Gunner 1

The London Medal Company has quite a few Memorial Plaques (some with case and paperwork) on their online website.

Plaques to other ranks run around £75 to £85 while those to officers are in the £175 to £225.  Plaques with the case and paperwork are much more.

Naval and Military Press has British Battles and Medals on sale for £17.99 - a real bargain as the original cost was £85.

There is also British Battles and Medals, 7th Edition, which is indispensable for collectors of British campaign medals and British Gallantry Awards by Abbott and Tamplin which is excellent for British decorations.

Mike McLellan wrote: "I’m sure you’ve already considered this, but the Efficiency Medal was for non-commissioned officers. That might narrow the field just a bit. I’m still hung up on that number. It certainly identifies some person, group, or thing."

Peter monohan wrote: "BTW, officers were not given service numbers before 1920.  And I think an officer's serial should be 6 digits, not 5 [and 8 for ORs]."

Actually officers serial numbers after 1920 ('P' numbers) went from single digit to six digits. 'P1' was the serial number of EC Lloyd.

The article, "The Men Behind the Medal(s): as Exemplified by King George Tupou V, Philip B. Eagleton and the 2007-2013 Revision of the Tongan Award System, Including a Description of Preexisting Honors and the Modified System" by EJ Fisher, was published in the July-August 2018 issue of JOMSA pages 4-19.  A follow-up article with additional images will be published in the November-December 2019 issue of JOMSA which will be mailed to the membership in late November.

The only possible officer appears to be Peter Harry Mitchell May, DLI, DSO, OBE, MC, three MiDs. Served with 4 Para Bde and later with 6 Airborne Bde. 

He is shown in the April 1954 Army List as a Regimental Serjeant Major, Royal Artillery with a date of rank of 1 Apr 52 and the MBE.  His full name is Alan Howard Fraser.  He is on the roll of the 1953 Coronation Medal and received the LS&GC Medal in Awards List Number 16 of 1952  with a date of qualification of 21 Apr 1952.

If I were using paper to wrap around medals I would want to make it sure it is acid free, although for short periods of time it probably won't cause any harm.

T S Allen wrote: "The Victory Medal was not awarded until September 1919."

Can you please give a reference to support this statement. I have examined the documents at The National Archives relative to the design, manufacturing and issuance of the Great War Victory Medal (WO 32/4961 and WO 32/8987) and these indicate that a specimen Victory Medal was transmitted to the War Office on 14 April 1920 and the King approved the award on 16 April 1920.  Due to numerous design problems the first Victory Medals were awarded on 25 May 1920 to the King and eight officers: Lieut. Generals Macready, Clarke, Macdonoch, Wilson, and DuCane, Major General Harrington, Lt. Col. Childs and Maj. Frith.  Please see my three articles on the WWI Victory Medal in the Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society.

Obviously the ribbon was available earlier.

It is the Paul Harris Fellow Medal awarded by Rotary to those who contribute at least $1000.  There is a detailed article on this medal in the January-February 2019 issue of The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America, p. 29-32.

See you there!

No, there are no post-nominals for US medals. 

As Paul indicates, there is no custom problems or fees for medals coming into the US (unless it is a Medal of Honor).  On the custom's slip place: "Collector pieces of numismatic interest" and "HTS 9705.00.0090."

Not a specialist in US medals but as far as I am aware there are only a few numbered Purple Hearts that have been identified with the name of recipients unless they are named or have associated paperwork. There are some General Orders with numbers listed but they represent only a very small percentage of all numbered Purple Hearts.

His papers are at the National Archives under WO 339/89342.  They are not digitized but you should be able to find a researcher who will digitally copy them for you for around £20 (depending on the number of pages). I would recommend Kevin Asplin (KevinAsplin@aol.com). I have used him for over 20 years and found that he does the copying quickly and at a very reasonable cost.  Don't use the National Archives copy service - it will cost a fortune!

According to Mericka it is the Commemorative Medal for the Partisan Group "Vpred" [Forward]. It was established in 1945 and comes in gilt, silver and bronze.

This has been going on for some time. In 1979 I spoke at an international symposium in Warsaw and later visited a shop where around 30 women were hand painting copies of Russian and Polish orders and regimental insignia. I was told that they were for the collector market.

I cannot find a definite answer to your question but one of the qualifications for the British War Medal was that one had to leave the UK - I am quite sure that Ireland was part of the UK at that time.  The men who received the BWM for Hartlepool were fighting enemy forces - I do not believe the Irish were enemy forces. As I am not a resident of the UK I stand to be corrected.

Dom:  I just checked the Half-Yearly Supplement to the Monthly Army List for June 1927 (list all Reserve of Officers) and Craig is listed as Lieutenant, Border Regiment, Class II Reserve with a date of rank of 27 Dec 18.  

I just realized who you are.  We corresponded a number of years ago but I cannot remember the circumstance.

Regards, Gunner 1

dpast32:  Just wanted to note that I never indicated that MBEs were never named - I have two unofficially-named MBEs - I indicated that no MBEs were ever officially named.  In regards to Craig's rank, I wonder if he might have held the local rank of Captain or held an acting rank for a short period in Ireland, neither of which would necessarily be gazetted in the London Gazette nor give him the possibility of retiring as an "Honourable Captain'.  He is listed in my copy of the April 1922 Army List as a Lieutenant.

Three observations (you may already be aware of them):

1. There are at least three officers with the name "G. Craig" in the November 1918 Army List

2.  The MBE was/is issued unnamed, so that any naming would be unofficial.

3.  There are service papers for a Lieutenant George Craig, Border Regiment at The National Archives under WO 339/104131

There is a 'G. Craig, Indian Army' listed in the London Gazette of 19 April 1921 as a 'Lieutenant to be Captain' effective 30 Jan 1921, but there is no indication of an MBE so it does not look like your man.  The January 1928 Half Yearly Army List indicates that George Craig, MBE  retired as a Lieutenant.  If he actually held the acting/temporary appointment as a Captain he would usually be listed at retirement as a 'Lieutenant (rank of Captain).'

First a technical point - Great War British officers are not 'promoted' to acting or temporary rank, rather they are 'appointed.'  Many, if not most,  temporary and/or acting ranks are mentioned in the London Gazette.  They are also often mentioned in Monthly and Half-Yearly Army Lists. 

If you give us your officer's name we may be able to help.