Michael Johnson

I've always liked this medal. It is a fruitful source for further research, as most recipients went on to serve in the Second World War. I have found several Singapore casualties, and an I.O.M. winner for Italy (I foolishly parted with that one). I used to have to go through my paper copies of the Singapore Memorial Registers - collectors today don't know how lucky they are!

Lucky! Some years ago my wife asked me to go into an antique store as they "had some badges". I came away with a Canadian Militia pith helmet (admittedly in rough shape) with a beautiful 1908 Star plate to the 31st Battalion. For $35! I just wish I'd bought the Gras bayonet as well.

I'll have to scan my pair (L.S.G.C.) to the 1st "Scented Minstrel Horse". I was responsible for the updates on some of the I.G.S. and G.S.M. clasps in the last edition of Gordons, and added the C.I.H. for the Samana clasp.

I agree with you Ed, but name-erases WWI medals are a fact of life, and I doubt that one would command a higher price than a "native" named one.

There are other options: There are replicas of almost all British medals now. Buy one of these and have it named (I believe some of the suppliers even offer this service). Name-erased medals exist. Here you have the advantage of an original, but you aren't destroying anything that hasn't already been destroyed.

How should I put this? I find her - arresting

Here's my reasoning. This combination is possible without any war service, representing 30 years' service. But there were two major wars in this period. I've done my best with the MICs, but Jones is too common a name. But he wasn't with the Indian Army Reserve of Officers. He may have stayed at his job on the railway 1914-18 and not qualified for any medals. If he was Indian-domiciled (and many of the railwaymen were Eurasians), the only way he could qualify would be to leave India (unlike the Territorials, who got the BWM for overseas service). The situation 1939-45 is different. The Auxiliary Forces, India were embodied as the Defence of India Corps, and the railways were in line for at least the 1939-45 Star and War Medal. And I believe the BUrma Star was actually awarded for a short period for service in East Bengal.

[attachmentid=36190] Here's an Indian Volunteer group - medals bought from three separate dealers! It's almost certain he's missing some Second War medals, but I'm not so sure about the First War. J.E.R. Jones was with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Regiment, both 1st and 2nd Battalions. The Jubilee is engraved.

563 MICs for Broadhurst 23 Canadians (not all of whom may have made it overseas)

Well, if everyone who claimed to have been in the GPO received a medal there must be several hundred thousand of them out there (and the GPO must have occupied half of Dublin).

No, the plain green is correct for the Volunteer Long Service Medal. The fact that it is un-named is not a cause for concern, as they were issued un-named to British Volunteer units, although some units had them privately named. The VLSM continued to be issued in India until the introduction of the Efficiency Medal, and so they will be found with EVIIR and GVR obverses. In the U.K. it was superceded when the Volunteers became the Territorial Army in 1908. In the Dominions it was superceded by the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, also on the green ribbon.

Very high quality minis, then; I thought they were full-sized as well. And finding a named miniature like the QSA is quite uncommon, which is another reason we thought they were full-sized.

From what you say, I think I'm right, but check the "d" letter against this site Hallmarks "d" is the letter for 1919.

Since this is an early award it can be dated by checking out the hallmark against any standard silver guide. It probably will be 1919.

It's interesting that FEs went from a half-wing during the Second War to a full, after. Probably it was because the FEs ended up pulling so much second pilot time.

Larry, I served my time in the ranks - two summers at Old Fort York - that's why I got my Scouting position - I knew the drill! Peter and I have known each other since 1975 at university - he's my best friend. If you think we slag each other now, you should see some of the letters we sent each other back then.

There was a 166th (Newfoundland) Battery. R.A., but I don't think that they were connected with the Newfoundland Regt. The 166th served in Italy, and was part of one of the South African divisions for at least part of its service. (as usual the Sergeants don't have all the information ) Michael Johnson Lieutenant, 2nd Coy., Royal Newfoundland Regiment Scout Brigade of Fort George I'm down there with the Scouts each September (my avatar is me marching down the main street of NOL), so I'm interested in the pics as well.

While I can't say that there were floods, I seem to recall a fair number of Falklands medals being flogged shortly after issue. I think there were even some lists of "missing" medals published in Coin and Medal News.

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[attachmentid=35326] Next a plaque for UNFICYP in 1981 to Sgt. JHR (Ray) Morin. What is nice is that I have an UNDOF plaque to him for 1986-87, autographed by his mates - and one of them deals on eBay (I've gotten some nice peacekeeping items from him.) He sent me Morin's picture: [attachmentid=35327]

I have only two Videsh Seva Medals: Bar UAR to 9th Dogra (Rakhsha Medal, Videsh Seva, UNEF) Bar Congo to 3/1 Gorkha Rifles (who won a Param Vir Chakra there - Capt. Gurbachan Singh Salaria - posthumous). About 20 years ago Mark Sellar had a few groups and singles, but they were "common" bars.

I have also run across references to the Indian Grenadiers serving with the I.C.S.C. I wonder if they might have been less likely to have spent time in J-K than the Dogras, and thus no Sainya Seva Medal. Certainly if he was an OR or JCO I would expect a 9 Year Long Service. Yes, I would dearly love to have the full-size group, but I couldn't afford it!

[attachmentid=35255] Here is a miniature group from India, for a serviceman who served in the I.C.S.C. as well. It is interesting because of a number of anomalies: The clasps on the Samanya Seva Medal and Videsh Seva Medal are in English, not Hindi. This might indicate that the recipient was not a native Hindi speaker, perhaps from South India. There was a lot of resentment at the Indian government's attempt to make Hindi the one official language. There is no "Pakistan 1965" clasp to the Samanya Seva Medal. It is probably the "Kutch-Kargil 1965" clasp (see Ed's site Kutch Kargil 1965 for the full-size bar.) The Videsh Seva Medal should have the Lions of Ashoka on the obverse. This one has three waves and what looks like a life preserver - hardly auspicious for the "Overseas" Medal! He also served in the 1965 war with Pakistan (Samar Seva Star and Rakhsha Medal). The I.C.S.C. Medal ends the group.

[attachmentid=35254] Following on from the previous Vietnam thread, here is a plaque to Sgt. G. Bedard, who was serving with the I.C.S.C. M.C.C.D. stands for "Military Component of the Canadian Delegation". Bedard was with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, which at this date was Logistics, although the R.C.O.C. badge was worn for some time into the 1970s. I also have several pewter and brass mugs to him: L/Cpl Fort Churchill 1956, two for UNEF, and ends up as a Sergeant at Valcartier in 1972. They show his original service number and his later S.I.N. number. The plaque has the Canadian and Polish flags and the Lions of Ashoka of India, representing the three nations (one western, one communist, one non-aligned) that made up the I.C.S.C.

There were a number of Labour Corps. That in the British Army qualified for the silver British War Medal and the Victory Medal if they served in a theatre of operations. Many of them were transfers from "fighting units" on account of age or health. If I recall, there was a Chinese Labour Corps, a Maltese Labour Corps, an Indian Labour Corps, an Arab and Persian Labour Corps, an Egyptian Labour Corps, an East African Labour Corps, and probably more. The MIC lists about 488,000 recipients.