Replacing and presenting medals.

[Al R]

I suspect this might be one for TTN.

I have a client who would like to find good quality replacements for his grandfather's lost WW1 medals ('just' two campaign ones) and join them in a frame, sympathetically, with his dad's two WW2 medals (he has those). He had always assumed his deceased dad's medals were also lost so contacted the relevant medal office for info and was amazed to receive by return of post two awards that his dad had simply not wanted or bothered to claim at the time.

Can someone suggest a source to replace the two that are lost and secondly, someone who can frame/present them in a suitable manner together?

[CoffmanStarter]

Al R ...

I used these people to frame my Father's WWII MC medal group recently. Although I didn't need to source replacements I'm sure they would be able to help.

Not cheap ... but a first class job :ok:

https://www.spink.com/departments.aspx?id=1206

Coff.

[Al R]

Cheers Coff.:ok:

[Dominator2]

Al R,

I got some medals remounted recently by The Mess Dress Ltd The Mess Dress Ltd - The Mess Dress Ltd (http://www.messdress.com). They were very reasonably priced, good qualiity and extreamly quick. Hope this helps.

Dom

[Pontius Navigator]

Al, Poppy Medal Framing - Specialists in innovative impressed method of medal mounting and framing (http://www.poppymedalframing.co.UK)

Medals iro £12-15, either court mounting £10 each, he does a special mounting too with each medal set in its own vaccu form and he can provide a metal engraved plate to match.

[Tankertrashnav]

One word of advice - until I gave up my shop a few years ago I did a regular trade in framing medals. I found that unless the medals were going to be taken out for wear from time to time (Remembrance Day, etc) it was better not to have them mounted for wear first, as the brooch pin did not allow them to sit neatly in the frame. Better to mount the medals suspended from their ribbons directly on to the backing cloth of your frame.

As far as sources of supply go, I am sure any of the suggestions so far will be fine (and yes Spinks are a bit pricey, but very good). I personally recommend Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd - Medals, Badges, Mounting, Framing & Regalia (http://www.worcmedals.com/), but its just a matter of making your own choice.

[WASALOADIE]

Worcestershire Medal Service also provide a great service and also sell the mounting box frames with a variety of backing material depending upon unit. Depending upon the time of the year, a fairly quick turn around time too.

[Al R]

Thanks very much everyone, some top quality steers there by the looks of it. TTN, I think they'll simply be framed, admired and reflected upon.

[Pontius Navigator]

TTN, I agree about WMS as they did a good job however they would not put them in the original order.

I had the bars and my grandfather's handwritten note of the order.

Right or wrong, but I wanted them in the order he specified; they did it their way.

[ACW418]

Al,

Had some work done by The Mess Dress people last fall and they were with me in a couple of days. I can recommend them.

ACW

[langleybaston]

Worcestershire Medals every time. They have done a total of six framings/ mountings for me [all family, not this civilian I hasten to add].

[Davef68]

Although I didn't ask :), thanks for all the useful info - I recently inheritted my grandfather's WW1 and WW2 medals, and was looking to get them mounted for home display, although part of me is reticent to do so as he never wore them, so the issued medals are still in the box they came in (He wore his service ribbons on his Merchant navy unifrom)

[Pontius Navigator]

Dave, I know my father had his ribbons on his uniform but I, in common with many other children got the medals to play with.

What I have seen us that veterans have been increasingly wearing their medals on appropriate occasions. He would probably approve now.

[teeteringhead]

As an associated question, can anyone provide details of where the "appropriate medal office" is for the Civilian Services?

I've been researching my (late) father's war service as a fireman (he would have hated the term "firefighter"!) in the East End of London in the Blitz, and indeed through the war.

Not exactly a cushy posting, but family tradition has it that when they were giving out the medals (Defence Medal only I think in his case) the conversation went thus:

Very Senior Fireman: Here's your medal Fireman Teeters; well done!

Pa Teeters: So who is getting one of these?

VSF: Well everyone's getting one!!

Pa T: Not much point in having it then, is there.....

Which would have been so much in character ....... :ok:

But I would like his now... :O

[MightyGem]

I've just framed mine, my father's and my grandfather's medals. I found a suitable sized frame and adapted it. OK so it's not museum quality, but it's something that I've done.

as the brooch pin did not allow them to sit neatly in the frame
I got around that by cutting slots in the backboard so that the medals sit flat.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/MightyGem/P1050814_zps41f04ac5.jpg

[CoffmanStarter]

Teeters ...

Might be worth contacting the LFB to see if they could help/give a steer ?

London Fire Brigade - Contact us (http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/ContactUs.asp)

[teeteringhead]

Thanks Coff - I'll give that a go. If it's not them then maybe they'd know who.... :ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

If that fails write to your MP.

[Wander00]

TTH - your Dad and my Dad - mine was a leading Fireman at Pinner Road, N Harrow, but was mainly in London in the blitz. ISTR he had 2 medals, one the Defence Medal, not sure what the other one was. He was on the same crew as Ernest Lough (Oh For the Wings of a Dove") on the night of the City Blitz in May 1941

[Tankertrashnav]

TTH

WW2 medals for the civilian services were issued by a Home Office department which at the time was in Cardiff. I have no doubt this has changed in the last 65 odd years, but I suspect the Home Office would still hold the records. As for which department, or an address, I'm afraid I can't help.

Sorry not to be more helpful.

TTN

(TTFN ;))

[Old-Duffer]

The National Fire Service, the Auxiliary Fire Service and the Home Guard were probably all dealt with through the Home Office. ISTR that at sometime a great many records were destroyed when one of the offices was gutted by fire - but that might be WWI records.

An organisation called The Orders and Medals Research Society seem to be the focal point for the finer points of medals etc. Might be worth asking the question of them.

O-D

[Old-Duffer]

TTH,

As you are familiar with the fine city of Shrewsbury, you might seek out a shop called 'AWARD', which sits somewhere on or near the main drag. They specialise in medals, their mounting and framing and a whole lot else.

They are, however, heavily in to the Bling Medal market which might make them just a tad suspect!

O-D

[teeteringhead]

Thank you all for the amazingly quick and helpful responses - how typically PPRuNe!

A number of avenues there to pursue; I have Pa's records to prove his service - AFS initially, he joined the Monday morning after War was declared - so now need to get the medal(s).

I'll report back idc. Thanks again. :ok:

[handsfree]

To claim or replace UK medals this link is very useful

https://www.gov.uk/the-ministry-of-defence-medal-office

[Wander00]

TTH - lucky you have the records. As O-D said, a lot of records were apparently lost in a fire - ironic really. Any records my parents had will have been dumped, along with a carbon copy of a report my uncle wrote to Gen Allenby about the activities in the desert of one Col Lawrence!

[AARON O'DICKYDIDO]

As WWII medals were not named you could just buy a Defence Medal from a dealer.


Aaron.

[Tankertrashnav]

ISTR that at sometime a great many records were destroyed when one of the offices was gutted by fire - but that might be WWI records.

It was WW1 records. In September 1940 the War Office Depository was badly damaged by fire during the Blitz, leading to the destruction of around 60% of service records from the Great War. Pity they never thought to move them to that cave in Wales alongside the stuff from the National Gallery, etc.

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Wander00
mine was a leading Fireman at Pinner Road, N Harrow, but was mainly in London in the blitz. ISTR he had 2 medals, one the Defence Medal, not sure what the other one was. He was on the same crew as Ernest Lough (Oh For the Wings of a Dove") on the night of the City Blitz in May 1941
Small world !


My Step-Grandfather, Stephen Aldhouse, was a Leading Fireman from Harrow and mainly in London during the blitz. On one night his fire tender was destroyed by a bomb and he was the only survivor, being blown through the front entrance of St Thomas Hospital. It would have been a good plan to have himself delivered directly into the hospital foyer except it was a baby hospital.


I have his medal, cap badge and belt buckle in a box in my shed, let me know if you want me to dig it out

[Wander00]

Sir PHLC - did you see the series Tony Robinson's did on TV about the effects of bombs on rows of houses? they interspersed wartime images, one of six appliances parked at the side of the street. All were burned out. We had a copy of the photo at home, but cleared out by Mum after Dad died, without our knowing. One of the appliances was the one Dad had been driving that night. Ernest Lough was on TV in 81 (I was watching on the OM ante room TV at Binbrook) interviewed by David Jacobs ("Where are they now" the programme) and EL told the story of the night the City (and City Temple) were blitzed in almost identical words to my Dad's before he had died in 1974

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Wander00, I think I did, some time ago.


Like many of his generation, Grandad Steve didn't say much about his service.


Once he spoke about entering houses that had been near a bombing (and presumably a firestorm), and finding people, for example, sat frozen around the dining room table, dead through oxygen starvation.


He told the St Thomas Hospital story a few times as he had to explain that the glass windows and doors of the hospital blew in, a fraction of a second before he followed.

[teeteringhead]

Like many of his generation, Grandad Steve didn't say much about his service Neither did Pa - I guess they just got on with it.

Those of a nervous disposition look away now

One thing he did say that stuck in my mind was recovering bodies entombed under rubble. Often their fingers were worn away, in futile scrabbling against the rubble before they died ..... :(