Filing out names on medals

[Colin Davie]

Had a couple of QSA campaign medals come thru my hands.. names rubbed off on all 3 of them, just curious.. why did anyone ever do that? There must be a reason, but I can't think of one, perhaps to wear it without someone knowing it was'nt yours? Such a shame whatever it might be.

C

Edited September 27, 2007 by Colin Davie

[Alex K]

Had a couple of QSA campaign medals come thru my hands.. names rubbed off on all 3 of them, just curious.. why did anyone ever do that? There must be a reason, but I can't think of one, perhaps to wear it without someone knowing it was'nt yours? Such a shame whatever it might be.

C

Hi Colin, could be that the person who did this actually lost, pawned his original medals, even possibly whilst still serving. He would still have to have his medals for display on parades etc, so he obtained replacements named to other people, possibly also pawned, not wanting to wear medals named tpo other people simply filed of the names, thus making the anonymous.

regards

Alex

[Graham Stewart]

Under Kings Regulations 1908 the loss of medals is unacceptable without cause for loss as they were to be produced at kit inspections as seen here;-

The secord part I'll produce in another post.

Graham

[Graham Stewart]

Well after several attempts to post second part of my previous post regading Kings Regs 1908, the attachments failed to load despite several resizings. I'll try later on as there may be a clitch in the system.

Graham.

[Ed_Haynes]

Sometimes, Graham, if the file is too large, you need to save the resizing(s) under different names as the program seems to have a memory that file "A" was too large but will accept the same image resized as file "A1".

It is always interesting to see the regulations -- thank you -- even if reality usually was different than the rules.

I find Alex's explanation quite plausible, even likely. That is how I have always viewed name-erased medals. (Though, for the sorts of things I collect, there is a more disturbing pattern of intentional dealer de-naming as medals to Indians have less valued in the UK than erased medals.)

[Graham Stewart]

Ed,

Thanks for the reply and advise, although I do have a re-size tool that usually works quite well, it seems to be failing on this occassion.

Going back to KR's I think it varies as I have KR's 1904 and it doesn't really allude to loss, but I seem to remember that if on inspection the medals weren't yours then "theft" could be applied. So any erasure would have to be done once free of service.

If you want I can send you copies of these regs to read regarding medals, just send me an e.mail address.

Graham.

[Graham Stewart]

At last managed to get this in through another programme.

Graham.

[peter monahan]

Many years ago I read of a case - 1870-80's, as I recall - of a serving NCO, quite senior, who was charged because he was wearing someone else's medals. He had done what was apparently common practice: bought a set from a time-expired soldier or a pawn shop to stitch to his second best tunic. From the context it sounded like somebody 'shopped him', because this was clearly common practice.

However, the charges rested on two pillars: his wearing them, contra King's Regs, and the fact that it the medals had been name erased and therefore were believed to be those of some other serving or recently discharged soldier, also illegal or against King's Regs. I don't know whether it would in fact have been illegal for an ex-soldier to sell his own medals (as oposed to an Order like the Bath, property of the sovereign), but I can easily imagine an old sweat not wanting it known he'd done so out of shame at having to pawn or fear of prosecution.

My tuppence 'orth

Peter

Edited September 28, 2007 by peter monahan

[leigh kitchen]

Had a couple of QSA campaign medals come thru my hands.. names rubbed off on all 3 of them, just curious.. why did anyone ever do that? There must be a reason, but I can't think of one, perhaps to wear it without someone knowing it was'nt yours? Such a shame whatever it might be.

C

I have a "properly" named KSA to a member of the BSAP & a QSA which has been filed down & renamed quite crudely to the same man, presumably with no intent to deceive a collector. It could be he lost or pawned one medal & replaced it, or perhaps he was never awarded a QSA in the first place, I have'nt researched it.

I've got a WWI BWM & VM renamed to a man in the Glosters, the "new" details including his battalion, but can't fnd him in the Medals Index Cards, so maybe he never earned a BWM & VM at all.

Some people buy medals & file the recipients details off so that they will represent those of a relative.

Try a black lght on the filed naming, there's a possibility you may be able to read the erased details, also if you let the area tone & get "dirty" it can assist in reading them.

Edited September 28, 2007 by leigh kitchen

[Tom Morgan]

I also have a QSA medal belonging to a relative who was undoubtedly entitled to it. Although it has his name around the rim it looks as if there was once another name there. There could be quite a few reasons for this, I suppose.

Tom