WW1 / WW2 / 20th Century

A Most Fine Imperial German & WW2 General Officer's & Field Marshal's Grade Sabre As Carried By Field Marshal von Kliest With Ruby Eye Lion's Head Pommel

Lioness head quillon end and langets decorated with a panel to the reverse langet, and a pair of crossed cannon barrels on the front langet. Remarkably the hilt still retains around most of all its original highest grade gold plate surface.

P hilt guard with oak leaf with acorn decoration across the bow, laurel leaf patterning around the ferrule and wire bound sharkskin grip. It looks truly, spectacularly beautiful.
The blade is double side fully etched with Romanesque scroll patterning combined with stands of arms.

In the gallery is a portrait photo of WW2 Field Marshal von Kleist holding his near identical Imperial service lion's head pommel sword.

Almost all WW2 German Generals and Field Marshals served in WW1 and thus continued to use their previous war service sword, just as this one. The added benefit was often that the Imperial German made swords could be better quality than the later period replacements, especially the superior deluxe versions like this one, which were the next grade below the presentation Damascus bladed German Grosse Degan sabre. the sword hilt and blade is is superb condition for age.
The scabbard is steel, blued overall, with a copper-gilt suspension belt mount. Truly one of the best quality and condition examples apart from the light scabbard denting we have seen in 20 years. Curiously we have seen exactly the same kind of denting on the scabbards of known WW2 General officer's swords, often caused by sword scabbards being caught in Mercedes staff-car doors

The scabbard has several service dings and dents  read more

Code: 24759

A Very Good WW1 & WW2 Royal Naval Officer's Sword with Service Knot

Made and used in WW1 and WW2, yet perfectly serviceable for current service.

Near mint gilt, fully etched blade with traditional anchor and the King George Vth cypher.

The original Royal Naval sword was designed in 1805, although elegant in design it proved impractical and was replaced in 1827 by the solid hilt variant. In 1846 the Royal Naval blade was standardised for all Royal Naval officers, with the current lighter, straight single-edged blade being commissioned into service in 1929.

During World War I, the Royal Navy's strength was mostly deployed at home in the Grand Fleet, confronting the German High Seas Fleet across the North Sea. Several inconclusive clashes took place between them, chiefly the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The British fighting advantage proved insurmountable, leading the High Seas Fleet to abandon any attempt to challenge British dominance. The Royal Navy played an important role in securing the British Isles and the English Channel, notably ferrying the entire British Expeditionary Force to the Western Front without the loss of a single life at the beginning of the war.
The Royal Navy nevertheless remained active in other theatres, most notably in the Mediterranean Sea, where they waged the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns in 1914 and 1915. British cruisers hunted down German commerce raiders across the world's oceans in 1914 and 1915, including the battles of Coronel, Falklands Islands, Cocos, and Rufiji Delta, among others

At the start of World War II in 1939, the Royal Navy was still the largest in the world, with over 1,400 vessels. The Royal Navy provided critical cover during Operation Dynamo, the British evacuations from Dunkirk, and as the ultimate deterrent to a German invasion of Britain during the following four months. The Luftwaffe under Hermann Göring attempted to gain air supremacy over southern England in the Battle of Britain in order to neutralise the Home Fleet, but faced stiff resistance from the Royal Air Force. The Luftwaffe bombing offensive during the Kanalkampf phase of the battle targeted naval convoys and bases in order to lure large concentrations of RAF fighters into attrition warfare. At Taranto, Admiral Cunningham commanded a fleet that launched the first all-aircraft naval attack in history. The Royal Navy suffered heavy losses in the first two years of the war. Over 3,000 people were lost when the converted troopship Lancastria was sunk in June 1940, the greatest maritime disaster in Britain's history. The Navy's most critical struggle was the Battle of the Atlantic defending Britain's vital North American commercial supply lines against U-boat attack. A traditional convoy system was instituted from the start of the war, but German submarine tactics, based on group attacks by "wolf-packs", were much more effective than in the previous war, and the threat remained serious for well over three years

Fully etched blade with old aged pitting at the tip end now surface polished bright.  read more

Code: 25221

A Delightful Piece of Large Quality 'Trench Art'. A German Shell Trench Engineered Into The Form Of A British 1905 Pattern Trench Service Cap. Wonderful Quality

In near mint condition.

‘Trench art’ is a term used to describe objects made from the debris and by-products of modern warfare. Trench Art is usually associated with the First World War, although similar items have been produced in other conflicts too.



Most trench art was made by servicemen to pass the time when not in the front line. While much of it was simple and amateurish, the production of some examples required metalworking skills or workshop facilities. Prisoners of war, faced with a constant battle against boredom, produced similar items.

The standard service dress cap prescribed for wear by all non-commissioned ranks of the British Army from 1905, excluding Scottish regiments. With its round top and stiff peak, the cap was not an entirely practical form of headdress in sunshine or windy weather. One concession to wet conditions was that it was lined with a waterproof black oilskin composition to the crown. The cap continued in service throughout the First World War but was augmented by the 1915 pat. winter trench cap, known as the 'Gor Blimey', and the later soft peaked field cap in 1917. Both of the latter had their merits, and had the uppermost regard of comfort to the soldier in mind and could be folded away and stowed easily when not worn. Naturally as shrapnel helmets became available on a wider scale of issue from 1916, cloth headdress was worn less in the trenches.

Shell case by Polte Werk in Magdeburg
This trench art piece is most likely made from a German 77 x 230mmR cartridge case

Produced by Polte Werke, Magdeburg, in October of 1915.
“St” indicates a reinforced (stronger) cartridge case construction.
“160” = serial number
“Sp252” identifies the inspector for quality control.

This cartridge case was used in the German "7,7cm leichte Feld Kanone (l.F.K.) 96 n/A " or 7.7cm (77mm) light field cannon, 1896 new model.  read more

Code: 25220

An Original WW2 British 6 Pounder Tank Shell, Head and Brass Case

The six-pounder antitank gun was Great Britain’s premier tank killing weapon when it first appeared in the Western Desert, proving able to pierce the armour of any German tank the Afrika Korps could field. The technological arms race of World War II produced new tanks with ever thicker armour, however, and ultimately the six-pounder became ineffective well before war’s end. This obsolescence made little difference for many of the Allied soldiers who used it; since there was no comparable replacement that worked better, the cannon was still in wide use when the war ended.
The weapon the British Army eventually got was a marked improvement over its predecessor. The six-pounder Mk2 production model weighed in at 2,521 pounds, almost 800 pounds heavier than the two-pounder but still light enough for crews to manhandle it into position when necessary. It was mounted on a conventional two-wheeled carriage with “split” trails; that is, the two trailing arms that extended to the rear of the carriage could be separated to increase stability. The barrel on the six-pounder was 43-caliber, meaning the bore’s length was 43 times its diameter of 57mm. The weapon could traverse 45 degrees to either side and elevate from minus five to plus 15 degrees.

When firing the standard six-pound armour-piercing round, the six-pounder had a maximum range of 5,500 yards with a muzzle velocity of 2,693 feet per second and could penetrate 74mm of armour at 1,000 yards. Over time, improved ammunition was developed, culminating in June 1944 with an APDS (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot) round that had a tungsten core. This increased penetration to 146mm at 1,000 yards. Tungsten was a valuable commodity in war production, so shortages meant there were never as many APDS rounds available as needed.

Photo in the gallery of a Panzer tank crew comparing our six pounder shell to their 88mm shell. As you can see much merriment was had that day by the jolly German crew, famously known for their sense of humour.

Inert, deactivated and completely safe  read more

Code: 25218

A Stunning Original Horseguards Officer's Pattern Helmet Plate. In Gold, Red Enamel Cross, Blue Enamel Garter, And Frosted Silver Cut Steel Order of the Garter Badge Star

Probably the worlds most beautiful helmet plate ever designed.
This fabulous quality officer’s helmet plate, in use since the Queen’s coronation in 1953, was used by an officer of the Queen’s mounted bodyguard, from either the Blues and Royals or the Life Guards regiments, that combined, make up the Royal Horseguards. The helmet plate is identical for both helmets, only the colour of the yak hair plume was different, white for Life Guards, red for Blues and Royals.

The Albert helmet is the current ceremonial headgear of the British Army's Household Cavalry, for both the Life guards regiment and the Blues and Royals regiment, known collectively as Horseguards.

This pattern will now be changed very soon for the design designated for His Majesty King Charles lII. The crown will be changed to the single domed crown of all the kings since Edward VIIth. The domed crown is called either The King’s Crown or the Imperial State Crown. The late Queen’s crown, is known as St Edwards Crown.

The Albert pattern helmet was introduced by Prince Albert in 1842 and adopted by the Household Cavalry the following year. In 1847 the helmet was introduced to all heavy cavalry regiments. It remains in use as the full dress headgear of the two remaining Household Cavalry regiments, the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards. The magnificent helmet remains in use with the two current Household Cavalry regiments, the Blues and Royals with red plume and the Life Guards with white plume. These regiments are amalgamations of the four earlier regiments. The Life Guards retain the white plume and the onion from the 2nd Regiment, the Blues and Royals retain the red plume of the Royal Horse Guards. Blues and Royals officers wear a yak hair plume. Farriers in both regiments wear different plumes, the Life Guards farrier wear black and Blues and Royals farrier red.

The regiments also differ in how they wear the helmet's chin strap. The Blues and Royals wear it under the chin while the Life Guards wear it under the lower lip. The helmet is now in white metal for all ranks and the same helmet plate is worn by both regiments (they were different historically).

The Albert helmet is only worn in full dress review order, guard order and front yard order by other ranks and in full dress, levee dress and ceremonial rehearsal dress by officers. Medical and veterinary officers do not wear the helmet, instead wearing a cocked hat.

The other ranks of the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry wear the helmet in full dress (with the plumes of their parent regiments), except when parading in the presence of the royal family, when they wear state dress with jockey caps. Band officers wear Albert helmets on both occasions.

Its condition is considered by us as mint. A complete Horseguards officer’s helmet from the 1953 coronation period, in mint condition, will cost today somewhere between £6,500 to £10,000.  read more

Code: 24065

A Fine & Very Rare WWI Prussian Regimental Officer’s Sword of The 2nd Imperial Garde Uhlan Lancers Regiment

Fully etched blade with the Imperial Garde Garter Star motif and regimental name of the [Imperial Prussian] Garde 2nd Uhlan Regiment. The Imperial German Garde were the regiments that composed the elite bodyguard regiments of the Kaiser.

The regiment of Field Marshal Schlieffen, inventor of the world renown military tactic, the ‘Schlieffen Plan’

Included in the officers of the 2nd Garde Uhlans was Field Marshal Count Alfred Graf von Schlieffen who joined the 2nd Garde Uhlans as a young officer in Berlin. He first saw active war service as a staff officer with the Prussian Cavalry Corps, in the uhlans, at the Battle of Koniggratz of 1866, during the Austro-Prussian War. His career saw rapid promotion due to his obvious tactical skills. He became Lieutenant General on 4 December 1888, and eventually General of the Cavalry on 27 January 1893., followed by Field Marshal. Schlieffen was perhaps the best-known contemporary strategist of his time, although criticized for his "narrow-minded military scholasticism." In World War I the regiment was part of the Guards Cavalry Division fighting on the Western Front. After the mobilization the regiment moved through Belgium and was involved in the First Battle of the Marne before the general retreat to Reims, where it dismounted and was involved in trench warfare as well as signaling operations. By September 1914, the regiment was divided, with 3rd and 4th Squadrons (2nd half-regiment) sent to the 2nd Cavalry Division and the 1st and 2nd Squadrons (1st half-regiment) remaining in the 2nd Guards Infantry Division.

1st half-regiment: On 20 November 1914, it moved into Russian Poland and by August 1915 moved into Vilna, as a part of the Gorlice?Tarn?w Offensive. By the end of October 1915, the half-regiment was involved in operations in Courland and was involved in the capture of Riga in September 1917. In November 1917, the unit moved back to the Western Front where they remained till the end of the war.

2nd half-regiment: It remained first on the Western Front and in April 1915 was transferred to Galicia, but soon returned to the Western Front. In 1917 it again returned to the Eastern Front in action around Vilna before returning to the West, where it remained until the end of the war.

After the end of the war, in December 1918 the squadrons reunified and returned to Berlin, where the regiment was demobilized and then dissolved in 1919.

Schlieffen's operational theories were to have a profound impact on the development of maneuver warfare in the twentieth century, largely through his seminal treatise, Cannae, which concerned the decidedly un-modern battle of 216 BC in which Hannibal defeated the Romans. Cannae had two main purposes. First, it was to clarify, in writing, Schlieffen's concepts of maneuver, particularly the maneuver of encirclement, along with other fundamentals of warfare. Second, it was to be an instrument for the Staff, the War Academy, and for the Army all together. Schlieffen held that the destruction of an attacking force required that it be surrounded and attacked from all sides until it surrendered, and not merely repulsed as in a 'passive' defence: His theories were studied exhaustively, especially in the higher army academies of the United States and Europe after World War I. American military thinkers thought so highly of him that his principal literary legacy, Cannae, was translated at Fort Leavenworth and distributed within the U.S. Army and to the academic community. In 1914, the Imperial German Army included twenty-six Uhlan regiments, three of which were Guard regiments, twenty-one line (sixteen Prussian, two Wurttemberg and three Saxon) and two from the autonomous Royal Bavarian Army. All German Uhlan regiments wore Polish style czapkas and tunics with plastron fronts, both in coloured parade uniforms and the field grey service dress introduced in 1910. Because German hussar, dragoon and cuirassier regiments also carried lances in 1914, there was a tendency among their French and British opponents to describe all German cavalry as "uhlans". No scabbard.  read more

Code: 22670

An Officer Issue Princess Mary Christmas Box, With Officer's Silver Pencil, in Bullet Form, with Princes Mary Card & Gallipoli Souvenir Turkish Rifle Bullet

Very Good Princess Mary Box and Original Content of an officer's silver bullet pencil, card from Princess Mary, and a Gallipoli souvenir bullet round, inert and safe, with Turkish crescent moon and star, also date stamped in the traditional Hijri Islamic calendar for 1329, which translates to 1911 in the Christian calendar. Not suitable to export due to bullet shaped souvenirs.

They were sent to the British troops in the frontline trenches in WW1 at Christmas 1914.

During World War One King George V and Queen Mary got very involved in active war work. The King mainly visited battlefields (as recorded on the King at the Front postcards) while the queen organised clothing drives, visited hospitals and other welfare organisations. Princess Mary, then 18, often accompanied the Queen and according to the book Princess Mary, Viscount Lascelless became intensely concerned, with Christmas looming, about the well-being of the soldiers and sailors serving far from home. With her parents consent the following letter of appeal was published in November 1914.

"For many weeks we have all been greatly concerned for the welfare of the soldiers and sailors who are so valiantly fighting our battles by land and sea. Our first consideration has been to meet their more pressing needs and I have delayed making known a wish that has long been in my heart, for fear of encroaching on other funds, the claim of which have been more urgent. I want you all to help me send a Christmas present from the whole nation to every sailor afloat and every soldier at the Front. On Christmas Eve, when, like the shepherds of old, they were wont to hang out their stockings, wondered what the morrow had in store. I'm sure that we should all be happier to feel that we had helped to send our little token of love and sympathy on Christmas morning something that would be of useful and permanent value, and the making of which may be the means of providing employment for trades adversely affected by the war. Could there be anything more likely to hearten them in their struggle than a present received straight from home on Christmas Day Please will you help me, Mary."

In support of this appeal many periodicals of the day published or referred to her letter.

The following example appeared in the Illustrated War News of 4 November 1914 'Princess Mary is appealing for help to send a Christmas present, from the Nation, toevery Sailor afloat and every Soldier at the front. Remittance should be addressed to H.R.H. the Princess Mary, Buckingham Palace, S.W., the envelopes marked Sailors and Soldiers Christmas Fund.' The appeal was very successful for it had reached 131,000 Pounds by 16 December .It was initially decided that the Gift would be received by every sailor afloat and every soldier at the Front wearing the King's uniform on Christmas Day 1914. The difficulty for the committee was deciding how many to get manufactured. They calculated that 145,000 sailors including Royal Marines and 350,000 soldiers including the Indian Contingent qualified. It was therefore calculated that between 55 and 60,000 pounds would be needed to cover the cost of nearly 500,000 gifts. The final Fund total was reported by the Committee on 30 June 1919 as 193,667 pounds 4s and 10d. Monies from the fund is also reported as having been used, to buy War Bonds and, in War Loans. The funds that remained at the end were apparently transferred to Queen Mary's Maternity Home founded for the benefit of the wives and children of sailors, soldiers and airmen of the newly formed Royal Air Force. Abridged from an original article by Grahame Barber. 2nd Lieutenant R C Leach of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment wrote to his mother describing Christmas 1914:
I think we must have had a decidedly more cheerful Christmas than you at home. For a start on getting into billet I found 15 parcels waiting for me. They had a special Post Office bag for them. Well on Christmas morn I spent till about 1.30 issuing presents to the men; both yours which were very welcome and those sent in bulk to be divided amongst the troops, each regiment getting a certain share. There were also Princess Mary's presents which consisted of a packet of cigarettes, a pipe, a packet of tobacco and a Christmas card from King and Queen. Not an exportable item.  read more

Code: 24023