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On Sunday I set out on my latest trip up to Micheal's for some more ghost town hunting. 
It was once again my pleasure to overnight at Martymoose's aka Marty place in Vancouver before heading out very early in the morning.
He surprised me with another donation for next years fun hunt. These are from several of his trips to England.
We have a whale of a tale to tell
so I am starting the post because I have been skunked so far as the treasures are concerned. 
It is not for the lack of targets as you can see. 
The occasional interesting relic has showed it's ugly head under my coil.
And when I can drag my eyes off of the scenery my eyes are always scanning the ground just in case a stone point happens to show itself.
Well so much for my pitiful results. It is now time to turn this post over to the glory hounds.
So without further ado Micheal it's your turn.
I would not say glory hound... Just a wanna be (as opposed to maybe a never was.. ). But the best of it has been meeting up with Ralph.. a delightful man who has enlivened our days.
When Bruce and Ralph arrived, things got really good. We spent the first day down in old Edgewood.. I do not think that Ralph has seen ground like that... So much space, and so little time..
The George V medallion was an unexpected find.
Plus a 47 dime;
But even more so was the women's auxiliary pin.. and we all here know my penchant for militairia..
Ralph... over to you
My part of the tale has 3 parts..... The Great, the Good, and the Ugly
The Great - My trip started with a leisurely drive from Grande Prairie to Chilliwack to attend the Fraser Valley Hunt (that is another post). On Monday, I drove up to Vernon, met Bruce, and followed him up to Michael's home. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality, generosity and open arms we received by Micheal and Alice, oh ok....Bruce too. This turned out not to be just a visit to a forum member, but the start of a budding friendship.
The Good - The first day, we went to Edgewood and kinda just followed the 2 guys around as all I saw was wide open sandy beaches and gravel bars, no clue as to what used to be there. It wasn't long until I found the usual bits of iron and and aluminum slag. My hi-light of the first day though, was my very first Military Badge ever. Talk about being stoked, but I kept my emotions reined in as I non-nonchalantly showed the find to the boys.
Next day, Bruce took me to Burton and near where the old school house used to be, I found these 2 items. A monogrammed silver ladies watch with some gold hi-lites and an Osmiroid fountain pen nib. These were the only keepers from there.
That afternoon, we went back to Edgewood and hunted a different section. I lucked out and found a few silvers (after apparently kicking Micheal out from his spot)
and a lovely 1898 six pence. But my find of the day was a little cufflink pair held together by a small chain with the letters AOFB.
It wasn't until that evening when I researched the cufflink that we realized what a unique item it really was.
The Ancient Order of Froth-Blowers was a humorous British charitable organisation "to foster the noble Art and gentle and healthy Pastime of froth blowing amongst Gentlemen of-leisure and ex-Soldiers". Running from 1924-1931, it was founded by Bert Temple, an ex-soldier and silk-merchant, initially to raise £100 (equal to £5,094 today) for the children's charities of the surgeon Sir Alfred Fripp.
Temple founded the organization in gratitude for life-saving stomach surgery by Fripp. Membership of this spoof order cost 5 shillings (equal to £13 today), each member receiving a pair of silver, enamelled cuff-links and a membership booklet and card entitling them to blow froth off any member's beer "and occasionally off non-members' beer provided they are not looking or are of a peaceful disposition". The motto was "Lubrication in Moderation".
The idea was to meet regularly in pubs or clubs ("Vats") to enjoy "beer, beef and baccy", and there to be fined for heinous sins, such as not wearing the cuff-links (dinners opened with the highest-ranking member, the "Senior Blower", giving the command "Gentlemen, shoot your linen" at which point all members showed their cuffs[2]). All fines and residual membership fees to be sent to Sir Alfred and Lady Fripp for their "Wee Waifs" of the East End of London.
In late 1925, the editor of The Sporting Times started to publish articles on the Order's gatherings, and the idea took hold of the public imagination. The now-retired Fripp travelled around the country as guest speaker at over 200 of these Vats, and thousands clamoured to join: men ("Blowers"), women ("Fairy Belles"), their children and their dogs ("Faithful Bow-Wows") were all enrolled. Those who enrolled others received titles such as Blaster (25 members recruited), Tornado (100), up to Grand Typhoon (1000).
For five years the Froth Blowers extolled Britishness and "Lubrication in Moderation". Their song The More We Are Together, an adaptation of Oh du lieber Augustin specially written by the pseudonymous Irving King,[3] was heard everywhere.
You can read more on the History of the AOFB here......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Or...th_Blowers
Now for "The Ugly"
I started getting razzed when I found the General Service badge about how the newcomer gets the find of the day. Well, after finding the watch and nib while all Bruce got was recyclables and then the multiple silver coins, the six pence, and finally the AOFB cufflink, I was told that I am now Banned from ever returning to Micheal's for detecting. My wife, however, is welcome to come and do her crocheting and help around the home......
And as a wrap up we are off to Sandon for some real ghost town hunting. Wish us luck
It was once again my pleasure to overnight at Martymoose's aka Marty place in Vancouver before heading out very early in the morning.
He surprised me with another donation for next years fun hunt. These are from several of his trips to England.
We have a whale of a tale to tell
The occasional interesting relic has showed it's ugly head under my coil.
And when I can drag my eyes off of the scenery my eyes are always scanning the ground just in case a stone point happens to show itself.
Well so much for my pitiful results. It is now time to turn this post over to the glory hounds.
I would not say glory hound... Just a wanna be (as opposed to maybe a never was..
When Bruce and Ralph arrived, things got really good. We spent the first day down in old Edgewood.. I do not think that Ralph has seen ground like that... So much space, and so little time..
The George V medallion was an unexpected find.
Plus a 47 dime;
But even more so was the women's auxiliary pin.. and we all here know my penchant for militairia..
Ralph... over to you
My part of the tale has 3 parts..... The Great, the Good, and the Ugly
The Great - My trip started with a leisurely drive from Grande Prairie to Chilliwack to attend the Fraser Valley Hunt (that is another post). On Monday, I drove up to Vernon, met Bruce, and followed him up to Michael's home. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality, generosity and open arms we received by Micheal and Alice, oh ok....Bruce too. This turned out not to be just a visit to a forum member, but the start of a budding friendship.
The Good - The first day, we went to Edgewood and kinda just followed the 2 guys around as all I saw was wide open sandy beaches and gravel bars, no clue as to what used to be there. It wasn't long until I found the usual bits of iron and and aluminum slag. My hi-light of the first day though, was my very first Military Badge ever. Talk about being stoked, but I kept my emotions reined in as I non-nonchalantly showed the find to the boys.
Next day, Bruce took me to Burton and near where the old school house used to be, I found these 2 items. A monogrammed silver ladies watch with some gold hi-lites and an Osmiroid fountain pen nib. These were the only keepers from there.
That afternoon, we went back to Edgewood and hunted a different section. I lucked out and found a few silvers (after apparently kicking Micheal out from his spot)
It wasn't until that evening when I researched the cufflink that we realized what a unique item it really was.
The Ancient Order of Froth-Blowers was a humorous British charitable organisation "to foster the noble Art and gentle and healthy Pastime of froth blowing amongst Gentlemen of-leisure and ex-Soldiers". Running from 1924-1931, it was founded by Bert Temple, an ex-soldier and silk-merchant, initially to raise £100 (equal to £5,094 today) for the children's charities of the surgeon Sir Alfred Fripp.
Temple founded the organization in gratitude for life-saving stomach surgery by Fripp. Membership of this spoof order cost 5 shillings (equal to £13 today), each member receiving a pair of silver, enamelled cuff-links and a membership booklet and card entitling them to blow froth off any member's beer "and occasionally off non-members' beer provided they are not looking or are of a peaceful disposition". The motto was "Lubrication in Moderation".
The idea was to meet regularly in pubs or clubs ("Vats") to enjoy "beer, beef and baccy", and there to be fined for heinous sins, such as not wearing the cuff-links (dinners opened with the highest-ranking member, the "Senior Blower", giving the command "Gentlemen, shoot your linen" at which point all members showed their cuffs[2]). All fines and residual membership fees to be sent to Sir Alfred and Lady Fripp for their "Wee Waifs" of the East End of London.
In late 1925, the editor of The Sporting Times started to publish articles on the Order's gatherings, and the idea took hold of the public imagination. The now-retired Fripp travelled around the country as guest speaker at over 200 of these Vats, and thousands clamoured to join: men ("Blowers"), women ("Fairy Belles"), their children and their dogs ("Faithful Bow-Wows") were all enrolled. Those who enrolled others received titles such as Blaster (25 members recruited), Tornado (100), up to Grand Typhoon (1000).
For five years the Froth Blowers extolled Britishness and "Lubrication in Moderation". Their song The More We Are Together, an adaptation of Oh du lieber Augustin specially written by the pseudonymous Irving King,[3] was heard everywhere.
You can read more on the History of the AOFB here......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Or...th_Blowers
Now for "The Ugly"
I started getting razzed when I found the General Service badge about how the newcomer gets the find of the day. Well, after finding the watch and nib while all Bruce got was recyclables and then the multiple silver coins, the six pence, and finally the AOFB cufflink, I was told that I am now Banned from ever returning to Micheal's for detecting. My wife, however, is welcome to come and do her crocheting and help around the home......
And as a wrap up we are off to Sandon for some real ghost town hunting. Wish us luck
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