[macandpud]

Its amazing how a group of badges and bits in an old tin, can give you clues to a soldiers whole service. A few months ago I was lucky enough to pick up at auction ,a small Huntly and palmers iced wafers tin box containing badges ,medals and foreign coins and banknotes. The main attraction was that it contained not one but two Beja Battle badges and a small enamel lapel badge for veterans of the 172nd Rgt royal Artillery. The soldier whom I believe was called W.R.Ayears seemed to have broken the pin off of his first Beja badge and somehow got hold of a second one of these rare badges! There were four pairs of 63rd Infantry division shoulder badges and a vast array of axis currency in the tin. it would seem that on his way through North Africa and up through Italy and the Balkans gunner Ayears had been involved in the capture or processing of many types of Axis Troops! In the tin were three german medals for so called Eastern Peoples troops ,two second class medals and a first class breast star. also there were banknotes from Croatia, Greece, Italy, Germany, Poland, Russia and Wehrmacht military currency. The coinage was even more varied with as well as the already mentioned, coins from Serbia, Albania, Tunisia and Palestine and the cream of the crop, a small aluminium German Army canteen token for a mug of beer. There was also a ticket stub for the BALALAIKA MUSIC HALL with a tax stamp in millimes if anyone knows where that was in ww2? So my question is ,does this trail of axis destruction fit with a member of 172 RA?