Landships II

CharlieC wrote:

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Assuming "M of S" refers to the Ministry of Supply - I'd suspect a fake "Mechanization" is not the accepted English spelling of "Mechanisation".

Regards,

Charlie

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 Hi Chris, Charlie,  I also was suspicious about the spelling but if you look at this site http://www.dundee.ac.uk/archives/ww-2b.htm and search for 'tank' you'll find  there was such a department in WW2, spelt that way in Glasgow. 

"Rare British WW1 Mechanization Inspection Department,Ministry of Supply. Fighting vehicles branch lapel badge. Numbered 593 to rear. Manufactured by Fattorini Bradford." was listed by West End Auctions for auction last year.

In actual fact, the use of -"ization"  isn't an Americanism. Quite the opposite. When I'm writing anything I always check which style the publication prefers. Nowadays most British newspapers and magazines prefer "-isation", but it's a fairly recent change. The Times, Guardian, and some others used to stipulate "-ize" and "-ization" but have changed in recent years. The Oxford English and Collins Dictionaries still use "-ize" but say that "-ise" is also acceptable. Some linguists argue against this, saying that there are complicated historical reasons for the differentiation, depending on the language of origin of the word. It's actually "-isation" that's the Americanism. When this badge was made "Oxford English" would have been the norm and "z" was probably standard in GB.

On this occasion, Wikipedia is talking sense: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#British_usage

The point of all this is, I would suggest, that the "z" doesn't necessarily cast doubt.

On the other hand, what puzzles me is that what Lloyd George set up was the Mechanical Warfare Supply Department, under the Ministry of Munitions. I hadn't heard of such a thing as the Fighting Vehicles Branch in WWI. It doesn't sound terribly British, yet if MoS stands for Ministry of Supply, it must be British.

However, in Albert Stern's notes he makes numerous references to dealings with the Ministry of Supply and with the magnificently-named Maj Gen Vyvyan Vavasour Pope, "Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicles". The notes are from 1940, and the MoS was established in 1939.

So I would venture that this badge is gen, but from WWII.

 

I tend to agree the badge is from WW2 rather than WW1.

Google search turned up a line in http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_T01.html where george Tuson was noted as:

21.04.1939

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22.09.1940

an Assistant Inspector, Mechanization Inspection Department, Ministry of Supply

and from http://www.abdn.ac.uk/historic/mem_single.php?memid=377 the memorial entry contains the sentence for Walter Benzie kia Libya 1942:

"He was commissioned in the Royal Tank Corps, and for a short time was seconded for duty with the Ministry of Supply, becoming Assistant Inspector (Tanks) Mechanization Inspection Department."

Regards,

Charlie

-- Edited by CharlieC on Monday 18th of July 2011 10:30:08 PM

Not my area of expertise but I'll comment as I like the badge. I also think it's genuine and from WW2. I totally agree that "-ize" was the correct English form until recently. I remember watching a British made solve it yourself murder TV mystery in the 1970s in which one of the clues was a note including a "-ise" spelling, which revealed it had been written by an American. (Also see today's BBC News website for 50 disliked Americanisms (although one is wrong!). Don't get me started on "going forward...".)

Cheers

Gwyn

No, sorry Chris - but maybe you could find out.  It was listed by a third party service, at -

http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/rare-british-ww1-mechanization-inspection-1-c-d163044e91 - (lot 395 West End Auctions). 

If you follow the link there-

"View realized price and lot details for Lot 395"

- you will find it is a "teaser" which gives you outlines of the first few lots and invites you to resister to see more ("Login or subscribe to find complete lot information from this catalog in Artfact's fast, easy search.").  Of course there is no guarantee that it actually sold and that the information really is available, but a fair chance, perhaps.  I'm intrigued, but not enough to register myself to find out.

Steve