I have this sword, dagger? Looks a lot like a heer, but no swastika. I think it may be from ww1? Any one know what it is? Where it is from. It has the eagle, and looks like german, but I have no clue. Help me out!
Brent
I haven't seen a tabbed one of these on here, so I thought I'd post mine. Stamped J. Felix Sohne 1942. The leather is definitely cheaper than any earlier one I've encountered and the rough side is out.
Lewis Chapman Gilger was born in Seattle, Washington on July 14, 1893. He was the first child of William and Sarah Carroll Gilger. Soon after his birth the Gilger family, relocated to Norwalk, Ohio where Lewiss father opened a thriving jewelry business. The Gilger family grew again on November 20, 1895 with the birth of little brother William Carrol Jr.
After graduating from Norwalk High School and two years at Kenyon, Lewis enrolled at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. Following his graduation in 1915, he then entered Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland, Ohio.
In the spring of 1917, cutting short his second year of Law, Lewis along with his younger brother William who was attending Yale, joined the American Field Service to serve as volunteer ambulance drivers for the French army.
The American Field Service was an all volunteer organization comprised primarily of college educated young men who felt compelled to help defend France against German aggression and tyranny.
The American ambulance service were organized under the French abbreviation Section Sanitaire Units or S.S.U. and given a numeric designation. Each section would then be assigned to a French division. Field Service volunteers were strictly viewed as non-combatants although they were paid the same as French infantrymen and they were expected to follow military courtesy and regulations. The men had to pay for their own passage to France and to provide for their own uniform.
Lewis and William arrived in Bordeaux, France on July 3 and were initially attached to Section 21 before being permanently assigned to Section 69. According to Gilgers diary, they received their baptism of fire on August 20, 1917 when the division to which they were attached moved forward toward the slaughter house at Verdun.
Although they served as non-combatant ambulance drivers, the men of the Field Service operated right up on the front lines, driving their ambulances through artillery barrages and poison gas attacks and many of these young men were killed in the service of France.
By the fall of 1917, the United States had finally been drawn into the war and the American volunteers were being pressured to either join the newly arriving American army or to leave France. At the same time Lewis had the unnerving pleasure of reading his own death notice that had been erroneously reported in a Boston newspaper.
Lewis resigned from the French army and sailed back to the U.S. aboard the S.S. Rochambeau in November, 1917. After spending the Christmas holidays with his family, he enlisted in the United States Army in February of 1918 and quickly rose through the ranks to receive a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. During his training period as an officer with the US Motor Transport Corp he was assigned to Camp Joe Johnston in Jacksonville Florida.
Jacksonville at this time was considered to be the Winter Film Capital of the World as the fledgling New York film industry would spend the winter months in the warm climate of Florida. It was there that Lewis; a young dashing Lieutenant met and fell in love with Florence McLauglin, a young comedic actress who by 1918 had 32 short films to her credit with the King Bee Film Studio. Florence appeared in many films opposite a young country boy from Georgia known as Babe that world would soon know and love as Oliver Hardy.
The First World War ended on November 11, 1918 with Lewis still assigned to stateside duties and by the spring of 1919 Gilger was discharged from the army and soon after married his sweetheart.
The newlyweds returned to Lewiss hometown of Norwalk, Ohio where he resumed his studies at Western Reserve receiving his law degree in 1922. That same year he joined the Corporate Trust Department of the Union Trust Company and in 1933 changed to the City Bank of Cleveland, Ohio. He was made vice-president of the banks trust department in 1937 and served in that capacity until his death on November 30, 1959 at the age of 68. He was survived by his wife Florence, a son Dr. William Gilger, a daughter Mrs. Sara Barnes, his mother and his brother William. Lewis rests in the Gilger Family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery, Norwalk Ohio.
I have a Russian helmet I picked up at the Jockey Lot this weekend. (not ww2) But I want fix it up to look sorta ok. I would like to know where to get a Russian star (decal)or whatever would be appropriate.It's just plain green with no decals.It has a black stamp (ink)of two crossed swords along side of the #53 in the front and a #88 stamped in the steel at the back. Any ideas on what when and where? The decal is what I'm hoping for. Ron
G'day All
I have been given this WW1 peg bag with these goggles along with Shrapnel pieces from Gallipoli (of which I'm struggling to locate) which have the Turk half moon I'll have to look into this further!!
But the question is - Are these actually German flight goggles?
Sorry about my dirty finger nails whoopsy
Hi, Just a few of my British Collection, Hoped somebody might be interested. All except Clicker Cricket period dated and marked, will photograph the rest in a couple of days and put up, regards
Hi, I have just purchased a ww2 British Brown enamel mug, markings are makers name . regina, crows foot and 1943. It was on a buy it now on ebay so didnt have much time to think, Description, stunning, near mint, problem now being I cant find anything on web for information, just wondered if anyone has any input, If genuine good buy if not ???. Had to take a chance though first one Ive seen in 14 months of collecting, TIA
Hi guys i have just bought this and picked it up this morning, i think its an orientation trip motor brigade paper weight, could anyone give me any more info on what it represents please,
thanks in advance Ronnie cool militaria
