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These multi year prizes are a bit of a mystery to me. I used to think that they must have been privately purchased by the regiment after the annual competitions had been held which raises some questions. The basis for this is the fact that so few of these awards seem to surface. This one is only...

This is another item I've had for years and never paid a lot of attention to. I don't collect Imperial medals and at the time I acquired it there were few avenues available to research it if I had the time which I didn't when I was working. Now that I'm retired I've started going through my...

A little over a year ago I purchased this helmet which was advertised as a Prussian Pioneers helmet. I purchased it knowing that it had an incorrect Wappen on it as all Pioneer troops wore helmets with silver fittings. Prussian Wappens for line troops are the most easily found so I...

I won the attached items at a local on-line auction. I bid a ridiculously low amount on each thinking I wouldn't win them, but I couldn't let them get thrown out if they didn't sell so I now own them for the sum of $9.33 Cdn taxes included. The two posters are advertising circus events for...

The last item I need to find to complete my Bavarian Leibgarde/Pioneers Pickelhaube is an NCO's Kokarde. Please PM if you can help.

I'm in the final stages of completing my history of the 5th Battalion C.E.F. (Western Cavalry). I'm wondering if anyone can help me with some background information of a German Army unit which figures prominently during the Battle of 2nd Ypres April 22- 25 1915 (the German gas attack) I'm...

Picked this up at a local on-line auction. It was going pretty cheap so I thought Why Not? I was assuming it was Prussian infantry but I was told on another forum that it is a late issue Prussian Civil Police and is therefore much rarer than the Army version. I know next to nothing about belt...

Here is a piece of trench art I picked up yesterday in a local auction. It's been made from the bottom of a German 77mm Field Cannon shell casing which was referred to by Canadian/British troops as a "Whiz Bang" supposedly because if you heard the "whiz" you had to hit the dirt instantly...

I've been busy over this winter finalizing my history of the 5th Battalion (Western Cavalry) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. A lot of time spent on Photoshopping period pictures. For my chapter on the Canadian Corps operations at Hill 70 in August 1917 I ran across this photo of German...

I recently bought the attached helmet advertised as a “Prussian Pioneers helmet”. Knowing the helmet had the wrong Wappen on it and given that it needed some work (adding a silver spike base stud, re-stitching of the rear visor) I got the helmet at a good price. Having it in hand revealed...

This helmet is the result of my correcting a mistake I made over 25 years ago when I purchased an Oldenburg Artillery NCO’s helmet from a fellow collector. The helmet had sat on my shelf quite happily since then. A couple years ago, demonstrating that collecting knowledge is always improving, I...

A watershed moment. I'm 67 and she has always been our Queen. Every school day began with the singing of God save the Queen. A most extraordinary reign. Rest in Peace Your Majesty.

I recently bought this helmet from ebay as a trial piece. I figured it was going to be a chance to try my hand at re-stitching a visor, re-forming the rear visor, re-forming the shell to remove dents, repairing Wappen holes in the shell that shouldn’t be there, re-forming the rear spine and...

I have had these Kokarden for many years and have been curious about them. Given that Kurassier officer Kokarden have only a single silver ring and since these Kokarden have double silver rings I'm concluding that they must have been intended for Jager zu Pferde officers ? This conclusion is...

Another helmet I’ve had for many years. It escaped the “downsizing” as I have a weakness for metal cavalry helmets. This example was made by C E Juncker in 1916. The spike and clover leaf style base along with the metal trim which were silvered in pre-war helmets have been chemically darkened...

This is a Pattern 1871 officer’s helmet updated as per 1897 Reichkokarde regulation. This one escaped “the downsizing” as I just have a fondness for silver fitted helmets. There were 28 Pioneer battalions in the Prussian Army, 24 of which wore the Prussian Line eagle in silver as their helmet...

Miserable, rainy day here so I was digging around the office and re-discovered my collection of Kaiserzeit magazines. I recognized at least one or two of this forums members in the membership lists from the 80's. Just wondering if any other members here were members or recall the magazines...

This stein was purchased by Reservist Schäfer who served in the 5th Battery of the 1st Baden Field Artillery Regiment "Grand Duke" Nr.14 from 1909 to 1910. The regiment was garrisoned at Karlsruhe. This one is a hard to find example as it commemorates service in two units during Reservist...

Re. the Title, I was always intrigued by the small ochre circle painted right in the middle of his forehead. Talk about tempting fate ? Or maybe just an example of the dark humour prevailing in the last months of the war? On another forum it was suggested that the circle was an Eastern European...

I have spent the the last couple of days researching and touching up the "never before seen" photos from my next door neighbours great uncle. He was with the Prussian Foot Artillery from 1914 with the 4th Foot Artillery Regiment (Magdeburg) to the end of the war manning 21cm Mortars and 15 cm...