woronora Posted 30 October , 2023 Share Posted 30 October , 2023 Hi Can anyone help with the crest shown on a WW1 letter opener. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 30 October , 2023 Share Posted 30 October , 2023 Ex Unitate Vires, it was the motto of South Africa. Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TullochArd Posted 30 October , 2023 Share Posted 30 October , 2023 Yes - the crest was most commonly used on the GS buttons of WW1/2. I suspect this is a cut down SA GS button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woronora Posted 30 October , 2023 Author Share Posted 30 October , 2023 Hi Jan and TullocahArd Many thanks for identifying the crest. On the opposite side was a NZ button. The handle is an empty Turkish Mauser cartridge. Possibly the letter opener was made for a NZ soldier who had served on Gallipoli and had kept the cartridge as a souvenir. There are nice Ottoman scripts on the cartridge's base. Not sure about the bullet head. A nice piece of trench art. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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