Read the January 2022 issue of The Armourer today!

REGULARS

Welcome
What the Editor has to say about this month’s issue as we look at one of the key battles of the Crimean War when British and French troops held off a Russian army three times their size.

News
What’s happening in the world of militaria, museums, exhibitions, collections and events. This month there’s news from the National Army Museum and shipwrecks rising from the sea off Japan.

Militaria for sale
Lenny Warren takes a trip around the internet in search of rare, interesting and desirable collectables.

EVENTS
In the sale rooms
Discover what’s coming up for auction with lots of Third Reich militaria at Ratisbon’s, medals at Morton and Eden, and classic arms and weapons at Hermann Historica.

Imperial War Museum London
Kerry Culbert heads for the newly opened Holocaust and World War II galleries at the main IWM site in London.

Under the hammer
Let’s have a look at what’s gone under the hammer in auction rooms, with medals, badges and headgear at C&T; some fabulous duelling pistols at Cowans; and fascinating badges galore at Bosleys.

FEATURES

British 1958 Pattern Set
In the latest instalment of Ed Hallett’s six part series looking at the accoutrements of the NATO Allies in the Cold War, his attention turns to the British 1958 set.

North Borneo medal
Peter Duckers has a look at the medals awarded by the North Borneo Company for helping supress native insurrection against British interests.

Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
By 1941 all unmarried women under the age of 31 had been called up to help with the war effort. This is the story of those who served on airfields, providing vital support to the RAF.

Thompson SMG paperwork
In the second of a two part series, Richard Barnes offers a guide to the manuals, catalogues and promotional material of paperwork related to the Thompson SMG.

Japanese Type 1 Ho-Ni II
Graham Caldwell has the low-down on the Japanese self-propelled gun that fought it out with the Americans in the Pacific.

Victorian military paintings
Ray Westlake is back with the second half of a feature on the military artwork of a well-known Victorian artist.

A history of dog tags
They are the archetypal piece of military ID and have been around since the time of the Romans. Mark Wood is your guide to collecting this small, but important items.

Men behind the gun: The Tokarev
John Walter looks at the development and introduction of the Soviet autoloading rifle of World War II.

The Print Inspector
Ray Westlake looks at the print of an officer of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment which originated in Charles II’s time as one of the Tangier Regiments, returning to England with William of Orange in 1688.

COVER FEATURES: Battle of Inkerman
It was the final large-scale assault initiated by the Imperial Russian forces during the Crimean War, where they outnumbered the defenders three to one, but the British and French forces were determined to hold at all costs.

Collecting the Crimean War
Ed Hallett is your guide to collecting items of militaria from the Battle of Inkerman and the Crimean War in general, with everything from rifles and uniforms to medals.

SIGNALS
Militaria reviews
Duncan Evans takes a look at the latest releases including the spectacular, In Search of the Dark Ages from the Folio Society, sobering stories in SOE Heroines, even more grim reading in The Light of Days, and everything you ever wanted to know about the Pacific Carrier War.

Your Letters
Your comments on what you’ve been reading and doing. This month we’re discussing webbing and there’s feedback on that question about the beauty of bayonets.

Auction & Fair Diary
Check out the online arrangements for the auctions where you can top up your militaria collection and what fairs will be opening.

Competition
Thanks to our friends at Pen and Sword we three sets of prizes up for grabs. Each winner gets a copy of Britain at War with the Assante Nation, Bletchley Park’s Secret Source and A Photographic History of Infantry Warfare 1939-1945.

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