General Gordon Posted 24 December , 2023 Share Posted 24 December , 2023 Just to remember Christmas past and what small items would bring thoughts of home closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genegwf Posted 24 December , 2023 Share Posted 24 December , 2023 A very nice collection, thank you for sharing. Gene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver Higgs Posted 25 December , 2023 Share Posted 25 December , 2023 In keeping with this Christmas theme......my step-Grandfather (Driver Frank Higgs 54779 RFA) writes in his diary on Christmas Day... "Up at 5 o'clockinto action,not much firing.Had good dinner- Chicken,red wine,Xmas pudding,beer,rum,biscuits. concert at night,received present from Princess Mary,received papers and letter from "N"...(his wife Nellie and my Grandmother His diary covers from Saturday August 1 1914 to Saturday January 9th 1915.....just everyday routine stuff....but a great treasure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 31 January Author Share Posted 31 January Just had the delivery of a new item for the W.W.1 tin collection 1914 and I am pleased with the condition but alas it does not have the gift label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 31 January Share Posted 31 January Great collection General Gordon…thanks for sharing them. I have a few, princess Mary tins, a pencil, a full fry’s Victoria 1900 tin, and a (sadly empty) Scots 1900 tin….both those cost a small fortune but lovely items. Another gift is a small pocket knife, presented to lance corporal Henry Alexander Giles, 16th London…nothing too unusual about a pocket knife being presented I suppose, but there is an M engraved to the right of that, very similar to the Princess Mary cypher from the tins. Now, there is no way of proving this was given with the tins officially, it may have been given alongside them to NCOs on behalf of the regiment…who knows, would need to see another to prove the theory. The knife itself is, well, let’s just say well used, but couldn’t leave it purely because of that M. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancpal Posted 31 January Share Posted 31 January (edited) Some lovely items. I’d guess the best gift a Tommy could receive at Christmas would have been a travel warrant home followed by discharge papers. Simon Edited 31 January by mancpal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 1 February Author Share Posted 1 February Hi Dave, That is the first war knife I have seen with Princess Mary monogram and I have no doubt to it being original. Professor Peter Doyle covers the subject in his most excellent book on the subject. Knives are like the pipes that were issued, due to the number required they are of various types and can only be attributed if they have been engraved officially or otherwise, The one in my collection had been engraved with the recipients name and service number. Regarding the tins they do command high prices and to find ones in museum condition have a premium. The chocolate tins in my collection are all full as is the Scottish tobacco tin { with the usually missing card}. The Princess Mary collection is just missing the writing set due to the high asking prices and I have been lucky enough to obtain a full Queen Alexandra cigarette tin, but as ever the hunt goes on. As I tell the Boss it keeps me off the street's. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 1 February Admin Share Posted 1 February I have a very battered Cadbury tin, which when I was a child was always kept in the cupboard under the stairs. I’ve no idea how it came to be in the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 1 February Author Share Posted 1 February Hi Michelle, Do you have the label inside ? , This is a rare tin in any condition and was as you know given to wounded troops at Christmas 1914 from Cadbury Bournville. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 1 February Admin Share Posted 1 February Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 1 February Author Share Posted 1 February Hi Michelle, That's nice condition , Mine has the same label and the wood/straw packing that was the same as the Boer War chocolate tins, unfortunately the chocolate had been consumed. Cadbury's also issued a round tin which was Blue with a Britannia figure on the lid, they are even rarer to find. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 1 February Share Posted 1 February Thanks Malcolm, I’m going to certainly keep an eye out for that book, and thank you for the conformation about the engraving. Finding those duralumin war knives is tricky nowadays, as I collect military knives in general it would be nice to find a decent one but haven’t seen one in years, flook describes them as poor quality and scarce…I’m very pleased this one has found its home it this thread. Very envious of your tins and accessories Malcolm….and Michelle, great find, especially with the card👍 Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 1 February Admin Share Posted 1 February Unfortunately, no contents in mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 1 February Author Share Posted 1 February Hi Dave, The Book to look out for is "For every Sailor afloat, every Soldier at the Front" by Peter Doyle isbn 978-1-913491-53-6, It's available on Amazon. Regards Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 1 February Share Posted 1 February 1 hour ago, General Gordon said: Hi Dave, The Book to look out for is "For every Sailor afloat, every Soldier at the Front" by Peter Doyle isbn 978-1-913491-53-6, It's available on Amazon. Regards Malcolm Thanks Malcolm….on the wish list👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy Posted 1 February Share Posted 1 February (edited) On coming out of the trenches on 4 January 1916, when my GF was 2nd in Command of "Z" Company of the 2/5th LF, with Captain Kenneth Waterhouse being CO, my GF has noted in his diary "We [that is to say Waterhouse and himself] gave the NCOs and men of our Coy a little Christmas Gift – a match box case". How would this gesture have been viewed by the men? Would it have been taken for granted that something of this sort would have been done, would it have been seen as generous, or would it have been disappointing compared to say, something you could eat or drink? To me it looks as though it would have been something that would have been paid for out of Waterhouse's and my GF's own pockets, but perhaps I am wrong about this. Perhaps it came from an external source and was merely distributed by Captain Waterhouse and my GF? Edited 1 February by A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Posted 1 February Share Posted 1 February Talking of things to eat or drink, do you think this is from the Great War? Alternatively it might have been my uncle's, who served in WW2 (in which case perhaps someone could delete it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Posted 1 February Share Posted 1 February I see it is in the first post on this thread, so Can I assume it is from the Great War? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 1 February Author Share Posted 1 February Yes this tin is from the First World War and was a gift from the Colonies of Trinidad, Grenada and St Lucia they provided the Cocoa. George Cadbury refined it into chocolate and the tin was manufactured by Barringer, Wallis and Manners Ltd. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 4 February Author Share Posted 4 February On 31/01/2024 at 22:09, Dave66 said: Great collection General Gordon…thanks for sharing them. I have a few, princess Mary tins, a pencil, a full fry’s Victoria 1900 tin, and a (sadly empty) Scots 1900 tin….both those cost a small fortune but lovely items. Another gift is a small pocket knife, presented to lance corporal Henry Alexander Giles, 16th London…nothing too unusual about a pocket knife being presented I suppose, but there is an M engraved to the right of that, very similar to the Princess Mary cypher from the tins. Now, there is no way of proving this was given with the tins officially, it may have been given alongside them to NCOs on behalf of the regiment…who knows, would need to see another to prove the theory. The knife itself is, well, let’s just say well used, but couldn’t leave it purely because of that M. Dave. I sent a copy of the photograph to Professor Doyle and he is of the same opinion as myself that the marking is genuine and rare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 4 February Share Posted 4 February 14 minutes ago, General Gordon said: I sent a copy of the photograph to Professor Doyle and he is of the same opinion as myself that the marking is genuine and rare Malcolm, Thank you very much for taking the time to do that, really nice to have conformation of my suspicions. Scarce, yes, but hopefully it may add to the database of known gifts and help others in the future….staying in my cabinet though😂😂. I did question my own sanity when I paid £40 for a knackered knife a decade ago! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasemuseum Posted 5 February Share Posted 5 February 16 hours ago, Dave66 said: I did question my own sanity when I paid £40 for a knackered knife a decade ago! Straight to the pool room ! (you need to watch the film "The Castle") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave66 Posted 5 February Share Posted 5 February 3 hours ago, Chasemuseum said: Straight to the pool room ! (you need to watch the film "The Castle") Had to Google that, but absolutely👍👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete_C Posted 5 February Share Posted 5 February "BEST OF LUCK FOR 1918 from the readers of THE SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH" Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Gordon Posted 8 February Author Share Posted 8 February On 05/02/2024 at 16:49, Dave66 said: Had to Google that, but absolutely👍👍👍 Yep! me too. On 05/02/2024 at 19:52, Pete_C said: "BEST OF LUCK FOR 1918 from the readers of THE SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH" Pete Nice, I have seen that one before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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