I have a couple of things I would like to share. I think some here could appreciate.They are 100 years old now.
My Great Grandpa was in WW1. Artillery.

The first is a service pin/button. This was meant to be worn while looking for work, after the war.
On the front it says " FOR SERVICE AT THE FRONT". CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force)

On the back it says "PENALTY FOR MISUSE 500 dollars ( equivalent to $7000 today) OR SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT"



My Dad gave me this before he passed away in 1995.

The second, my Poppa (my Dad's father, a WW2 vet) gave to me as a child, I've had it practically my whole life. It is an artillery shell turned into a coin bank.
His father the owner of the previous service button, gave it to him after WW1, when Poppa was a child.

Poppa's name was William (Willy), also my name.


What do you have to share ?

Hate using the word, but neat WT.

Have a small pocket knife that was maternal grandfathers. Still very sharp as cut myself with it last year.

Prototype model of the first overhead flywheel steam engine made by my great grandfather James Paul in the 1850s, the full size engines were used in the local silk dying works in the Vale of Leven.
The engine is in the middle of being restored just now, last time I seen it working was in the 1960s.

This is him second row from the front, 2 in from the left.


And his tradesman plaque

Very interesting Alicatt. Who is restoring the engine ?

Wow Alicatt. What an amazing piece of family history to have!!

I am when I get time, it got a bit rusty sitting in the attic of my dad's garage, but at least it is not as bad as the revolver my friend found in his attic and it is only a little younger than the steam engine

The steam engine is a two cylinder low pressure, at first we thought it was a compound with high and low pressure cylinders but it's not just the two low pressure ones, we ran it from a low pressure air line and it worked fine but that was back in the 1960s, now it's a little bit seized.

Belgian pin fire

My great, great, great(not sure how far back) grandfather founded the Christian Church in America back in the 1700s, when he broke off from the Methodist Episcopal Church in dispute. Here's his chapel:





And here's a small monument to him, placed over his grave:



https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/okelly-james

He even has a wikipedia page about him:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Kelly%27s_Chapel



I have rebel blood in me that goes way, way back.

Very nice Blastman.

Documentation of my great great grandfather James S Trotter's internment at the Union prisoner of war camp at Camp Chase Ohio.

F4U, you should get this.

http://ownyourregiment.com/37th-virginia-cavalry-t-shirt/


Have you seen this : https://www.ourfamtree.org/soldier/unit_roster.php/37th-VA-Cavalry,US-Civil-War/126/lname,fname/

Fine site OG..

Wow, thanks OG I will be ordering that T-Shirt! Too bad I can't have it for tomorrow, Confederate Memorial Day in SC!

Yes...from what I am told, there are many fine people at Confederate Memorial Day wearing fine uniforms that express their views and allegiances that have made America great.

Now that was completely uncalled for. That was a personal/family thing that you wanted to make political points with and make a personal insult to a member. Community Hall isn’t for that and you know it.

Why did you feel compelled to be ugly ?

Think about that while you take a month break.

Jack72 appears to be the reigning suspension Champ.

I wonder if he's even that passionate and vocal about internal Canadian politics and affairs?

Ok, no need to pick on it.

I just wish everyone could continue on the topic of the thread. Let’s not let one thing spoil an otherwise interesting thread.

Good point. Sorry for steering it in the wrong direction.

No photos, but among my father's memorabilia were a caterpillar pin and a ripcord with a bent pin. They were thrown away at some point, but I wish I had them now. He never talked about them when we were kids and I never thought to ask, they were just "dad's old Army stuff in the attic" along with his bomber-crushed hat, a pair of leggings and a few other items that I can't remember now. But after I got out of the Air Force, and as I was a paratrooper and skydiver, out of the blue he finally opened up one day.

He was the pilot of their B-17 that day. It was winter and the weather was closing in, but they took off on a training mission anyway (he flew for a squadron that trained bombardiers on using radar for bombing runs, so bad weather was kind of a bonus). Not long after takeoff an engine went out. He decided to press on with the mission on three. But not long after that a second engine quit, at which point he aborted and turned back to the airfield. Then the third engine quit. He told everybody to bail out, which they did...all but his copilot. Dad said they had each said, at various times and just talking, that they each trusted their abilities as pilots more than they trusted "those damned parachutes". My dad looked at him and the guy said, "I know you're going to try to land this thing, Jim, and you're going to need my help." Dad said, "I'm good, but I'm not stupid. Go, that's and order. I'll be right behind you." After making him promise to jump the copilot bailed out. Dad cut the last engine, feathered its prop, quick altimeter check (under 2000 feet), and went to the hatch just behind the cockpit. He swung out, checked to make sure all four engines were stopped, and let go. He counted a couple seconds (I can't recall how many) to make sure he was clear, grabbed the ripcord, pulled and...nothing. It didn't budge. Second try, no luck. So he went in with both hands, put everything he had into it and came out. He said he only remembers one oscillation before hitting the ground, which by now he couldn't even see because it had started snowing. He said they had trained the aircrews to throw the ripcords away immediately, but he tucked his into his jacket (which was in our back closet until about 1972, by the way). Later he looked at the ripcord and the bottom pin was bent at about 45 degrees. He said he didn't know if it was bent when he got it or if it happened at some point after that because it was the only time he didn't do a thorough check on his parachute and it could have cost him his life.

I just looked at him and said, "Knowing what I know about parachuting, I'm lucky to be here." I said that opening shock must have been a #%&*$# and he said he barely felt it. I told him that must have been the adrenaline talking because based on his description he would have been head down, on his back and hauling ass when he finally pulled his cord. He said, "You know more about that than I do. I just know I don't remember it at all."

I'm glad he finally told me. I just wish I had the pin and the ripcord. Now that I think of it, I remember a pilot chute being in the attic, too. Probably the same one.

This was in an old family photo album. Looks to be France at the end of WW1, but I can't tell any more than that:



Photo of my wife's grandfather undergoing survival training for the Kriegsmarine during WWII. Little did he know that his U-boat would be sunk and he would use this same technique to be one of the very few survivors.
Without that miraculous escape my wife and my two children would not exist:

Great story vonBaur.
Same to Docjonel.