Whopee! Medals for all!
Gentleman Aviator
Any stories from anybody as to how their medals ( e.g.G.S.M.) were actually presented?
got my first - GSM with NI clasp - in the bow wave of medals when it was first announced - 1972 maybe, but qualification backdated to 1969. I was actually at Aldergrove when they arrived; specifically in the gents behind the Det buildings. Enter my Flt Cdr (aka wyvern) who stands in adjacent facility.
Flt Cdr: Hey Teeters - I've got a f***in' medal for you.
Fg Off Teeters: Thanks Boss
Flt Cdr: And here it is!
Produces white cardboard medal box from his pocket and hands it over. Fortunately no handshake ensued as other hand was busy ................
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having read some of the 'prenentation' tales, there's no doubt about it. Unless it's a really good one, it comes in the post/SHQ/Gents. No wonder we lag behind the Americans in festooning ourselves with ribbons/medals/badges/patches ... we don't have enough time to award all that stuff.
I recall getting off an aircraft at Washington Dulles with a bunch of Annapolis Cadets ... they already had 3 ribbons.
But ... I digress
I recall getting off an aircraft at Washington Dulles with a bunch of Annapolis Cadets ... they already had 3 ribbons.
But ... I digress
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I recall getting off an aircraft at Washington Dulles with a bunch of Annapolis Cadets ... they already had 3 ribbons.
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Try this one:
got my first - GSM with NI clasp - in the bow wave of medals when it was first announced - 1972 maybe, but qualification backdated to 1969. I was actually at Aldergrove when they arrived; specifically in the gents behind the Det buildings. Enter my Flt Cdr (aka wyvern) who stands in adjacent facility.
Flt Cdr: Hey Teeters - I've got a f***in' medal for you.
Fg Off Teeters: Thanks Boss
Flt Cdr: And here it is!
Produces white cardboard medal box from his pocket and hands it over. Fortunately no handshake ensued as other hand was busy ................
got my first - GSM with NI clasp - in the bow wave of medals when it was first announced - 1972 maybe, but qualification backdated to 1969. I was actually at Aldergrove when they arrived; specifically in the gents behind the Det buildings. Enter my Flt Cdr (aka wyvern) who stands in adjacent facility.
Flt Cdr: Hey Teeters - I've got a f***in' medal for you.
Fg Off Teeters: Thanks Boss
Flt Cdr: And here it is!
Produces white cardboard medal box from his pocket and hands it over. Fortunately no handshake ensued as other hand was busy ................
Let's face it, every man and his dog had one at Odious and if they had any formal presentation it would have been a full time job for someone. The bugger was when I left to RAFG where medals were rare, all that meant was GSM stood for Give Some Marching as it guaranteed a place on any Sqn parade
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 24th Oct 2016 at 01:06.
Yup!, taken out of a drawer by an admin clerk at Aldergove and pushed over the desk seven months into a four month roulement.
But ( most of us) weren't there for the medals......
But ( most of us) weren't there for the medals......
After GW1, our Saudi and Kuwaiti medals arrived in the crewroom, along with a mean little note from Binnsworth accompanying each stating "Here is your medal - you are not allowed to wear it!" 
Although at the VC10 end-of-an-era thrash, I noticed that a few people had ignored the instruction...
Although at the VC10 end-of-an-era thrash, I noticed that a few people had ignored the instruction...
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My Air Ops Iraq was scraped, covered in fluff and dust, from behind a cabinet by the SWO using his pace stick. It had fallen there some weeks before and he had just found it.....
For those interested, I received a reply to my letter to Sir Michael Fallon asking for backdating of the LSGC for Officers. The reply blames Sir John Holmes for recommending, to the Cabinet Office, that the "the changes to the LSGC medal should not be made retrospectively".
Pretty much a stitch-up job then! Having decided that the situation was actually unsatisfactory, they went for a minimum cost option, that doesn't actually repair the damage! Despite the minimum effect of my letter, I would encourage anyone with a similar opinion about the desultory introduction of this medal to write to Sir Michael and express your opinion, for it is only weight of opinion that might change this unbalanced situation.
OAP
Pretty much a stitch-up job then! Having decided that the situation was actually unsatisfactory, they went for a minimum cost option, that doesn't actually repair the damage! Despite the minimum effect of my letter, I would encourage anyone with a similar opinion about the desultory introduction of this medal to write to Sir Michael and express your opinion, for it is only weight of opinion that might change this unbalanced situation.OAP
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I've had the same response, along with a number of platitudes about how our service is still valued.
The MOD's response states that the date was not the MOD's decision, but goes on to say that 'Both the Honours and Decorations Committee and the Service Chiefs of Staff agreed that only officers.....'.
'The decision not to apply retrospection in this case and to amend the eligibility criteria was taken by Sir John Holmes and the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee), following the conclusion of his independent review on Military Medals, and not the MOD. Ministers have agreed that the eligibility requirements for the LS&GC medal which is currently awarded only to other ranks and not to officers should be harmonised. The date of 29 July 2014 was selected to coincide with a Written Ministerial Statement laid in the House of Lords announcing the end of Sir John Holmes review. Both the Honours and Decorations Committee and the Service Chiefs of Staff agreed that only officers in service on that date should be considered eligible for the award.'
The MOD's response contradicts itself! I intend to take it further, I'm just considering the best way. I have got plenty of medals - it's the principle. I suspect it will be a waste of time.
The MOD's response states that the date was not the MOD's decision, but goes on to say that 'Both the Honours and Decorations Committee and the Service Chiefs of Staff agreed that only officers.....'.
'The decision not to apply retrospection in this case and to amend the eligibility criteria was taken by Sir John Holmes and the Committee on the Grants of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee), following the conclusion of his independent review on Military Medals, and not the MOD. Ministers have agreed that the eligibility requirements for the LS&GC medal which is currently awarded only to other ranks and not to officers should be harmonised. The date of 29 July 2014 was selected to coincide with a Written Ministerial Statement laid in the House of Lords announcing the end of Sir John Holmes review. Both the Honours and Decorations Committee and the Service Chiefs of Staff agreed that only officers in service on that date should be considered eligible for the award.'
The MOD's response contradicts itself! I intend to take it further, I'm just considering the best way. I have got plenty of medals - it's the principle. I suspect it will be a waste of time.
Well done TOWK. You are damn right that it is the principle! Having agreed that the previous position on this medal was prejudiced against Officers, they go and increase the prejudice by only recognising the service of those still serving after the date of the announcment. An utter utter shambles!
OAP
OAP
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
My first "by the way" was at school "you've don't quite well at Maths" that was in the old GCE Pass/Fail days "you got 98% in one 97% in the other"
Or at Nav School, "Do you mind if we knock a couple of marks off so Sgt C, who is going for a commission . . ."
Or "I see you got a Good Show in the Command FS magazine" First I had heard of it. It now has pride of place in the smallest room downstairs.
But I did have very nice letters from two 3*
Or at Nav School, "Do you mind if we knock a couple of marks off so Sgt C, who is going for a commission . . ."
Or "I see you got a Good Show in the Command FS magazine" First I had heard of it. It now has pride of place in the smallest room downstairs.
But I did have very nice letters from two 3*
Gentleman Aviator
QCVSIA - Flt Cdr told me as "By the way" after thought.
Hat on no coffee in Wg Cdrs's office - I'd been LHS (non-handling, non-captain, non-interested) on a night underslung load trip with a new-ish pilot.
He'd not made the hook safe after takeoff, and managed to transmit his downwind call on the release button - so no-one heard the epic R/T call: "C/s downwind ..... oh sh!t....." (well he was Irish.....)
Wg Cdr goes on and on:
"OK Teeters, I know you weren't captain or an instructor on this trip, but you are a more experienced pilot, training captain etc etc etc and you should have been monitoring his checks etc etc etc.........
....... and another thing: you've been Mentioned in Despatches!"
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Listening to the radio today, there was an item about bringing in a law in the UK about stolen valour, and wearing medals you didn't earn. The two round ones I've got have my name and rank etc on the outer rim, and you can always check a potential mittys claims by looking for that. Do the crosses and star medals issued for gallantry have the recipients name stamped on them as well?
They certainly never used to, but the OR equivalent oval medals always were. Thus AFC/DFC were unnamed - AFM/DFM were named (Same for RN/Army awards)
I haven't actually seen a DSC/MC/DFC since they started being awarded to all ranks sometime in the 1990s, but no doubt somebody will be able to say if they are now named - there are plenty floating round Odiham to check, for example!
Having said that, renamed medals are the curse of the medal collecting world and any self respecting ( ! ) Walt can easily get hold of very convincing copies and have them named up in the correct style - certainly good enough to fool the casual observer.
I haven't actually seen a DSC/MC/DFC since they started being awarded to all ranks sometime in the 1990s, but no doubt somebody will be able to say if they are now named - there are plenty floating round Odiham to check, for example!
Having said that, renamed medals are the curse of the medal collecting world and any self respecting ( ! ) Walt can easily get hold of very convincing copies and have them named up in the correct style - certainly good enough to fool the casual observer.
Just been following a Facebook thread about the proposed new law mentioned by Dan Gerous. A lot of predictable "lock em up and throw away the key rubbish" but if the law does come in I sincerely hope they don't start jailing these pathetic individuals - the prisons are overflowing as it is. Fifty hours community service cleaning up all the war memorials in the area might be an appropriate sentence.