Michael,
A very moving account and story from your native land. I am sure that it must have been difficult to read about the atrocities that happened in your own area... I am pleased to know you have a passion for capturing the history and your passion for collecting is quite obvious..
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of your passion...
Well done..
Smitty
I think that is the most important aspect of collecting militaria, the actual history of that particular piece.
I was after a Luftwaffe sea rescue sculll cap for many, many years, I only saw one or two for sale over thirty year period.
Finally got one a couple of weeks ago, and I still look at it and wonder about it's history, who owned it? how did it survive?
No swastikas, no dodgy camouflage colours, certainly not a fake, just a genuine historical item that has fascinated me for years.
Great stuff..
Mine is simple and consists of THREE key things.....
1) An uncle who was NOT a collector, but a keen history buff.
2) The BBC series in the 1970's " The World At War "
3) A big store in the city called Kings Disposals - who had just about everything a kid could want ( but had no money for )
Regards, Dan
" I'm putting off procrastination until next week "
I love reading stories about how people got into collecting and there are some excellent ones posted here, hopefully more soon too.
For me it was a natural progression. I have always had a huge passion for history, stemming from learning about the Romans in school (a topic I still have a soft spot for) and watching shows like Horrible Histories on the kids TV channels. I also caught parts of WW2 in Colour and shows of that ilk, usually when there weren't any kids shows on, to my disappointment at that time!!
History soon became the only subject I achieved much in, with my highest grades in each year of school always coming from that subject, and my other subjects lingering around average-ness, before I got my arse in gear as I neared my final exams.
My dad has a passion for history too which helps, and my Mum has also developed one over time, and I think these are huge factors in my passion today. My Dad over time passed books my way, which slowly but surely I read, and my interest began to snowball, becoming an avalanche. He was a collector for many years and this gene was probably passed on to me. He spent many years travelling all over collecting American Civil War, Mars Attacks, and WW2 bubblegum/cigarette cards, and also for a long time collected rare Rolling Stones records (finally giving it up and selling them when I was born to raise some money to help out).
In 2014, at 13 years old, me and my Mum went on our first battlefield tour to Normandy. 6 months later, we were in Ypres and on the Somme. This touring became a regular occurrence and has led us to going all over Western Europe, experiences which I am very grateful for. I'm now 19 and I have been to Normandy twice, the Somme thrice, Flanders thrice, Arnhem, the Ardennes, Berlin, Munich (Dachau/Obersalzburg) and so on. I was also incredibly fortunate to attend both the official Somme centenary, at Thiepval, and the official 3rd Ypres centenary, at Tyne Cot. The battlefield tours were the jumping off point and the final factor in me becoming a collector. Seeing bits of shrapnel, shells, casings etc while boots-on-the-ground on the battlefields, as well as meeting guides who were collectors, was the moment I realised these items were out there, and own-able, not just in a book, but physical objects i could hold and look after.
The forums, and Facebook groups (before being taken down by Herr Zuckerberg), were then part of this natural progression, and I've met innumerable lovely and kind people, with a handful really going out of their way to help me. I am unsure whether they would want to be named, but if they see this reply they'll know who they are.
I owe a hell of a lot to the people who've taken the time to help educate me, have sold me items, have put surprises and extras in the boxes of those purchases, and have led me in the right direction in the minefield of fakes and the world of collecting. Thank You so much.I really cannot thank those people enough, and I'm glad I can call many of them friends.
I'm not very good at composing long messages at times, and the chronology of this reply may be a bit off with certain factors occurring at the same time but in separate paragraphs, so many apologies if it doesn't read well.
I've tried to keep this reply mainly collecting-related, as my passion for history has come from many other places like family friends, veterans, family history and so on, but I don't want to waffle on away from the subject of this thread: collecting. As stated a few times above, I can't thank the collecting community enough for all they've done for me, and its resulted in some great friendships. A collecting friend of mine in the States has invited me across for SoS next year, something I would've never dreamed of when I first started. Regardless of the stick we get from the few idiots who don't understand our hobby, as well as the few idiots within it, this has got to be one of the best communities to be a part of.
Kindest regards
Harvey
It's great to see members are still sharing their stories, all of which are really interesting and enable us to find out a bit more about everyone's interests and outlook on this hobby. I am so happy that I started this thread, I am enjoying reading these very much, and I hope all of you are as well. Thank you to all who are taking part
Best regards,
MG.
Migobeego, I'm so glad you started this thread! the stories I've read so far are very interesting and I'm looking forward to the next one!
Rakkasan187 - I am adding here a monument to the martyred guerrillas from my birthplace. a very sad story from the end of the war. quotes from memories of the anti-fascist resistance: Buried in Limestone
The fury and rage of the fascists on the other victims erupted in panic. At the end of April 1945, two partisans were bestially tortured in the Vranče valley in Vápenka. Ukrainian Major Zen-Volský and Andrej Novák from Žilina. They were brought to a school in Vranč, whose cellar served as a prison. After cruel interrogations, they were brought to the Vápenka forest, where they had to dig a grave and were buried alive. It was confirmed by a doctor
I am adding photos of the monument to the tortured guerrillas and circumcised people who helped the guerrillas
and a few more photos of what it looks like today
For me it started with my maternal Grandfather, he was a member of the 6th maritime Royal Artillery regiment. He was known as a DEMS gunner (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship), he manned anti aircraft guns on a few different merchant ships. He was mostly on north Atlantic convoys, but also served on the Arctic convoys to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, He told me that on the Arctic convoys it was about 98% of the time chipping ice from the ship and 2% manning the guns.
My Granddad would keep me entertained for hours with stories about his time on the convoys (a few of them i think now were quite tall stories).
The same as quite a few people on here i got really bitten by the military bug when i got into modelling, i can remember very clearly the first kit i built, the Airfix 25PDR Field Gun & Quad. This was when the series one Airfix kits came in a polythene bag. Since then there has been no turning back.
Mine came from Mowing lawns and watching John Wayne movies.
I have always had a love for History, many of my relatives served , But did not talk about it.
What started it was when I was young, I had a Mowing customer who was a Veteran of the Pacific. I used to help him around the house. One day I was helping him clean his garage.
I noticed a dusty old rifle sitting in the far corner. I asked about it and he started telling me that he brought it back from his time in Japan. He was part of the occupation troops after fighting in the Pacific. He let me go get it and when I was getting it, on the floor was his M1 helmet. I brought that out and asked why the insides looked burned. He said I was lucky, We cooked in mine, The other guy's we used to piss and shit in when we were stuck in the fox holes. As a little kid my eyes were about to pop out of my head. He said I could have his helmet. ( Still got it) and after several more days helping him clean and hearing more stories. I asked if I could have the rifle.(Type 38 School rifle) He said he would have to talk to my Dad and he did and my dad agreed as long as it was kept in the rifle cabinet with his hunting rifles and shotguns.(I still have it also) Well from there it was a trip to a local gun shop who had a japanese bayonet, I had to get it!! Then I would save up and go buy more bayonets that I saw from that same place. Hench my love for bayonets started. Then I had to have the rifle for the bayonets I bought, Then I thought I need a helmet to go with the rifle bayonet combos I had.I went with the major players of WW2 and then got into WW1. Along the way I would pick up some medals and awards at the gun shows and a several swords. Then in 2009 I started researching my Uncles service in the 8th Air Force, Then I was put in contact with Phil, The left waist gunner on the same B-17 as my uncle Joe. From that point forward my main interest has been USAAF. Now don't get me wrong , I still love my firearms!!!
Semper Fi
Phil
This doesn't answer the question posed 100% for me, but it covers a good part of it:
The first Stahlhelm I ever held.
Todd
Former U.S. Army Tanker.
"Best job I ever had."
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