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Flea market find grouping finally placed into shadow box


Tonomachi
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A number of years ago I picked up a grouping of medals and insignia to include the Purple Heart certificate at the flea market of a native San Franciscan by the name of Alphonsus F. Thamm Sr. (1896 - 1958).  He served during WW1 with Company H, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.  He was wounded twice fighting in France.  Upon returning to San Francisco he joined the 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard.  He was with the 79th Infantry Brigade and later the 40th Signal Company.  He ended his military career with the 250th Coast Artillery (1st California), Coastal Artillery Corps.  His son (Alphonsus F. Thamm Jr.) petitioned the government to obtain a Purple Heart Medal in 1965 and they engraved his father's name on the back.   Luckily the son kept everything together as there were a bunch of tiny pieces.  The son died in 1999 and his estate must have been liquidated which is how it ended up at the flea market.  I added some pieces of period insignia to fill out what was missing to complement the grouping.  There was even a piece of iron or steel shrapnel with serrations on one side from probably a high speed projectile like an artillery shell that wounded him.   He also appears to have brought back some war trophies as there were pieces from a 1914 Iron Cross and German GOTT MIT UNS infantry buckle.  There were two photographs of him the first dated 1919 in his First Infantry Division uniform with his mother in the background in front of their residence located at 61 Ellington Avenue, San Francisco.   The second photo was dated 1936 and shows him wearing his 40th Signal Company uniform with full medals also in front of 61 Ellington Avenue, San Francisco.   It took a while to put this together as I first had to find the correct size wooden frame at the Goodwill Stores where I find all of my frames for shadow boxes.   

 

  

Alphonsus Francis Thamm (11).JPG

Alphonsus Francis Thamm (12).JPG

Alphonsus Francis Thamm (2).JPG

Alphonsus Francis Thamm (4).JPG

 Alphonsus F. Thamm  (1).JPG

 Alphonsus F. Thamm  (2).JPG

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