Ed_Haynes

Full list to come. Clasp? OK, the scan is fuzzy. "Overseas Korea 1950-53".

As eye candy for the holidays, a good friend shared this image with me. I have asked him to make my holidays very happy, but this isn't in his personal collection (either). Still . . . . And, yes, that GSM clasp is what you think it is!

And Libya as well.

Good guess Paul. Though it was my understanding that, in Iraq, the National Assembly was rather quickly dispensed with after they passed, in 1931, law No. 1 (of 1) regarding the reunification of 'Kuwait' with Iraq. All that messy 'democracy', you know . . . . But I still like your theory. Until someone looks into the records -- which either probably no longer exist (in Iraq) or simply won't be shared (Garrard's) -- we'll never know.

That is to get around the legal issues of displaying swastikas.

Though a lot of Soviet medals did come to India from 1979-89, "fresh" from Afghanistan.

India has absorbed precious metals since the 14th century. This is why it was historically so rich (before British imperialism). Such items (including the two medals I salvaged, shown and discussed elsewhwre) were on their way from Russia to India to becomr cheap silver jewlery to sell at outrageous prices to stupid Western tourists (pardon the redundancy). A local (New Delhi) medal dealer bought several kilos of these -- at random and out of curiosity, mostly mother heroine, other mother orders, and 1985 OPW 2s. Better, I guess, than using Victorian or even WWI medals for that tourist ruibbish.

After recent questions, I think we have earned an easy one as a holiday gift?

Yes, this is the way you see them in New Delhi, Shipped there as metal for melting.

Indeed. And perhaps another reason why the two senior (and normal) medals were by-passed in favour of this certificate?

But treason (? = assisting escaping POWs?) against THAT government? Seems worthy of award to me and maybe it did to the Brits as well?

I'm pretty sure this was a lower level award than the Courage/Service in the cause of Freedom medals, and easier to award to folks in non-allied countries who weren't part of any recognised resistance movement. The bilingual aspect is odd.

The WWI Indian medal cards were still maintained in the Army Medal Office (in New Delhi, of course) until the late 1970s. Unfortunately they were never transferred, as they should have been, to the National Archives of India. At that time, they were thrown out -- yes, just thrown out -- to make space in what was then, and still is, a working office. And no one was there to intercept the disposal or even knew it had taken place until after the fact. This sad tale just goes to show that records of historical importance should be freed from the clutches of working bureaucrats -- especially bureaucrats in uniform. Efforts are underway to get what ever else may still be in their dubious custody (or in the Ministry of Defence Historical Section) transferred into safe and competent hands. Some material has already been transferred to the National Archives and some to the Centre for Armed orces Historical Research (at the United Services Institution of India). So far as I know, nothing has yet emerged that would help you with your questions. Efforts are underway to collect the pre-1947 service records, extending back to WWI or earlier in some cases that still lie with the individual regiments (in variable states of repair and organisation) and get them scanned. This is a very long, very delicate, and very complex task, even with the nominal support of the current Chief of the Army Staff. For regiments that went to Pakistan in 1947 (like the 26th Punjabis and 51st Sikhs), this project won't help at all. No one seems to know what happened to their records, though the word "destruction" comes to mind. The CWGC's focus has not been much on Indians (as not many of them had "graves" anyway), but they might be able to respond to a written request (yes, a letter). They can do searches on their records that are not possible online. But their records for Indians are woefully incomplete, largely due to their funeral customs. Very little research can be done online in any field, but when it comes to Indians even less can be done than is possible for natives (of the British Isles).

. . . or some other undergarment . . . ??

Yes, I have seen similar Russian bidders at some of the London auctions. Just walk in, hold up their placard, unmoving, until the hammer falls, and then walk out.

Moscow Times, Wednesday, October 10, 2007. Issue 3761. Page 4. Putin Awards Shepherd a Hero of Russia Medal By Anna Smolchenko Staff Writer President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday bestowed the country's highest honor on a shepherd who saved 500 sheep from armed marauders and wildfires. Babu-Dorzho Mikhailov became the first shepherd ever to receive the Hero of Russia medal, which Putin presented to him in the Kremlin's ornate Yekaterininsky Hall, outshining dozens of artists, doctors and scientists who received lesser state honors. [...] http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/10/10/016.html You need a (paying) subscription -- which I don't have -- to access the whole thing. Nothing free in today's Russia? Anyone . . . ????

That was my sense as well, William. I was able to speak with him only briefly at OMSA, but I got the clear sense that he (even more so than the other NYC-area dealers) was mainly focusing on doing business back to The Motherland these days. Not sure any of us can "run with these big dogs".

Interesting, and interesting to see where they wind up.

There are some, I believe, in this sub-forum. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=24

Thanks, Dave. Whatever it is, this is one of the first contemporary Afghan medals to be put on record.

For the Medal of Ghazi Muhammad Ayub Khan see: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2350 and http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=12313&st=45 If the medal on the left is the traditional Afghan tricolored ribbon, then it may be the right one (looked Iraqi - black and red - to me). I'd be very susprised if the mount is correct. A lkot of stuff is invented for sale to the occupation forces. Let me squint and get dictionaries out on the reverse.

Thanks for these and for this detail. This is a new one, and an odd one. From the royalist pre-revolutionary period. I suspect teh ribbon is wrong. Let me check to see if I can find anything. The others I think you know and, yes, the ribbon on the Medal of Ghazi Muhammad Ayub Khan (on the right) is wrong.

I have heard that rumor as well. Word does get around, but the details are few and elusive. And it has always been the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend untrustwothy chain of sourcing.

Yes. The lowest recorded pinback is still 813 (with 788 the screwback high, so we have a narrow "window).

A little later, and I'd guess Afghanistan. Lots of coffins these days need to be of metal, and welded shut. For the same reasons.