Cajunguy can restore anything. Salvaging a piece of History.(PIC HEAVY)

I received this pipe from my grand mother when my grandfather passed back in 1995. She told me that he purchased it when he was in WWII when he was in route to France where he was station in the Army Air Corps; he was a gunner on one of the gun ships running air support for the bombers. From the stories she told he was the only survivor from his gunship when it was shot down over Austria. He had just hooked his rip chord on the pull line on the plain and was at the jump door when the gun ship exploded, throwing him from the plane and knocking him unconscious. His shoot had opened and when he woke up he was in a POW camp in south Austria. They permitted the service men to keep very few of their personal items; this pipe and his military issue bible were all that remains from his tour in Europe. My grandmother went further advising that he and a fellow Air Corps man had escaped from the POW camp and were on the run for 3 days before getting caught again.

The pipe is a John Redman Richmond London Made. The markings on the pipe are as follows: holding the pipe while smoking it on the left side of the shank it reads RICHMOND over LONDON MADE. On the right hand side it reads signed JOHN REDMAN over ENGLAND and a 9 stamped to the right. I don’t know the exact age of the pipe just that my grand father picked it up from the manufacturing company in England which has now closed.

I had been keeping this pipe in storage at my parent’s house and had dug it out about 5 weeks ago when I had seen cajunguy’s restoration on a fellow member’s pipe. I sent the pipe to him and last Friday he started working on it. I am sorry the before pics aren’t very good but here is the before and after of his repair.

Thank you very much cajunguy. You have brought life to a pipe that has seen a lot and been everywhere. Any body that sends a pipe your way will get the best restoration job possible.

Thanks guys. I only have a few memories of him smoking this pipe he switche to nails when I was very young. Funny thing is he died of a heart attack from bacon and eggs every morning and not anything from his smoking for 80+ years.

Just smoked my first bowl, man it is a great smoker. MacB Vanilla Cream. I could taste every nuance like the first time I ever smoked that bacci before.

Agreed adam12

I love the work you did on it. I have just about finished the blend of tobacco I am naming "Uberific Sweetness" its a nutty chocolate blend since he said his favorite candy is Reeses. I am making this one time blend for him for thanks for doing what I thought imposible. I sent a pic of the pipe to my mom and she called me imediatly in tears. Thankyou again.