Megan

Megan does not have them herself, but she is lucky enough to have friends who do and are generous enough to share pictures with her!

Reverse: -

Meritorious Service Medal Instituted: 1996. Obverse: -

Reverse: R.B.D.F. = Royal Bahamian Defence Force.

Medal for Gallantry Instituted: 1996. Obverse:

Orden Heroja Oslobodilackog rata Instituted: 1994.

Orden slatnog grba s macevima Instituted 1994 in a single class.

Orden zlatnog Ijijana Instituted 1994 in 3 classes: Sash of the Golden Lily (used as Presidential insignia), Golden Lily with Gold Wreath & Golden Lily with Silver Wreath. This is the Golden Lily with Silver Wreath:

Lovely - thank you so much for sharing!

Depending on the layout of the page in question, it might provide a better result if you carve it up into sections - e.g. if there's a row of medals you might do individual pictures. I did this to good effect with someone's posters of Singapore medals & badges a while back. Will oblige for you if you want.

The Empire Defiance, launched 1909 and with quite an eventful service behind her, was sunk as a 'blockship' as part of the Grasshopper 5 harbourworks off Sword Beach durimg the D-Day landings. I am trying to find out who actually was responsible for sinking her - I understand that it was a mixed party of Royal Marines and sailors - does anyone know if it would be possible to find out their names or any further details beyond the date the deed was done?

Thank you, much appreciated!

Do you intend to document unoffical awards as well, Fran?ois? It is my intention on my site to do so but separately from the governmental/ministry ones we can class as 'official' - if only, as you point out, to enable collectors to have some idea of what they are looking at. As you can see from the text list - http://www.medals.org.uk/russia/rf/rf-text.htm - there's a separate section for them at the bottom. May be worth subdividing with some of the main producers of unoffical medals like the Committee for Public Awards (already have for Umlatova ones). As I build the ribbon charts they will be paginated according to where the medals come from. It's all fascinating, perhaps when the summer break begins (& I've done with modern Poland) I'll focus on it, naturally you are welcome to anything on the site that's of use to you (help yourself, or ask if you want bigger highquality images).

2nd Class:

Орден Нахимова Instituted: 3 March 1944 as an award of the USSR, confirmed in the current order of precedence in 1992. Awarded: For the successful planning of a naval operation that inflicts a considerable defeat or losses on an enemy, in 2 classes. 1st Class:

The insignia is virtually identical to the original Soviet version: the only change is that the small shield at the base is now blank instead of bearing a hammer & sickle device. Here's the USSR version for comparison purposes:

Орден Александра Невского Instituted: 29 July 1942 as an award of the USSR, confirmed in the current order of precedence in 1992. Awarded: For personal bravery and successful command in action.

Here's the 2nd Class badge:

3rd Class:

2nd Class:

Орден Кутузова Instituted: 29 July 1942 as an award of the USSR, confirmed in the current order of precedence on 20 March 1992. Awarded: For successful planning of a military operation that inflicts a considerable defeat or losses on an enemy, in 3 classes. 1st Class:

Haven't been to Crete yet, but will let you know when - buy you a beer & talk medals. Thank you for your generous offer, I'll add your images to the archive & put them in (attributed of course) in time.

These are beautiful pieces, Emanuel, thank you for sharing them. Where do you live in Greece? I think it's a beautiful country and have designs on retiring there... I'm learning to speak Greek already!

Once in my previous college - which did a lot of adult education - I noticed an older lady wearing a 1914-20 British War Medal (no ribbon) on a chain round her neck. I asked her about it and she told me that it was her father's - he'd had 3 daughters and each had one of his 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred' to wear in his memory. Part of me squealed at breaking up a family group, but the rest of me applauded the way in which the girls had chosen to keep his memory alive.

I recall at a service for the 'Old Contemptibles' people - indeed mostly veterans - asked why I was NOT wearing my grandfather's medals, which I was carrying. My response was that I hadn't earned them, & prefered to honour my grandfather by my presence, not by wearing HIS gongs! (1914 Star + bar, 1914-20 War Medal, Victory Medal and Meritorious Service Medal, for the curious; he served in Royal Engineers Postal & Courier Service as a storeman, his civilian job being a storeman for the General Post Office!)