Moral dilema - 25th Independent Infantry Brigade

[alastaircox]

I would appreciate your thoughts on what to do with the attached - it came with a WW1 family group, which is my collecting field.

2nd Battalion Dorsets photograph (India circa 1942-4) and framed cloth patches, tags, medals etc.

The pair of 25th Independent Infantry Brigade formation signs stand out. Should I sell everything together or split it all up?

My moral compass is conflicting heavily with the need to recoup some funds!

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by alastaircox

I would appreciate your thoughts on what to do with the attached - it came with a WW1 family group, which is my collecting field.

2nd Battalion Dorsets photograph (India circa 1942-4) and framed cloth patches, tags, medals etc.

The pair of 25th Independent Infantry Brigade formation signs stand out. Should I sell everything together or split it all up?

My moral compass is conflicting heavily with the need to recoup some funds!

Keep it all together. It represents one mans service and tells his story as is. With the identity discs you even have his name and number, which makes for easy research.

It can only go up in value in the longer term.

[Cribyn]

Originally Posted by BWEF

Keep it all together. It represents one mans service and tells his story as is. With the identity discs you even have his name, which makes for easy research.

It can only go up in value in the longer term.

Totally agree with the above post. Split it up and the story/information contained therein is lost for ever.

Roger

[manchesters]

I would keep it together and a Dorset collector would snap your hand off.

regards

[Peter Brydon]

I would certainly keep all the items together BUT I would reframe them in a larger frame, displayed in a more aesthetically pleasing layout and with the owners details and service history ( or at least his name and regiment ) on a small card or plaque.

P.B.

( I have a dilemma at the moment, there is a nice complete shako for sale but I only want the plate off it )

[alastaircox]

Thank you, that's much as I thought.

When you say easy to research, my experience of WW2 servicemen is far from that. How would I go about finding out more information given there is no family connection to me?

[Peter Brydon]

Alistair,

A number of members here seem to like a challenge, might be worth posting the details on the dog tags, somebody might be able to start the ball rolling with some more information.


Peter

[Roy]

Hi agree too,

It may be tempting to split it up but there are hundreds/thousands of individual badges out there with no history. This group retains the history and provenance and you can't re-create that once broken up.

Cheerio, Roy.

[BWEF]

Originally Posted by alastaircox

Thank you, that's much as I thought.

When you say easy to research, my experience of WW2 servicemen is far from that. How would I go about finding out more information given there is no family connection to me?

There are ways, and you might get lucky if he has an unusual surname. Also, his number "block" might be able to tell you if he served in another unit before the Dorsets.

Ayway, just because something is not easily possible today you need to keep the items together, and think in the longer term.

Some of us remember the time before it was possible to find out about WW1 service easily. Sometimes we were told that the record was burned in a WW2 German air raid.

[Mike Jackson]

Originally Posted by Roy

Hi agree too,

It may be tempting to split it up but there are hundreds/thousands of individual badges out there with no history. This group retains the history and provenance and you can't re-create that once broken up.

Cheerio, Roy.

In my view it's a particularly interesting group since the soldier concerned served in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force Japan. 25 Indep Inf Bde was the only British brigade to serve in Japan - a unique experience for 2 RWF, 2 Dorsets and 1 Cameron Hldrs. Please keep it all together! Mike