Archive for the Belts & Belt Buckles Category

WW1 Canadian Hate Belt

Posted in Belts & Belt Buckles with tags , , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_KingdomFlag_of_AustraliaFlag_of_New_ZealandFlag_of_CanadaFlag_of_the_United_StatesFlag_of_FranceFlag_of_the_German_EmpireNice simple pickup last weekend at the local antique fair. This is a souvenir belt put together from a Prussian infantry belt and the tunic buttons from a wide range of Allied and German units. This example has a predominance of Canadian buttons so I am guessing that it was Canadian in origin. The rest are French, Australian, New Zealand, German and one single U.S. General Service button. You see these in all sorts of configurations, some on Allied belts, some with cap badges and other oddments. The legend is that these were put together from souvenirs taken from dead bodies but that sounds overly complex to me and likely nonsense. More likely most of the buttons were swapped at rear area camps between bored soldiers making up a souvenir. The U.S. button suggests a late war job, 1917-19. The Empire buttons make sense as often these units found themselves together in the line. The Canadian Regiments are from different divisions so that’s why I think this is a rear area put together. Still, a great belt, in fine condition and worth it just for the buttons and belt IMHO.

Kriegsmarine Officer’s Belt & Buckle

Posted in Belts & Belt Buckles with tags , , , on December 21, 2016 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_NSDAP_(1920–1945).svgEver since that KM Dagger walked into my life a few months ago I have been looking for a good Officer belt and buckle to hang it off. The dagger came with the narrow undress belt but I wanted the broader undress belt. Here it is, lovely.

Ottoman Turkish Enlisted Man’s Buckle

Posted in Belts & Belt Buckles with tags , , , on September 3, 2016 by The Dude

Ottoman_flagBeing a Kiwi I have an attachment to the Gallipoli campaign of 1915. When I visited Turkey in 2012 I made sure that I got to Anzac Cove and Chunik Bair. I scooped a little bit of soil from there into a container and dragged that home. Elsewhere here I have an Ottoman award and have been looking for an Ottoman era belt buckle for a while. This one has the toghra (personal cypher) of Mehmet V, the penultimate Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, under the national emblem. Notice how similar this buckle is in design to the Jerry ones. The Germans had both feet in the Turkish Army prior to the Great War, providing technical advice and equipment designs.

rsz_turkish-soldiers-at-sedd-el-bahr-before-the-landings

Turkish soldiers at Sedd el Barr in 1915, prior to the invasion