Cleaning tool for buttons

Hi,
This week I found a cleaning tool for buttons. It is used by British soldiers during ww2. There are army numbers on it. My question is that I like to know from which soldier it was? I already know that it is from a soldier of the 3th Grenadier Guards. (3GG) Who can help me?
Some pictures.





I can read the first number; 2615186
second number; 2614975 (the number of the previous soldier who used it)

 

Hi,
This week I found a cleaning tool for buttons. It is used by British soldiers during ww2. There are army numbers on it. My question is that I like to know from which soldier it was? I already know that it is from a soldier of the 3th Grenadier Guards. (3GG) Who can help me?
Some pictures.

I can read the first number; 2615186
second number; 2614975 (the number of the previous soldier who used it)

This button stick question might be better on a new thread in the 1940 section.

As you've identified, it belonged to someone from 3 Grenadier Guards. A check via CWGC has shown that 2615186 is not listed. There are six casualties from 1940 with numbers beginning 26149 and I don't think that any of them tie in with the overstamped number on the stick.

001 BRADBURY S 2614989 3RD BN 21/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS
002 DANIELS D 2614946 3RD BN 21/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS
003 ELLERINGTON W 2614925 3RD BN 21/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS
004 HILL H 2614938 3RD BN 30/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS
005 POWELL C 2614931 3RD BN 27/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS
006 WILLIAMS JTG 2614943 3RD BN 31/05/1940 GRENADIER GUARDS

I'm not sure if the Guards records office will answer this sort of query.

 

I've moved posts to Grenadier Guards section of the forum.


Boooooo :p

Did you find it on the beach or inland?

 

wonder when they stopped putting regimental numbers on them?in 1955 mine was a brass one,but no Reg number on it.

 

My late father saw my set of 'hard numbering kit 0 to 9 and A to Z'. He had used one often as a Fitter/Armourer RAF and yes the armourers would mark a blokes kit for him - this was pre war of course. Both pairs of my ammo boots I marked on the inner heal with my number. Thinking about it our armourers used to mark dog tags when lads joined the battalion in NI or other active service postings.

 

I found it in a forest near by Dunkirk.

 

If you let us know what forest etc I'll post the war diary page for the day they were there-If nothing else it will tell you when he lost it and should be able to identify the battalion he was in.

 

Not wishing to detract from the core discussion.

I think the button cleaning securing tool as used in my time was far more practical than the example shown....made of bakelite,it had a middle slot running for about 80% of its length.

The slot would take any button size and would accommodate a whole button arrangement so that the buttons could be cleaned together.... reduced the time to take for cleaning.

As far as I can recollect,no service number was stenciled on the gear...could have been indelible marking.Certainly the water bottle was so identified which brings me to a RAF water bottle museum piece which I identified for the owner from its RAF service number as being issued originally to a recruit inducted at Padgate in 1950....certainly not a wartime item which the owner had thought it was.

On concluding, the presence of a service number makes it far more interesting from an historical aspect that the owner can be traced and his /her place in history can be established.

In my experience,our fibre dog tags were uniquely identified by number punch during the induction procedure.

 

View attachment 96794




View attachment 96795



I ended up with two sets of dog tags - taking a lad who had joined us in NI to HQ to see the Q bloke to get him kitted out. I got a blank set of tags and made up a second set - which I still have, the original set go back to RHQ tied onto your AFB 2026 when you left the unit. Stainless steel discs.

 

i really like to know from which person it was? I already know it's a soldier from the 3th grenadier Guards.

 

Wills,

That is the whole tool.

The Dunkirk find was most likely been damaged at some time while in the owners possession.

If only it could tell the tale!

 

Thanks a lot for this information, is it possible to have more information of these soldiers?

 

I dont think you have the numbers correct on the lower set.

Looking at the stamp marks, the original number was2614945, it was then changed to 2614973.

A decent lens will reveal which was stamped first.

Regards

Pete