Twenty souvenir silks from WW1 Most are in perfect condition

Twenty souvenir silks from WW1 Most are in perfect condition   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Ship H.M.S. Emerald in a Gale off Newfoundland, Circa 1861. The woolie depicts two images of a ship, one sailing on the high seas  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Ship H.M.S. Emerald in a Gale off Newfoundland, Circa 1861. The woolie depicts two images of a ship, one sailing on the high seas and rthe main image of a ship in a strong gale. ;A label on the reverse in ink reads HMS Emerald in a gale of wind off the banks of Newfoundland. In october 1861 HMS Emerald encountered severe gales by the Newfoundland banks when transporting Armstrong guns and associated stores to Halifax for the ships of the North America and West India squadron. A pen and ink drawing - which shows the ship with the mizzen topgallant yard sent down, fore and main spencers set, while the main topsail has blown out its boltropes, and the same fate seems to be overtaking the fore topsail and brailed up foresail - was found in an antique shop on the Island of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 2001. It is signed "Drawn by J. Tucker H.M.S. Emerald" (John Tucker''s career). (http://www.pdavis.nl/EmeraldGale.htm) Dimensions: 27 inches x 35 inches (69cm x 89cm) Reference: Name ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Emerald Type ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Frigate ; ; Launched ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;19 July 1856 Converted to screwon the stocks Hull ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Wooden Length 237 feet Propulsion ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Screw Men ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;580 Builders measure ; ; ; ; ;2913 tons ; ; Displacement ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;3503 tons ; ; Guns ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;51 ; ; Fate ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;1869 Last in commission ; ; ;1863 Class ; Class (as screw) Emerald Ships book ADM 135/152 ; ;   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Ship, H.M.S. Emerald Fully Dressed, Circa 1860. The early woolie depicts H.M.S. Emerald with a large White Ensign at anchor in a  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Ship, H.M.S. Emerald Fully Dressed, Circa 1860. The early woolie depicts H.M.S. Emerald with a large White Ensign at anchor in a harbour, a British fort in the background, with a longboat at her side with sails mounting a rope ladder. ;Another ship can be seen approaching. Dimensions: 24 1/2 inches x 31 1/4 inches (62cm x 79cm)   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Sloop, Named ;H.M.S. Jane. Circa 1860 The charming early woolie depicts a two masted Royal Navy Sloop with a red homeward bound  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of The Royal Navy Sloop, Named ;H.M.S. Jane. Circa 1860 The charming early woolie depicts a two masted Royal Navy Sloop with a red homeward bound banner and " H.M.S. Jane" stitched on a black fabric band below. ;The chain-stitched woolie shows the sloop sailing from left to right on a green sea with an interesting sky behind with blue showing through the white clouds. Dimensions: 19 1/2 inches x 28 1/4 inches (49.5cm x 72cm) Reference: ;An early H.M.S. Jane was involved in the death of the famous pirate Blackbeard. Blackbeard was the nickname of Edward Teach, a notorious pirate active in the Caribbean in the early 18th century. Though Blackbeard had a short career as a pirate, lasting about two years, he became the quintessential image of a fearsome pirate captain in the popular consciousness. Blackbeard was known for carrying multiple weapons and for having a huge black beard, from which he got his nickname, into which he would weave burning hemp and matches during battle. Little is known about Blackbeard''s early years. His birth date and birthplace are a matter of conjecture, and his surname is variously given as Teach, Thatch, or Drummond. He began his seafaring career as a British privateer, turning to piracy in 1716. Blackbeard commanded a ship he named Queen Anne''s Revenge, formerly Le Concorde de Nantes, upon which he had served as a privateer. Blackbeard became the terror of the seas in the West Indies and along the Atlantic coast, as well as becoming the leader of the makeshift pirate settlement in Nassau, nicknamed the "Privateers Republic." The Queen Anne''s Revenge had a standing rivalry with the British man-of-war HMS Scarborough. Perhaps Blackbeard''s most notorious feat as a pirate was his 1718 blockade of Charleston, South Carolina. Blackbeard commanded four vessels in blocking the trade route into the city, and the group plundered five ships and prevented many more from entering the port. They also held a number of prisoners hostage and demanded a ransom of a chest of medicines. Blackbeard shortly afterwards ran two of his ships aground in North Carolina, losing much of his crew, and retired to Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina with his treasure. (http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-blackbeard.htm) After this disaster, which some historians suspect was deliberate on the part of Blackbeard, the pirate captain commanded a smaller ship, called the Adventure, with a crew of 19. In November 1718, Lieutenant Robert Maynard was offered a reward by Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia to find and kill Blackbeard. Maynard set about the task with two small sloops, HMS Ranger and HMS Jane. On 21 November, Maynard encountered the Adventure and tricked Blackbeard into boarding the Ranger with ten members of his crew. The ensuing battle was long and intense, but Maynard and his crew eventually prevailed, and Blackbeard was killed on the morning of the 22nd. Blackbeard went down in history as one of the most renowned pirates of the Caribbean, and legends about the famed pirate captain abound. Interestingly, there are no verifiable records of Blackbeard killing anyone, but his image has come to epitomize the ruthless, bloodthirsty pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy. A shipwreck found off the coast of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina in 1996 is suspected to be the Queen Anne''s Revenge, but research is ongoing.   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Royal Navy Ship, Circa 1870 The Royal Navy Ship flying the White Ensign is under steam and sail moving from right to left creating a large white  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Royal Navy Ship, Circa 1870 The Royal Navy Ship flying the White Ensign is under steam and sail moving from right to left creating a large white wake on the light blue sea. A red figure head can be seen at the bow. Dimensions: 25 1/2 inches x 33 inches (64cm x 84cm)   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of the Blanche Mary, 20th Century

A Sailor''s Woolie of the Blanche Mary, 20th Century   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Second Rate Royal Navy Ship Approaching Land, Circa 1870 The ship sailing from left to right sails on a dark blue sea. ;It approaches land with  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Second Rate Royal Navy Ship Approaching Land, Circa 1870 The ship sailing from left to right sails on a dark blue sea. ;It approaches land with ;green cliffs and a lighthouse seen in the distance. ;A white wake trails along side the keel and behind. ;She flies the White Ensign. ;The sky is ivory with scattered remains of the original blue. ;All within an oak frame. Dimensions: Height: 22 inches x 27 inches.   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Large Clipper Ship named The Elien with Two Smaller Vessels in the Foreground. Circa 1870 The ship flying the Red Ensign sails from right to  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie of a Large Clipper Ship named The Elien with Two Smaller Vessels in the Foreground. Circa 1870 The ship flying the Red Ensign sails from right to left. ;It is black hulled and has four fully rigged masts and has its name plate on the bow. ;The sea is a dark blue and very still with white clouds above. ;Two small sailing vessels ply the water in the foreground. Dimensions: 20 1/2 in length x 29 3/4 inches   « Less

Sailor''s Woolwork Picture of H.M.S. Malabar, Named and Dated 1892. The "Malabar" was an iron-hulled ''Euphrates'' class troop ship launched in 1866, and  More »

Sailor''s Woolwork Picture of H.M.S. Malabar, Named and Dated 1892. The "Malabar" was an iron-hulled ''Euphrates'' class troop ship launched in 1866, and designed to carry troops between the United Kingdom and British India. Worked in chain stitch with raised work in the sails and water. ;The ship is named and dated in the centre below the ship. ;The woolie is on a bird''s-eye maple frame. Dimensions: 19 x 28 ¾ inches. (http://wapedia.mobi/en/HMS_Achilles_%2818 63%29) Reference: HMS Malabar was a Euphrates-class troopship launched in 1866, and the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to employ the name. She was designed to carry troops between the United Kingdom and British India, and was employed in that role for most of her life. She became the base ship in Bermuda in 1897, was renamed HMS Terror in 1901 and was sold in 1918. Her name was later used for part of the Royal Dockyard in Bermuda. ;Design Malabar was one of five iron-hulled vessels of the Euphrates class. All five were built to a design of 360ft overall length by about 49ft breadth, although Malabar was very slightly smaller than the rest of the class. They had a single screw, a speed of 14 knots, one funnel, a barque-rig sail plan, three 4-pounder guns, and a white painted hull. Her bow was a "ram bow" which projected forward below the waterline. Career She was built for the transport of troops between the United Kingdom and the Indian sub-continent, and was operated by the Royal Navy. She carried up to 1,200 troops and family on a passage of approximately 70 days. In common with her sisters she was re-engined, her single-expansion steam engine being replaced with a Napier 2-cylinder compound-expansion engine in 1873.[1] In 1878 or early 1879 she grounded in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth. Her Commanding Officer, Captain Percy Luxmoore, was dismissed from the ship and replaced by Captain John Grant. Fate She became the base ship at Bermuda in 1897 and was renamed HMS Terror on 1 May 1905; the name Malabar was later used by the Royal Naval dockyard at Bermuda. Terror was sold in January 1918 Commanding Officers From Until Captain[3] 22 March 1867 13 February 1870 Captain Frederic Dampier Rich 14 February 1870 21 August 1872 Captain Sholto Douglas 17 October 1872 10 September 1864 Captain Thomas Baker Martin Sulivan 10 September 1874 26 October 1874 Captain Edward Thomas Nott (died in command) 30 October 1874 Captain Edward Kelly 27 April 1878 8 February 1879 Captain Percy Patt Luxmoore 8 February 1879 Captain John Frederick George Grant   « Less

A Sailor''s Woolie depicts a British Royal Navy Ship and a Carrier Pigeon Approaching Bearing A Letter, Circa 1870 The ship, probably a Third Rate battleship, is nearing  More »

A Sailor''s Woolie depicts a British Royal Navy Ship and a Carrier Pigeon Approaching Bearing A Letter, Circa 1870 The ship, probably a Third Rate battleship, is nearing land with a fortification flying a British flag. She flies a Red Ensign and a red banner which means she is homeward-bound. ;The woolie is framed in a bird''s-eye maple frame. Dimensions: frame, 22 ½ x 32 inches. Reference: (http://warandgame.blogspot.com/2007/10/homing-carrier-pigeons-in-war.html) The history of the use of carrier pigeons in warfare is indeed a varied and interesting one, with a long and illustrious history. It is believed that the use of carrier pigeons as a messenger service had it origins in antiquity – in 1150 A.D., the Sultan of Baghdad strapped capsules filled with papyrus sheets to the leg or back feathers of pigeons, and used them as messengers. Carrier-Pigeons were also used over three thousand years ago by the Egyptians, Persians and Romans; they were used as recently as 1990, by the Iraqi Army during the First Gulf War. ;....Carrier-pigeons had had a strong, albeit unofficial, tradition in the British military: carrier-pigeons were used to deliver the news of Wellington’s victory at Waterloo before the official (horse-mounted) couriers. However, in 1908 the British Admiralty decided to cease using carrier-pigeons and replace them with wireless sets. However, this was an optimistic rather than realistic endeavour and at the outbreak of WWI, the practical uses of carrier-pigeons became apparent. An amusing side rrelates to Lt. William S. Sims, who had served as an American naval attache to France during the time of the Spanish American War. An astute observer of foreign naval developments, Sims sent back voluminous reports on everything from armor thickness to the French use of carrier pigeons. (On that latter topic he jokingly inquired on the possibility of crossbreeding a pigeon with a talking parrot to create an even more efficient messenger bird!)   « Less