Thanks for the input. I thought it was a nice piece to add to the collection.

Hi everyone! I've already been a member on usmilitariaforum.com for a few years, I really should have joined here sooner since I mostly collect foreign military items. I mostly collect hats, canteens, and love field phones but they're kind of expensive to have too many of. 

TBH I'm not sure about that last part with the SS officer. When I tried to research that name I got linked to a few different german language sites including a german Wikipedia page about an SS officer of the same rank and same name with the same middle name too but spelled Karl rather than Carl.    https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Weberpals

It’s a fabulous keepsake👍🇬🇧

thanks for the info...Scott

Thanks for the help! 

This just in: These carved wooden souvenir photograph frames, featuring a lifebuoy (life preserver) design inscribed "SHANGHAI" and "CHINA," with elements like an eagle, anchor, foliage, and British Union Jacks (as in your example), were a popular type of expatriate or military/naval keepsake produced in Shanghai during the era of the International Settlement. They served as tourist or remembrance items for foreign residents, sailors, soldiers, or visitors—often British, American, or other Westerners—stationed in or passing through Shanghai. The nautical theme (life ring, anchor) fits the port city's maritime and international character, where British influence was strong. From antique listings and sales records: - Examples are commonly dated or attributed to the WWI era / 1910s–1920s (e.g., a U.S. Navy-related one linked to around 1917, when American naval presence increased in Chinese ports). - Others are described as 1930s or 1940s vintage (e.g., a 1940s carved wood example with similar eagle, anchor, and life preserver motifs). - At least one dealer explicitly sells a near-identical "Shanghai China Carved Wooden Souvenir Photograph Frame" as a collectible from that period, without a precise start date but consistent with early-to-mid 20th-century production. These appear to have been handmade or small-batch crafted locally in Shanghai for the foreign community, likely starting in the late 1910s or early 1920s (post-WWI, amid growing expatriate and military traffic) and continuing through the 1930s. The design's British flags and style align with the peak of the Shanghai International Settlement's foreign concessions (which ended in 1943). Your assumption of 1930s vintage is reasonable and matches several similar examples. They weren't mass-factory produced like Black Forest cuckoo clocks but more artisanal souvenirs, possibly by local Chinese woodcarvers catering to Western tastes (similar to other export crafts from treaty ports). The photo of Brigadier Ernest Brander Macnaghten (a prominent figure: British officer, later Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council 1930–1932) is a later addition, as you noted—he fits the 1920s–1930s timeframe perfectly. If you have more details (e.g., maker marks on the back), that could narrow it further, but based on comparable antiques, first manufacture for sale in Shanghai likely began around the 1910s–1920s, with production peaking in the 1920s–1930s.

The item in your photos is a vintage matchbox cover (or slip/sleeve for a standard matchbox), not a cigarette case or tin. It features the famous quote from Winston Churchill's speech to the House of Commons on August 20, 1940, during the Battle of Britain: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The full text on it matches the introductory gratitude to the British airmen (RAF pilots and crews) who were defending against the Luftwaffe. This patriotic item was produced in Britain around 1940 or shortly after, as a morale-boosting piece tied directly to the speech and the ongoing air war. The quote became iconic immediately, and such commemorative items (including matchbox covers, posters, and similar ephemera) were made during WWII to honor "The Few" (RAF fighter pilots). Examples of these RAF matchbox covers with the exact quote are documented in militaria sales and collections, often described as circa 1940 British-made. Age: It's approximately 85 years old (from 1940–mid-1940s wartime production).

My contribution: a set acquired separately after obtaining the photo of the Bersagliere.

It was truly a pleasant surprise. Sometimes the “gods of militaria” guide the steps of their devotees. lol

What an amazing find. The original poster hasn’t visited the site in one and a half years. You could send them a message which should send a posting to their email. The best way to get their attention is to make a substantial offer. This is an historic find on its own merit especially in the collecting community.

Hello, AH (Jock) Pringle was my uncle. My cousins and I are desperate to get hold of this tunic. We never dreamed we'd be able to get hold of such an item. There must be a great story as to how it came to be in Japan. It would have been left at Jock's base at Mersing on the east coast of Malaysia when they were called into action in January 1942. It was probably souvenired by a Japanese soldier after the base was abandoned by the Australians in their haste to halt the Japanese advance. I'd be willing to pay a fair price for it as it is a priceless family heirloom. If anyone knows how I can contact 'Kookaburra' please let me know either here or at gipringle@gmail.com, or both. Thanks in advance, Graeme I. Pringle