Trying to Identify WW1 Soldier

[raysmith]

Hi,
I have recently found a silver cigarette case whilst on a battlefield visit to the Somme in france. The cigarette case has a bullet hole through it, so in all likelihood the soldier that owned it died as a result of this wound. Being able to identify lost soldiers is a duty that a lot of us passionately believe in. I would like to appeal to experts in this field in the hope that the owner of this cigarette case can be identified.

The hallmark date on the case is 1883. It was made by Sampson Mordan & Co (stamped letters are [S.M]. I know that the date for this stamp is circa 1880-1887. What can help me identify the owner of this case is the heraldic or gothic letters engraved on the box. It looks like the letters FIE or FEI have been engraved by the maker. Can anyone tell me if there is a record book or ledger from Sampson Mordan & Co dating back to this time that might identify this customer. Or whether anyone can tell me where to look to identify engravings of this period. I know I'm not giving you much to go on, but would appreciate any assistance anyone can give me to identify the owner of this silver box.

Thanks, Ray Smith

[raysmith]

I have added pictures of the item found. Hopefully someone will be able to help identify this peice.

Regards,

Ray Smith

http://s784.photobucket.com/albums/yy12 ... felitez%2F

http://s784.photobucket.com/albums/yy12 ... felitez%2F

[dognose]

Hi Ray,

Welcome to the Forum.

Your images are password sensitive, you can see them, but we cannot.

Trev.

[raysmith]

Hi Trev,

I hope one of the links below will work. I'm not used to posting pictures on the web. My apologises for it not working before.

If anyone can offer any help in trying to trace this cigarette case by either finding the Sampson Mordan ledger books or searching for the engraved design, then I and many other WW1 enthusiasts would be eternally grateful.

[Granmaa]

Hi,

The date letter on the case is London 1883.

I doubt the ledger books of Sampson Mordan (many of whose records do exist I believe) will be of any help to you. Sampson Mordan & Co was a large and prolific company. Many of their wares would have been sold wholesale, so the engraving would most likely have been organised between the customer and the retailer.
Sad as it is to say, I fear it is untraceable.

Miles

[2209patrick]

Hello.

Maybe FC for the owner's cypher? Reminds me of Frank Cobb & Company's trademark.



Pat.

[salmoned]

I would guess the last name letter to be "I", since that letter is the tallest of the group (and has classical primary shading). 'FEI' appears the most likely combination.

[salmoned]

Okay, a little more research result here. The engraving is called an imposed cipher. The Letters are 'F', 'E' and 'J'. Still working on the order indicated by the shading.

[JLDoggett]

The uppermost letter is typically the last name's. I would read it as F.E.J.