Ed_Haynes

Because only then Gilbert will get a result, as the civil Lenins are not in the Military Archives.

Gerd

No, but they can sometime, eventually, be traced anyway, even without the booklet.

Fingers crossed for a military and not civilian one!

Why??????????

Thanks, would appreciate this.

I have a ton of photographs of things not in my collectoion and need to struggle with the ethics of posting them.

To get us back on, or even "toward", the topic, I suspect all nations, in times of war, exaggerate and "stretch" when it comes to writing up awards recommendations. Anyone who writes up someone else for an award obviously wants to see them get that award. And, as anyone over the age of six knows, not everyone who deserves awards gets them, and not all who get them deserve them; whining aside, this is just the way the system works, always has, always will. Most awards recommendations are intended for internal, contemporaneous, bureaucratic circulation only and were not intended to be "propaganda" (a slippery value-laden term of undetermined meaning). This is why it is so difficult for a researcher to access recommendations; they were never intended to be public documents. In extraordinary cases of heroism, where the individual was later marked (by the government) to be put forward to the public, through the media, as a model for emulation, the public relations guys get to work their "special magic" on the recommendation to dress it up for public consumption. And this may entail adding a final zero onto the body count or exggerating in other ways as the internal recommendation becomes a press release. None of this should detract from the real heroism that often lies behind these accounts, but when the deeds of a hero are repackaged to motovate the public during time of war, some "marketing spin" always takes place. For recent examples, glance at the Medal of Honor or Victoria Cross recommendations coming out of Iraq.

The name in Arabic transliterates as Wisam al-Satahaqaq al-Suri (sorry, I can't figure out how to do on-screen Arabic the way Dave does). That is the real name. The usual English translation is, indeed, the "Order of Civil Merit". I guess Russians can tralslate the name however they wish, as could the Japanese or Indians or anyone else?

This habitual English name (used by the Syrians too) distinguished this awards from the Wisam al-Sharif al-?Askari / Order of Military Honor.

The Wisam al-Satahaqaq al-Suri is, of course, the successor to the French-era award which we call in English the Honor Medal of Syrian Merit.

I'm not sure what your question was, but I hope I have answered it.

Some nasty scans and limited information. Let me see if I can do better.

And the bronze pinback badge for the same occasion.

Medal for the Coronation of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuk

Druk Gyalpo [King] Jigme Singye Wangchuk (b. 1955, r. 21 July 1972 --, crowned only in 1974).

The medal is not uncommon, but not often seen with suspension bar and ribbon. It is believed to have been issued in gold as well.

While this seems the same as what Antonio shows as the first medal in http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15085&st=3 above, what I show is the real thing.

Dragpol Wangyal

I have no information other than a very poor image. This is the same as what Antonio has shown as the second item in http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15085&st=4 above.

Assumption of Power Medal

Issued in November 1909 to commemorate the assumption of power of Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck two years earlier. (Or was it issued in 1907?) It seems to have been awarded on and off until his death in 1926 as a kind of good service medal.

Established: 1909. Believed to have been manufactured by Benson (London, England).

Obverse: Circular medal, the facing bust of Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck, surrounded by a Tibetan legend. Suspended by a loop ornamemented with a demon (?).

Reverse: A depiction of a Bhutanese building, presumably a palace (?).

Outline:

• Gold (7 awarded)
• Silver (120 awarded) - shown
• Bronze (2 awarded)

Drakpoi Thugsey

Seems to be asort of distinguished service award. Known to have been awarded to Indian officers after 1947.

Royal Order

The Royal Order of Bhutan: founded by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk in 1966. Awarded in three classes and one medal. This may be in some way related to the mysterious "Drak Jong Thusay", known to have been created by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk in 1939 and to have been presented (rather freely?) at the celebration of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk?s Silver Jubilee in June 1999.

Ribbon: White center, flanked by red which fades outward toward the edges to orange and finally into yellow at the edges.

Outline:

• first class ? sash and sash badge (worn over ??? shoulder)
• second class ? neck badge (shown)
• third class ? breast badge
• medal ? ?service ribbon??

Interesting that, while they make them, they don't seem to know what they are for!

Nice and mysterious images, thanks.

No one, not even the Bhutan embassy in New Delhi, seems to know much.

Will give what I know.

This will go FAR beyond what I have up at http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals/bhutan.html

Look forward to the research! Nice one.

OK, this can get complex. I'd like to avoid, for a while, the Nishan Iftikar (and predecessors and successors). OK?

M?daille militaire / Military Medal

The Tunisian analogue to the French M?daille militaire.

Established: Law No. ??? of ??? (8 December 1955) and Law No. 58-129 of 9 Djoumada I 1378 (21 November 1958).

Obverse: Circular silver, with wreath-like edges. In an Arabesque design in the center, the Tunisian coat of arms. Below, the Arabic legend. Suspended by an elaborate suspender incorporating symbols of the branches of service.

Reverse: Within an Arabnesque design, an Arabic legend.

Ribbon: Pale green with a wide red stripe in the center and thin red stripes toward each edge.

Medal of the National People?s Army

Also referred to as the ?General Service Medal?.

Established: By Law No. 86-04 of 11 February 1986. Modified by Law No. 87-117 of 8 August 1987.

Obverse: Circular, 37 mm. A trophy of arms surrounded by a laurel wreath.

Reverse: Possibly an engraved number, though not seen on all specimens?

Ribbon: 37 mm, solid azure blue. The two military medals bear a chevron or chevrons on the ribbon.

Outline:

military division:

• second chevron ? Oxidized bronze, awarded to those military personnel with twenty five years of service and in possession of the first chevron. The ribbon is impressed with a double gold chevron, point down. (Shown below)
• first chevron ? Bright bronze, awarded to those military personnel with fifteen years of service. The ribbon is impressed with a gold chevron, point down.

Medal of the Friends of the Algerian Revolution

Awarded to foreign nationals who supported the struggle of the Algerian people for freedom and independence.

Established: By Law No. 87-13 of 30 June 1987.

The ribbon may be reversed?

Nice one, Dave!

A photo from last summer.

The first one Dave shows is a puzzle. (1) Maybe the "1000" is the 1000 Rials it may once have sold for? (2) The medal is the same Order of War Wounded I have shown. (3) But the ribbon doesn't match; I thought I had notes on this ribbon, but need to look more.

The second is easier:

Order of the Earth'

Awarded for agriculture.

This is a nice one, Dave. Have information, but have never seen an illustration this clear.

Wisam al-Herb / Order of War

Awarded to the army for acts of bravery in war or in the cause of national security.. This has also been termed the ?War Medal?.

Established: 2 June 1948

My sense of this as a rough CdG equivalent coincides with yours.

It looks to me like it has either undergone serious and drastic repairs . . . or that something else has happened. Personally, I'd give this one a wide berth, awaiting one that seemed either better preserved and/or more legitimate.

A thread on these was started over at

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15012

look in there, as it is VERY good!

For pre-Republican, Ottoman, awards see the

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15012

sub-forum.

As this thread started us out and has now largely been replaced, I'll be doing some "housecleaning", keeping relevant discussion and things not yet cross-posted.

Not much published (though there may be things in French?), and only a little online:

http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals/tunisia.html

http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Tunisia/orders.htm

http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=613

http://www.medals.org.uk/tunisia/tunisia.htm

http://www.netdialogue.com/yy/Africa/Tunisia/Tunisia.htm

http://www.coleccionesmilitares.com/cintas/cintasaf.htm#t and click on Tunisia