British Union of Fascists militaria

[Kristijan]

Hi Kristijan And Claymore :
I do not have any of your above pictured collectible items and not familiar with them , but looking at the pictures notice that the BUF belt , buckle and armband are quite different from the book, ... I am assuming there were different types then , ...correct ?? Just currious about it .
A few pictures( Mosley) below.
Thanks Douglas 5

Hi Douglas,
As Claymore has already said,ther wer official and unofficial items.Also,there were two main simbols of the BUF.First was Fasces(fascio)and second was Flash in Circle.Sir Oswald Mosley on your photo from the book has belt buckle with Fasces,while on my buckle is Flash in Circle emblem.Also,you can spot the difference between OM official Action Press armband and armband from Claymore's collection.Those are all original items,but with some differences in types.
Regards,Kristijan

[Kristijan]

Her you can clearly see Flash in Circle buckle...

[Kristijan]

And here is photo of a BUF member with fencing style Blackshirt...

[Douglas 5]

Hi Claymore :
A more challenging area of collecting allright trying to get authentic stuff !
Just as a long shot ..I got a British pin I am posting , that probably is not related to Mosley's movement , but has a possible members number on it.
Various guesses sofar only. Pictures poor , done on cheap scanner .
Any idea ?
Douglas 5

[Douglas 5]

Yes , understand now ...2 buckles... Picture quality in Shermer's book is so poor that no 'Flash in Circle buckles ' can be positivly reconnized .
The new book comming out looks like will have some of the same black and white pictures and color pictures that are only b+w in Shermer's old book and most likely in a much better picture quality !
Any ideas on the pin I just posted ?
Thanks Douglas 5

[helmsman]

I take your point about the Mosley tie Claymore, obviously all sorts of things are now appearing with people claiming they were produced in the last days of U.M. However !!! I've attached some evidence I've been given, the advert is from 'Action' No.233 March 1st 1977, so is a bit earlier than I thought. See advert for badge as well !

Quite agree with you about unofficial B.U.F.items, with so much poverty in the 1930's I would think many folks with make do with their own home made items. rather than pay a couple a shillings for the correct item. This would be the case with armbands, pennants etc but not for badges.

[Kristijan]

Any ideas on the pin I just posted ?
Thanks Douglas 5

Hi Douglas,
Sorry,but I can't help you with that pin,it seems that is some Scottish pin because of flag.Try to find what 'SSSA' means,Google is the best for that stuff.

[Douglas 5]

Thanks Kristijan, will give it a try .
Douglas 5

[Menachem]

I was interested to read about unofficial B.U.F. items. I suppose the braclet I've posted a picture of comes in this category. I obtained this from a Blackshirt who bought it for his wife in 1930's, as you will notice it features flashes in the official B.U.F. colours of black and gold. I don't know if he had it made especially or just saw it in a jewellers. His wife was a South American journalist and he met her when she came to England to do a write up on the B.U.F. He was stationed at the Black House in Chelsea and was asked to take her out on activities .

[Douglas 5]

Nice bracelet must say....... wounder about what you call flashes !
It should be a single yellow flash ! They look more like SS Runes to me ??
Douglas 5

[Menachem]

Thanks Douglas

The lightening 'flash' features a lot in B.U.F. imagery, and it was nothing like the double Siegrune as used by the Nazi S.S. In fact I think I am right in saying that B.U.F. Officers wore the flash as a rank badge before the S.S. adopted their insignia.

This is just a piece of jewellery and you have to allow the jeweller some artistic licence. Anway I never heard of the S.S. runes being yellow!

[Claymore]

Hello Menachem,

Very nice unusual item, a rare example of personnal BUF-related jewellery from the 1930's.

Also a nice story to go along with the item...

Thanks for sharing,

Regards.

[Douglas 5]

Hi Menachem:
Thank you so much for the last sentence in your last post !!!!! I had to read it twice and finally gives a shimmer of hope to possibly identifying a pin I have posted in various places over the last 4 months and NOBODY has seen ,as it some what looks like a SS Pin ! The shape and most important the "COLOR SETUP" does not match the normal German SS round silver black pin .
Yes I have check ....and as you mentioned the SS did not use yellow for their runes .
Having nothing until now to compare with, the pin I have has 'yellow runes 'on black enamel , the color combination the B.U.F. used ; so now I hope you can confirm this pin is a 'semi-official' item of the B.U.F. !?!?
Bad scanner so had to brighten picture a bit : yellow here as can be seen, made by gold flake laquer !
Douglas 5

[Menachem]

Hello Douglas

Sorry to disappoint you but apart from the photo of the braclet I posted I've never seen a B.U.F. item (official or unofficial !) that had a DOUBLE flash.

So I'm afraid your quest goes on...!!!!!!!

[Kristijan]

This pin has nothing to do with B.U.F.,those are tipical SS runes.Also,just to remind you,B.U.F. didn't have rune but flash.