Ed_Haynes

Sorry for the terseness. Dealing with insanity of pending foreign trip PLUS likely looming major computer failure which I DO NOT NEED.

I associate -- am I wrong -- the enemel ribbon and pinback on these awards with the later varieties. Ref. Battushig p. 61.

A.37.1 - real ribbon, screwback, engraved number - he shows #7693 (or something like that)

A.37.2 - pinback, pinback, engraved number - he shows #18549

A.37.3 - enamel ribbon, pinback, engraved number - he shows #11556 (??)

A.37.4 - enamed ribbon, pinback, no number, patterned reverse

So this seems to be a A.37.3. The orders went pinbacked in 1970, so I mispoke by saying post-socialist (typing without Battushig in hand and thinking only in fragments), but this'd be a post-1970 award by analogy?

And the current (post-socialist) variety?

Even though I reject Santa and All His Works, an early Holiday Goody just arrived.

Order of Industrialization Valor (1940-45)

#1077

And visions of what danced in their heads?!

What seems to be difficult to find out is any awards of the Republican side! I believe this is beacause there were so many semi autonomous groups that comprised the Republican side there was not a lot of "fascist" standardization of uniforms medals etc. Is there a book on this with pics? Anyone have any Republican items? For that matter is there a good book about Falange items?

Best, Sal

Agreed, Sal. I'm very interested in these, but I find all the focus on the "victors" to disguise the other side of the coin. Only with the international volunteers can much be found. I suspect the oppression of the Franco years drove anyone with republican connections (or items) into silence or exile (at best).

Hope to learn otherwise ....

Ed

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However frustrating this technolgy may be, when you see one of these transcontinental conversations and information exchanges take place, it rather renews one's faith in the Evil Technology. It is amazing what it allows us to do . . . !!

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Second badge was that of the Spanish ex-combatants of the SCW.

To clarify, ". . . the Spanish nationalist/fascist ex-combattants . . . ." Obviously not for the republican/loyalist forces.

Without the research and historical interpretation, this would be a lovely group. With it, the "man behind the medals", his time and his history, all come alive. It is the effort at understanding the individual bits of paper, at piecing these together into the story of a life, that makes this such a powerful slice of history. And all of this comes together to make these medals more than just pretty pieces of metal, enamel, and cloth. Bravo!

Thank you Rick!

Nice stuff, thanks for sharing!

Yes, Chris, there is probably a guy somewhere who understands it, a, one!

Yes, please, can anyone explain this medal. There was an effort, only partially successful, in the JOMSA some time back and while it sparked my interest it untimately just confused me more. We need more on French medals! Please....

I fear that like most States, the UN knows very little about their own medals. I agree totally with Hendrik's analysis that this is an unofficial bar, and I suspect basis Chris' evidence that there are a lot of them around.

Beyone the legitimate bars (O.S.G.A.P., CONGO, UNGOMAP, etc.) and the true swamp of bars for the U.N. Special Service Medal, I think there are a lot more yet to be discovered. Curiously, the U.N. seems not to realise that these bars exist (ref. my long and untimately fruitless quest for my UNAMA clasp -- I use the AFGHANISTAN bar of the Canadians, as do most UNAMA folks).

Thanks for adding one more data point (however unofficial) in the UN medal list!

Core?

The Hard Core?!

See, for a start:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2450

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2331

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2400

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3510

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2854

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2851

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2784

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2785

Enough already?!

If you can take any more, try:

http://sagongs.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=38

I hope to know more in a week or so, but I am told that efforts are underway to retain his medals and memory in-country, but -- as in most places -- historical consciousness is shallow in today's India and tends to get all wrapped up in jingoistic patriotism.

And one more . . .

And yet another . . .

Very nice Bob!

Merry Christmas!!!

Very nice Walter . . .

And another . . .

Another . . .

While it may be overly capitalist and bourgeois, . . .

. . . best wishes to all!

When, and how, and by whom, would the conversion from screw-backed to pentagonally-suspended have taken place? Might we not rightly anticipate all dimensions (". . . of sight and sound . . . ") of weirdness in this conversion process?

Shown here before, but mine now . . . .

What is the "plausible tale" lying behind this group??

You have seen this before, but I am very proud of this one -- obviously.

And, since you folks always like to see the backsides, er, back sides, er, um, rears . . . .

Each and every forum has its own character.

While I have posted many examples from my own collection on other threads, I shall post here a few items that are more "core" to the evolved focus of this forum. Some of these you may have seen before; I apologize. They are now in my custody for a few years yet. Some of these may be fairly pedestrian for many of you; I apologize. Still, I like them, and they have a loving home. For me and my collection, they represent the "exotic" fringe; this is a fact of life.

I welcome any and all commentary . . . .

Welcome Vadim!!

Ed Haynes

What English equivalent rankings are "Subadars...etc?"

Oh, this is hard. The VCOs fell below all KCOs (King's Commissioned Officers -- almost all of whom until WWII were, by policy, Europeans) but above NCOs and ORs (all Indian).

As a rough equivalent, the rank badges display something:

Subadar Major wore a crown on shoulder straps

Subadar wore two stars on shoulder straps

Jemadar wore one star on shoulder straps

(I have used generic infantry ranks, cavalry was different.)

As an example:

IO-24563 Jemadar Rajpal Singh, MC, 9th Royal Deccan Horse

Enrolled 14 May 1937

Driver MT Class I

Armament Course - grade Q-1

English 1st class

Jemadar 24 Oct 1942

F.S.C.A. from 1 October 1944 to 22 October 1945

Discharged 11 May 1946 (medical board, exemplary character)

Although the group is entirely unnamed (!), it came direct from the family with a good bit of documentation, including the photographs shown. The group also includes his ribbon bar, jemadar's stars, and a wound stripe. The unnamed medals are almost certainly the result of his early medical discharge (on account of wounds discussed below?) and a "hurry up" on the issue of campaign medals to a gallantry award winner? Strange he only got a MC rather than an IOM, but . . . ??

1- Military Cross, George VI, first variety, 1945

MC action of 21/28 May 1945, Burma, London Gazette, 20 September 1945, p. 4677. The recommendation:

"On the MAWCHI rd on 21 May 45 Jem RAJPAL SINGH was leading the tp being used in sp of the inf. Advancing, his tank was hit by a 47 mm AP shell. He was ordered by the Tp Comd to withdraw but having seen the flash he held his ground knowing he would be unable to locate it if he went back to cover. His rapid fire then forced the crew to abandon the gun. A 75 mm then opened fire and this he silenced with a direct hit. During this enaggement his tk was hit five times, one jamming the cupola and fracturing the periscope. This action enabled inf to adv and three guns were captured.

"On 28 May he was loading with a coy of 4 GR. One of his guns jammed but rather than hold up the adv he pressed on but was hit five times by the enemy guns destroying the tk and killing the crew. The Jem. escaped with severe burns.

"This Jemadars courage and steadiness has been a very fine example to all."

2- 1939-45 Star

3- Burma Star

4- The War Medal, 1939-45 (medal mounted reversed)

5- The India Service Medal, 1939-45

And a "before" and "way after" photo of the man.