AUSTRALIA JEWISH MILITARY YAD SILVER TRENCH ART ZION MULE CORPS SOUVENIR UNIQUE

Description

AUSTRALIAN  SILVER TRENCH ART MILITARY YAD
POSSIBLY SOUVENIR OF THE ZION MULE CORPS.
THIS IS A TOTALLY INERT DISPLAY ITEM WHICH HAS BEEN  PERMANENTLY ALTERED AND IS NOT CONSIDERED A WEAPON UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY COUNTRY. DISPLAY ONLY
THIS IS A TOTALLY INERT DISPLAY ITEM WHICH HAS BEEN  PERMANENTLY ALTERED AND IS NOT CONSIDERED A WEAPON UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY COUNTRY. DISPLAY ONLY !
THIS IS A TOTALLY INERT DISPLAY ITEM WHICH HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY ALTERED AND IS NOT CONSIDERED A WEAPON UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY COUNTRY. DISPLAY ONLY !
AS A 50+ YEAR COLLECTOR OF ORDNANCE ITEMS AND CONSULTANT I HAVE HAD THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF TRENCH ART COME MY WAY. OF THESE THOUSANDS I COLLECTED ONLY THE FINEST , RARE AND INTERESTING PIECES FOR MY PERSONAL COLLECTION. THESE RANGE FROM FANCY DECANTERS MADE FOR A NAZI FIELD MARSHALL , TO ITEMS MADE BY A U.S.N. MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER TO A UNIQUE BOMBLET MADE FROM JAPANESE FUZES BY THE FIRST ORDNANCE SQDN. TINIAN AND PRESENTED TO COL. TIBBITS UPON HIS RETURN FROM DROPPING THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB.
MY PERSONAL COLLECTION CONTAINS ONLY 50 PIECES AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE ITEMS FROM MY TRENCH ART COLLECTION.
I HATE TO SELL IT BUT IT IS TIME FOR IT TO GO TO A MUSEUM.
UNIQUE AUSTRALIAN MILITARY YAD .
I BOUGHT THIS THROUGH AN AUCTION FROM A JEWISH FAMILY IN AUSTRALIA. I CONTACTED THEM INDIRECTLY THROUGH THE AUCTIONEER FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS EXTREMELY INTERESTING ITEM BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS FOR
" PRIVACY REASONS" .
WHAT INFORMATION THEY DID PROVIDE SET ME ON A SERIOUS COURSE OF INVESTIGATION AND RESEARCH WHICH LED ME BACK TO THE FIRST JEWISH MILITARY UNIT ESTABLISHED BY THE BRITISH CROWN.
WHAT A STORY !
FIRST THE ITEM; A YAD IS USED TO POINT OUT THE WORDS ON A TORAH AVOIDING HAVING TO TOUCH IT. SOME TORAHS ARE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD AND DO NOT BENEFIT FROM POSSIBLE SMEARING OR DAMAGE FROM BODY OILS. IN MOST CASES A YAD IS USED TO POINT OUT THE WORDS.
THEY USUALLY HAVE A SMALL HAND ON THE TIP. THIS WAS OMITTED HERE AS BATTLEFIELD CONDITIONS ARE NOT USUALLY KIND TO DELICATE ITEMS.
THIS YAD IS MADE FROM 2 MILITARY CARTRIDGES. ONE IS THE BRITISH .303 RIFLE AND MACHINEGUN CARTRIDGE. THE OTHER IS THE BRITISH 577/450 RIFLE AND MACHINEGUN CARTRIDGE. THE .303 IS THE FRONT HALF OF THE YAD AND THE OTHER IS THE REAR. THE SMALLER .303 WAS USED BY MOST CROWN TROOPS DURING WW1 .THE LARGER ONE WAS USED BY CROWN INDIAN TROOPS AT GALLIPOLI.
THE YAD HAS METAL WIRE (SILVER?) TIED INTO KNOTS AS DECORATIONS. THE ENTIRE ITEM WAS THEN SILVER PLATED.
THE FINIAL IS A WW1 ERA AUSTRALIAN MILITARY BUTTON.
KNOTS ? THAT SMACKS OF NAVY TO ME AND MOST OTHERS. WHO ELSE USES SO MANY KNOTS?
CHECKING WITH THE WORLD'S EXPERT IN THE SUBJECT(
Des Pawson MBE
Footrope Knots
Museum of Knots & Sailors Ropework)
I SOON LEARNED THAT KNOTS ARE USED WIDELY IN MILITARY SERVICE AND WERE ESPECIALLY SO IN THE WW1 ERA.
IN RESEARCHING THE YAD AND PHOTOGRAPHING IT I DISCOVER THAT THE FRONT REMOVES ( WITH EFFORT) AND INSIDE THERE WAS A TIGHTLY ROLLED PIECE OF CLOTH. THE CLOTH IS AN IMAGE OF A FLAG WITH THE NOTATION "ZION".
WHAT COULD ALL OF THIS MEAN ?
THE SEARCH;
I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THE GRANDFATHER FROM WHOM THIS YAD WAS INHERITED WAS A RABBI AND A SOLDIER AT GALLIPOLI.
WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CURATOR AT THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM I FOUND THAT THERE WERE MANY AUSTRALIAN JEWS AT GALLIPOLI AND THAT THE FIRST OFFICIAL BRITISH CROWN JEWISH MILITARY UNIT FOUGHT THERE.
THIS WAS THE ZION MULE CORPS. THEY USED PLENTY OF KNOTS.
THE JEWS WANTED TO FIGHT AGAINST THE TURKS. THE BRITISH WOULD NOT PERMIT A FIGHTING FORCE. WITH TYPICAL JEWISH AMBITION THEIR ATTITUDE WAS; " OK , IF YOU WON'T LET US FIGHT GIVE US A BUNCH OF STINKING MULES AND WE WILL DELIVER AMMUNITION AND SUPPLIES ".
THEY DID AND THEY FOUGHT !
THE JEWISH LEGION AND OTHER BRITISH JEWISH MILITARY UNITS FOLLOWED THIS FIRST ZION MULE CORPS .
I AM STILL LOOKING FOR IDENTIFCATION OF A RABBI AT GALLIPOLI ESPECIALLY ONE FROM THE ZION MULE CORPS.
SO FAR NO FIRM IDENTIFICATION.
DELIVERY BY REGISTERED MAIL ONLY.
TO AVOID POSSIBLE DAMAGE I AM NOT GOING TO RE-ASSEMLE THE ITEM. IT IS A VERY TIGHT FIT.
WELCOME TO THE CRITTENDEN SCHMITT ARCHIVES ON LINE MUSEUM AND DEACQUSITION SALE. THE ITEMS IN OUR REFERENCE COLLECTION DATE BACK TO ABOUT 1849 WHEN MY GREAT UNCLE, RALPH CRITTENDEN AND HIS PARTNER RICHARD TIBBALS CREATED THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL AMMUNITION FACTORY IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DRAWN CARTRIDGES , PERCUSSION CAPS AND ALL FORMS TO AMMUNITION OF INTEREST TO THE GUN MANUFACTURING FACTORS OF THE DAY. SPENCER , SHARPS , HENRY , VOLCANIC, JENNINGS, REMINGTON, JOSLYN,WESSON,BALLARD,BACON,BLISS,WARNER AND SMITH AND WESSON ALL SOLD CRITTENDEN AND TIBBALS AMMUNITION UNDER THEIR OWN TRADE NAME. THE UNION ARMY BOUGHT MILLIONS OF CTM PERCUSSION CAPS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SPENCER CARTRIDGES DURING LINCOLN’S WAR AND ALL OF THE SPENCER AMMUNITION USED IS THE FIRST MAJOR BATTLES INCLUDING GETTYSBURGH WERE ALL MADE BY CRITTENDEN AND TIBBALS.
**Over the course of the next couple of years we will be offering for sale thousands of rare specimens of museum quality many of which have never been offered for sale before and which you will likely never see for sale again. Why are we selling this archive and reference collection? After 150+ years of interest in ammunition there is no one else interested in the field in our family. My personal collecting has spanned 50 years and I am at an age when it is time to stop and pass on such activities to others.
SOLD AS RELIGIOUS TRENCH ART ONLY .