WWI Presentation

My WWI presentation is today. I was actually ready for it early this year. Got everything boxed and stacked downstairs by Thursday afternoon. Yesterday just rounded up a few more things I found in exploring the house (yes it's that bad) and made up some identification slips and little flags to put with each nations stuff. Last thing I found was a full sized German Imperial flag which I forgot I had. My wife managed to get the church set up after an event last night so I don't even have to do that.

I have help lined up to move it to the truck and to the church and back again.

Not looking forward to putting it away.

Can anyone explain how I removed 15 rifles from my one safe, put all the rest back and can't shut the door? So yes, I have to figure that out all over again. I believe I'm taking the bolts out this time.

Hopefully I'll remember to take photos of the tables etc.

I have 4 German rifles although one is Turkish, 3 British (one is a later Indian that has a WWI grenade launcher mounted on it), 2 US, 4 French, 3 Japanese, 1 Russian, 1 Belgian, 1 Swiss, 2 Austro-Hungarian, 3 Italian and 1 Portuguese.

I also have four handguns, 2 German, 1 French and 1 Russian although post WWI production on the Russian.

Pretty near complete US soldier set up, not going to try to set the tent up.

Did discover I'm really weak on WWI helmets. Only have 2 but will take a later Adrian helmet to show as an example.

So if you're local and want to stop in, Hope UMC in Akron (Ephrata) PA. Starts at 6:00.

I trust you did not tease us with the detailed description and are not going to provide photos.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

Can anyone explain how I removed 15 rifles from my one safe, put all the rest back and can't shut the door? So yes, I have to figure that out all over again.

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I will be checking back often hopefully for photos and an answer to the question I have been seeking the answer to as well.

I took photos and a video of a walk through. I have to edit the sound on that though. I did not video the actual presentation, just after everything was set up. Turn out was not what I expected but it was a good group. I really wish I could do this for a job because I really enjoy it. Alas, it is not fiscally possible.

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

I took photos and a video of a walk through.

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I look forward to seeing it.

It's a pity that you can't do something along these lines for a job, either online or working for a museum, for example.

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

It's a pity that you can't do something along these lines for a job, either online or working for a museum, for example.

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I was thinking about that this morning. I have about 10 years till retirement, after that I may seriously look into it. As fast as time seems to fly these days, that will not be that long.

Regarding the safe issue, how solid is the surface upon which it stands? Not an old wooden floor, or worse, carpet? I'm thinking that changing the loading inside the safe has caused it to lozenge a small bit, throwing the door opening slightly out of square. This could happen if the surface under it has some flex, even if minute. Maybe try pushing sideways on the upper corners, one at a time, while trying to close the door, to verify. Just a first thought.

No, it just won't close because the 15 fewer rifles didn't fit in it anymore. I solved that problem, now added two to the bottom and maybe have room for 3 or 4 more. I took the bolts out of about half of them and stacked them very carefully. I'm not ready for the video yet. I have to figure out how to edit the sound. My helpers were talking in the background about unrelated things. Can't understand what they are saying but it doesn't go well with the video.

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Just to point out a few obvious and not so obvious things, I have no idea what year the Type 38 rifles were made. The US 1911 holster is black or very dark brown but originally made for WWI. The Adrian helmet is a WWII version, the Tent pegs and ropes are reproductions. The black luger holster is the WWII holster it came in, the brown one is a correct WWI holster and the Grenade launcher while period correct is on a 1955 Indian MK1 No3 rifle. The white sling on the Martini Henri would have most likely not been used in WWI. There are several obsolete rifles that were only used in very limited ways or were used in Africa by native troops. I pointed all these things out during the presentation. I also have a modern helmet there I used to show the progress made from the first US helmet to the current on.

The uniform and small photos by it are not mine. They were provided by another church member. It was his grandfather's uniform. The photos are of him with his then fiancee while in uniform and the troop ship he traveled on to France.

Impressive display, well done!

Very nice collection and display...

Thank-you for posting the photos of your fine collection here.

I really enjoyed going after this WWI stuff and decided I'm going to continue watching for it. I'm not going to exclude WWII stuff but as it seems to be a lot more common, I'm not finding it quite as interesting as the WWI stuff.

What an incredible collection! Thank you for keeping that history alive. In regards to how do you get 15 long guns into a safe? Two words - Rifle socks! I started using them about a year ago and they are great at protecting your collection in tight quarters. I am even learning how to identify my rifles by feel through each sock when I am looking for a certain firearm.

Outstanding! Thanks for sharing.
I have got to get a way to display. Hard to enjoy items in the bowels of a safe.

Very impressive! Nice to see so many peices cared for and unbutchered.

This thread has got me thinking of what may have been going through the minds of all those thousands of young Americans as they traveled by ship to France in early 1918. For most it must have been the first time that they had left home and also the first time that they had left the United States. From the news outlets, available at the time, they must have been aware that the war hadn't always been going in the allies favour and they must have heard stories of new forms of warfare involving gas and of strange machines which people referred to as "Tanks".

As those young Americans landed in France they must have also seen huge quantities of supplies, of every conceivable description, being landed, from munitions, to food, to horses and every other commodity that an army needs to survive and to wage war. As those young Americans marched closer and closer to the front they likely would have seen casualties coming in the other direction. As they finally got to the front they must have thought that they had entered Hell on Earth. For they could not see a single undamaged building, nor a living tree intact and not even a single blade of grass was visible for them to see.

And what went through the minds of all those young Americans when they had their first experiences of actual war, of being shelled, of being machine gunned or of being gassed. I only know what went through one of my father's first experiences of war, in WW2, he thought that he was about to die.

Yes America didn't enter WW1 until 1917 but all those young Americans who travelled to France in early 1918 to fight didn't know how long the war would last or which side would win. Heaven knows when WW1 would have ended if America hadn't joined the fight when it did.

thanks for posting the photos of your fabulous collection!
I have a question regarding the artillery case in the photo with the French flag. What model is it? It appears similar to a German field gun case that I have. Do you have a French 75mm case?
They are very easy to come by here, obviously; but not sure if you'd see many in the USA or Canada

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Originally Posted by 30Three

thanks for posting the photos of your fabulous collection!
I have a question regarding the artillery case in the photo with the French flag. What model is it? It appears similar to a German field gun case that I have. Do you have a French 75mm case?
They are very easy to come by here, obviously; but not sure if you'd see many in the USA or Canada

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That actually is a German field gun case. I figured it out when I was actually doing the presentation and moved it over to the German section. I have two German cases and when taking the shells out of the box I put the larger one down and mistakenly put a second shell based on size next to it in the German section. I assumed the other was French and set it there. But when talking about them, I looked at the base and quickly realized I had gotten the two mixed up and swapped them. I'm actually not positive that one is French either. I don't remember where or when I picked it up. The two German ones were given to me by the son of the man who brought them back and I have positively identified those two.