German MG

MG1918

MG1918

Regular
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
UK
If the moderator is content I would like to start 2 threads on the MG08 and 08/15. I am also hoping that collectors and dealers in Canada can help with my efforts to locate some pieces pse. Thousands of captured German MGs came back to Canada after WWI and as I understand it donated to Town Councils, Legions and even schools! Please contact me if there is anything to discuss?
VMT
Mark
 
MG1918 said:
....

Thousands of captured German MGs came back to Canada after WWI and as I understand it donated to Town Councils, Legions and even schools!
Click to expand...

Thousands of which lie in memorial areas and are de-watted and rusting away or buried under a ton of gravel to forget about them.

I doubt you will find any public schools today that have a display, say near the main office, that showcases a captured German rifle, carbine, pistol, MG, or bayonet because "Gun and knives are bad". You'd be lucky to find a helmet or some sort of personal item if they cared that much about history nowadays.

I'll bet my money on the Legion offices being the only real source of captured equipment that is displayed with pride.

All I know is to own an Mg08 or Mg 08/15 would exceed my paycheck by a heck of a lot.

On that note, are they even legal to own in semi automatic fashion ?
 
There are still a few rusted, welded up, gutted, mounts and guns to be found at war memorials in the smaller villages in rural areas in Canada.

These country residents seem to be more appreciative of the efforts and sacrifices that their ancestors made almost 100 years ago. Perhaps because of the lower populations, it was more personal to the community when a loss occurred.

It would seem that the cities and larger towns have an apathy for these, and anything that might display a reminder of the conflicts and history of our nation, and are willing to discard these pieces of history and consign them to the scrap heap.
.
 
There is still a MGo8 on a sled mount in the town of Douglas MB, just a few miles from my place.

That said, I have had a few 08/15s over the past years that were no longer required at various displays or legions. Had a couple chances at 18s as well, but passed on them as they were out of my range of interests.
 
There are two MG08s in Haliburton, ON. One at the cenotaph, one in a Legion club room. The former is pretty rough, the latter looks pretty good.
 
Canadian Military Heritage

Thanks for the replies. I am a little surprised at the sentiments though. If Canada in general is not proud of its military history then there is no hope for any of us!!
It is difficult to generalise but I think the UK education system here has at last now realised that a lack of this area in teaching has been a mistake. My son will now spend the next 3 years learning history and 2 thirds of the content is on WWI and WWII. If its any consolation I for one recognise the Canadian contribution in both World Wars.
Mark
 
thanks Mark :). I just wish the higher ups in the education system would be willing to do the same. It is simply not enough for them to sit on the stage at a Remembrance Day ceremony, they must do more.

I went back to my former high school with some of the WW1 artifacts I managed to bring back from the Somme and Verdun. They were mostly shell fragments and splinters but there were some spent cartridges, some barbed wire, and trench board nails. I presented them to various history classes from grades 10 to 11 on November 10th of last year. I also went through a few slide shows showcasing the battlefields I visited and the remains of shell holes, trench lines, mine craters...etc that were still visible in farmers fields though difficult to find on those pesky French maps.

I know it left a lasting impression when some of the students held those shell fragments and I hope I inspired them to look into their own family history and, at the very least, have an appreciation for what these men did for them a century ago.

I hope to repeat the act this year and inspire more.

What is it like in the U.K. for WW1 and 2 history ? I am pretty sure the Battle of Britain tops the list ? What about the Somme offensive ? From what I remember from high school, the only good mention of WW1 history was a few lessons in Grade 10.
 
Schools

The amount of wartime history Nabs in the sylabus is very healthy. Mostly cause and effect for educational purposes but yes key events are highlighted. Schools now do battlefield tours to France as history projects so all quite encouraging. The real issue I think is the disinterest shown by 'guests' to the country who come to live. Its a problem I am unable to solve but it exists and is spreading. I am sure all countries would like a stricter 'citizenship' test. Mine would consist of dodging the below image!!! :eek:



[url=http://www.servimg.com/image_p...om/u/f36/15/86/20/32/4vhxc210.jpg[/img][/url]
 
I would love to tell the folks: "Gone to Flanders, be back in a few weeks". Shame I'm on the other side of the pond.

My first trip to the battlefields will certainly not be the last, there is just way too much to explore even though there is not much left to begin with. I will spending a heck of a lot more time on the Somme area and up near Ypres the next time I go back.

I have to agree with you in regards to "guests" arriving in your respective country. I know my family on both sides are immigrants at one point but they have a respect for what went on in regards to building this country. I know I am opening a can of worms but I might as well say it. It seems the more multicultural we are getting these days, the more the history and sacrifices of those long past move to being a distant memory with only a casual reference in a history book. It would not be so bad if, as you have suggested, there was a more strict citizenship test. I think in addition to swearing allegiance to the Queen, god, and country, newly made citizens should have a mandatory trip to areas of historical significance for Canada at home and abroad. For instance, visit some of those Canadian war cemeteries on the Somme area and count just how many Canadians under the age of 25 are buried there. What better way to develop a true patriotic love and respect for your country.

Oh well, such ideas fall on deaf ears up on Parliament hill, like so many other things :rolleyes:.

I love your last photo, you can clearly see the capture markings on the barrel jackets of the MG 08s. Look at those MG08/15s too! I am liking those Gewehr 98s at the edge of the photo as well. Did you notice the trench mortar (?) just behind the stack of Gewehr 98s ?

Heck there is even a Gewehr 88 visible, very cool!
 
Nabs said:
I would love to tell the folks: "Gone to Flanders, be back in a few weeks". Shame I'm on the other side of the pond.

My first trip to the battlefields will certainly not be the last, there is just way too much to explore even though there is not much left to begin with. I will spending a heck of a lot more time on the Somme area and up near Ypres the next time I go back.

I have to agree with you in regards to "guests" arriving in your respective country. I know my family on both sides are immigrants at one point but they have a respect for what went on in regards to building this country. I know I am opening a can of worms but I might as well say it. It seems the more multicultural we are getting these days, the more the history and sacrifices of those long past move to being a distant memory with only a casual reference in a history book. It would not be so bad if, as you have suggested, there was a more strict citizenship test. I think in addition to swearing allegiance to the Queen, god, and country, newly made citizens should have a mandatory trip to areas of historical significance for Canada at home and abroad. For instance, visit some of those Canadian war cemeteries on the Somme area and count just how many Canadians under the age of 25 are buried there. What better way to develop a true patriotic love and respect for your country.

Oh well, such ideas fall on deaf ears up on Parliament hill, like so many other things :rolleyes:.

I love your last photo, you can clearly see the capture markings on the barrel jackets of the MG 08s. Look at those MG08/15s too! I am liking those Gewehr 98s at the edge of the photo as well. Did you notice the trench mortar (?) just behind the stack of Gewehr 98s ?

Heck there is even a Gewehr 88 visible, very cool!
Click to expand...

I'd say there are just as many of us born on Canadian soil who have forgotten the sacrifices that were made. Definitely not something to blame solely on immigrants, which, as you pointed out, the vast majority of us once were. They have to jump through a lot more hoops than my great grandparents did, definitely no free land for them haha.
 
True, I failed to mention that point, bussche.

Together, though, we collectors march forward in honour of those fallen souls so long ago. Lest we forget.
 
Nabs said:
I have to agree with you in regards to "guests" arriving in your respective country. I know my family on both sides are immigrants at one point but they have a respect for what went on in regards to building this country. I know I am opening a can of worms but I might as well say it. It seems the more multicultural we are getting these days, the more the history and sacrifices of those long past move to being a distant memory with only a casual reference in a history book.
Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more.

To blame "immigrants" for the sole reason for the lack of historical understanding is overly simplistic. Most multi-generational Canadians can't identify any number of important historical figures through Canada's past, and there have been surveys to show just that. The Dominion Institute did a survey a few years back that showed almost half of Canadians don't even know who John A MacDonald is.

My girlfriend teaches high school history in Southeast England, and most kids here don't learn about the great wars until year 9 (3rd year of highschool here) and after that it's on to U.S. history. Obviously the curriculum will vary from board to board and school to school, so we can't be too general here. Don't forget that England's history goes back a few millennia, so there's lots of info for these kids to take in. I can drive down the street and pass buildings that are 500 years old or more, so a good deal of history can be learned locally... if the kids are lucky enough to have parents that will actually take them out and learn on their own.

Swear to the Queen and God???? Well... I won't really touch on that here.
 
Nabs said:
True, I failed to mention that point, bussche.

Together, though, we collectors march forward in honour of those fallen souls so long ago. Lest we forget.
Click to expand...

and bubba along with gun grabbers march against us. But that is for another thread.

Hey Nabs, ever find that G88 you were looking for?
 
Not exactly but I did come across an absolutely gorgeous 1890 Danzig marked Gewehr 88.05.

I'm still looking for a Gewehr 88 that takes the mannlicher en-bloc clip or a Karabiner 88. The hunt continues.
 
Nabs said:
Not exactly but I did come across an absolutely gorgeous 1890 Danzig marked Gewehr 88.05.

I'm still looking for a Gewehr 88 that takes the mannlicher en-bloc clip or a Karabiner 88. The hunt continues.
Click to expand...

Where are you finding this stuff? I am lucky to find something once a year at the Easter Calgary Gun Show.
 
I hardly ever run into any Gewehr 88s or 98s at the gun shows I have been to. The most common milsurp are Lee Enfield No 4s and No 1 Mk 3s.

This beauty I got from Jean at P&S and boy she was worth the extra effort.
 
Nabs said:
I hardly ever run into any Gewehr 88s or 98s at the gun shows I have been to. The most common milsurp are Lee Enfield No 4s and No 1 Mk 3s.

This beauty I got from Jean at P&S and boy she was worth the extra effort.
Click to expand...

Nabs,

At the Easter gun show I offered a gent $3000 for his $3300 sticker price G43 but he wouldn't budge, oh well, his loss. I then found an all matching Gew 71/84 in MINT MINT condition and a S/71 and scabbard to go along with it for $1000. Great deal I know but I went for a Swiss Arms instead.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom