bigjarofwasps

No worries Brian. I was really disappointed he wasn`t there too.

Not heard anymore about this, assume they`ve given it up as a bad idea?

2011s are available but in my opinion are still a little expensive, if you can hang on a few months, I`m sure they`ll come down in price a bit (fingers crossed).

I can confirm this, however, I have been unable to locate any sources, which provide any further information.

Supt Olive & Chief Insps and Insps.... Sygrove Collison Whittle Ball Dingle Douglas Baxter Reid Taylor Macer Ricketts Perry Instance Dauncey Sellors Cosgrove Morgan Barrett Parker Lvie Richards. X Div

Hi Brian, When I saw your thread, I became very excited, but sadly on closer examination, it was short lived. Basically I have a framed photo of all the Insp of X Div. I thought I was going to be able to supply you with a face for your medals, but alas its not to be as there is no Insp Brown, listed, sorry. Gordon.

Hi Hucks, Oh I see. I suppose gone are the days, when no one wanted nuclear ships in their harbours. Gordon.

I`ve also learnt that the I-29 also carried gold bullion to France (Nazi Germany) from Japan. In April 1943, I-29 was tasked with a Yanagi mission. She was commanded by Captain Masao Teraoka, submarine flotilla commander — indicating the importance of the trip. She left Penang with a cargo that included two tons of gold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_submarine_I-29

Found this which thought might be of interest as well. After the 9/11 attacks in the USA, HMS Triumph, along with her sister-ship Trafalgar, formed part of a task group in 2001 as part of the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Britain's contribution being known as Operation Veritas. The Royal Navy task force comprised HM ships Cornwall, Fearless, Illustrious, and Southampton. The task force was supported by Royal Fleet Axuiliaries Bayleaf, Brambleleaf, Diligence, Fort Rosalie, Fort Victoria, Sir Percivale and Sir Tristram. During Operation Veritas, Triumph launched Tomahawk missiles on targets inside Afghanistan. When Triumph returned home after operations had ended, the boat flew the Jolly Roger, the traditional way of showing a successful patrol. Also, Triumph sailed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41,000 miles submerged without support -- the longest solo deployment so far by a nuclear submarine. In that same year, author Tom Clancy published a book called SUBMARINE: a Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship which was centered around Triumph and USS Miami. & On 16 April 2003 HMS Turbulent was the first Royal Navy vessel to return home from the war against Iraq. She arrived in Plymouth flying the Jolly Roger after launching thirty Tomahawk cruise missiles. I also believe that Turbulent spent 10 months at sea, which out a break. Prior to deployment on Op Telic 1, she had been supporting operations againest the taliban in Afganistan, I have been unable to confirm whether or not she fired any weapons in anger or not. Perhaps someone else might be able to shine some light on this?

Have come across a few more submarine deployments that might be of interest. HMS Splendid was in the South Atlantic in December 1996. & HMS Tireless in 2007 March 2007 explosion On 21 March 2007, two Tireless crew members, Leading Operator Mechanic Paul McCann and Operator Maintainer (Weapons Submariner) 2 Anthony Huntrod, were killed in an explosion onboard, apparently caused by an oxygen generator candle in the forward section of the submarine. The submarine was in service near the North Pole under ICEX07 along with the USS Alexandria (SSN-757) and had to make an emergency surface through the ice cap. A third crewmember who suffered "non life-threatening" injuries was airlifted to a military hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska and was expected to make a full recovery. According to the Royal Navy, the accident did not affect the ship's nuclear reactor, and the ship sustained only superficial damage. Part of the exercise was being used to measure ice thickness by using sonar.[4][5] The film Stargate: Continuumwhich was filming on the ice and in the Alexandria during the exercisewas dedicated to McCann and Huntrod. And more recently, According to the British press HMS Sceptre has been patrolling off the Falkland Islands because of renewed tension between the UK and Argentina.

Believe there has recently been a New Zealand VC to an SAS guy, your right. But I think that it was a NZ VC as apposed to a UK VC, there is a difference. I think Wasn`t the last UK VC to Cpl Budd of the Parachute Regt? :unsure:

Interesting question. I would assume yes as Indian & Gurkha troops have both been awarded it. I therefore assume that all Commonwealth troops are eligible. More recently young Beharry, sure he`s from the Carribean or somewhere in that part of the world.

:cheers: Hucks. Glad to hear my ramblings have some grounds & merit to them! :cheers:

Not by any means being an expert on Royal Navy posting (I believe there roughly run on a 36 month at sea & 12 months on shore), But I wouldn`t like to swear to this ,however, the dates would certainly be possible. HMS Spartan was certainly deployed in the Gulf on Air Ops Iraq around October 1997. HMS Splendid was deployed during the Kosovo war during March 22 to June 11 1999. HMS Trafalgar was part of the first rotation & fired her missles againest the Taliban On October 7, 2001. HMS Splendid & Turbulent were both deployed on Op Telic 1 (March-April 2003). So lets say our submariner joined the Navy in June 1994, did his training & was posted to Spartan in Jan 1995, until Jan 1998, did a year on shore. Then Jan 1999 posted to Splendid, until Jan 01, whereby he went on a course of something. Then say posted to the Trafalgar August 2001 until November 2002, when Trafalgar ran aground close to Skye, causing £5 million worth of damage to her hull and injuring three sailors. Where by he was posted back to the Splendid or the Turbulent (to complete the remainder of his 36 months at sea, he`d only have done about 15 months at this point) & thus deployed to the Gulf. Sound feasible? Interesting this would have also made him part of the crew of the Splendid, when the Kursk sank, no medal granted, but still something to tell the Grand children about? Not to mention the 3 wars, 1 combat deployment & near sinking!! You could also take it one stage further & add the first Gulf war 1991, to the list as HMS Opussum & HMS Otus, where both deployed then. So if he joined in Jan 1990, posted to one of them 6 or so months later, deployed until Nov 1993, a years shore leave Nov 1994, posted to the Spartan Jan 1995. Phew!!!! So that would give him 5 campaign medals, the Queens Golden Jubilee, and if he stayed in until 2005ish, the LSGC too!!! :jumping:

Many thanks Megan, sounds very like a Chief Constables Commendation (Police).

Don`t know to be honest. Was watching a programme on Sky called Above & Beyond, and a few of the guys featured had been awarded one. I know the Americans have a medal called this, but don`t believe the British do, which is why I wondered what it looked like?

Hi Guys, Sorry if this appears to be a bone question, but what does a Joint Commander Commendation look like? Is it something that is worn on the medal ribbon like an MID or is it a paper certificate, or something else? :unsure:

Thanks Kim, that makes VERY interesting reading!!! :cheers:

Thanks Kim, my Swedish isn`t all that good, in a nutshell can you tell me what the Government said? :unsure:

An independent study into the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, has shown it acquired gold from Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The report said that almost 60 tonnes of gold was bought from Germany, much of which has never been accounted for. An official who helped compile the report said there was no indication that the gold came from individual Jews or concentration camp victims, but he said this could not be entirely ruled out. The findings were released by a bank-appointed commission after an investigation lasting nearly a year of neutral Sweden's financial dealings with Germany during World War II. After the war, Sweden returned 6 metric tonnes of gold to the Netherlands and 7.2 metric tonnes to Belgium. The gold, which Sweden had received from Nazi Germany's Reichsbank, was believed to have been taken from those countries' central banks. The newly discovered gold bears the same kind of markings as gold bars of Dutch origin that were smelted gold coins, the investigation said. It also said it turned up 0.6 metric tons of gold of undetermined origin. Investigator Harry Flam said research in other countries has shown that gold that the Nazis took from Jews in the Netherlands was melted down and sold to Switzerland. "Therefore we cannot exclude that this was Jewish gold that was brought into Sweden," he said. The inquiry commission turned its information over to the Swedish government commission looking into the broader question of whether any property belonging to Jewish victims of the Nazis remains in Sweden. It was unclear whether that commission would have the power to recommend the restitution of any property. "Whether Sweden has a restitution responsibility is a moral question, not a legal one," Flam said, according to the Swedish news agency TT. "I think it should be sent back in some way." Sweden acquired a total of 59.7 metric tonnes from Germany during World War II. Sweden conducted extensive trade with the Nazis, primarily in iron ore and ball bearings that were critical parts of Germany's war effort. As with other neutral countries such as Switzerland, pressure has been growing on Sweden to provide a full and final accounting of its holdings of property possibly belonging to Nazi victims. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/40519.stm

What an interesting thread !!!! One can only assume that this also ended up in Switzerland?

Good points all round there (pardon the pun). Seems more likley that it`ll be the engraving. I doubt they`d do anything to the Queens side, but thought they might have tranlated the reverse, but on reflection that does seem unlikely, but not impossible when you consider the Welsh Language Act......

Hi Guys, Thought I`d bring this one to your attention..... Basically a colleague in work has recently qualified for his LSGC, he has been asked did he want any correspondence & the medal naming in WELSH!!!! I`m curious to know whether anyone else has come across this & am I now right in thinking that there are Police LSGCs that have now been minted in Welsh instead of English?

They appear to be going for about £20 over here double what I used to pay & I refuse to pay this much. :banger:

I must say I am inclined to agree with you here. The only thing I will say in this stories defence, is that the company that graded & slabbed them, surely they wouldn`t put there name to something that was in any way dodgey, one would assume that this could do irreparable damage to their reputation.