by Bill Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:24 pm
Hi Scotty, I agree. His "reputation" has made all his material suspect. After monitoring his offerings for a couple of years, some observations for thought. He always has something "unique", "unusual" and rare. And the offerings always have something that raises questions about their authenticity. Obtaining as many of the rare and unique uniforms and helmets that he has, suggests that he should be purchasing lottery tickets.
A couple of observations on this offering. The SASK L I were in Italy until March of 1945. Note that there isn't an Italy star ribbon on the ribbon bar. Not conclusive, but, how does this work? The 21st Army Group HQ was not formed until July 9, 1943. By that time, the SASK LI were embarked for Operation Husky. So, this sergeant was a SASK LI fellow that either didn't go to Sicily, was in some sort of reinforcement unit and then pulled and put into 21st Army HQ?? And all that time, he was a Sask LI fellow? Highly unlikely, in fact improbable.
Second, at the end of the war, the Sask LI took into wear the coloured rank badges of their affiliated British regiment, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The ones on this tunic are the standard issue. The ribbon bars were taken into wear over the summer, which would suggest he was active at the time the regiment was wearing the KOYLI insignia. He should have followed regimental practices of that period. However if he was detached, he may not have known or been able to access the appropriate rank. Again, not conclusive, but something to consider.
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