Page 16 - History of War - Issue 05-14

Events LOCK OF ADMIRAL

19-20 JULY
Woodhall Spa ’40s Festival
Weekend-long “home front” event with NELSON’S HAIR
living-history groups, re-enactments,
vehicles, stalls and more. Jubilee
Park, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire.
www.woodhall-spa-40s-festival.com GOES UP FOR SALE
25-27 JULY
West Lancs Area Weekend
Three-day meeting of the Military hould you have £15,000 lying around that
Vehicle Trust at Ince Blundell Village S
you don’t know what to do with, Amazon
Hall, Lancashire. Includes a road run could have the answer for you, in the form
on the Saturday afternoon. of a lock of Admiral Nelson’s hair.
www.westlancsmvt.com The item description says: “This is
27 JULY a generous, fine, blond lock of Lord Nelson’s
Bexley Medals and Militaria hair. The hair is housed in a beautifully
WWI and WWII medals, weapons, carved, circular agate box decorated with a gold
helmets, badges and insignia on sale. band. The box measures 4.5cm in diameter.
Hildenborough Village Hall, Kent. A fragmentary enamel plaque attached to
www.bexleymedalsandmilitaria.co.uk the lid reads “N….05”. The box is thought
to date from between 1800 and 1810. This
27-28 JULY
War Machines 2014 hair closely conforms to the other known
Military vehicles, fighter aircraft, examples of Nelson’s hair, and the box is
wartime training films plus Brin the similar in form to a locket that contained
life-saving Afghan dog! Nottles Park a lock of Nelson’s hair, which sold for £44,000
and Davidstow Airfield, Cornwall. at auction in January 2011.”
www.cornwallatwarmuseum.co.uk If you can’t think of what you’d do with a lock
of Admiral Nelson’s hair, there’s a schoolboy
in Norwich who would very much like it for his
bedroom! You can buy it now for $25,000 at
Amazon.com.

THE BOX IS SIMILAR IN FORM TO A LOCKET

THAT CONTAINED A LOCK OF NELSON’S

HAIR, WHICH SOLD FOR £44,000 AT AUCTION

AND DON’T FORGET
THESE EVENTS LATER WWI soldier stood
IN THE YEAR… on live grenade to

1-3 AUGUST save comrades
Military and Flying Machines Show
See hundreds of aircraft at this He survived to become star footballer
massive annual event. Damyns Hall
Aerodrome, Upminster, Essex.
www.militaryandflyingmachines. story has emerged of how a brave First World War soldier
org.uk saved the lives of his brothers in arms by standing on
A a grenade to protect them. Lance Corporal James Collins,
4 AUGUST from Dundee, was seriously injured in the blast on the Western
First World War Commemoration Front on 11 November 1917, while serving with the Royal Army
Features WWI tanks in action, the Medical Corps. He was advised to have his right foot and lower leg
Great War Cavalry display team, plus amputated, but refused and endured 14 operations over two years
living history, special talks and more. to save the limb.
Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset. The Lance Corporal had been escorting a captive when the man
www.tankmuseum.org escaped and pulled the pin on a grenade. At this point, Collins
risked his own life to step on the bomb and save the two soldiers
23-25 AUGUST nearby. In recognition of his heroic actions, he was awarded the
Military Odyssey Albert Medal by King George V at Buckingham Palace, and the rare
Take a journey through 2,000 years decoration was recently sold at auction for nearly £22,000. Only
of military history, featuring 4,000 70 of the medals were awarded between 1866 and 1971, before
Romans, Vikings, Napoleonic infantry, they were replaced by the George Cross.
and American Civil War and WWII After the war, Collins went on to play professional football for
soldiers – all over 200 acres! 15 years, making his debut as a defender for Swansea City in
The Kent Show Ground, Detling, Kent. 1920, three years after the explosion. He would eventually rise
www.military-odyssey.com to become team captain and lead the Welsh side to an FA Cup
semi-final and the old Third Division Championship.

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