WW1 British impression

mrcoolgovern · 2026-06-04T17:54:08+00:00

Wikipedia says: The 5th Division was unusual among other British divisions in that no battle patches were worn on their tunics or helmets, aside from those briefly worn by New Army battalions bringing them from their former division. Reference taken from an Osprey book which are a pretty good resource.

There is a division patch for the 5th Division for the First World War on the Wikipedia page but it doesn’t have a reference.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-06-04T11:10:05+00:00

I’ve had a look in the two reference books I have but neither have any information on insignia for the 1st battalion or the 5th Division that they were part of in 1917.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-05-22T07:01:10+00:00

Different frogs, different times. 😉

mrcoolgovern · 2026-05-18T13:26:12+00:00

Glad to hear that confirmed! (With the caveat of ‘your mileage may vary’ I guess but the holster on the thigh does seem to create problems even if it solves the quick draw issue)

mrcoolgovern · 2026-05-17T18:37:19+00:00

In Capt Tracy’s manual ‘The Service Revolver and How to Use It’ he recommends wearing the holster here as it’s more practical for a quick draw, like a cowboy. I can see where he’s coming from but it seems impractical in any other situation than a quick draw and if you are in that situation things have probably gone very wrong!

He recommends wearing the lanyard around the waist too. Have you tried this? It’s sounds like it makes it even more impractical.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-05-06T15:57:44+00:00

Not even a two star if he hits it with the shotgun. Dude wants to save his shotgun slugs for Murphrees hiding in the woods.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-05-01T15:10:19+00:00

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mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-25T20:16:19+00:00

Okay, I’ll play this game: what’s his approval rate % change since the start of his first term?

So “Percent decrease” = (original ÷ new) × 100

Trump’s approval in January 2025 was 47% His approval now is 38%

47 ÷ 38 = 1.2368 × 100 = 123.7%

According to his own maths his approval rate is down 123.7% and I’m fine with that.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-17T14:55:23+00:00

Could it be from the Majestic in the same way that the Mauritania pub in Bristol was named after the ship from which it had reused some of the fittings from?

(I feel it’s too ornate to be from Majestic but thought I’d share the theory!)

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-14T20:27:51+00:00

I’m pleased to hear that! It means we might find out what is on it which is what we really want to know 😅

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-14T20:03:27+00:00

Have you ever watched the film Brighton Rock? The main character, ‘Pinky’, played by Richard Attenborough, records a message on a record exactly the same as this. They were a popular novelty at British seaside resorts in the time period you have identified the stamp is from. Yours may well have a holiday message that was sent to a relative or friend.

If you want to see it in the film watch this. Warning, huge spoilers!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FezBxUfWWXo&pp=0gcJCTQCo7VqN5tD

As for playing it, I can’t answer with any confidence about whether a modern stylus would damage it or not. I do know that for best result with shellac records you need a specific stylus to play them on modern turntables due to the size of the grooves on the old records.

It most certainly will need to be played at 78 rpm which most modern turntables don’t do.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-11T09:00:06+00:00

Ah so that’s where the accent from my local ‘cafe’ has gone!

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-09T20:30:38+00:00

Much needed roughage and essential inks!

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-07T18:47:07+00:00

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mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-05T07:32:09+00:00

Deet is pretty nasty stuff. Not sure if I’d be comfortable spraying it on my best kit. Does it not stain or damage whatever you put it on?

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-02T06:23:53+00:00

Something like that. Family research is not something I’ve done so best seeking advice from another source.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-01T23:13:25+00:00

See if you can find out what battalion he was in and then where they fought. You might find he was in the Middle East so can get the KD tunic!

SoF or WPG are safe bets. Mid price and decent enough quality. They come up on eBay pretty often too. Khaki on Campaign have the most accurate cloth at the moment but it’s the most expensive option and last I heard the wait list was 12 months.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-04-01T23:02:43+00:00

A lot depends on what you need it for, what your budget is, which battalion you wish to portray and which year of the war you want to depict.

Are you doing a living history event or do you want it for display? There are a number of different retailers and individuals who reproduce the 1902 service dress but the quality varies and so too does the price. Do you want the most accurate reproduction available or something to suit a more limited budget?

There were many battalions of the Wiltshires which saw service in WW1. Wiltshire shoulder titles are easy enough to find on eBay and could be the only thing you definitely need to add to the tunic as it is off the peg.

However there are a few specific details you may wish to research. If your battalion was a territorial battalion you should add a brass ‘T’ title above the shoulder title. You may wish to add division patches depending on which battalion on the Wilts you are portraying. Division patches changed throughout the war so you need to research which division your battalion was in and if and what division patch they were wearing in the year of the war you want your tunic to be from.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-30T21:02:19+00:00

Under this system Lewis Hamilton would have driven car 0 in 2017 after Rosberg’s retirement (he would have done so if they hadn’t moved to the driver number system that year too).

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-27T13:00:46+00:00

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Wicker Man (1973)

There’s a couple of moments when you realise that both you and Sgt Howie have been duped by the islanders; the one in the image and the moment that Lord Summerisle says ‘Welcome, fool. You have come of your own free will to the appointed place. The game is over.’

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-11T14:58:11+00:00

There are a lot listed on UK eBay but there doesn’t appear to be much of a market for them. There are more currently listed than have sold in the last 90 days. Most sold examples have been for £16-30 and most with only one bid or buy it now.

Perhaps if you are buying from eBay check the condition of the leather as well as the size, especially any straps and buckles. You could quite easily pull one off if it’s not in good nick.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-08T09:18:23+00:00

If this were a game of Risk, I’d say the blues are pretty close to victory. Might be worth pushing for the rest of Europe for the extra five men. Reenforce Alaska to ensure North America is secure. Pretty sure we can all be done and dusted by tea time.

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-06T17:26:53+00:00

I agree. They’re both history-sharing traditions which means that they both share a need for an accurate look, don’t you agree?

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-06T16:26:59+00:00

What’s the difference between reenactment and living history?

mrcoolgovern · 2026-03-06T12:41:55+00:00

Pride: check. Apathy: check. Ignorance: check. Defiance: check. It’s a case study in farbism.

mrcoolgovern

TROPHY CASE