It is very possibly a souvenir, taken in this case possibly by a German soldier, which has now found it's way to you.
My justification for this answer is that a few years ago I purchased a trio to a 19th London bloke and with the medals was an assortment of paraphernalia, which included two epaulettes he had cut from the uniform of a dead German, whilst walking over the bodies after clearing a trench.
This was documented in a letter to his parents, along with the other bits and pieces he kept as souvenirs.
Regards.
Brian
|