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A chance meeting and talk of a regimental reunion and I started getting nostagic about the old days, I began looking for reminders of my dim and distant past, but as searched for memorabilia I soon realised that there was virtually nothing that represented my time in the army, there were some ordinary generic souvenirs such as coffee mugs and key rings and the traditional wall plaques, but nothing that was actually relevant, nothing that I could relate to, and it didn't help matters that two of the regiments I served with have since been put into suspended animation so there was no longer a regimental PRI shop to get even the usual souvenirs. So I decided to do something about it. The aim was simple - to make military ornaments that were relevant, realistic and accurate, that could be personalised with the insignia of any regiment from any decade, and importantly of a quality that I would want to put on display, and of course to keep them affordable. It took a couple of years and a lot of work but eventually I set up this business. When I was setting up the business my teenage bank manager said he couldn't see the point as there was no need for the products, they don't have a purpose, the ornaments are nothing more than decoration. He's quite right of course the replica ornaments have no practical purpose, but he's also a civilian and he's never served in the armed forces. Very few civilians realise that British forces have been in action every year without exception for over three hundred years, and although some recent events receive a considerable amount of publicity most conflicts go largely unreported, probably a good example is that during what the the public think of as the relatively peaceful period since the end of the second world war eleven Victoria Crosses have been won, in fact British and Commonwealth troops have been deployed on more than eighty operations since the end of World War Two, from the mountains of Korea, the swamps and jungles of Malaya and Borneo to the African bush, the freezing wetness of the South Atlantic to the roasting dry daytime heat of Aden and the middle east, or in the backstreets of cities closer to home, and whether the conflict is called a war, peacekeeping, a police action or the latest politically correct term of conflict management, young soldiers live in atrocious conditions, work more hours in a week than most civilians do in a month while risking their lives for little money and even less gratitude. It's a disgrace that the vast majority of the public don't realise that the very countries that they now visit on family holidays are same places that troops fought and died in recent decades, and that even though there are more than ten million former service men and women in Great Britain they tend to be a neglected section of society. A civilian could never understand that the replica ornaments are like photographs, they trigger memories, some good and some not so good. A simple ornament can bring back memories of the regiments we served in and the equipment we worked on, reminders of the hours guarding the camp against the enemies of the free world armed with nothing more than a pick axe handle, the exercises waist deep in snow and crawling fully dressed into a damp sleeping bag for a couple of hours before the next stag, hugging the engine decks to try to get warm and laying in a hole in the ground while it filled with rainwater during stand to, brewing up in a mess tin on hexamine on blocks, boiled sweets and processed cheese in compo rations, polishing and painting everything because a VIP was passing within a couple of miles of the base, and the long periods of monotony before the sudden burst of excitment and exhilaration of a "contact" that you can't explain to anyone that hasn't been through it. Memories of not just friends but comrades, people that you can really depend on to back you up (except of course in the local bar when you're trying to impress the same girl), being physically and mentally exhausted and still carrying on because you don't want to let your mates down, hang fires and misfires that weren't so funny at the time, the noise and fumes of your equipment and when it broke down and when it blew up, not to mention more than a few alcohol related incidents that shouldn't be discussed in public. And it really doesn't matter what regiment you were with or even which branch of the forces you were in or when and where you served, there's shared common ground, some of the tools might change but the job is still the same. So the replicas are a lot more than just decorative ornaments, they're also reminders, not just for us to remember our own past but also to remind others of our past, so when they ask what it is, and they do - tell them! The business is based in the north east of England and every single piece is crafted by hand in our studio workshop using a combination of traditional and modern techniques and materials, and because we're small we are also flexible, which means that we can cater for most requirements, we can modify and combine pieces and produce special commissions, and we can make sure that the quality of our products is maintained. I hope you like the range and hopefully there's something to represent everyone, whether a gun number or tank crew, a signaller in a command post, a medic or mechanic, an infantryman or in ammunition resupply. And there will be regular additions so it is worthwhile checking back frequently. If you have any comments about the site and how we can make it easier or better please get in touch using the Contact Us Page and I would welcome any suggestions for new replicas to the range, and if you have any criticisms or comments about the ornaments and how they can be improved please let me know. All the best and thanks for taking a look at the site, |
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