Significant Memorabilia.

[Nostalgair]

Hi All,

I initiated this thread on another forum previously and it was very interesting.

What is your most significant piece of memorabilia? Regardless of perceived commercial value, scarcity or even quality. It is an item that has sincere personal meaning to the individual.

I fortunately have an array of items from my Dad's service in WWII and Korea, some of which only came to light after his passing. Probably one of the most poignant are the goggles that were blasted off his face during a low level strike in Korea. The frame is buckled and one lens is shattered.

What is your most significant piece of memorabilia? Pick Just One.


Regards,

Owen

[Antipodean Andy]

For my wife, probably some of the memorabilia we have yet to sift through of her grandfather's time as a DEMS gunner.

For me, at present, it's a framed print of Robert Taylor's Desert Hawks showing four 3 Sqn RAAF Kittyhawks over the desert and signed by some heroes of mine who I shall never meet - Bobby Gibbes, Nicky Barr, Wilfred Arthur, Peter Jeffrey, Alan Rawlinson, Murray Nash and Jack Doyle. No family connection but men I have admired for many years have touched something in my possession and it is most humbling.

Will post pics of the print and the memorabilia in the near future once we organise it.

[Nostalgair]

Hi Andy,

Given that your area of interest includes the Desert War and Kittyhawks, have you seen Ted Sly's book, "Luck of the Draw"?

Like Bobby Gibbes, he's a wonderful chap and will personalise copies of his book. Highly recommended if you get the chance. Here's his website;

Spitfire books and photos

Cheers

Owen

[Antipodean Andy]

Wow, Owen, many thanks for the link. I do own a first edition of the book which I bought over here and have often wondered, along with the likes of Ron Cundy's A Gremlin On My Shoulder, whether I could send such books to the author for signing.

I've met a couple of 450 Sqn guys over here in the west but I they flew in Italy so I'm not sure if they had operational time over the desert and knew Ted Sly. They are proud of having served in the Desert Air Force though.

[Ron Goldstein]

Owen

You ask "What is your most significant piece of memorabilia? Regardless of perceived commercial value, scarcity or even quality"

That's an easy one.

For me, it's my Army Album, cobbled together in 1946 and still with me today.

Ron Goldstein's Actual Army Album

Cheers

Ron

[Kitty]

Oh dear. I think it has to be the Navigators sweetheart brooch i bought on ebay. It came form the lady it was given to and I got little bit of the story with it. I promised her then to take good care of it, and I have done so.
Other than that its my signed aviation prints. And Andy i still hate you.

[Kyt]

I don't collect memorabilia as such but do have a number of books signed by RAF personnel. What is an ordinary (though usually very well written) becomes an amazing item because the signatures. Most of them had very colourful lives during the war, and part of the joy is knowing that they made it through and part is being inspired to find out more about each signatory. The books I have can be found on this thread:

My signed books

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Antipodean Andy

For my wife, probably some of the memorabilia we have yet to sift through of her grandfather's time as a DEMS gunner.

For me, at present, it's a framed print of Robert Taylor's Desert Hawks showing four 3 Sqn RAAF Kittyhawks over the desert and signed by some heroes of mine who I shall never meet - Bobby Gibbes, Nicky Barr, Wilfred Arthur, Peter Jeffrey, Alan Rawlinson, Murray Nash and Jack Doyle. No family connection but men I have admired for many years have touched something in my possession and it is most humbling.

Will post pics of the print and the memorabilia in the near future once we organise it.

Hi Andy,
Just seen your post on DEMS,
My best friend was an AB on a DEMS in Australia Waters during the war and complains he never sees any mention of them in the history books,
His gunner on a Horlekon, I'm not sure if that is the correct spelling, was a Royal Marine Sgt.
His ship was a NZ merchantman I think it was called the Taranaka.
I'll show him your post, he will probably appreciate it more than the bottle of Grouse I bought him for Christmas.
Cheers
Keith

[Kyt]

Keith

I, too, am interested in the DEMS gunners but trying to get information on them is very difficult. Some time ago I posted a link to a good site

D.e.m.s

If your friend would like to share any information or memories he will find a ready audience. And do you mean the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, used as AA protection on some ships?

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Kitty]

I know a DEMS gunner who went back and forth across the Atlantic, did a trip up to Russia, then back to America, crossed over on a train, brought back a Liberty ship then ran GI's into Omaha as a landing craft operator.

But again near impossible to find anything on the DEMS themselves.