 |
| War Souvenirs |
The above photograph, taken in the nineteen eighties,
shows a sample of the war souvenirs that people brought home from the Second
War World. Most were collected by my uncles in North Africa but others were
given to the family by friends.
Why you would collect souvenirs from the battle field is
beyond me. I’d want to get the hell out of there but that’s what soldiers have
always done throughout history.
The red object at the top of the photo is an Italian
grenade. Diffused of course. It was made of aluminium and it looked like a toy
rocket. The second object is a German Africa Korp ammunition pouch, followed by
a German soldier’s belt. As we know, the Nazis were one of the most evil and
Godless regimes that ever existed. It is
bizarre that such evil people would have put Gott Mitt Uns ( God be with us) on
their belt buckles.
Taken out of the scabbard, is a Samurai sword, that a mate
of my dad’s gave to him when he returned from New Guinea. I remember it been razor sharp and it was mainly locked away in dad’s gun cupboard. The craftsmanship was amazing. It was so
sharp that you could have easily cut your finger running your finger down the
blade. Occasionally dad would take it out for visitors. Most people were always
scared by it, especially my mother. I think she thought dad would do something
stupid. I remember him pretending to shave with it. Dad sold it in the late
nineteen eighties and the guy who had bought it, later told dad that the sword
was two hundred and fifty years old. Finally, is a Turkish bayonet that was
collected in Gallipoli by an Australian light horseman who used to work for the
family. And yes folks, the feet in the picture are mine. They’ve aged a little
since then.
And no, we didn’t have a souvenired Tiger tank in the
back yard. I wish. But dad did have an American GMC military truck which he
nicknamed Gilda, after a Rita Hayworth movie. The ride was rough, the cabin was
bare metal but it would go anywhere. It
had a hydraulic winch that was used on many occasions. Over the years dad had
crossed a flooded river with the water lapping at his knees and had stuck it in
mud that went over the wheels. It didn’t stop in the river and with the help of
the winch, he pulled it out.
