What souvenirs were soldiers allowed to carry back home?

Did I ever tell you about Dave's Japanese swords ?
http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/22627-the-mystery-behind-daves-japanese-swords/

Ron

 

Great answers. THanks all of you. This last is particularly informative. Loved the Dave's sword thread.

To Formerjughead, please understand, I'm not dissing in any way the veterans who may have brought back human body parts (especially as trophies). I can kinda understand that war brings people into another head space. Things that are part of the morality, ethos and culture of the military man may be baffling to people outside that culture. (As a Canadian in the 21st century, I don't share the fascination with firearms, for example, or the tolerance I see in American culture for the NRA - (not that I want to get into that here).

Also, I can understand how small items could be brought back in one's personal bags wrapped in with the clothing.

What surprises me is that the actual bureaucracy of the military would allow so many large items (spent artillery casings and whatnot) to be shipped home at public expense. This stuff was taking up the space and weight that could have been used to bring back other returning soldiers.

It seems that the establishment had a great tolerance after the war for the men who had sacrificed and experienced so much for their country. It's a great thing to find out, really.

 

Just to be clear, as a history and midieval history nut, I own three swords myself that have a place on the wall of our foyer. They are replicas and almost never come down off the wall. My sons' friends come over and we have an understanding that they do not come down unless I am present to supervise their handling.

So don't take my comment about the NRA too seriously.

I guess you can take this as a retraction re: "I don't understand the American gun culture".

However, If I were asked to get rid of those swords by a parent of one of my sons' friends, because they felt our home is an unsafe environment, I would do it in a New York minute.

 

Andre7

At the risk of showing my ignorance, could you explain to a Brit what is meant by a "New York minute ?

Ron

ps
As you appeared to like the thread about Dave, you might like to see this item about him in my Army Album
http://ww2talk.com/forums/gallery/image/1389-062-page-62/

Note also the Africa Korps armband that I stuck into the Album, so many years ago, ignoring the slip I made by referring to it as a cap-band

 

A very short interval of time. Instantly. Found this very illuminating description.

"A New York minute is an instant. Or as Johnny Carson once said, it's the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn.

It appears to have originated in Texas around 1967. It is a reference to the frenzied and hectic pace of New Yorkers' lives. A New Yorker does in an instant what a Texan would take a minute to do.
I'll have that ready for you in a New York Minute"
by RJB December 15, 2003

Thanks for the link. Will follow this up in - (wait for it) "a New York minute"

 

Thank you Mr. Goldstein.for sharing your album with me. It was really something to go through.

 

Andre

Looking back to 1946 (when I made the album) I must have known the pleasure it would give me some 68 years later

For the meat on the bones, see here: http://rongoldsteinsarmyalbum.blogspot.co.uk/#uds-search-results

Ron

 

Jeff

I've given up on continually explaining to folk that I prefer to be referred to as Ron.

My attitude nowadays is call me what you like

Ron
(and my very best wishes to you)

 

Sir, I'm french Canadian.

We have both the formal form of address "vous" and the familiar "tu" (equivalent to the old Elisabethan "you" or "thou", sadly dropped from usage in modern english). I learned many years ago to stray on the side of caution and call eveyone "vous" until given permission for the more familiar. I do however agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment that all people are worthy of respect until they lose the priviledge.

Mr Goldstein has shared a very precious thing with me and I salute him. :S!

P.S. Thanks for the link. It will take me a little more time to go through the contents of your memoires than it did your scrap book, however i promise to give you some feedback when I can.

 

Andre7

Vous excuserez ma petite blague

You are more than welcome to refer to me as Ron and, just for the record, Jeff and I go back quite a while on this forum and it did take some time to get him also to understand my preferences.

Best wishes

Ron



.

 

Another thing. Only a small percentage of the spoils were brought home in 1945. Almost everything else was brought home between 1946 and 1967 in well organised large scale shippings.
When I visit the older antique dealers in France , they still refer to the 60s gold age when American officers came with huge Cadillacs and filled them to the edge with any military souvenir they could get. They'd buy cash and the dealers were more than happy when they saw them. They actually put some special orders away for them . The game stopped in 1967 when the Americans left, but after over two decades they had shipped tons of military home.
Things were shipped home in two ways : either in personnal boxes , or also when officers moved with their furniture and were granted a container for this.

 

Aha! That's the answer I was looking for.

Thanks Skipper! It makes sense that career soldiers posted overseas during the 1950s and 1960s would have access to commercial shipping and the memorabilia left over in abundance during the war. Also, the lucrative collector's market would have made it financially feasible for them to ship the stuff from Europe to America.

The stuff that found its way back directly with the ordinary GI is still a head scrtacher for me, but, hey, you guys have really given me some good clues about how that could have happened.

 

Biak, my father-in-law was in the 28th Infantry Division. I was directed to this thread after posting the question------how did they get war souvenirs home? I know some were declared "Organizational War Trophies". My question was two fold...how did they get them home and when would they have been shipped. Knowing it is impractical to think they carried these items throughout ETO. It was explained about the footlockers that the Regiment carried. He brought home a Mauser, violin, mandolin, Nazi flag, and numerous other items. (No body parts)