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Ralph, Many thanks indeed - good information which I will follow up. Again many thanks. With regard to Mihsin/Muhsin I am trying to get further information from the United Arab Emirates Department of Military History and Museums - currently a fledgling organisation and willing to assist but to date no success. Regards, Owain

Ed, Yes, I suppose that I will just have to persevere. I have though had success with two other BEMs - both QEII Military and for Meritorious Service, sourced in Aden and Sana'a respectively: 6531 A/WO II ABDULLA YESLAM SAIDI FRA (Federal Regular Army)- LG 2 June 1962 p.4333. 345 WAQUEEL SAEED MIHSIN TRUCIAL OMAN SCOUTS (Warrant Officer) - LG 31 May 1956 p.3128. (Plus GSM clasp "Arabian Peninsula" to MUL.1. SAID MUHSIN B.E.M. T.O.S. (First Lieutenant)) Your remarks about spelling/transliteratiion are clearly seen with this pair! The latter pair is unique being the only BEM issued to the TOS. Regards, Owain

Chris , The certificate states third class which is indeed the "silver" issue. If I recall correctly this grade was for Warrant Officers to Captains......? Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Recently here in Riyadh I was able to purchase a BEM EIIR (Civil) in its case of issue named in impressed capitals to ABDUL KERIM MOURSI ABOU SHOUK. I have endeavoured to trace this in the on line London Gazette but with no success to date. Would I be correct in assuming that as it is named that it would be officially recorded and probably in the Diplomatic/Overseas list of the New Year or Birthday honours? Any suggestions? Many thanks, Owain Raw-Rees.

Gentlemen, To add to this interesting thread I recently purchased in Riyadh the following: Egypt Medal 1882-9, undated, Clasps The Nile 1884-5, Gemaizah 1888, Toski 1889, Named to ?Sub.Lieut. Hassan Tanfick 3rd Bn. Inf.? - ?340.and taking into account the previous comments I woud suggest that this is one of the early medals issued, engraved in UK and presented to the recipient with the clasp The Nile 1884-5, and at a later stage presented with the clasps for Gemaizah and Toski. On referring to British Battles and Medals no mention is made of the 3rd Bn. Inf., however study of the actual rolls would clarify this. The rank is an odd one and indeed from knowledgeable contacts in the UK I am advised that an engraved example to an Egyptian officer must be a somewhat scarce piece. The price paid was not cheap but in light of what little research I have been able to make does seem fair. Oh and yes it is pitted but as worn by an Egyptian the Khedive's star has pitted the the left of the medal. I am assuming that to make a pair I would need to add the 1882-4 Khedives star?? Finally I have an named Arabic example with the clasps for Gemaizah and Toski - crudely engraved, in Arabic, with the sole name Ahmed - a bit like having a General Service Medal engraved with the name John! Owain

Lorenzo, From my JOMSA article: Instituted by Law No. 24 of 1937 this medal was awarded to officers who rendered valuable service to the Royal Air Force and who distinguished themselves other than service rendered during active service. The medal consists of a 3cm diameter seven-pointed silver star of seven rays. Superimposed on the star two 5cm golden eagle wings and in the centre a 1 cm equilateral sky blue triangle. The triangle bears the three Qufic style Arabic letters being the acronym Royal Air Force. At the base of the triangle two 15mm palm leaves in black. These palm leaves intersect at the base and their tips join to the wings. Above the wings and supported on the uppermost point of the star a golden crown. The reverse of the medal bears the inscription in Thuluth Arabic ?Ghazi I King of Iraq?. Under this inscription the name and rank of the officer to whom the medal was awarded is noted together with the Hijra and Christian institution dates of the medal. The medal is suspended from an azure blue ribbon 3cms wide. Subsequent awards of the medal are noted by a 5mm golden clasps engraved with the name and date of awards. Hope this helps and no I have yet to see an example of this award - must be like rocking horse manure.......! Happy new year! Owain

As the Kuwaiti award is an order and the Saudi award a medal the order of precedence is that the Kuwait award should come first. The two other awards from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are both medals and thus if anyone does have these, the order of precedence should be in accordance with the date of their award to the individual concerned. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Indeed the Kuwaiti governmet did go out to tender and as it appears went for the lowest price - however is is an Order in 5 grades (according to rank) and the two senior grades - both neck badges - distinguished and 1st class are very well made - by Bertoni if I recall correctly. However not only were the lower grades of dubious quality but critically not enough were made - this lack of quantity I suspect rather than quality led the US to manufacture its own issue. This lapse in quality is not evident in the post-liberation issues of the Order of Kuwait. Prior to the invasion the order was locally made - gilded base metal and of relatively poor quality - the post- liberation order has been manufactured by Garrard in London and in gold - no expense spared! Owain

Lorenzo, Also posted on the Rafidain thread........This is the Order of the Republic instituted by Qassem to replace the Order of the Rafidain. In two classes, both neck badges (1st class yes and proabably 2nd class also a neck badge), civil and military divisions with crossed swords on the suspension wreath to differentiate these divisions. manufactured by Huguenin. I belive the 2nd class does not have the sunburst outer rim. At $2,500 a bit too much for my pocket - towards $1,500 would be more to my liking but it is a very very scarce piece and yours looks to be in good conditon. I was offered a 2nd class grade in 2000 for $600 but it was so badly damaged I passed on it - see images- no regrets. Your next challenge is to get some ribbon! Owain P.S. After Qassem's overthrow this order as with the obverse badge which was on the flag of the new republic became obsolete and the Rafidain was revived in its Republican format

Lorenzo, This is the Order of the Republic instituted by Qassem to replace the Order of the Rafidain. In two classes, both neck badges (1st class yes and proabably 2nd class also a neck badge), civil and military divisions with crossed swords on the suspension wreath to differentiate these divisions. manufactured by Huguenin. I belive the 2nd class does not have the sunburst outer rim. At $2,500 a bit too much for my pocket - towards $1,500 would be more to my liking but it is a very very scarce piece and yours looks to be in good conditon. I was offered a similar grade in 200 for $600 but it was so badly damaged I passed on it - no regrets. Your next challenge is to get some ribbon! Owain P.S. After Qassem's overthrow this order as with the obverse badge which was on the flag of the new republic became obsolete and the Rafidain was revived in its Republican format

This is with regard to the institution in 1934 of the Red Crescent Decoration. In brief " this was three class award, gold silver and bronze, to reward those rendering service beneficial to the aims of the Iraq Red Crescent Society and is was conditional that the award the golden class related to a distinguished and specific service. The medal was worn after other Iraqi orders and medals. The design of the medal consists of a seven-pointed star 4cm in diameter. At the top, a red enamel crescent and beneath it, also in red, the year of institution and the inscription ?Iraq Red Crescent Society?. At the bottom, in black enamel, two intersecting ears of corn. The ribbon is of three equal stripes of white, red and white. Fees of ID 3/-, ID1/- and Fils 500 were levied for these medals but subsequently the latter fee was waived." Regards, Owain

Lorenzo, This is the full size 1st type bravery medal in my collection awarded to Flight Sgt. Lewis of the Royal Air Force - purchased as a lone item in the UK and awaiting to be researched. Say hello to Rihab. Owain

Lorenzo, Qassem instituted an Order of the Republic in 1958, Law 86 of that year and Regulation 27 of 1959 - this was made by Huguenin and fell into abeyance after the overthrow of Qassem and the Order was formally abolished in 1982. The 1982 law whilst abolishing many old awards instituted: Order of the Revolution Order of Qadissiyah Saddam Order of Bravery. It is possible that your illustration could be a draft for the Order of the Revolution. According to the law this was to be a 2 class - neck and breast badge award - heavily encrusted with precious stones and in the centre a map of the Arab World and a ribbon of red white and black. However your illustration is of a breast star - or is it - is there a suspension loop behind the eagle? As has been evidenced by other threads of correspondence the Order of Qadissiyah Saddam was manufactured and thus there may well be somewhere and example of the Order of the Revolution. Italian manufacture? Following the invasion/liberation of Kuwait Iraqi awards were of poor quality and the high standard of this design suggests Bertrand or Huguenin and thus can date no later than the mid-1980's if not earlier. Hope this helps, if only to raise further questions......! Owain

With regard to matters Palestinian and regardless of politics, various awards/medals have been issued by numerous groups, including most recently the Palestinian Authority, and I would refer you to my articles in JOMSA - Palestinian Awards (May-June 2004) and Palestine Liberation Army Awards (Nov-Dec 05). As I am sure that Ed would concur, I make no political judgement, rather the article records the fact of the issuance of these awards. Regards, Owain

Lorenzo, Interestingly both this award and the May 1941 medal were instituted post-1958 Revolution: Order of May 1941 Movements Regulation No.31 of 1959 Order of Palestine War 1948-9 Regulation No.32 of 1959 In the wholsesale review of Iraqi awards of 1982 where almost all previous Iraqi awards were abolished these were two out of the seven retained: Order of Rafidain Public Service Order (instituted 1959) Order of May 1941 Movements Order of Palestine War 1948-9 14 Ramadan Revolution Order (insytituted Reg. No.6, 1964) 14 July Revolution Order (instituted Reg. No. 5, 1964) 17 July Revolution Order (intituted Reg. No. 45, 1968) Co-operation Medal (instituted Reg. 55, 1969) In addition the following were instituted / reconfirmed: Order of Rafidain Order of the Revolution (17 July) Order of Qadissiyah Saddam Order of Bravery Regards, Owain

Lorenzo, The "Qadissiyah Hero" title (& badge) was instituted by the Revolutionary Command Council on 6 April 1986 and awarded by Republican Decree to those who played a heroic role in defending the honour, security and sovreignity of the Iraqi Arab nation. The design of the badge was to be determined by the Presidential Court. On 11 June the "Qaddisiyah Sword" was instituted and "to be made up of the arms carried by the Martyrs of Qadissiyat Saddam Battle and shall be decorated by the golden ornaments donated by Iraqi women for the support of this battle." There were three degrees of sword: 1.Commander and heroes. 2. & 3. Arabs. Again the design of the swords were to be determined by the Presidential Court. In the light of this I would suggest that the Fao badge from 1988 is a separate award. Kind regards, Owain

The second badge reads "Qadissiyah Hero" and is probably the same as the Qaddissiyah Sword order on the large chain. I will need to refer to my notes to see if this design matches the Decree description. Also as the Mother of Battle award is only in one class and the chain is pre-invasion of Kuwait I believe safe to state that the chain only depicts the order of Qadissiyah Saddam Regards, Owain

I would agree with Ed that this is a preliminary Bertrand design for a post 1958 issue of the Order. which for whatever reason was never manufactured. After the revolution the premier award was the Order of the Republic which was a short lived order falling into abeyance after Qaseem was overthrown and then the Order of Al Rafidain was re-instituted. What is interesting is that the design in the centre of the proposed award was actually used on the reverse of the Order of the Republic - the 1959 law states: a three dimensional pattern oval in shape and in the middle equilateral triangle written in it the letter ?G? in Koufic script and represents the strength of the army and its merging with the people. "G" I am assuming also is the fist letter of Republic and Army - Goumhouriya and Geish respectively - the letter "J" can also be used. Regards, Owain

Ed's comments are valid and raise the issue of what duty does a collector have over and above the mere acquisition of items for a collection. My sources over the years are many - auction houses, dealers (more recently Ebay), fellow collectors, shops and souks. As medals are in general "small" items the attention given to WWII looted artwork and it sale, even 50 years on, does not come into play. Most collectors are, by their own admission mere custodians of their collections for their life time and as such perform a role in the protection and research of historical items. Most of the items in my collection have no chain of historical integrity from the original owner and the story of thier dispersal is a mystery. Unfortunately a certain percentage will have been sold on as a result of less than scrupulous events. Medals perhaps more so than other collectors items due to their military nature, well in part, are likely to have a more clouded past than say stamps or coins. Anyway on balance I believe that conscientous collector who also involves himself in the history and research of his subject matter does provide a worthwhile service. Regards, Owain

Now I know! Thanks, Owain

Have a look at www.armoury.co.uk - they always have very nice pieces but as this shop is in the centre of London's west end the prices are, to say the least, ambitious. Well I suppose that they have very high overheads. To my mind the sale price should be less than half of this, say at $2,000 at the very most. Owain

Sherry, The sash and the reverse were changed during the invasion of Kuwait when Saddam instituted the Order of the Mother of Battles - this was manufactured locally as was the Order of Qaddissiya. I suspect that the original type was of Italian manufacture. When I obtained my set (3 classes) of second type Qadissiya and the Mother of battles (1 class) they were missing most of their stones - those remaining were genuine and I have had remainder of the diamonds replaced - as these are very small it was not an expensive exercise. As to the value of a 1st type in gold the actual weight of the badge would be the main determining factor - a good local jeweller wshould be able to assess at least the raw material (gold & stones) value of the badge. As it is a scarce piece there is obviously a collectors premium over and above the raw material value but I am not sure as to the demand for such an item - serious collectors of Arab awards with funds are few and far between but I suspect that it would be out of my modest price range. You could either approach a deler for an immediate cash sale or an auction house with the possibility of a higher sale price - or of course you could just keep it! Regards, Owain

Good stuff - I have one of thse "mini" badges and hd assumed - apparetly wrongly that it was just some form of air force badge - other than the common design, do you have any documentary evidence to confirm that it is indeed a miniature of the award? Owain

Christmas greetings to you both. For your information there is one of these party badges for sale in London at the staggering price of Pounds Sterling 1,950 - this is, to my mind somewhat excessive - even for the gold value! The accompanying info states that it is for 25 years servce but that as many were sold (melted down) for their gold value that the "cheap" version was instituted - just as likely is the fact that the invasion/liberation of Kuwait intervened and the goverment had to, as with other awards, have them made locally. Regards, Owain

Sal, In 1952 the Kingdom instituted medals for Police Distinguished Service (silver with blue & white ribbon) and General Service (bronze with red & blue ribbon). With the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 the Qassem regime continued with these awards - same metal and ribbon colours but different designed medals and ribbon patterns. Both series were manufactured by Huguenin of Le Locle. Following the overthrow of Qassem it is my supposition that the awards were retained, another change of design and ribbon pattern - same colours though - but this time manufactured, in Egypt - the DSM appear to have an Egyptioan silver mark on the reverse. What you are illustrating is the General Service Medal of this 3rd series. Regards, Owain.. P.S. For info I detail, the awrd criteria for the original series: Police medals for Distinguished Service and General Service were instituted by Regulation No. 43 of 1952. Both medals were awarded to members of the police who have performed exceptional service on punitive operations or exceptionally good service in the performance of their duties, or who had performed exceptionally good service with the Police Force. The medals could also be awarded to other persons who gave valuable assistance to the Police, or displayed bravery on punitive operations. The Distinguished Service Medal consists of a 4cm diameter seven-pointed silver-star, surrounded by two palm fronds intersecting at the base. In the centre, a 2cm diameter circle, bearing a portrait of King Faisal II. On the reverse the inscription in Kufic Arabic script, ?Police Medal for Distinguished Service?. The ribbon is 3.5cm dark blue with ? cm white edge stripes. The regulations specify that the reverse should also note the name and rank of the recipient and its date of issue according to both the Hijra and Gregorian calendars. The reverse also bears the Huguenin makers mark and a 925 silver mark. The General Service Medal consists of 4cm diameter seven-pointed copper star, placed on two intersecting truncheons with uppermost a crown. In the centre of the star a 2cm diameter circle, bearing the inscription, in Nakhshi Arabic script, ?Faisal II 1364?. The reverse bears the inscription ?Police Medal for General Service?, and should according to the regulations note the name and rank of the recipient. The reverse also bears the Huguenin makers mark.