Strange Dog Tags

[Vix Steel]

Fibre dog tags but not sure what they are.
Friend got them for me thinking WW1 Canadian but Im sure thats not the case.
Netherlands? Post WW2?
Middleburg and the date? place and date of birth?

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[leigh kitchen]

"Ned Leg" - a reference to the WWII German Waffen SS Nederland Legion?
The date being a date of birth?
Not German style dog tags, issued by allies to a Prisoner of War? Fake, genuine, fantasy?
Nothing to do with the WSS Nederland Legion?
Weissner the surname?

[Jelly Terror]

Not sure if it is widely known but these 'red' dog tags are manufactured from vulcanised asbestos (well, the British ones are). I should imagine there is little health risk from them... as long as remain in tact (?)

JT

[btns]

Here is his obituary (source: legacy dot com)

WIESSNER, Jack N. Aged 86 years, passed away peacefully at Langley, BC on April 28th, 2003. Lovingly remembered by his sons, Clifford, Johon, daughters, Gladys (Ken), Emily (Angelo) as well as his sister, Nora and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Sophie in 1984. At Jack's request, no service will be held. If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to the Langley Lodge, 5451 - 204th Street, Langley, BC, V3A 5M9. Henderson's Langley Funeral Home 604-530-6488.

Published in The Edmonton Journal on May 2, 2003

The dog tag is indeed Nederlandsch Legioen (Dutch SS)
He emigrated with his parents to Canada in 1945/46.

[leigh kitchen]

Interesting - and that explains why it was thought that there was a Canadian link, presumably.
I wonder why the dog tags are British style rather than the German perforated metal , possibly issued while he was a PW?
Was there a PW camp at Middelburg in Holland?

[Vix Steel]

Thanx for the info. Picked these up in Langley BC...

Interesting tags indeed, why are they brit style. I know allied POW had those stalag tags. I didn't know the Axis POWs were issued tags?

[dumdum]

Hi all

I have a Stalag tag from a late "kriegie" friend that is just the same as the German WW2 type. Normally the POW tags are those rectangular affairs with the camp number stamped into them.

Without checking, I think he was in Stalag 306. He had some great tales to tell such as the German guard who had spent much of his young life in New Zealand (our friend was a Kiwi), returned to Germany before the war and ended up as a guard in the POW camp.

Ivan said they called him "Temuka Joe". As a footnote Temuka is in the South Island and known for producing ceramics.

He'd always promised me his medals, gold GQ Parachute Club badge and his Caterpillar Club badge (unusual to be a member of BOTH clubs) but the "out-laws" got there first...

[btns]

I have asked a friend.

I am updating this message and I have removed the previous statement.
Ned. Leg. = Nederlandsch Leger - regular Dutch Army.
It is a 1945 dog tag for Dutch Army service.

[peter monahan]

"It is a 1945 dog tag for Dutch Army service."

Great story about the Kiwi/Canadian SS paratrooper, though! Oral history is a slippery thing at best.

[leigh kitchen]

Less "exotic" than Nederland Legion option but it's good to have a result.
It explains the British style dog tag, are the Dutch military records easily accessible?

[btns]

Originally Posted by leigh kitchen

... are the Dutch military records easily accessible?

There are pages and pages of privay rules.

[leigh kitchen]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

"It is a 1945 dog tag for Dutch Army service."

Great story about the Kiwi/Canadian SS paratrooper, though! Oral history is a slippery thing at best.

Paratrooper added to the mix.
Yep, all undocumented, unevidencef suggestions carry a "but maybe not" warning.

[dumdum]

Ivan's other story was about exiting his 149 Sqn Short Stirling and having the shroud line cut him on the chin as the canopy opened. His flying boots also came off as the 'chute opened and were found in a ploughed field some days later.

He told us that he landed in the back of a garden and his first memory was the sound of a clock ticking.

When he knocked at the door of the house he was taken to the local schoolmaster who "spoke English" (or not...). A pair of slippers were found for him and he gave himself up to the local authorities so as not to bring retribution upon the local Belgian population.

When taken to the interrogation centre, his interrogator already had a folder on his desk with the crest of 149 ("East India") Sqn on the cover!

[peter monahan]

Sounds like a fish I caught once. The more times I tell the story, the bigger the fish gets! No disrespect to Ivan intended, but memory, as I suggested, is a slippery thing.

[dumdum]

Hi Peter

Quite possible and now we can't ask Ivan, but there must have been some bits that were true. He was a real old gent and I miss his stories, exaggerated or not.

Often the bits that sound the strangest are true......