Ed_Haynes

Nepali medals are issued unnamed. This removes most of the fun. They are, in fact, obtained from local military tailors ("cap houses") by simply taking in your old medals and swapping them for a new group with more recent medals added in (for a modest upgrade fee). Your old medals are then recycled to the next customer who needs them. The major shops in Kathmandu that deal with these have almost any group you care to think of already made up and in stock. The usual price is N Rs. 30 (around US $0.48) per medal. It is my understanding that these go on eBay rather higher than that? This group: 1- King Birendra Coronation Medal, 1972 2- King Gyanendra Coronation Medal, 2002 3- Paradesa Seva Padak / Foreign Service Medal 4- Sainik Dirgha Seva Patta / Military Long Service Medal 5- Sainik Seva Padak / Military Service Medal 6- South Asia Regional Council Service Medal 7- UN, UNIFIL (as Kevin said) Other than the first medal, everything is very very common.

Welcome back. Looking forward to it, Bob. For all the 'normal [abnormal] reasons' plus the fact that my father-in-law's family was from Vitsebsk.

It is fascinating how all these circles close and how people largely forgotten become remembered through our phaleristic researches.

Thanks! This is all fantastically interesting and delightfully confusing. Thanks, again, I think, "922F" (whoever you may mysteriously be).

Hmmmmmm . . . . . Make NA/PRO richer and get his MIC. My "gut" says there's a tale to tell. But damn artillery! At least we can focus on the 1st Northumbrian Brigade, R.F.A. (thanks, Graham!).

All three with the same number? Have you gotten his MIC?? (Missing SWB?) What is the naming (verbatim) on each?

Thanks, Hugh. Just (more) evidence as to why we all need to learn languages!

Right. Duih. Should have know that. Not sure a Eucalypt wouldn't have enough out-gassing to cause problems as well.

I don't entirely understand the chemistry (or the botany?), but oak is also bad, high acid or something. Mahogany? Some place I have a long piece on that. Let me look.

Not really caring much about Nazi awards, I'll have to look. I remember an article or two in JOMSA years ago. Let me see what I can find. The same sorts of "Cossack" awards that are emerging today, in post-Soviet times.

The cedar could potentially be a problem in terms of damage to medals, as could any veneer (what has it been glued on with?). We have problems that entomologists do not (my wife is one). Likewise, getting a cabinet previously used by entomologists would be a serious problem, as the chemicals they use to kill pests on their specimens do severe damage to medals, especially silver (British) ones. Most of the pretty woods have chemical issues, leaving only ugly metal. I hope to get getting banks of map cabinets for my collection.

More likely these are some of the various "Cossack" decorations created by and for Nazi collaborators.

No. And, here, I do not even remotely know the meaning of "finition". Please, let us stay a forum of "gentlemen".

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(1988_film)

A nice presentation. Many thanks!

Interesting. And if you explore -- by adding and subtracting from the final html = 10411 and such -- you'll see other weird and wonderful things, even without being able to read the language.

These badges are pretty widely faked, aren't they?

To respond to my own request, just two claspless examples: 1- "3960 COOK LALL BEHARIE. ARMY HOSP: C." -- he qualified for Orange Free State, Transvaal, and Defence of Ladysmith, but the roll (oddly) is annotated "No clasps authorised for issue with the silver medal". 2- "2181 SOWAR MAL SINGH. 1st C. INDIA H." -- who actually qualfied for Orange Free State and Transvaal, but may never have gotten them.

Good post, Geoff. There are so many intricacies to the clasp qualifications for this conflict (which was expected to be so quick and so easy, and so WASN'T either of these). The claspless ones, the "SA 01" and "SA 02" on the QSA, etc. It is so complex and contraidtory that it almost makes me wish there was more sphere for my collecting interests there. However, this sort of thing isn't easy to discuss in the abstract. Any claspless QSAs for presentation, consideration, and discussion? I have some Indian Army awards (of course), but the Indian Army role there was so odd that I'm not sure we can take any more exceptions around this larger question. I am let to wonder, though, as to how many "claspless" QSAs are simply manifestations of the fact that the clasps were sent out to the recipients two or three years after the medals had been awarded. In many cases, the clasps were ignored, in others they were just slipped onto the ribbon and have gone missing in the intervening decades. How many "claspless" medals have just lost their clasps?

Interesting group, Doc. Is there any reverse annotation on the WWI transmittal slip where it was sent? In trying to narrow him down, there are SOOOO many "Thomas Johnson"s on the CWGC that any additional information would help. There is, for example, a: 3 JOHNSON, THOMAS Civilian 14/03/1941 62 Civilian War Dead United Kingdom GLASGOW CITY, SCOTLAND The only other pure civilians listed are aged 12 and 71. Will be interesting to see his MIC too. And maybe, just maybe, there are service records surviving.

I suspect, following the Soviet pattern, such commemorative medals would have been worn, by civilians and military types alike. An award to a foreign friend -- like this one -- wasn't on the usual pentagonal suspension, though. Interesting. Compare: http://www.medals.org.uk/bulgaria/peoples-...garia-pr037.htm http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2740

Thanks, JC!

Yes, you will find a number of Yemeni medals up (and more to come) over at http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14992

See some of the threads over here http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=127 ??

Oops. But at least it is (now) legal to sell.