Paul L Murphy

Many thanks :cheers:

Thanks guys, this is a great help. :cheers:

Many thanks. I presume it is a breast badge (similar to the unit badges worn in the French army) ? ?

Can anyone help identify these two patches ? I suspect they are both British but not sure.

All help in identifying this badge gratefully received.

The JSDF award various ribbons for merit, long service, overseas service etc but no actual medals. JSDF personnel are eligible for the Rising Sun and Sacred Treasure, as are other Japanese citizens, but there are no specific military medals any more. I beleive that Japanese troops who have served overseas are allowed wear any UN or international awards for which they qualify but I have not yet seen photographic evidence to confirm this. Regards, Paul

The Yellow ribbon medal is (from right to left) Showa 54th Year 11th Month 3rd Day. In other words, 3rd November 1979. The dark blue ribbon medal is (again right to left) Showa 40th Year 9th Month 18th Day. In other words, 18th September 1965.

Yummy, if only it could talk. This was a nasty little war as you say. I love it when they come nicely worn like this, you know they have been worn for a long time rather than being unissued.

Use a glue that is designed specifically for fixing wood. I think the original glues used were vegetable based but I am not sure if it is possible to get these any more.

It looks as if they had too much room in which to move, rattle around and hit each other. The good news is that you could probably repair the balsa and lacquer boxes since the breakages appear to be in the normal joining seams where they were originally stuck together during manufacture. If you carefully glue the panels back together it will be almost un-noticable that they were broken, since effectively you are replicating the original manufacture process. The pastboard red cross box looks beyond repair, but this should have been the cheapest item. The moral of the story is buy from reliable dealers like me I have never had a package get damaged like this in transit.

This is definitely one for my wife, not me I will let you know what she says. My first glance suggests it is some sort of patriotic poem but it is too flowing for me to be able to read it properly.

The case is red pasteboard (same quality as the case for the China Incident War Medal, just a different colour) with the name in gilt on the lid. The seven large kanji down the centre of the reverse are the medal name, and what appears in the inscription. Sorry I do not have one to hand to photograph, mine is in the bank vault in Dublin.

Many thanks for the comments, certainly food for thought. The first group bottom row ribbon is red and white, the colours are definitely white when see in reality rather than light grey. However the crown certainly throws me as well. The last ribbon on the second group is still confusing. I doubt if a serving US airman would put an ephemeral award ribbon on his uniform, but you never know. The crown makes me think it is north European but I cannot place it. :cheers:

The Al Valore Militaire was a gallantry award, similar to the US Silver Star.

The new design has a gilt centre and to my mind looks more like a sports medal or something, rather than a national award. I prefer the old design.

The proper name for this is the Dark Blue Ribbon Merit Medal and it is not a Red Cross award, it is a Japanese government award. The design changed slightly in 2002, what you have shown is the earlier type which was in use before that date. It is awarded to people who make charitable donations, the Red Cross is only one of the eligible donations which can be made. The amount needed, however, is wayyyyy more than discussed above. A few years ago the minimum amount needed to qualify for one of these was a once off donation of at least JPY 4 Million (almost $40,000). :cheers:

There is no such thing as a Japanese Red Cross Merit Medal. There was a Membership Medal which came in Normal, Special and Life Membership categories. There was a Merit Cross which came in Silver and Gold classes. All that now exists is the Gold Class of the Merit Cross as a medal and the Silver Class of the Merit Cross as a metal and wooden wall certificate. The Membership Medal no longer exists. I hope this helps clarify the position. :cheers:

The case is for the Red Cross Medal as you guessed. The Capital Rehabilitation Commemorative Medal was founded in 1930 to be awarded to anyone who helped towards the reconstruction of Tokyo after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. It is made of oxidised silver with some of the detail in polished silver, however most pieces you find have lost the distinction between the two finishes as has yours. I would see no harm in washing it in soapy water but be careful not to get the ribbon wet. These do not appear to have been awarded as much as other commemorative awards in Japan. I have still never managed to track down an award certificate for this and that certificate is one of the few items I am missing before I can write my new book on Japanese awards. You will pick up ten Taisho Enthronement Medals in Japan for every Capital Rehabilitation Medal you find, so well done on grabbing this.

The # mark is a makers mark but the records as to who made what have been long lost (or destroyed in the fire bombing of Tokyo and Osaka in WWII). There are a number of such marks which reoccur, normally on silver medals. Most are Katakana letters, however the Japanese character for Big (Dai) also occurs, as does this # mark. They basically indicate the different private makers of this medal since it was a Red Cross award rather than a national award, hence they were not all made at the Osaka Mint.

Many thanks for the additional information. It is a fascinating group, I will need to get my teeth into researching it soon. One of the French groups in my collection is to a member of the FFI who was awarded the Croix de Guerre for blowing up telephone lines so it is nice to have groups to both sides with a common theme.

This is entirely possible. The last time I looked was when I lived in Japan, which is 4 years ago. Time flies !

The only medal now awarded is the Gold Merit Cross. A few years ago the size of donation was JPY400,000 if my memory is correct. The donation for the Silver Merit Cross was JPY250,000 but now it is a metal and wooden certificate to hang on the wall, rather than a medal. The membership medals are no longer awarded. I hope this helps.

I decided to purchase this since it shows someone who served his country under five different regimes in his lifetime - Imperial Germany, Weimer Germany, 3rd Reich, Allied Occupation Forces, and finally the Federal Republic. Any help in deciphering the script in the earlier documents would be very much appreciated. :cheers:

Just realised I never posted this one, it is a huge promotion document from 1938 which comes in a very nice document folder. http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2008/post-1487-1221506928.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_09_2008/post-1487-1221506938.jpg

His certificate for the Federal Republic Merit Cross. I suspect this was a final retirement award, although he was pushing on by this stage.