David Vivian

Thanks Paul and Jeff for your replies. I've found out since that Raymond Frank had served in the M.G. Company of the 4th Ohio Regiment at El Paso Texas in January 1917. So he was certainly in the area to qualify for the Mexican Border Service Medal. Apparently a number of veterans either never heard of this medal, as you said Jeff, or never bothered to apply for it. Regards, David

Hello everyone, This is my first post on this forum in quite a while. I hope someone can help me with some information. I am looking into the service of Raymond Henry Frank who served in the M.G. Company of the 166th (Ohio) Regiment in France I World War One. He also served in Germany immediately after the war on Occupation duty. From the information I have he served in the 4th Ohio Regiment from November 1915. It seems that he continued to serve both in this unit and in the 166th when it was formed from the 4th Infantry. My question is: Would anyone happen to know if Raymond Frank qualified for the Mexican Border Service Medal? Any information on this would be very much appreciated. Thank you, David Vivian

Hi Duncan, The abbreviation on your Samar Seva Star stands for, I think, Armoured Corps. This would fit with his rank being Sowar which was originally a cavalry rank. Sorry I can't help with the other abbreviations but hope this is some help anyway. Regards, David

Hello Michael, You have been lucky that at least some of these medals have remained in your family. Regards, David

Hello Michael, As far as I know the medals are no longer with the family. I suspect that they were thrown out in some type of 'tidy up' after J.J. Stolz died. I am going to get the three medals that he was entitled to so that at least a representation of his awards is in the current family. Regards, David

Hello Michael, Thank you very much for your reply to my inquiry. It is very much appreciated. Rev. Stolz was General President (equivalent of Archbishop) of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia from 1925 to 1953. Until I discovered that he had been awarded the 1953 Coronation Medal it had never occurred to me that he would have been entitled to any type of medals at all! All the best, David

Hello everyone, Recently I've been researching some parts of my wife's family history and I discovered that her Great-Grandfather, Rev. Johannes Julius Stolz, was awarded the 1953 Coronation Medal. My query is can anyone confirm this award and I think he was also awarded the 1935 Jubilee Medal and the 1937 Coronation Medal. All awards would have been made to him in Australia. If anyone can confirm these three medal awards it would be greatly appreciated. All the best, David

Hello Peppe864, The VX prefix on the Pacific Star also denotes a Victorian enlistment (hence the V) in the Australian Imperial Force A.I.F. (hence the X). Hope this is some help. Regards, David

Hello Hugh, Thanks for he suggestion about sagongs. Sorry I haven't listed more details The group is to a Rifleman in the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. It consists of: 1. Sainya Seva medal with clasp 'Bengal Assam" 2.Paschmi Star 3.Sangram Medal 4.25 Year Independence Medal 5.9 Year Long Service Medal The group is on ebay. Have a look it seems a very nice group. I'm just a bit wary of groups that might have missing medals. Regards, David

Hello Simon, Thanks so much for your reply. Major Watts commanded a RASC Company based in Jerusalem for a while but he may not have been in the area long enough to qualify for the GSM. Again thank you. All the best, David

Hello Hugh, Thanks for replying to my post. I've seen a medal group on line that has the Sainya Seva with 'Bengal Assam' clasp and 1971 service medals. The group had no Raksha medal, so I was wondering if it is likely to be a broken group. It would be a shame as it is a lovely group of five. Regards, David P.S. sorry about the messy way I have replied as I haven't been on this site for quite a while it will take me a bit of time to get use to using it again.

Perhaps if no one can answer this query for me then someone may know of a medal roll that might be of some help? David

Hi, I don't know if this is of any help but the website Naval-History.Net also has a listing of Imperial Service Medals and imperial Service orders from the London Gazette. I was researching an ISM and simply typed in 'Imperial Service Medal' in their search engine on the site and I found the London Gazette listings. BTW the whole site looks excellent. All the best, David Vivian

Hello Everyone, It's been a while since I've posted anything on this South Asia section of this forum. My question is: what are the qualifying dates for the Sainya Seva medal with clasp 'Bengal Assam'? Would some one with this medal and clasp who went on to service in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War also be entitled to the 1965 Raksha medal? Regards, David

Hello everyone, It's been a long time since of posted on this forum. However, I wonder if someone can help me? Would anyone out there know if Major Arthur Edmund Watts RASC was entitled to the General Service medal with 'Palestine 1945-48' Clasp? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, David P.S. His service number is: 210132

There is something very lovely about Japanese medals. The detail on this medal is beautiful.

Thanks for suggesting this book. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. The fact that this book was published way back in 1961 shows what an under researched topic the Special Constabulary must be.

Hello Everyone, I am attempting to research the career of Joseph C. Patterson, OBE. His medals are: OBE 2nd type (Civil Division), Defence Medal, War Medal, 1953 Coronation Medal. What I have been able to establish about Mr Patterson's career is that he was a Procurator Fiscal when awarded the Coronation Medal in 1953. He was awarded the OBE on 10th November 1959 at Buckingham Palace. During the Second World war he served with the RAF. My understanding is that a Procurator Fiscal in Scotland is similar to a Public Prosecutor. Can any Scottish readers of this post correct me on this point? I wonder if he was a Legal Officer in the RAF during the war? If anyone can help me in providing more information about this man I would be very appreciative. Regards to all, David

Nick, I think there is basis for someone to do some very interesting research on how the Special Constabulary may have changed over time. It strikes me that such research would have very interesting historical and sociological aspects and possible conclusions. I wonder if anyone has undertaken such studies?

You make a very good point Nick. Mr Perrott must have been someone of standing in the local community. He was a Solicitor as I mentioned in my original post, so he must have moved in the upper reaches of local society.

Hello Paul, I am in the process of purchasing the six medals listed in the first post. The first two medals are named to 'Robert K. Snider'. When the medal come my way I'll attempt to post a photograph of the group. Regards, David

Thanks for your reply Paul. The truth of the matter is that I may never know if Dr. Snider and the man I'm interested in are one and the same. Maybe in the future more service documents may become more available and allow for more research. Regards, David

Thanks for your reply Paul. Yes I have googled Mr Snider and I've have found one man that could match. I have found some obituaries for a Dr Robert K. Snider M.D. who served in Vietnam in 1968. However I'm reluctant to say that this is certainly the same man I'm looking for. Dr Snider was already a qualified Doctor when he served in Vietnam so I am assuming he was a commissioned officer. As the chap I'm looking for had the Good Conduct medal awarded for enlisted men I'm not sure if they are one and the same. I suppose Dr Snider could have had enlisted service before being commissioned and I am assuming he served in Vietnam as a medical man. However it seems a waste to me if he didn't serve as a medical officer as surely there would have been a ongoing need for such qualified personnel. On another track Dr Snider served in MAVC Team 22. Could anyone tell me about this unit? Regards, David

Hello Everyone, I'm seeking any information on the following serviceman: Robert K. Snider. He was awarded the following medals: 1. Army Commendation Medal 2. Army Good Conduct Medal 3. National Defense Service Medal 4. Vietnam Service Medal 5. RVN Cross of Gallantry 6. RVN Campaign Medal. Unfortunately I do not have his service number or any other details on his service. Any help on researching this man's career would be very much appreciated. Thanks, David

Thank Larry for your recommendation of the book.