Tag under Swiss K31 rifle!
- Thread starter tootall
- Start date
Howitzer Battery 1/34 .... This is fun.... Wow does it ever give more character to an old rifle...
Long distance to Switzerland by chance..??
Indeed!
I first tried the original address on the tag, old country lane 82.
The name given on Search.ch was different, but that person knew of Jacob.
Unfortunately, Jacob passed away this past August.
But his son Ralph still lives in the same town of Mielen.
I phoned that number and first spoke to Ralph's wife, then to Ralph.
He was quite surprised to hear from me. I quoted the name, and then the address.
When I said the address he knew right away that is was the one!
I'm emailing him photos right now, so maybe more info to follow.
I first tried the original address on the tag, old country lane 82.
The name given on Search.ch was different, but that person knew of Jacob.
Unfortunately, Jacob passed away this past August.
But his son Ralph still lives in the same town of Mielen.
I phoned that number and first spoke to Ralph's wife, then to Ralph.
He was quite surprised to hear from me. I quoted the name, and then the address.
When I said the address he knew right away that is was the one!
I'm emailing him photos right now, so maybe more info to follow.
The plot thickens! I just got this email:
Hallo Dean
Thank you for the message. When we had finished to talk, I remembered, that my grandfathers name was exacty the same like my fathers name and also the address. So it could be, that we were talking about my grandfathers gun.
Let's wait until the picture is ready.
Cheers,
Ralph
Ralph's father was born in mid 1930's, and died this year.
He would have enrolled at age 20, so ~mid 1950's.
Then he would do 3 to 4 weeks every year until age 40, then 2 weeks every second year until age 50.
Jacob was in a machine gun crew. A few of the MG crew were issued rifles as well.
Hallo Dean
Thank you for the message. When we had finished to talk, I remembered, that my grandfathers name was exacty the same like my fathers name and also the address. So it could be, that we were talking about my grandfathers gun.
Let's wait until the picture is ready.
Cheers,
Ralph
Ralph's father was born in mid 1930's, and died this year.
He would have enrolled at age 20, so ~mid 1950's.
Then he would do 3 to 4 weeks every year until age 40, then 2 weeks every second year until age 50.
Jacob was in a machine gun crew. A few of the MG crew were issued rifles as well.
Last edited:
Kampfhamster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Switzerland
That's really cool!
P.S: all of the MG-crew also were issued rifles since the machine gun at the time was the MG11 aka Maxim. They didn't get SMG's as they were rather rare in Switzerland and everyone's personal weapon was a rifle. Personal weapon: the thing that you took home. You might be issued a SMG, but at the end of the three week course you'd take your personal rifle home.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
After checking on the Swiss rifle forum, I found that the TR on the tag on my rifle stands for Train as in
Transport Unit. Cool! That's akin to what we did in the Service Battalion in my Reserve days.
That also would explain why my rifle is in such good shape. What a fluke!
Transport Unit. Cool! That's akin to what we did in the Service Battalion in my Reserve days.
That also would explain why my rifle is in such good shape. What a fluke!
All of the current run of rifles are from the last big purge of stored K31 rifles. The rifles had been placed in storage decades ago and were recently surplussed. Some will have tags and some will not depending on the history of the rifle prior to its being placed in storage.
Kampfhamster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Switzerland
How did you find out that? As a company sergeant he'd have a pistol as his personal weapon, not a rifle.
