Megan

Oh dear... time I did more Russian medals!!!

I've just started a Schleswig-Holstein section on my site: http://www.medals.org.uk/schleswig-holstein/schleswig-holstein-text.htm This is all I have found online as yet: http://www.ehrenzeichen-orden.de/c/deutsche-staaten/schleswig-und-holstein-herzogtum

That's a beauty!

Er - the Order of the Oaken Crown ribbon is yellow with 3 green stripes, with the stripes being narrower than the yellow areas between them. The ribbon for this medal is asymmetric, with equal widths of yellow and green but with yellow at one edge and green at t'other.

Replacing the blue shirt and darker blue trousers of Action Working Dress (No.4s) is a very dark blue rig. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31950420

The Order of Social Merit (Ordre du Mérite Social) was instituted on 25 October 1936 to award meritorious service within institutions and the like concerned with social legislation. It was administed by the Ministry of Labour. Like many other such orders, it was discontinued when the National Order of Merit was established on 1 January 1964. It was awarded in three classes: Commander, Officer and Knight. The badge of the order is a 7-pointed star enamelled in blue, the metal being gold for commanders and officers and silver for knights. The central medallion bears on the obverse the symbolic female head of 'The Republic' with 'Mérite Social' around it, and on the reverse 'Ministére du Travail' (Ministry of Labour). The ribbon is red with blue edges. Commander: ' alt='' class='ipsImage' width="487px" height="750px">"> Officer: Knight: ' alt='' class='ipsImage' width="487px" height="750px"> ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' > ' alt='' class='ipsImage' >

Nice...

A Humanitarian Service Medal would be a neat idea. You could always have clasps for particular incidents if you wanted to show just what an individual helped with.

It's a good survey of modern medals, Antonio. You are welcome to any illustrations from my site, of course.

I find the ones about police, paramedics, border controls, airports, etc., fascinating - give some insight into various jobs that are pretty much a closed book to those not engaged in them yet with which we all interact occasionally. Real people doing what can be at times quite difficult jobs - anything that helps the rest of understand is all to the good. It makes the people involved less faceless.

Dearly beloved is very fond of this sort of show so I get to see quite a lot of them! The one I like best is called Emergency Bikers and deals with police and paramedic motorcyclists. On the whole, they present police in a positive light and makes them a bit more human - they are not faceless 'plods' but real people just like the rest of us.

C'est rien

Look at the bottom right of the 'Reply to this topic' box: you'll see the 'Post' button and next to it a 'More Reply Options' one. Click on that. Now you will see below the 'Attach Files' options. Use the 'Browse' button to find the image you want on your computer. Then click on 'Attach This File'. Once you have done this you will see a thumbnail of the image. To the right of it you see a link 'Add to Post' - click on that the insert the image... it will go wherever you have the insertion point, you may need to click in the right place in the reply text box before clicking on Add to Post to get it where you want it.

Apparently Cameron has just announced that he will recommend to HM The Queen that a new medal be established to award to those who have gone to West Africa to help deal with the Ebola epidemic. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31133815

Indeed I would - John, may I use the image (with acknowledgement of course) on my website, please?

That's fair enough... it is the academic in me referencing everything properly, that's all.

Fascinating group... And no need to apologise, Peter. Just rather startled to be regarded thus!

That's beautiful... I must scamper off and post a link to it from my site forthwith... er, what's your name? I cannot find it on the site anywhere.

Now busy putting some of these glorious images on my website. Thank you Morton & Eden!!!

Medal maven? Yes, the OMSA has a ribbon bank (find details at http://www.omsa.org/), the OMRS also has one although it's mostly UK ribbons... they say if you are after foreign ones you need to write to Mr Alan McDonald, 5 Windsor Drive, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 8UE, England to see if they can supply what you want (their rather basic website is not noted for supplying useful e-mail addresses, alas). It is also worth visiting a good tailor - Moss Bros. for example - to see if they can help.

GRRR. You have made me feel hungry.

Ralf Ganzel (Militaria Agent) has a couple of Medals of Merit, but not cased. He's also got a heap of Armed Forces Deployment Medals (Einzatzmedaille der Bundeswehr) with different clasps (mostly cased) and a full set of Honour Crosses (Ehrenkreuz) also mostly cased, if you are interested. He, kind soul, is one of those who allows me to use images from his catalogue so I have lots to work on from there! https://www.militaria-agent.com/

The quality of the original image misled me then... This is the post-2008 version of the Order of the Volta, they changed the ribbon colour from a dark blue with red edges and black central stripe to the one shown (light blue with green, yellow and red edges). The highest grade, worn as a sash badge, is the Companion, the other grades being Officer and Member. It's a bit unusual, the Companion has a sash badge but no star... and quite often they are seen wearing a neck badge at the same time!

It's the Central African Republic Order of Recognition, Officer - the higher of the 2 classes awarded. Instituted on 2 May 1962 it's awarded for services to the nation.

Quite an array there... Neck badges: German Order of Merit - possibly Grand Merit Cross (Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens) given the lack of a star from this order amidst the array (he may just have run out of space!) and the Italian Order of Merit. Stars: Sweden Order of the Northern Star Commander 1st Class, Spain Order of Isabella the Catholic, Portugal Order of Christ, Portugal Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, the other one will have to wait until I am at home with my references! Sash: Looks like Portugal Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.