Gordon Craig

British naval party of enlisted men armed as for shore duty. The wide brimmed hats were standard wear for enlisted men at this time. Regards, Gordon

Another small but interesting book "The Chinese Labour Corps" by Mark O'Neill. Publish in 2014. I'll post a picture of the cover tomorrow. Gordon Thanks for the kind words. I applaud your fortitude. Bronze medals can become addictive beyond Labour Corps. I just bought one to Worker Elsie Lilian Street, Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. She was an assistant cook Regards, Gordon

Owain, Interesting article. As is shown here, Missionary's in China were recruited to sere as officers in the Chinese Labour Corps. Primarily because they could speak a dialect of Chinese that was understood by the majority of those who joined the CLC, They also escorted members of the CLC on the boats from China to North America. The majority came to Canada and were transported across the country in special trains. All of this was done in great secrecy. Canada has put in place regulations to try and keep Chinese immigrants from coming to Canada. A "Head Tax" that was too high for most immigrants to pay was very effective. China was a neutral country when these members of the CLC being sent to France so secrecy was necessary. These movements continued to be kept secret after China declared war on the Central Powers because the Canadian Government wished it kept so. One thing not mention so far re these bronze BWM presented to members of the CLC is that they should not start with a zero. These are always fakes. There have been a number of BWMs to the CLC on ebay lately that I am concerned about. They come with a copy of a page of the CLC role showing the name etc matching the Bronze BWM being sold. The medal on sold on ebay today shows spaces in the word CHINESE. See attached photos. I can not say it was a fake but just that it was of a concern to me so I did not bid on it. Other than that, it looked really good. Regards, Gordon

duikboot, A picture of the back of the badge might be of use in identifying the time frame that the badge was produced in. Regards, Gordon

louisg, Good question. This is outside my main interest but intrigued me. Where was the land grant located? The only thing that I could find in Library and Archive Canada was a list of Loyalists granted land in Chester Nova Scotia when their units were disbanded. These land grants had to be applied for. Land grants in Chester were granted to coloured men who had served in Loyalist units. Others could have been granted land there as well. Since your relative is thought to have died and perhaps he would have had to apply for a land grant and couldn't your question is a very valid one. I'll keep poking around the LAC and see if I can find anything else. The LAC has been closed for access by researchers in person for some time and they are having problems with their search software so I can not hold out too much hope of additional data. I'm the one who assigned the name to the attachment. The hand writing is not very legible but there appears to be a number of different units with men assigned land grants in Chester. Regards, Gordon

Antonio, Thanks for posting the article on this award. I'll post the text in English here. Regards, Gordon ORDER OF CIVIL MERIT | CIVIL ORDER OF MERIT to see a summary of the regulation, click on the image to see a summary of the regulation please click on the medal Its purpose is to reward the merits of a civil nature, acquired by the personnel dependent on any of the public Administrations included in the scope of Law 30/1992, or by persons outside the Administration, who provide or have provided relevant services to the State, with extraordinary work, profitable initiatives, or with exemplary constancy in the fulfillment of their duties Collar (Decree of February 3, 1945) Royal Decree 2395/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1945- The insignia will be formed by a central piece that represents the National Shield, in golden metal and enamel, with simple quartering, hanging from it the Cross of the Order, which will be described later, at a size of 56 x 58 millimeters and completed with double laurel bouquet in green enamel. On both sides of the aforementioned shield, there are nine pieces or links that make up the Collar itself. Five of them, oval in shape, will be formed by the central allegory of the Cross of the Order, bordered with golden laurel, and will be placed to the left and right of the central shield and alternating with the four remaining pieces that will be formed by an aspa of blue enamel finely bordered with white, and on it, two intertwined laurel branches, which symbolize the civic virtues that are rewarded. The people who are in possession of the Necklace may use, in acts whose ceremonies do not require its use, a Grand Cross of the same characteristics as the one that will be described later for the degree of Grand Cross, with the difference that its plaque will have a double branch. of laurel in green enamel, and the band will be made up of a silk moiré ribbon, 101 millimeters wide, of an intense blue color, with two white stripes, 10 millimeters wide, located on the edges For practical and optional reasons , ladies may wear the Grand Cross of the Collar with the dimensions indicated: plaque, 69 x 71 millimeters, band, 45 millimeters wide, and scallop, 38 x 42 millimeters Gran Cruz (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulation by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- It will consist of a 101 mm wide silk band, which will be placed, in a third, from the right shoulder to the left side, of an intense blue color, divided along its length by a narrow white stripe; from the rose window, which will join the ends of it, will hang the Cross of the Order; This will be made of golden metal, 48 x 50 mm, made up of four equal arms, in the shape of a cross, enameled in intense blue, and finally bordered in white; between these arms it will carry five polished bursts of the same metal. In its center, an oval of intense blue enamel, bordered with white fillet, with the inscription Al Mérito Civil in gold, and in the center stamped in high relief, the characteristic motif of the Order, which will be a midwife leaning on a column. , with a sword in his right hand, tempered in the sacrificial fire, as a symbol of civic virtues. The royal crown will appear between the upper ends of the blades. The entire previous set hangs from a green enameled laurel wreath. On the left side they will hold a golden plate, of the same design as the Cross previously described, measuring 74 x 77 mm, also carrying three polished bursts of the same metal, placed behind each arm of the blades and protruding from them. For practical and optional reasons, ladies may wear the insignia of this degree, with the dimensions indicated: plaque, 61 x 63 mm, band, 45 mm wide, and scallop, 38 x 42 mm. Commendation number (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulation by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- It will consist of a plate with the same characteristics as those described for the plate of the Great Cross, with the difference in its size, which will be 75 millimeters in diameter and the central circle that will be formed by a colored shield with two crowned columns. , real, the one located on the right side and imperial, the one on the left, and as a background, illuminating the whole, a sun in its rising, by the ocean. Surrounding the columns, and on a white tape, it reads in gold letters: PLUS ULTRA. This insignia will be placed on the left side For practical and optional reasons, ladies may wear this insignia with the size reduced to 60 millimeters. Encomienda (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulation by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- It will consist of a golden cross, measuring 48 x 50 mm, identical to the veneer of the Grand Cross, which will be worn hanging from the neck by means of a 45 mm wide ribbon, with the colors of the Order, blue and white, as as described in the degree of Grand Cross Optionally and for practical reasons, ladies may wear this insignia holding it on a double loop, with drops, with the colors of the Order and wear it, as a brooch, on the left side of the chest Officer's Cross (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulations by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- A golden Cross, identical to the veneer of the Grand Cross, hanging from a 30 mm wide ribbon, with the colors of the Order and attached to the left side of the chest, with a golden metal pin-buckle For reasons Practically and optionally, ladies may wear this insignia with the size reduced to 38 x 42 mm, support it by means of a double bow, with drops, in the colors of the Order and wear it, as a brooch, on the left side of the chest. Cruz (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulation by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- It will consist of a silver Cross with the remaining characteristics equal to that of the Great Cross scallop and will be displayed in the same way as the Officer's Cross For practical and optional reasons, ladies may use this insignia with the size reduced to 38 x 42 mm, support it by means of a double bow, with drops, with the colors of the Order and wear it, as a brooch, on the left side of the chest Silver Cross (Royal Decree of June 25, 1926) Regulation by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6 Period of use: 1926-1931; 1942- A Cross with four arms, in the shape of an X, measuring 33 x 40 mm, between whose upper ends will appear the Royal Crown, in silver metal and without any enamel. In the center, superimposed, it will have an oval stamped with the inscription Al Mérito Civil and the characteristic motif of the Order. It will be worn in the same way as the Officer's Cross For practical and optional reasons, ladies may wear this insignia holding it on a double loop, with drops, with the colors of the Order and wear it, as a brooch, on the left side chest

Gentlemen, I am looking for a crew list of the SMS Nautilus in 1918 when she took part in the Finnish operations of the German navy. Any help in locating one would be appreciated. Regards, Gordon

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am looking for any information that you may have on the Fe en la Causa (Faith in the Cause) awards. Date instituted, how many levels, pictures of the different levels, identified, etc. I've asked Megan but want to ask in this sub forum for possibly wider dissemination. I've posted pictures of some of the different grades I have pictures of. Ribbon may vary for different services. Regards, Gordon

Philip. S, Sorry but your link does not bring up an image of the badge/medal you are interested in. Just the little square shows next to the link on your post.

GODISHIGH, Looks good to me. I recently moved and all of my collection is in storage so I can not post my "ORDEN DE MAYO AL MÉRITO". Looks like an older issue to me and not like most of the more recent ones you see for sale that were made in the U.S.A. Regards, Gordon

Gentlemen, Many interesting thoughts here. Some of my fellow collectors where I live are selling their collections but not because of the current economic climate. They are selling them because they have reached an age where they feel they need to sell rather than leave them to their family to dispose of. I have a large uniform collection that I am selling for the same reason. Personally, I buy fewer medals lately because of the high prices they sell for at auction prices. If I bid on an lot in an auction it usually goes for 4 to 5 times more than I am willing to pay for it. Add on the ever increasing fees of auction houses, as much as 30% in some, plus the fees added by The Saleroom etc (often 5 %) adding medals to my collection has become prohibitive. Unlike some of the comments above, I don't buy medals because they are less expensive. I don't pass up meals that are a good deal either. I buy medals that I can afford and fit into my collection. As to fellow collectors selling medals in my area, we are visited by a rep from Spinks once a year and he leaves with a suitcase well loaded with medals that go for higher prices in England than can be had locally. I don't believe that the reasons for selling medals has changed recently or will in the near future. It will always be "by low and sell high". Regards, Gordon

xxx, Thanks for taking the time to translate the German into English for me. I understood the basic parts of the German but missed the finer points and you explained them well. blackcowboyBS, Thanks for your comment. Regards, Gordon

xxx, Thanks for posting this interesting information. I was not aware that DDR and BRD could be worn together. Using the time in service in the DDR towards service in the BRD for a long service award would only be logical. I tried to translate pages 50 to 54 in Google Translate but was not successful. Even for a person who does not speak German the basic information about DDR awards in use in the BRD is understandable. Are there other states that also do this? Regards, Gordon

Very nice badges. Thanks for posting pictures of them. Regards, Gordon

Greg, Without a picture I doubt that you will get any responses. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman Both of these photos are very interesting but the first one is particularly interesting . The nurse in the photo appears to be wearing a cape badge for Princess Christians Army Nursing Reserve. She is wearing a different badge in the second photo. Possibly of the hospital where she took he training? The second photo also gives a reasonably good picture of the nurses belt. Buckles of that designed stayed in use for over 100 years after this photo was taken. Really nice photos to have. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, Very interesting post re Nurse Gray. Interesting that her married name has been entered on the role. I look forward to your article in the Journal. Lots of good info in this thread to keep for my reference. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, Many thoughts have gone through my mind since Joshua's email. One of them is that the generally accepted theory about married women returning their medals for renaming doesn't hold water. It is only a theory to explain the high number of renamed medals to nurses on QSAs. You mentioned the nominal roles being changed to match the married name. Like you, I doubt that happened. Therefore, for these renamed medals to be authentic, the name on the medal and the name on the roll should not match. To be acceptable, as a renamed medal, you would need to know the named as used before the marriage. Or, as Joshua says, do a genealogical search for the name on each medal. The QSA on Liverpool Medals now, named to F. Price, has been renamed but according to them she is on the roles of the NO 14 Stationary Hospital in Maritzburg dated 28 January 1902 as F. Price. I'm going to leave my comments here. If nothing else I've learned that one needs to be very careful in purchasing a QSA or a KSA named to a nurse. As well, I've learned that because a dealer says something, it does not mean it is correct. I'm not saying they are lying but as always it is "buyer beware". Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, It occurred to me that I should just post the response I received and let you draw your own conclusions. Regards, Gordon Hi Gordon, To my knowledge, as I have witnessed the sale of many of these medals in auctions and on other dealers lists as well as selling a good number of such medals myself, that a good percentage of them have been officially re-impressed, naming perfect in execution, the fine work of the Royal Mint, but the edge has been erased and the details being re-impressed. According to a brief look at my sales records I can see roughly 13 examples of the QSA in pairs or singles, which I have retailed, and about 5 happen to be re-impressed. It is fair to state that it is commonly encountered as I have personally witnessed and confirmed this fact based on previous evidence, that close to 40% of the examples I happen to have sold have this quirk. I don’t know if there is any literature on this, there are obviously some theories on such examples: The most common theory is that the women who received these medals would marry and change their name, and the government were willing to rename their medals to reflect that change, obviously this is not something that has been done before as men who received 90%+ of medals never had this need. However to confirm this fact investigations would need to be done genealogically into the marriage records for the nurses and what name they carried during the war, cross checking the medal rolls and nursing records, something I don’t typically have time to do. I would imagine the Angloboerwar.com forum would have more information, they typically track provenance of these types of medals and may have some notes on what percentage of the medals happen to be re-impressed and the reasons for this. I would be interested to know if you find out further information. Best Regards Joshua

azyeoman, Their response was that their comment meant "officially re-named". They believe that when a nurse married that they returned the medal and and asked that the name on the medal be changed to their married name. There is no proof of this that I, or they, are aware of. They have asked to me inform them of any additional information I may find about renamed QSAs to nurses. So that is where we leave it for the time being. I haven't had time to do as you suggest about reading threads re QSA/KSA to nurses. That will have to wait until the future. We just sold our house and are moving into a condo and packing, sorting etc. don't leave me much time for my hobby. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, Thanks. I saw that last night. I'll have to ask Les the provenance for their statement. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, Thanks for your response. I haven't visited the Anglo Boer War site for a few weeks. I'll do as you suggest. Regards, Gordon

azyeoman, Congratulations on the reunite. Glad to see that they are all together again. I also own a QSA to a nurse but not anywhere near as documented as the one in your collection. A question; you said above I have never heard of this before. What is your reference for your comment please. Regards, Gordon

In his book "Greek Medaals" by George Stratoudakis he says that the badge was only issued in bronze and everyone received the same class. I am researching these badges and would like as if anyone is aware of any other colour that these badges were presented in? Here are a couple of these badges. I only have the reverse of these two badge. The gilt one and the silver one. They should be easy to tell apart. Are either one of these badges original?

Gentlemen, Thanks again for your responses. Asking emedals for photos has never been a success for me. However, I will try again. One can always live in hope. Regards, Gordon