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Cap badge


Buster

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I Picked this up last week,  As can be seen it's a Royal Scots  fusilier cap badge, albeit a worn example, i like the age patina it has.. My great grandfather  ( Thomas Grier) was is the  regiment, but  unfortunately he was killed on the 28 March 1918 .

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Hi Buster, That's a very fitting tribute for your Great Grandfather and the ultimate sacrifice he made.

My Great Uncle was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers too although he was in the 12th Battalion they may have known each other. Here are some new pictures I have found of him.  

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Thomas Caldwell's medals on display at the Royal Highlanders Museum, Glasgow, Scotland.

(Picture - Thomas Stewart)

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Carluke has the distinction of being home to three gallant recipients of the Victoria Cross - William Angus; Thomas Caldwell; and Donald Cameron. Among its other sons of note is Major General William Roy, the father of Ordnance Survey, born in Carluke in 1726 to whom a monument in the form of a “Trig” point stands in Miltonhead Road close to his place of birth.

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Studio portrait postcard

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Caldwell VC (left) with William Angus VC and Donald Cameron VC

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1960's 

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This photo, taken in 1919, shows William Angus VC with Sgt Thomas Caldwell VC, the second son of Carluke to be awarded a VC

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  • 2 weeks later...

 Since my great grandfathers medals are long gone, I was going to buy blank medals & get them engraved with my grandfather's information , but was informed some folk are scrubbing original names off medals to sell as blanks, i dont want any part in encouraging that! So decided to go with repros for  great grandads entitlement. I got these and  am very impressed with the quality, the victory medal is die struck brass, the BWM, is very detailed with an antique silver finish , I might polish some of this off. I also got a BWM to compleat the set I have to W.H. Beck, until I can source the originals  for both men.

( I won't hold my breath on that)

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That's a very good idea, I am horrified that names are being erased from medals, it is just not right. Better to get a repro medal and get it engraved - actually, they should be stamped and not engraved, but that could be difficult to get done. I thought of this idea some time ago. You will need exact details of his rank, service number and unit, and the correct abbreviations on the medal. Perhaps there is a government or Defence office, which can provide help on this?

The War Medal should be in real silver.

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I've seen adverts for repro Death Plaques and Scrolls, they look very good and they will add the name and details of your relative on them.

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I have emptied  one of my display boxes & replaced it with what would have been my great grandfather's medal entitlement & cap badge, and medal card , thanks leon for sourcing the medal card & other documents, it's very much appreciated.  I think it's came out great, but might replace the tin do something else if I can think of something in it's place.

 

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Perhaps a family member has a photo of him, that would look very good in the frame, plus a couple of RSF shoulder titles.   

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13 hours ago, kenny andrew said:

Perhaps a family member has a photo of him, that would look very good in the frame, plus a couple of RSF shoulder titles. 

Thanks Kenny,I  will try for the shoulder titles, but I have tried to source a photo  for some time, but with no luck so far. A friend  suggested   some ww1 dated 303 Inert rounds

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I contacted britishwargraves.co.uk regarding  Thomas's grave , as i noticed they have a photo request  section, I got this a couple of days later. I am the first in the family to see this ' ever'. 

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You should take a trip there, many do. There are also WW1 battlefield tours. The Western Front Association used to organise tours. I heard that Paul Foster, a former member still organises tours. There is one due around November, but I believe this will be in the Ypres area.  Perhaps he could accomodate any extra wishes.

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Unfortunately I wont have the funds at that time, I have just returned from Crete and have a trip to Spain booked for late September,   but hopefully  I will be able to manage it in the future,  I would like to take my brother along as he is a Royal highland fusiliers veteran.

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  • 6 months later...

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The coloured ribbons shown in the first section may have an association with the Boy Scouts, this example I found and is described as
"A scarce original pre war 'Rover Scouts shoulder knot', wool herringbone pattern red, green and yellow braid sewn together". I believe these were worn on the shoulders.

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I think you might have something there, I now remember similar things from lads who where in the cub scouts  when I was in primary school. 

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Wow, I was upset to hear that some people are removing names from medals to sell off, that is not right. I do hope at some point you get to make the trip and see him.

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Unfortunately, this has been done for years, even on old, rare medals, or just completely erased.  Also many 1914-18 Silver War Medals were melted down for their silver content for many years, which is why uncomplete sets have been on the market for many years, uncomplete trios or pairs.
People can be so greedy, it doesn't pay in the long run. The same has been happening to thousands of 1914 iron crosses, the silver frame is removed and melted down, the iron core is then offered for around 10 Euros a piece. Pure greed.

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  • 2 years later...

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A rather unusual World War  Royal Artillery badge, which I discovered in an internet article.

The story of Albert George Heath Royal Artillery, An evacuation from Dunkirk in his own words written twenty years later.

361 (5th London) Battery, 91 (4th London) Field Regiment Royal Artillery from Lewisham, with its 25 pounder guns was dug in near Lille on the 21 May 1940. Our position took a direct hit from enemy artillery. My right leg was shattered below the knee, I also had a gunshot wound in my back in the shoulder. Battery medics splinted the leg; there was no treatment to the gunshot wound, which was open, and bleeding. I was evacuated to the regimental aid post.

The regimental aid post was evacuated on the night of the 21 May 1940, before leaving further treatment consisted of a ½ bottle of cognac!

On the 22 May my wounds were examined at the field hospital. The wounds were dressed and morphine tablets were administered to ease the pain. The first signs of gangrene began to appear.

Between the 22 and 25 May the field hospital was evacuated. During this time I received further minor injuries but no more treatment other than 2 morphine tablets.

On the 25 May I was admitted to another field hospital. Gangrene was taking a firmer hold of the right leg. The leg was amputated above the knee to prevent further complications.

26 to 28 May Treatment for the injuries consisted of further morphine doses but no changes of dressings. During this time I eventually arrived at Dunkirk. Whilst in the ambulance on the quayside a bomb exploded nearby. Shrapnel ripped into the ambulance severing my right arm, the ambulance then caught fire! French sailors pulled me from the burning ambulance, but I suffered burns to my head and face. I was embarked onto the SS Canterbury, another bomb exploded in the water beside the boat, which pitched, and I ended up in the harbour. This time the crew pulled me out!

On the 29 May we arrived in Dover at 4 in the morning. I was put on an ambulance train, destination unknown. This later turned out to be Blackburn. During the journey a soldier in a lower berth complained to the train staff of blood dripping from my arm. The arm was treated for the first time since the incident in the ambulance on Dunkirk harbour. Slats from a packing case were used as splints. It was only on arrival in Blackburn when the injuries were fully assessed that they found the packing case slats had been applied nailed to my arm.

In the words of his Son: During the next 5 years dad underwent 31 major operations on both his arm and leg. Until his death in 1985 at the age of 75 dad must, at times have been in terrible pain from these injuries, but he never let the real pain show. He worked up to retirement at 65 and led as active a life as his disability would allow.

Taken from the BBC’s WW2 People’s War page.

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An interesting set of medals and the career behind it, discovered on a facebook side, wounded at Dunkirk and evacuated on second day of evacuation, later wounded again in West Africa.

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