A Kiwi Korea Vet

This group is marked to 61235 Aircraftsman L.C. Hill, RNZAF and comprises the New Zealand Operational Service Medal, The New Zealand Service Medal 1946-49, the Commonwealth Korea Medal, the UN Korea Medal and the Republic of Korea War Medal. The ROK medal is a later issue as it down’t have the national symbol woven into the ribbon. This is an interesting set as the guy is clearly an early arrival into Korea and stayed until the end. The The OSM and Jay Force medals are named which is unusual for these things, leading me to believe that at least some of this group are official replacements as habitually they weren’t inscribed at the time but late issues from the 1990′s were.

A medal group for a lucky man

This medal group I picked up the other day from EBay. It belonged to a bloke J.S. Farquarson (Private 624746) and consists of the British Victory Medal, the New Zealand War Service Medal, The New Zealand Operational Service Medal and the New Zealand Service Medal 1946-1949. The group came with a stack of papers and photos detailing his enlistment in June 1942, subsequent deployment to Italy via Egypt in April 1945 (Just missing the war in Europe) and his final deployment to Japan in September 1945 as part of the British and Commonwealth Occupation Force (“Jay-Force”). He returned to New Zealand in October 1946 and was discharged. What a lucky guy, too late for a bullet every time. This explains why he has no campaign stars in his rack.

Africa General Service Medal 1902-1956

This medal was first instituted in 1902 for Campaigns on the African Continent, and was issued to British and Colonial Forces, The Medal remained in use for 54 years, the longest running British service Medal, Bearing the  effigy of Elizabeth 11 it was issued with the Bar Kenya for service during the Mau Mau Campaign, 1952-56.

My example is impressed to A.399 CPL.ONYAGA J.S/O OBOK.

The Mau Mau Uprising of 1952 to 1960 was an insurgency by Kenyans against British colonial rule. The core of the resistance was formed by members of the Kikuyu ethnic group, along with smaller numbers of Embu and Meru. The uprising failed militarily, though it hastened Kenyan independence and motivated Africans in other countries to fight against colonial rule. It created a rift between the white colonial community in Kenya and the Home Office in London that set the stage for Kenyan independence in 1963. It is sometimes called the Mau Mau Rebellion or the Mau Mau Revolt, and, in official documents, the Kenya Emergency.

The name Mau Mau for the rebel movement was not coined by the movement itself — they called themselves Muingi (“The Movement”), Muigwithania (“The Understanding”), Muma wa Uiguano (“The Oath of Unity”) or simply “The KCA”, after the Kikuyu Central Association that created the impetus for the insurgency. Veterans of the independence movement referred to themselves as the “Land and Freedom Army” in English.

General Service Medal 1918-1962 with Malaya Bar

The General Service Medal was instituted to recognise service in minor Army and Air Force operations for which no separate medal was intended. It was equivalent to the NGSM.

This particular example was awarded for operations in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula during the “Malayan Emergency”, a successful counter-insurgency operation against communist guerillas. The qualifying dates for service were between 16 June 1948 and 31 July 1960. For the Colony of Singapore, the date period was between 16 June 1948 to 31 January 1959.

The example I have is impressed to I0566 S/SGT IBRAHIM BIN SHUKOR F. of M.POL.

Medal Group: GV Military Medal, BWM, VM, Private J. Simpson

Here’s one of my Military Medal groups. This one is a George V Military Medal awarded to Private J Simpson, R.A.S.C. DM2-075500. Of course along with this medal is his British War Medal and Inter-Allied Victory Medal.

France & Germany Star with Atlantic Bar

This is my stock France and Germany Star, in this case only notable for the additional Atlantic Bar.

The France and Germany Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.
The medal was awarded for operational service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany from 6 June 1944 (D-Day) to 8 May 1945. The qualifying sea area is the North Sea south of a line from the Firth of Forth to Kristiansand (South), in the English Channel and in the Bay of Biscay east of longitude 6° west, provided such service was directly in support of land operations in France, Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany.

British uniform regulations stipulated that neither the Atlantic Star nor

the Air Crew Europe Star would be awarded to a recipient of the France and Germany Star. Subsequent entitlement to the Atlantic Star was denoted by the award of the Atlantic clasp. A clasp for the Air Crew Europe Star was not issued as that Star could not be earned after 5 June 1944.

Army personnel who entered Austria may not qualify for this award, as their service is recognised by the grant of the Italy Star.

Imperial Service Medal ERII

My example is an ERII ISM named to Nellie Parr.

The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service.

Normally a person must have served for 25 years to become eligible, but this might be shortened to 16 years for those serving in unsanitary locations. There was one class: Companion. Both men and women were eligible, and receipients of this order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters ‘ISO’.

Non-managerial civil servants who complete 25 years service are eligible for the Imperial Service Medal (ISM) upon retirement. The medal is a silver circular medal bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch on the obverse, and the motif of a naked man resting after work with the legend ‘For Faithful Service’ on the reverse. The ribbon or bow pattern is the same as the Imperial Service Order.

WVRS Women’s Voluntary Service Long Service Medal

The 1939-1945 War Medal with Mentioned in Dispatches Device

This medal is identical to my other British cupro-nickel War Medals with the exception of the mentioned in dispatches device which is affixed correctly to the ribbon.

1914-1918 Victory Medal

I have an orphan example of this medal as well as quite a number in groups. They are all the British Empire pattern. The orphan is 23937 Pte. G. Stevens R.W. Kent.

The Victory Medal (also called the Allied Victory Medal) is a campaign medal – of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA.
The medal was issued to all those who received the 1914 Star or the 1914-15 Star, and to most of those who were awarded the British War Medal – it was never awarded singly.

These three medals were sometimes irreverently referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. To qualify for the Victory medal one had to be mobilised in any service and have entered a theatre of war between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918. Women qualified for this and the earlier two medals, for service in nursing homes and other auxiliary forces.
It was also awarded to members of the British Naval mission to Russia 1919 – 1920 and for mine clearance in the North Sea between 11 November 1918 and 30 November 1919.