed, fostering hostility to the enemy, support for allies, and specific pro war projects such as conserving metal and growing vegetables. In 1940 in particular, Winston Churchill made many calls for the British to fight on, and for British units to fight until they died rather than submit. His calls for fight to victory inspired a hardening of public opinion. Determination raised the numbers of the Home Guard and inspired a willingness to fight to the last ditch, in a manner rather similar to Japanese determination, and the slogan "You can always take one with you" was used in the grimmest times of the war. British victories were announced to the public for morale purposes, and broadcast to Germany for purposes of undermining morale.

Even during Dunkirk, an optimistic spin was put on how the soldiers were eager to return.

When the U-boat commander Gunther Prien vanished with his submarine U-47, Churchill personally informed the House of Commons, and radio broadcasts to Germany asked, "Where is Prien?" until Germany was forced to acknowledge his loss.

The turn of the war made BBC's war commentaries much more stirring.

We never normally comment on the investment potential of any collectable, but the potential for all underpriced WW1 and WW2 posters must be incredible, for example the more famed poster, 'Keep Calm and Carry On' can now sell for over £20,000.
Good condition 10 inches x 15 inches  read more

Code: 20863