- glesgablue
- musicjack123 (now no longer used)
- wingstagger007
- rhodiesas
- janetreaclebear
- deltaexective (now no longer used)
- headlesswhiskas (now no longer used)
This seller (John Pierce)
came to my attention several years ago and is the person in the photo above. This photo was taken at an Armistice Day parade in Porthleven, Cornwall,
England.
This person is wearing an SAS beret and the medals are in the order he is wearing them; Bronze Cross of Rhodesia (BCR), Rhodesian General Service
Medal (RGSM) and the
South Atlantic Medal which was awarded for the Falklands Campaign.
This person never served in the Rhodesian Security
Forces, the Rhodesian SAS, the British SAS or the Parachute
Regiment. He also never served in the Rhodesian Bush War or the Falklands Campaign.
To read more about this person being exposed as a Walter Mitty and to see other photos, please see the following links.
The Sun
Daily Mail
MOD Oracle
This Wing was sold by him.
The following copy SAS beret badge was also sold by him.
And these non original and copied items below have been sold along with many other reproduced
Rhodesian militaria by the same person over the last two years.
One of the statements commonly used on the listings by the seller was: "I bought a box of Rhodesian Army militaria and these were in
the box." The seller also lists them as genuine
but also states that they weren't 100 percent sure. That statement looks contradictory to me.
The following is an example.
"For sale a set of Rhodesia SAS wings. I got these wings from a member of my family who served in the
Rhodesian Bush War. I have no other history of these wings."
Well it looks like his relative has given him a COPY of an SAS Parachute Wing for the camo or combat uniform,
because that's exactly what this is! He is selling another copied Wing on ebay with this statement,
"Selling Rhodesian C Sqn wings in good condition.
I have no other history with these wings, other than they were given to a member of my family by a member of the Rhodesian Security Forces."
Above is a shirt that
sold on ebay by this seller, headlesswhiskas. While the shirt and ARMY patch are genuine, the Wing purporting to
be a Rhodesian SAS Para Wing is a copy.
My advice is: Caveat emptor - "Let the buyer beware!"
The above item sold on ebay for AU$190
and was listed as a RARE MILITARY JACKET
(SELOUS SCOUTS RHODESIA, AFRICA).
Part of the description on this listing stated: "THIS UNIFORM THE
SELOUS SCOUTS WAS FROM A SPECIAL FORCES TYPE OF UNIT
IN THE EARLY 1950S IN AFRICA ALONG WITH THE
ENGLISH SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT IN AN ELITE TYPE OF
MILITARY ENCOUNTERS.."
I am sure that even though a
small number of soldiers in the Selous Scouts were English, the fact remains that the
overwhelming majority of the Selous Scouts
were Rhodesians. Of course the Selous Scouts did not exist in the 1950's, but that is not the reason this
jacket is listed. The seller stated that the tag
inside the jacket read: "ADDER BOX 1 POFADDER 8890 REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA". To my knowledge the
camouflage uniforms worn by the Security Forces were made in Rhodesia and not South
Africa. The Selous Scouts rank slides I believe are not genuine
and I notified the seller that this was the case. I also offered that if I was sent a closeup scan or photo
of the rank slides I would confirm it.
The seller never put this information on his listing.
The above item has been listed on ebay by
brigadeuk as a
RHODESIAN SAS SPECIAL AIR SERVICE WINGS GENUINE ISSUE.
His listing states: THIS
ITEM IS A SUPERB REGIMENTAL MOD APPROVED REGIMENTAL CRESTED / BADGED ITEM, SOLD HERE IN THE UK UNDER LICENCE.
THESE ARE NOT CHEAP OVERSEAS IMPORTS
BUT THEY ARE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE CERTIFIED AND APPROVED ORIGINAL SPECIFICATION BADGED ITEMS MADE FROM THE CORRECT MATERIALS AND DESIGNS SET BY THE MOD.
A TRUE COLLECTORS PIECE AND HARD TO FIND BRAND NEW AND AT THIS PRICE TOO WHICH IS A FRACTION OF TRUE RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE THAT OTHER COMPANIES
CHARGE FOR LESSER QUALITY CHEAP METAL ITEMS FROM ABROAD.
THIS ITEM IS SOLD DIRECTLY UNDER LICENCE BY BRIGADE UK LTD WHICH IS A COMPANY RUN EXCLUSIVELY
BY FORMER SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AS THAT IS ALL THAT WE EMPLOY HERE.
When I messaged the seller and asked him "So the Wing is a copy of a
Rhodesian SAS Para Wing for the dress uniform, not a genuine one?" his reply was rude and sarcastic. When I sent him an email
and told him that the
above item was not a genuine Rhodesian SAS Para Wing for the dress uniform and I sent him the links to this web site and suggested he looked at it,
he sent me the following reply:
"listen this is boring now, opinion is life itself and you are entitled to one yourself but it does not make
you an authority
now take your bollox elsewhere my friend i have a business to run ok"
The following was sent to me by a collector friend
so I have copied it here. These are some of the points why this para wing is a fake and/or copy.
- The Dress Greens wool is too
green and not as dark as the original wings.
- The shape of the lower edge of the two center shrouds are not similar to the original wings.
- The
shroud lines in white should have 9+ stitches to them not 6+ the thread should also be thinner.
- The black shroud lines stitching is too far apart
as well and the thread is too course.
- The stitching between the feathers of the wings has the same problem as #3, and #4
- The gauze backing to
the wings is completely different than the original.
- The shape of the Dress Green backing is is rounded and does not have the sharp edges on the
wing tips.
In fact the original wings were cut out by hand and were very irregular in shape, these wings look
to be dye cut and too perfect.
The seller in his description states the following:
- That this para wing is MOD approved. If this para wing was
genuine it would have been made in Rhodesia NOT in England and therefore it would have had no connection to the MOD. Rhodesian Para Wings
used in
Rhodesia after UDI came under the Rhodesian "Dress Regulations of the Army - 1967", not under any regulations of the MOD or any other authority in
the U.K.
- That this para wing is sold in the U.K. under license, that it is MOD certified and approved original specification made from
the correct materials and designs set by the MOD.
If this para wing was an original, how could it be sold in the U.K. under license when Rhodesia
does not exist as a country, the Rhodesian Security Forces have not existed since 1980 and the genuine wings
have not been made since 1980. As outlined
in point No.1, genuine Rhodesian SAS Para Wings are not and were not MOD certified and the wing shown here DOES NOT meet the original specifications
of the
genuine wings. As to the issue of this wing being made from the correct materials, this is impossible as the original materials would no longer
exist.
The wall
plaque above was also listed by this seller as a GENUINE SELOUS SCOUTS REGIMENTAL MESS PLAQUE
.
The definition of genuine on
Dictionary.com states:
1. possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin;
not counterfeit; authentic; real: genuine
sympathy; a genuine antique.
The above wall plaque is NOT a genuine Selous Scouts wall
plaque BUT a commemorative
wall plaque. I have been informed by the Selous Scouts Association that this wall plaque IS NOT one of their
plaques.
Therefore the seller of
this plaque cannot claim it to be a genuine Selous Scouts Regimental Mess Plaque as it was not made during the Bush War
and has not been authorised
by the Association since the end of the war.
The above item has been listed on ebay by
1xfu as a rare Badge attributed to the Selous Scout Association.
His listing states:
An opportunity to purchase a rare
Badge attributed to the Selous Scout Association. This badge has been in my collection for many years and it is the only one I have seen.
Measuring
approximately 2cm across and 9mm in height, this pin badge is rare.
The Selous Scouts Association have no knowledge of this miniature badge
and say it is not attributed to them. They have described it as "rubbish!" The seller has been notified that the badge
is not an Association badge but
he still has not added anything to his listing to change the fact that it is a fake NOT a genuine item.
Ebay seller old_club_badges is listed here
because of his selling of copies of Rhodesian militaria,
some of which he lists on ebay as GENUINE.
This seller also trades under the username of
germanbadges.
Just yesterday (14th January 2008) he sold what he listed as: RARE ORIGINAL RHODESIAN
RHODESIA SELOUS SCOUTS OFFICERS SILVER BADGE THIS IS
A CAST BADGE WITH MAKERS NAME AND SILVER TO
REVERSE 37MM TIP TO TIP 33MM HIGH
This is
a copy. Why?
- As my web site states: As with other Officer's insignia made by
Reuteler Mfg,
these were also made from solid Silver, highly detailed and 'Struck' NOT 'Cast'. The only
exception was the SAS Officer's Collar badges
which were
constructed from bi-metal.
- The Selous Scouts Officers Beret and Collar badges made by Reuteler Manufacturing ALL
had brass lugs. THERE WERE NO
EXCEPTIONS.
- The lugs are shoddily made and are not the usual 'Reuteler' style lugs.
- The measurements of ALL the Selous Scouts Officers Beret
badges are:
Height 34mm x Width from wingtip to wingtip 40mm or to be exact Height 34.55mm x Width 39.95. This makes his measurements wrong.
- The
reverse of the badge showed pitting and a course surface which is what you would get from a cast badge. This was not the case of Reuteler made Officers
badges that
were struck. There is also no striations on the reverse of the badge, this is important.
The above photo is of an ORIGINAL Rhodesian Selous
Scouts officers insignia taken from my website.
I messaged the seller to inform him that this was indeed a COPY and not a GENUINE Rhodesian
Selous Scouts officers beret badge. I never received a reply back. The seller
also never bothered changing the listing or never added my comments to
the listing after I had informed him that it was not genuine. The badge then sold for GBP109 (AU$239.22). Someone has bought what they think is a
genuine badge
when in fact they have bought a badge worth very little and it is COPY.
This auction was also listed where the User ID is kept
private. While sellers have the choice when they list an item on ebay, that they can have the User ID (Bidder) kept private,
I have never understood
why. This always concerns me why sellers choose this option. I can see no reason why this option would be chosen other than to
hide the bidders names
so that they cannot be contacted and informed that they are bidding on an item that is not genuine.
The above ORIGINAL Selous Scouts officers beret
and collar badge was sold on ebay by the same seller on the 16 February 2008.
The above ORIGINAL Selous Scouts officers beret
and collar badge was sold on ebay by the same seller on the 16 February 2008.
If this seller was able to list and sell an ORIGINAL
Selous Scouts officers beret and collar badge on the 16 February 2008, why was he not able to tell
the difference between these and the COPY of a
Selous Scouts officers beret badge that he listed and sold on the 14 January 2008? I would have thought that it would have been fairly easy
to
tell the difference between them. Let me give you an example. Look at the collage photo below.
It is very simple to tell the differences
between these two badges.
- The genuine badge has BRASS lugs and the copy has SILVER lugs. Reuteler Manufacturing made all of
the Selous Scouts Officers insignia and ALWAYS USED BRASS LUGS.
- The genuine badge shows it is SMOOTH on the reverse while the COPY is PITTED on
the reverse. Why? The genuine officers silver insignia were STRUCK and the copies are CAST. An explanation of the difference
between 'Struck' and
'Cast' badges can be found on the Selous Scouts Officers Insignia page.
These are two of the main points that show the differences between
these two badges. Both badges were sold on ebay within one month of each other. Both were sold by the same seller but under
different ebay
usernames. The copy was sold under old_club_badges and the genuine beret and collar badges were sold under
germanbadges.
This seller also had the following copied Rhodesian items listed on ebay:
- BSAP Support Unit 2nd issue patch, listed as original.
- Rhodesian Air Force Navigator Wing.
- Rhodesian
SAS Officers Beret bullion badge, that he said he got from Reuteler before he closed down in Zimbabwe. Claimed as original.
- Rhodesian SAS
Metal Beret badge with slider and stamped Reutler Mfg, Rhod. He stated on the listing that "according to experts these never existed, but these came
from original Reuteler
stock in the 1980's." Claimed as original
- Rhodesian Air Force PJI Wing for the combat uniform.
- Selous Scouts
cloth Parachute Wing that he stated on the listing, "Possibly a period piece?"
Shown above is a collage I have made of a genuine BSAP Support
Unit 1st issue shoulder patch on the left and the unoriginal BSAP Support Unit 1st issue shoulder patch on the right that is being sold
by
old_club_badges.
He listed the patch as; ORIGINAL RHODESIAN ARMY RHODESIA SUPPORT UNIT PATCH. The important word
here is 'Original'. This patch is a REPRODUCTION!
There are very clear differences here:
- Different material.
- The line of the shield on the copy is thicker.
- The body and head of the eagle on the copy is broader with less definition.
- The wing feathers on the copy are poorly defined.
- The eagle tail feathers of the copy are shorter and broader.
- The eagles claws on the copy
are very poorly defined.
- The title of Support Unit on the copy are too thick.
The above badge is a FAKE.This badge has been
stamped on the slide to insinuate that it was made by Reuteler Manufacturing in Salisbury. A number of these badges have been sold by this seller
over time.
He says that these came from original Reuteler stock in 1980's.
I want to put this to rest once and for all and you the reader
can draw your on conclusions.
- Reuteler NEVER made any Rhodesian insignia
with slides.
- The SAS NEVER wore any Beret badges with slides.
- These NEVER
came from Reuteler stock, because he doesn't know anything about them.
A friend of mine sent me an email on the 19/01/08 to
tell me that he had seen Werner Reuteler on that day and again asked him about any badges he may have made with a slide instead of loops/lugs,
and
Werner confirmed he never used slides at any time.
As Werner Reuteler (Reuteler Manufacturing PVT) was the maker of SAS Beret and Officers
Beret and Collar badges, this shows once and for all that these badges are indeed FAKES. This demonstrates that
when the seller is stating that
these came from original Reuteler stock in the 1980's THAT HE IS INCORRECT!
Ebay seller in the U.S. selling under the name of 'usnusa' has sold fake Police
Reserve Air Wings (PRAW). They are metal and supposedly gold plated. His listing also states "Gold finish has
darkened some over time but badge
continues to have a fine and quite rare appearance." PRAW Wings were NEVER metal but cloth and gold bullion wire. I have informed the seller
of these facts.
Trooping_of_the_Colours..jpg)
The above photo was kindly supplied by Jules Tennant, Co-Author "Anzac
Elite". The Dan Sinh market in Ho Chi Minh City
is also known as the "American" or "War Surplus" market. None of the militaria that is sold here is original,
all are reproductions, made and aged to
look like they are Vietnam war period items. In this case it is obvious that they have also decided to make
Rhodesian camo uniforms.
"CAVEAT EMPTOR" - "Let the buyer beware"
