Megan

Split service is normally recognised by the individual completing qualifying service post-reenlistment, then any former service is immediately added in so he gets a bar to the LS&GC quicker than normal! It might have been that when ordering his miniatures, your man just asked for an Army LS&GC without specifying which monarch should be on it (if not particularly interested in medals he may not have known or cared!).

So ONLY the four-corner-mount is correct for a 'commemorative' - I was going to show both mounts but now I won't if it is not an official variant to put them on five-corner mounts. Got it, thanks :)

Are serving personnel awarded 4-corner-mount commemoratives? Or are they normally awarded to veterans? Or is it pot-luck what you get handed? Or is it that you get the 4-corner-mount commemorative if you HAVE served in the appropriate role and have moved on to something else but are still in service, and the 5-corner-mount version if you are still serving in the appropriate role?

A quick check online - http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=5 - reveals an excellent search facility completely based on knowing the name of the recipient! Numbers on insignia are not referenced so even the thought of reading the complete list of recipients doesn't work... you could try asking if there are any such records, though.

Antonio Prieto Barrio's charts show some use of small 5-pointed stars to denote multiple awards. I don't recall any 'spirals' - but I'm in Greece end of May, will have a nose around.

Don't panic, François - that was before we 'met' - back in December 2007. By now the drunken lurch and lack of ability to hold much in my right hand is second-nature. Dearly beloved says that I am very good at hiding what I cannot do... the reality is that I've figured out ways around most of it.

I have toyed with the idea of doing a series of PDFs with better images and more information than fits into my website structure. I could always put them on a print-on-demand site for those who prefer a book in their hands. Now I'm straying off-topic too. Sorry. I tend to type more or less as I think. Worse since the stroke as I don't handwrite much anymore but still touch-type.

:D It's a life's work dear heart... just as my site is. It's been going for so long now I am not sure just how long, probably about 15 years, and it's still more than half-empty!

All the more reason to document these beasties...

Hendrik Meersschaert's site suggests that - during the WW2 period at least - small crowns were used. Take a look at http://users.skynet.be/hendrik/eng/39greece.html At the moment, my Greek section only shows some orders and decorations where grade, rather than repeat award, is shown by devices on ribbon bars. As always, feel welcome to help yourself to anything that will aid you in building a Greek ribbon chart.

If you look at the links page of my Romanian section, you will find acknowledgement to the dealers who have very kindly allowed me to use pictures from their catalogues - this might be a good starting point for your quest.

Order of Emperor Menelik II, instituted in 1924 and awarded in 5 classes to senior military and court officials. Looks like you have a Commander (i.e. 3rd Class) there.

Try http://awards.netdialogue.com/America/Chile/20no/20.htm which suggests it is the 20 year service decoration for other ranks.

That's nice, Noor. Are the ribbons on the ribbon bar of miniature, rather than full-size, width? If so, wonder when they were worn - you'd usually have full-size ribbons on service dress, and wear your miniatures on mess dress (or with civilian evening wear).

If you mean Hendrik Meersschaert's excellent site covering Belgian medals of all periods and those of other countries relating to the 2nd World War, that's still going strong at the address Jean-Paul mentioned, although there have been no updates since last August. As for http://users.skynet.be/belgianordersandmedals/ - the Wayback Machine's last record of it is from February 2008; it had heavily-watermarked images which does suggest that the site owner was troubled by image reuse (although he'd been using my medal ribbon images!). Quite a lot of useful information, but all in Flemish.

Thanks, Emmanuel - as ever I learn new stuff!

The ribbon is half red, half green.

Nice to see the Canadian version, thank you Darrell. Rather to my surprise I was contacted by someone in the RCMP, who wanted my advice on how the medal ought to be distributed amongst police officers! I explained how the British police were handling the matter, and looked at various options given that a limited number were to be available, but never did hear what their final decision was.

Thank you, Taras - already found that & their pictures of the current Prince Pribina Cross are nowhere as good as the ones you displayed! But I shall try talking to them anyway...

Thank you Taras... er, may I be so bold as to ask if I might have permission to use your pictures on my website? (With appropriate acknowledgement of course)

You mean the 1940 Order? Sorry, I don't have any pictures of that at all :-(

Antonio - you are not making sense. Could you ask in Spanish, please, then I'll translate & see what you are asking...

The Lesser Cross, reverse: (Pictures courtesy Yuri Yashnev and Morton & Eden.)

The Lesser Cross, obverse:

Greater Cross star: