My grandmother passed along a small box of items to me from her second husband's father (my step-great-grandfather), or at least she believes they belong to him. I never met my grandfather and don't know much about him besides his very common name.
Along with the posted items, there were a handful of coins, mostly from Germany and Canada, dating from 1882-1926. I can post those as well if there is interest.
Joan of Arc lighter: Front Back
Pocket Knife If possible, and worth it, I would like to restore this.
And finally, what I want to know about this most, a map that appears to be hand drawn. It is on very thin paper and labeled secret. There is a note in someone's handwriting that it is from WWI and possibly 1918. Overview Zoom Right Zoom Left "Secret"
I appreciate any help that this fantastic community can provide. I don't care what these items are worth, I just want to know what they are. Also, tips on preserving and/or restoring the map would be greatly appreciated.
You might also post this to /r/whatisthisthing. I fully expect this comment to be deleted as soon as the mods get to it. Sorry mods!
The unknown lighter has three French poilus or soldiers running in attack. The back of it has two women in regional headdresses of Alsace, consoling each other. Compare that to a similar-themed statue in Nancy, France
After the Germans annexed Alsace-Lorraine , as a result of winning the Franco-Prussian War, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France became a huge cause in France. Children were taught geography with Alsace_Lorraine depicted in black on the map. A statue representing Strasbourg on the Place de la Concorde in Paris was shrouded in black . A whole political movement, led by General Ernest Boulanger, were called the Revanchists, or Revengers, itching for a re-match with the Germans so they could rescue the annexed province. So, while this lighter could well be a bit of WWI soldiers' equipment, it's expressive of a decades-long French desire.
The Marksman medal from 1904 is only one year after the US 1903 Militia Act. The performance of the US armed forces in the Spanish-American War had been mediocre at best. Militia units had come badly equipped and badly trained, often using obsolete guns. The Militia Act sought to have standards for the state militias, and part of that involved training with better equipment. It was, essentially, the beginning of the National Guard in the US. Impossible to imagine medals for marksmanship weren't a part of that training, and that's likely what you've got.
The knife seems very familiar- I will post again if I find something.
The map is obviously of the area around Strueth in Alsace. Maybe someone knows about the various WWI campaigns there, in detail, and precisely date it... but you can match up the map to the present Google aerial view Interesting that it's titled in French ( Carte Regionale de St Ulrich et Strueth, or Regional Map of St Ulrich and Strueth) but places are listed in German, like Niederwald, or lower wood. Alsace had its own German dialect, as well as French.
Well, the lighter could be from earlier than 1914. The map really does seem like WWI. It shows English or American terms for the military units : a platoon would be a peloton, a machine gun a mitrailleuse, if someone French was drawing and naming them. You might post this over at r/wwi and see if someone could tell you more about what campaign this was.
The knife- it's got a Swiss cross. Perhaps you've got the earliest Swiss Army knife?
