C.E.F. Shoulder title & trench art piece?

[Exmilcop]

I recently acquired a small lot of militaria among the pieces were these. The medal is fairly straightforward as is the shoulder title. I had assumed them to belong to a Gnr. J.P. Young, Canadian Field Artillery as that's inscribed on the rim of the medal, but the small hollow piece of trench art has me puzzled. Can anyone speculate or shed light on the "Arras" badge affixed to the body? She who must be obeyed thinks I was diddled in the amount I paid ($50. cdn.) but included in the lot were two 20mm shell casings and set of opera glasses in the alligator skin case. Any input would be most appreciated.

[gurkharifles]

The battle of Arras - (Vimy Ridge) 9>15 April 1917 was a celebrated victory for the allies and in particular the Canadian Corps - ( My Grandfather was there with the RFA ) . Sweetheart brooches/badges of the towns where battles were fought ( ie Arras, Somme, Passchendaele, etc ) were common currency for gifts or mementos and were often incorporated into trench art pieces - I'm pretty sure you can connect your piece with the medal and its recipient and I think you did well for $50 - have you researched him ? Tim

[Exmilcop]

Originally Posted by gurkharifles

The battle of Arras - (Vimy Ridge) 9>15 April 1917 was a celebrated victory for the allies and in particular the Canadian Corps - ( My Grandfather was there with the RFA ) . Sweetheart brooches/badges of the towns where battles were fought ( ie Arras, Somme, Passchendaele, etc ) were common currency for gifts or mementos and were often incorporated into trench art pieces - I'm pretty sure you can connect your piece with the medal and its recipient and I think you did well for $50 - have you researched him ? Tim

Good day Tim and thank you for the response. Gnr. Young's service number is on the medal and I went to the artillery website I found to see if he was mentioned. I couldn't find a hit in my search, but they do state that the site is a work in progress and there are many many more names to input. So do you think that piece would qualify as trench art? Frankly, even with the skill sets that some soldiers possessed, this seems to be more of a commercially made piece. It is beautifully crafted and I wonder if it's an incense burner?

[dumdum]

Hi Tim

I have a Boer War period h/m silver shell that is clearly a pepper shaker! I think that it would have been part of a set and I would love to find the salt shaker...

Can I suggest that your object formed a similar function with the holes in the "nose"?

As has probably been said elsewhere, the souvenir industry went into high gear post-WW1 and they knocked out napkin rings and lots of other stuff of varying quality.

Then there were the items made from shell cases, bullets, etc.

[mike_vee]

I agree that it is a pepper pot , commercially made as a souvenir rather than a 'soldier made' piece .

Found a photo of a similar item.

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[Exmilcop]

Originally Posted by mike_vee

I agree that it is a pepper pot , commercially made as a souvenir rather than a 'soldier made' piece .

Found a photo of a similar item.

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Gentlemen, thank you all. I believe you folks have nailed it. Any rough idea of current market value?

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Exmilcop

Any rough idea of current market value?

I have no idea (not my area) but a LENS/VIMY brass one is on eBay for £75.00.

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[peter monahan]

Originally Posted by Exmilcop

Good day Tim and thank you for the response. Gnr. Young's service number is on the medal and I went to the artillery website I found to see if he was mentioned.

Mike

There are 1,500 'Young's in the C.E.F. records, but only two 'R. J.'. I think your man is Reuben Joseph Young, a Newfoundlander who joined the CEF in Halifax. He was a miner but had also served some years in the Rotal Garrison Artillery, as Newfoundland was still a British colony then - joined Canad in 1949.

Here is his service file, if you're interested: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discov...dNumber=331011

My computer is taking forever to downlaod bhis file but there should be a summary of service - where he served and when, with which unit. It is trickier to locate war diaries for the artillery but it is possible. That would at least confirm whether he was in the ARRAS area. He seems to have survived the war - not listed in the CWGC files.

[jean-paul Vermersch]

Hello everybody.
I'm French and Live near Arras Vimy and so on.

I have this "souvenir" , a french shell case 37mm from 1/1918..
It bears the armorial bearings of Arras.
It was a gift a long time ago.

Jean Paul

[leigh kitchen]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

Mike

There are 1,500 'Young's in the C.E.F. records, but only two 'R. J.'. I think your man is Reuben Joseph Young, a Newfoundlander who joined the CEF in Halifax. He was a miner but had also served some years in the Rotal Garrison Artillery, as Newfoundland was still a British colony then - joined Canad in 1949.

Here is his service file, if you're interested: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discov...dNumber=331011

My computer is taking forever to downlaod bhis file but there should be a summary of service - where he served and when, with which unit. It is trickier to locate war diaries for the artillery but it is possible. That would at least confirm whether he was in the ARRAS area. He seems to have survived the war - not listed in the CWGC files.

Are you privy to RJ Young's service number, it 's on the medal and should help knock out a few possibles?

[Exmilcop]

Originally Posted by leigh kitchen

Are you privy to RJ Young's service number, it 's on the medal and should help knock out a few possibles?

How stupid of me! His service number is 2327310 and it's "Gnr. J.P Young". Put the errors down to a senior moment. I believe him to be Gnr. John Patterson Young, Coburg Hvy. Bty., and I may have found a site that contains his service information. I'll update the post as information becomes available.

[leigh kitchen]

No problem at all, I'm good at senior moments myself.

[peter monahan]

There were only two 'R. J. Young' of the 1500 Youngs and only one was a Gunner. Served with the Halifax Battery, Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery from 1908, wife lived in the barracks, so he was a regular.

Enlsited in the CEF in 1916 but never got out of Canada, so the single medal is his sole entitlement. However, one of the several copies of his paperwork has 'South Africa' eneterd for 'Campaiugns' and 'QSA 4 bars / KSA 2 bars', all of which have been stroked through. Odd.

[Exmilcop]

Originally Posted by peter monahan

There were only two 'R. J. Young' of the 1500 Youngs and only one was a Gunner. Served with the Halifax Battery, Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery from 1908, wife lived in the barracks, so he was a regular.

Enlsited in the CEF in 1916 but never got out of Canada, so the single medal is his sole entitlement. However, one of the several copies of his paperwork has 'South Africa' eneterd for 'Campaiugns' and 'QSA 4 bars / KSA 2 bars', all of which have been stroked through. Odd.

I don't think it's the same guy. My R.J Young was wounded in Europe with shrapnel and served with a different unit. I found his service record and though some parts were hard to read, the service number is correct.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Exmilcop

His service number is 2327310 and it's "Gnr. J.P Young".

Originally Posted by peter monahan

There were only two 'R. J. Young' of the 1500 Youngs and only one was a Gunner. Served with the Halifax Battery, Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery from 1908, wife lived in the barracks, so he was a regular.

Originally Posted by Exmilcop

My R.J Young was wounded in Europe with shrapnel and served with a different unit. I found his service record and though some parts were hard to read, the service number is correct.

I'm confused , are his initials JP or RJ ?


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