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I am a collector of all things WW1 and have a pretty healthy collection of items. Based in Surrey in England I am a member of the WFA as well as several WW1 war poet associations. I have previously given talks to Scouts and Guides groups on the Battle of the Somme. I have also presented on my personal experience of being a collector and all the plots and subterfuge involved in receiving items into your home with a wife who not all impressed with another piece of "WW1 Crap". Happy to help anyone struggling to identify something, requiring history of items, and due to my collection I can always post photos if that would help. I have items including; a water pump, screw pickets, rifles, bayonets, helmets, medals, postcards, recruitment posters, ordnance, swords, field gear, badges, manuals, newspapers, ammunition boxes and loads more. So feel free to ask me anything in case I have one and could help with identification, scale, history etc. I am an amateur historian who likes to actually hold the item in my hands and feel the weight, the material and the engineering. I know, speaking like a possessed person. Forgive me as I am excited to have found this website. regards Camelspank aka Ben

Hey Gang. I have not posted in SO long....too long really. Perhaps someone can help me. I picked up this helmet at auction for $30. It's a Canadian/British MkIV helmet dated from 1953. Possibly a Korean war lid? This is not my area of expertise or knowledge so I appreciate any input. Can anyone here offer me some info on this lid. What do you think about the paint? There are some "runs" in some spots. Were they painted like this or kept "dark" (no paint)? I appreciate any info you can send my way. Liner and especially the chin strap are in great condition given the helmet is 70 years old. Cheers! Rob

I've been building and painting again This time I present you with two aircraft, both 1:48th scale. B17 Flying Fortress and a B25 Mitchell. Both were made by Revell and, as hinted at by their price tag (less than £30 each), were pretty bloody awful to make. The B25 wasn't too bad, but the B17 required lots of modification and the model didn't include parts to build the aircraft with wheels up, hence there was a lot of cursing, application of filler, swearing, re-application of filler, and general mayhem until I was happy with the result. Oh, and the instructions for the B17 were also terrible, and a lot of parts had to be guessed at as to how they fitted together!! After painting they have turned out pretty good Only problem I now have is I have no ceiling space left !!!

By the way.....this is what it looked like when I got it. Someone had painted this on the rear (probably thinking it was the front). Using acetone, cotton swabs and water, I was able to get this writing off. Happy with the end result. I think it's safe to assume that this was not related in any way to the military? Rob

Just seeing the responses here, gives me new life and hope. I have been off work and on disability since Feb. and may not ever get back to work again, so my collecting anything new has been slow and and may stop but the spirit never dies and I still have a lot of choice pieces in my collection. Especially my Tropical display.

Hi All, I am looking for help in securing a Livens Projectile tube for my collection. I have had issues with people letting me down when using shops (on-line and off). Anyone out there who knows of anyone looking to get rid of one please do let me know. I am based in the South of England in Surrey if anyone local is out there? Ben

Only just joined and failed to see this string before asking a similarly related question concerning the state of health of the network. Having been collecting for many years now and, only just finding out about your network by accident. I would be absolutely devastated to find that I have been too late. Been reading some of the posts on the forums and this site definitely is required. Forums with like minded people; are for collectors like the AA are for alcoholics. Collecting is purely for the obsessive and no level of detail or breadth of knowledge can ever be too much. Military collecting is incredibly personal and there needs to be a plethora of sources available like yours. I am so excited that I cannot work out where to start with questions for anyone who is a collector of WW1 items. I was at the recent Detling Military Odyssey show and it certainly looked like collectors are still out there. I think that the Covid time drove a lot of collectors underground to internet only purchasing. I have certainly seen more people out and about in terms of meetings, fairs etc. So chin up and keep up the great work. Regards Camelspank aka Ben

I too am still here - but not as often as I used to. I apologise for the on and off again see-saw. Once I retire in a couple years - time will be on my side......I hope. Cheers everyone! Rob

Me...but I have a very narrow range of interests so am more of an observer than participant.

i am here

Me

And they are pricey here in UK

Hi. Just joined this forum and hope it can put me in touch with like minded collectors of WW1 Desert campaign artefacts. Not sure whether I have the right "page" ?? Anyway--I'm keen to collect artefacts from the XXCorps advance to Jerusalem in 1917 via Beersheba--Sheria etc. Specifically anything to do with the 60th Division's actions . Thanks---Dave.

These look amazing! reminds me of my bedroom as a boy (no offence meant!). I kept them there, forgotten and gathering dust, until the day I got my first ever girlfriend into the sack. well, she took one look at my 'planes, told me that's what wee boys did, and nearly cooled my ardour....and my 'ard-on!!!! next day, they all came down and into a box.should've had more b*lls and told her to do one, but I wouldn't have had so much fun, would I??

Just can't seem to convince people to use this forum, quite disheartning...