A Scarce Volunteer Artillery Officers- Busby Plume Holder Badge circa 1860 to 1873.

A rare and most collectable silver badge from the mid Victorian period. Now naturally silver age blackened but it would polish up beautifully, which we can do if required. 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: 20589

An Original and Superb Example of A Very Scarce WW1 Guards Machine Gun Regiment Cap Badge Of Sapper Mumby RE

The Guards Machine Gun Regiment was a regiment of the British Army, formed for service in the First World War.

A Machine Gun guardsman's cap badge. The Guards Machine Gun Regiment was formed in from the three regiments of Household Cavalry and the Guards Machine Gun Battalion. 1st Life Guards became 1st Battalion, 2nd Life Guards the 2nd Battalion, Royal Horseguards 3rd Battalion and the Guards MG Battalion the 4th. There was a 5th Reserve Battalion. The three Household Cavalry regiments retained their own cap badges but acknowledged their new role by wearing crossed Vickers guns as collar badges. These three regiments returned to England in 1919 and reverted to their previous roles. The 4th Battalion on its return was designated 6th or Machine Gun Regiment of Foot Guards, or the Guards Machine Gun Regiment. It was disbanded in 1920. The date 1916 on the badge refers to the date on which the Guards Machine Gun Battalion was formed.
Inscription
QUINQUE JUNCTA IN UNO 1916

When the Guards Division was formed in August 1915, it included three machine gun companies, with a fourth added in March 1917. In April 1917, the four companies were grouped together as a single battalion named the Machine Gun Guards, before being re-designated by Royal Warrant in May 1918 as the Guards Machine Gun Regiment. In June, the regiment was reorganised into battalions.

Formerly the three badges of Sapper Mumby R.E. who was assigned to the Guards MGR, the MMGS & The Tank Corps {possibly 3rd battalion}. We also have his trio of medals {named}, all are to be sold seperately. His tank Badge was WW2 issue

Sappers and the Machine Gun Corps (MGC)
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a specialized unit within the infantry that operated heavy and light machine guns.
While the MGC was focused on the use of machine guns, the engineering efforts of the Royal Engineers (Sappers) were indispensable to the overall effectiveness of the MGC, the Tank Corps and other infantry units.
Therefore, sappers worked in conjunction with MGC units, providing the necessary engineering support to enable their operations, especially in trench warfare

Photo in the gallery of an Irish Guards machine-gun team in 1914. Not a single one of these men pictured here survived the war  read more

Code: 25936

A Rare Original WW1 1914 Motor Machine Gun Service Cap Badge Of Sapper Mumby RE. All His Badges And Trio Are Offered For Sale Seperately

In superb original condition.

The Motor Machine Gun Service (MMGS) was a unit of the British Army in the First World War, consisting of batteries of motorcycle/sidecar combinations carrying Vickers machine guns. It was formed in 1914 and incorporated into the Machine Gun Corps in October 1915 as the Machine Gun Corps (Motors).

Although the usefulness of the machine gun had not been fully appreciated by the British Army before the outbreak of the Great War, it soon became apparent that highly mobile machine gun units would be of considerable value in the fluid warfare that characterised the first few weeks of the war. Accordingly, the formation of batteries of motorcycle-mounted machine guns was authorised in November 1914, under the command of Lt-Col R.W. Bradley, DSO, South Wales Borderers. These batteries were designated part of the Royal Field Artillery, one battery being allocated to the divisional artillery of each division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).Each battery consisted of 18 motorcycle/sidecar combinations, carrying six Vickers machine guns, ammunition and spare parts, eight motorcycles without sidecars, and two or three cars or trucks.

However, as the war became bogged down in the stalemate of trench warfare, few opportunities arose to exploit the tactical mobility of the MMGS batteries. The units did perform useful service on occasion, for example during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle (March 1915); and the MMGS received an official acknowledgement from BEF HQ in April 1915 of the "invaluable" work it had rendered in the fighting line. Nevertheless, up to that date, only seven MMGS batteries had been deployed on the Western Front. Their potential for future use continued to be acknowledged, and by the date of the Battle of Loos (September–October 1915), there were 18 MMGS batteries serving with the BEF.

Formerly the three badges of Sapper Mumby R.E. who was assigned to the Guards MGC, the MMGS & The Tank Corps {possibly 3rd battalion}. We also have his trio of medals {named}, all are to be sold seperately. His tank Badge was WW2 issue

Sappers and the Machine Gun Corps (MGC)
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a specialized unit within the infantry that operated heavy and light machine guns.
While the MGC was focused on the use of machine guns, the engineering efforts of the Royal Engineers (Sappers) were indispensable to the overall effectiveness of the MGC, the Tank Corps and other infantry units.
Therefore, sappers worked in conjunction with MGC units, providing the necessary engineering support to enable their operations, especially in trench warfare  read more

Code: 25938

Genuine WW2 Royal Tank Regiment Cap Badge. Formerly of Sapper Mumby R.E.

Royal Tank Regiment. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps. . The official regimental motto is Fear Naught; while the unofficial motto (signified also by the colours of the tactical recognition flash) is “From Mud, Through Blood to the Green Fields Beyond.” The formation of the Royal Tank Regiment followed the invention of the tank. Tanks were first used at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. At that time the six tank companies were grouped as the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). In November 1916 the eight companies then in existence were each expanded to form battalions (still identified by the letters A to H) and designated the Heavy Branch MGC; another seven battalions, I to O, were formed by January 1918, when all the battalion were changed to numbered units. On 28 July 1917 the Heavy Branch was separated from the rest of the Corps by Royal Warrant and given official status as the Tank Corps. The formation of new battalions continued and by December 1918, 26 had been created though there were only 25 battalions equipped with tanks, as the 17th had converted to armoured cars in April 1918. The first commander of the Tank Corps was Hugh Elles. The Corps saw much action at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

At the outbreak of World War II, the regiment consisted of 20 battalions, 8 regular and 12 territorial. Regular Army Heavy Armoured Brigade (Egypt): 1st RTR & 6th RTR 1st Heavy Armoured Brigade: 2nd RTR, 3rd RTR & 5th RTR 1st Army Tank Brigade: 4th RTR, 7th RTR & 8th RTR Territorial Army 21st Army Tank Brigade: 42nd RTR, 44th RTR & 48th RTR 23rd Army Tank Brigade: 40th RTR, 46th RTR & 50th RTR 24th Army Tank Brigade: 41st RTR, 45th RTR & 47th RTR 25th Army Tank Brigade: 43rd RTR, 49th RTR & 51st RTR During the course of the war, four “hostilities-only” battalions were formed: the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. 11 RTR formed part of 79th Armoured Division (a specialist group operating vehicles known as “Hobart’s Funnies”), initially equipped with “Canal Defence Light” tanks, it converted to “Buffalo” (the British service name for the US Landing Vehicle Tracked) not long after D-Day and participated in the assault crossing of the Rhine. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was ferried across the Rhine in a Buffalo from ‘C’ Squadron, 11RTR. The Regiment’s numerous units took part in countless battles in World War II, including the Battle of Dunkirk, El Alamein and D-Day. Field Marshal Montgomery would frequently wear the regiment’s beret, with his Field Marshal’s badge sewn on next to the regimental cap badge, as it was more practical whilst travelling on a tank than either a formal peaked hat or the Australian slouch hat he previously wore.

Formerly the three badges of Sapper Mumby R.E. who was assigned to the Guards MGR, the MMGS & The Tank Corps {possibly 3rd battalion}. We also have his trio of medals {named}, all are to be sold seperately. His tank Badge was WW2 issue.

The last photo in the gallery is a poster of all the types of tanks and armoured vehicles used by the British Army in WW2  read more

Code: 25944

Trio of WW1 Service Medals of Sapper Mumby Royal Engineers. He Was Attached to Machine Gun Regiments, And We Also Have His Badges as Well. All Offered For Sale Seperately

Formerly the three badges and trio of Sapper Mumby R.E. who was assigned to the Guards MGC, the MMGS & The Tank Corps {possibly 3rd battalion}. We also have his trio of medals {named}, all the medals and badges are to be sold seperately. His tank Badge was WW2 issue

Sappers and the Machine Gun Corps (MGC)
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a specialized unit within the infantry that operated heavy and light machine guns.
While the MGC was focused on the use of machine guns, the engineering efforts of the Royal Engineers (Sappers) were indispensable to the overall effectiveness of the MGC, the Tank Corps and other infantry units.
Therefore, sappers worked in conjunction with MGC units, providing the necessary engineering support to enable their operations, especially in trench warfare  read more

Code: 25945

A Most Rare Original Anglo Saxon Bronze Crucifix Pendant Around 1000 to 1300 Years Old. One Side Engraved With Stylized Palm Tree Fronds. From Stamford Bridge Region Excavated in 1820

The Battle of Stamford Bridge (Old English: Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading Norwegian force led by King Harald Hardrada and the English king's brother Tostig Godwinson. After a bloody battle, both Hardrada and Tostig, along with most of the Norwegians, were killed. Although Harold Godwinson repelled the Norwegian invaders, his army was defeated by the Normans at Hastings less than three weeks later.

The battle has traditionally been presented as symbolising the end of the Viking Age, although major Scandinavian campaigns in Britain and Ireland occurred in the following decades, such as those of King Sweyn Estrithson of Denmark in 1069–1070 and King Magnus Barefoot of Norway in 1098 and 1102–1103.

The exact location of the battle site is not known for certain. Sources indicate that it took place along the Derwent River, where a wooden bridge crossed the water. There are indications of a meadow on the west side of the river and higher ground on the eastern side. The original bridge no longer exists, and no archaeological traces of it remain. The traditional locating of part of the battle at Battle Flats is based on no contemporary references. Statements that in the 18th century skeletons and weapons were found there have not been corroborated by modern finds

According to Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, before the battle a single man rode up alone to Harald Hardrada and Tostig. He gave no name, but spoke to Tostig, offering the return of his earldom if he would turn against Hardrada. Tostig asked what his brother Harold would be willing to give Hardrada for his trouble. The rider replied "Seven feet of English ground, as he is taller than other men" (implying that both Hardrada and his army would be killed and buried on English soil). Then he rode back to the Saxon host. Hardrada was impressed by the rider's boldness, and asked Tostig who he was. Tostig replied that the rider was Harold Godwinson himself. According to Henry of Huntingdon, Harold said "Six feet of ground or as much more as he needs, as he is taller than most men."


Anglo-Saxon pilgrims also travelled abroad. Within a century of the arrival of missionaries from Rome to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon pilgrimage to Rome was already well established. Not only monks and nuns, but kings and other lay people travelled to Rome. Some, like King Ine of Wessex and King Coenred of Mercia, remained there to die close to the shrines of the apostles Peter and Paul; others, such as Benedict Biscop (d. 689) and St Wilfrid (d. 709), returned with relics, books and increased understanding of the history, teaching and liturgy of the Church. A hostel (schola) was established close to St Peter's for English pilgrims and other visitors to Rome. Women pilgrims also made the arduous and dangerous journey. In the mid-eighth century St Boniface (d. 751) wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury asking him to forbid 'matrons and nuns' to travel to Rome because many of them perished and few kept their virtue. Some English pilgrims travelled even further afield. St Willibald left an account of a visit to the Holy Land and Constantinople, recorded by an English nun, Huneberc or Hugeberc.

A portrai painting in the gallery of an Anglo Saxon noble wearing a larger version of this crucifix pendant, this example is exactly the same, but around half that size.

Very strong and robust, perfectly suitable to wear today.
260mm across  read more

Code: 25939

1st Army WW2 Hampshire Regiment 5 Medal Group With Territorial Named Medal

1939-45 Star Afrika Star 1st Army Bar, Defence Medal War Medal and Territorial Efficient Service Medal named Hampshire regiment with post 1953 cap badge.

The British First Army was reformed during the Second World War. It was formed to command the American and British land forces which had landed as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. The First Army headquarters was formally activated on 9 November 1942 when Anderson arrived in Algiers to assume command of the redesignated Eastern Task Force.[3]

The First Army initially consisted of American and British formations only. After the surrender of French forces following the German abrogation of their armistice agreement with Vichy France, French units were also added to the First Army's order of battle. It eventually consisted of four corps, the US II Corps, the British V Corps, British IX Corps and French XIX Corps.

After the landings, Anderson's forces rushed east in a bid to capture Tunis and Bizerte before German forces could reach the two cities in large numbers. They failed. Following that lack of success, a period of consolidation was forced upon them. The logistics support for the First Army was greatly improved and bases for its accompanying aircraft greatly multiplied. By the time General Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army approached the Tunisian border from the east, following its long pursuit of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel's forces after El Alamein, the First Army was again ready to strike.

Supported by elements of XII Tactical Air Command and No. 242 Group RAF, the First Army carried the main weight of General Sir Harold Alexander's 18th Army Group's offensive to conclude the Tunisian Campaign and finish Axis forces in North Africa off. The victory was won in May 1943 in a surrender that, in numbers captured at least, equalled Stalingrad. Shortly after the surrender, the First Army was disbanded, having served its purpose  read more

Code: 24071

Group of 5 Medals for Soldier of the 1st Army Group; 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with 1st Army Bar. Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal

Very good group. 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with 1st Army Bar. Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal

The British First Army was reformed during the Second World War. It was formed to command the American and British land forces which had landed as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria on 8 November 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Kenneth Anderson. The First Army headquarters was formally activated on 9 November 1942 when Anderson arrived in Algiers to assume command of the redesignated Eastern Task Force.

The First Army initially consisted of American and British formations only. After the surrender of French forces following the German abrogation of their armistice agreement with Vichy France, French units were also added to the First Army's order of battle. It eventually consisted of four corps, the US II Corps, the British V Corps, British IX Corps and French XIX Corps.

After the landings, Anderson's forces rushed east in a bid to capture Tunis and Bizerte before German forces could reach the two cities in large numbers. They failed. Following that lack of success, a period of consolidation was forced upon them. The logistics support for the First Army was greatly improved and bases for its accompanying aircraft greatly multiplied. By the time General Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army approached the Tunisian border from the east, following its long pursuit of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel's forces after El Alamein, the First Army was again ready to strike.

Supported by elements of XII Tactical Air Command and No. 242 Group RAF, the First Army carried the main weight of General Sir Harold Alexander's 18th Army Group's offensive to conclude the Tunisian Campaign and finish Axis forces in North Africa off. The victory was won in May 1943 in a surrender that, in numbers captured at least, equalled Stalingrad. Shortly after the surrender, the First Army was disbanded, having served its purpose.  read more

Code: 16032

A Fabulous Group Of 6 WW2 RAF Medals With Two Campaign Bars.The 1939-1945 Star, The Atlantic Star, The Italy Star, The Africa Star with the 1942-3 bar, the Burma Star With The Pacific Bar {most rare}, And The War Medal.

With the campaign medals of; The 1939-1945 Star, The Atlantic Star, The Italy Star, The Africa Star with the 1942-3 bar, the Burma Star with the Pacific bar {most rare}, and the War Medal.

Awarded to a WW2 RAF officer, 6 medals, and just one medal short of the maximum amount of campaign medals any man serving in the Army, Navy or RAF could have been awarded for the entire war.

This is an incredible symbol of an extraordinary service career in the war.  read more

Code: 17803

Every Original Purchase Comes With Our Unique Certificate of Authenticity Based On Over 100 Years Of Our Family's Trading In Brighton

It will certify every piece as genuine, and further detail its area and era of use in its history, any conflicts and campaigns within which it may have been used, and all and any of its personal provenance if known.

The Lanes Armoury and their partners are the oldest surviving antique business in Sussex, and we are the largest specialist antique Japanese samurai artifacts and sword dealers outside of Japan {and potentially, within it too!}  read more

Code: 18577