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One for Fritz


leon21

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Hi Paul, I've just started reading a new book I got called " Hold at all Costs ! the epic battle of Delville Wood by Ian Uys,

with  the British and German experiences chronicled, and extracts from their regimental histories.

In the book is a  picture of an Iron Cross and Presentation Case in the shape of a pickelhaube helmet have you ever seen one of these before ?.

 

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Hi Colin, I used to have one of these in my collection, pretty sure it is WW1 period. Mine had a felt sort of covering with brass fittings. When you squeezed the two cockades the box lid would open. Wish I still had it, my one had an iron Cross First class in it. I think you might struggle to get a 2nd class in it ,so perhaps the picture is incorrect. Probably a private purchaise item.       

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I was at Delville Wood during a tour of the Somme with the Western Front Association, starting at Brussels, that was Easter 1982. I made quite a few black and white photos, but have not got them digitalised. As a souvenir I got for a few francs one of the many thousands of 18 pounder British shells that hat been fired on the positions there. They were selling them in those days, the copper and brass parts were a a bit polished up, the iron casing was rather pitted and painted over. All the markings on the fuse are still clearly visible and with a lot of dents and scratches from impact (harmfull contents of course removed). The battlefields were very impressive, this had been my first tour since around the Arras area and Vimy in 1967 and 1968. I think I heard of the author Ian Uys, I believe he is South African.

Some photos from the official WFA Tour in their brochure published after the tour with some impressions of the battlefields, finds and of Delville Wood.


As for the presentation case with the Iron Cross, I remember seeing one of these somewhere, can't say for sure from when this is, just a gimic really, absolutely nothing official, I would not take it seriously. If anything, this would have been postwar produced. During the war period, the daily problems of shortage of materials of all kinds and a home population that was suffering from severe starvation, quite apart from the great losses at the various fronts, there would have been no consideration for trivialities of this kind.

A British 1916 18-Pounder shell, as purchased at the official stand of the South African War Memorial Office on the Battlefield of Delville Wood, 1982.

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Fuse cap wiith lot-no. and 1916 date

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The copper driving band with rifling marks as fired.

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The ironwork is deeply pitted and overpainted as purchased

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The almost complete group of the W.F.A. Somme Tour, Easter 1983. Two veterans are present, to each side of John Giles (centre)

Bildergebnis für butte de warlencourt

The white chalky remains of the Butte de Warlencourt surrounded by battle-scarred countryside.

View towards the Butte de Warlencourt 1916, artist's impressions

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Quote: During the war period, the daily problems of shortage of materials of all kinds and a home population that was suffering from severe starvation, quite apart from the great losses at the various fronts, there would have been no consideration for trivialities of this kind. The main cause of this was the Allied naval blockade.

Drawing by Käthe Kollwitz early 1919 shows the situation amongst the starving population, here children, the elderly and women. A further photo of a ration card of 1917. This was also one of the main causes of the Revolution in November 1918 and the necessity to end the war quickly.

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lebensmittelmusstenrationiertwerden100~_v-gseapremiumxl.jpg

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Agreed Paul, most likely 1920/30's private purchaise

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Interesting photo's Paul, yes the author is South African the book is mostly about the men of the South African Brigade.

and the sacrifice they paid.

The German orders were in their determination to hold on to the wood ( That the enemy was not to advance except over dead bodies ).

The British orders were to ( Hold  at all costs).

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  • 4 weeks later...

The order to hold at all costs is nothing new in military history. I think the English translation has over-dramatised it a bit. In original German text would have sounded quite normal.

The Western Front photos show John Giles , the founder of the WFA, here wearing hat (at Trônes Wood) , to his left and right are two WWI veterans, who were there at the time (1916), one of them, William Grover (light jacket) is wearing his medal ribbons! The other was Bert Russill, who was at Lenze Wald (Bois de Leuze?). Unfortunately, I never recorded their regiment or rank, I think Grover was a private in an infantry regiment. They both made a fresh and lively impression at the time, that is now 35 years ago.

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  • 10 months later...

Somme Tour, 1982 - The Butte de Warlencourt, which I also visited in Spring 1982,  has now been fenced off. It was open ground and not fenced off when I visited. I remember there were still objects lying around, such as a British hand grenade. There were no signs that the area was dangerous, but I was told that it was. The Butte looks higher in all films and photos than when you view the sight itself. In those days the memorial in the film shown was not built, there was just a very old high wooden cross, which I believe had been errected in the early 1920s. This has apparently been removed.
No memorials or mention of the various German units who held this.

 

 

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