Queen's Birthday Honours List 2019 - Military Division

[Old-Duffer]

I have adopted a standard reply if anybody asks what my modest lot of hardware is for - it goes something like this:

Enquirer: "What are those medals for?"

Me: "Madam/Sir/My dear (as appropriate), I've not the slightest idea, they were on the uniform when I bought it". Usually brings the thing to a stop and just as well, 'cause one is a foreign award, the correct pronunciation of which becomes more difficult in direct proportion to the quantity of liquid refreshment consumed.

I can't claim it's an original quote - it appears in Hamish M'haddie's account of being a pathfinder.

Old Duffer

Old Duffer

[Tankertrashnav]

As real professionals, they all deserved much more than any of the armchair warriors apparent on the pages above.

You are comparing apples with pears. There is no suggestion that those on the Queen's Birthday Honours List are receiving their awards of the OBE, MBE etc for gallantry, but for long and distinguished service (although the latter adjective may be debatable in some cases!) Gallantry on operations will be recognised by what many would consider "real" medals, such as the DFC, MC etc, which are gazetted separately.

[BVRAAM]

Congratulations to the soon to be Sir Stuart Atha, but I can't help agreeing with a friend who said it was a "consolation prize" for being stuffed out of the top job for the political advancement of a senior Cabinet minister.
I've spoken to Stuart briefly, he's a lovely guy who is always happy to answer questions if he can. Definitely a man to try to replicate from my perspective.

[NutLoose]

Originally Posted by MPN11

Broadly speaking ... yes. although in may cases the recipient will already have a lower level award.

But it’s a strange system, and I don’t think anyone has devised a better one.

A better one would be to award them to people that have spent a lifetime sweeping the streets or cleaning sewers etc than simply on promotion to higher ranks.

[Union Jack]

Originally Posted by NutLoose

A better one would be to award them to people that have spent a lifetime sweeping the streets or cleaning sewers etc than simply on promotion to higher ranks.

Well, here's one of the former who has just been awarded the BEM, but who now calls himself "Sir Tommy" just like one of the latter.

Originally Posted by BVRAAM

Congratulations to the soon to be Sir Stuart Atha, but I can't help agreeing with a friend who said it was a "consolation prize" for being stuffed out of the top job for the political advancement of a senior Cabinet minister.
I've spoken to Stuart briefly, he's a lovely guy who is always happy to answer questions if he can. Definitely a man to try to replicate from my perspective.

Sadly, I also have to agree with BVRAAM's first sentence, especially since some might feel that the honour could well have been made in a higher Order.

Without wishing to stir things up, the foregoing inevitably reminds me of the story whereby the Air Secretary declined to support the award of a KCB to an Admiral on the grounds that the latter was not from a "fighting branch", so should "only be awarded a KBE". He was, but since the Royal Navy subsequently had the very rare opportunity to make such a recommendation the following year, he was advanced to GBE, which put him ahead of the still-serving Air Secretary's KCB.

Jack