peter monahan

Just being a pill, Noor. Don't mind me.

'A pansy, resting on its laurels', as I once heard it described!

Yes, part of the relics of colonialism, though when I was there in the early '80s mosty of the Army officers I met had trained in the US - many at Ft Knox. I suspect, thought I've never checked, that early post-independence medals and awards were designed and struck in the UK and certainly the rank structure and so on mimc the British, as do most Commonwealth forces.

I suspect he was 'injured'. I hope he was 'insured' as well! One of the "Local Boys", the 70 men from my area whose names are on the 3 local war memorials, signed on for the RAF in Toronto, Canada and did some training at Camp Borden, just up the road from me, before going to the UK. He was injured in the crash of a 2 seater on a training mission on November 9 and died on November 11, 1918, one of two men from here who died that day.

The 'cockerel' is one of a number of badges of France, with the Liberty Cap, Fleu-de-Lis and so on. Given that it is silver and the general outline, I'd guess this is a piece of patriotic [civilian] jewelry, akin to a sweetheart pin, but that's just a guess. The shape is a bit odd for a military badge, IMO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallic_rooster

Very impressive indeed! Thanks for sharing and good luck in researching this man.

Mount Forest is just up the road from me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Campbell He was 48 at the time of his deed and death - 4 days apart. Medals went to widow, living in Mount Forest, but his address was given as 'Toronto', amended to 'Detroit' at some point. OTOH, apparently Lord Ashcroft bought his VC in 2017 and the web site shows a group: QSA, trio and VC. So, possibly not the same 'F.W. Campbell. There are 5 Frederick William Campbells in the Cdn records, two of them officers. http://www.lordashcroftmedals.com/collection/frederick-william-campbell-vc/

WWI or WWII?

Not my field at all, but apparently Steyr of Austria produced 200,000 Gras bayonets for the French Army, so my guess is that the 'B' indicates 'Bayonne' [ie: French made] and LJ the initials of the company. But just a WAG.

Lovely! Always gratifying when a singleton medal turns out to have such a wonderful history attached. Well done!

Top notch!

Interesting. Thank you form sharing this, Antonio.

'OPERATION ZAMAN LAFIYA' is bugging the heck out of me! My very very rusty Hausa vocabulary and the use of several Hausa English dictionaries suggest that this phrase translates as either 'zama' [to be] & 'lafiya' [happy, well] with the 'n' on 'zaman' being a grammatical form which connects the two words OR 'zaman' [war/conflict] & 'lafiya' [happy, well]. Lafiya is a common greeting in Hausa common greeting in answer to a series of formal questions: 'How is your work? Lafiya. 'How is your tiredness?' Lafiya. etc. So, it seems to translate as 'Operation Happy War' or 'Operation Being Happy/ Happiness'. Which seems to suggest that the Nigerian federal army, like many others, has a department devoted to producing silly and undignified code names for military operations! I can't say I care much for the colour scheme on the medal either, but thanks very much for sharing it, Antonio.

Clearly, other than the 'welcome', I should have stayed out of this one! Showcased my ignorance nicely, didn't I? If I'd started by establishunbg that it is a Royal Mint issue, that would have informed my opinion considerably on the naming. Opps! But you're still very welcome!

Harold Just wanted to say welcome to the GMIC. I'm afraid I have nothing to offer on the medal - a fairly obscure collecting area, if I may say so - but hope some of the membership will be able to help. I did collect Indian Army medals at one point and can say that variations in the naming style with those often indicated a later issue or a second mint doing the work but rarely an outright fake. For what it's worth. Peter

I don't believe that WWII medal rolls are available for the UK or Commonwealth nations as general information, but one can write to the archives in question - Canada, UK, etc. - and some in formation is released to relatives of soldiers who served. Not sure of the details, as it's not an area I know much about. Peter

I don't think so, Demir. The various foreign troops recruited into the Wehrmacht and subsumed into the SS late in the war had their own sleeve and shoulder patches but I'm pretty sure they wore standard Wehrmacht/SS buttons on standard tunics.

Hoping someone else would have ideas on this. But apparently not. While it's generally not done to shill for other sites, 'S.A. Gongs' may have the answers if you'd care to go there and join up. It's founder is immensely knowledgeable about Indian medals, including post-47 and princely states stuff.

My thoughts were very like Chris's. [Scary, eh, Chris!] Lest We Forget.

A copy of an immensely popular, salable and widely 'fiddled with/faked' Fairburn - Sykes knife. The original had a tang which ran through the handle and was secured with a brass nut at the pommel. You can see this in one of the photos on the site Simon cites. The originals are longer, slimmer and better made than this looks to be. OTOH, thousands were sold out of the UK after WWII so it is inevitable, I think, that other makers took it as a pattern. Nice, quirky piece, provided you didn't pay a 'FS Commando knife; price for it.

His records of service may well be available from the British authorities, as they do have many/most of the 19th century stuff. The National Archives have a whole section on researching such things, but the online links are to findmypast.co.uk, who will cheerfully let you pay them to join and do research in their very extensive files. Less helpful, unless you get really involved, are the India Office records: https://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/afghanistan/afghanistancollection/1878to1880/sources1878to1880.html

And Major Gordon's British Battles and Medals confirms that the 2/11th were one of the infantry regiments who qualified for this bar.

The heraldic term for the pelican shown is 'a pelican in her piety' and, as Nick says, is a symbol of selfless sacrifice: when no other food is available the female will pierce her own breast and nourish her young with her blood. This symbol is commonly seen in Catholic churches - on altar cloths and in paintings - and, I suspect may be important in other denominations too. A really nice piece and a fascinating look into another time!

The dove of peace is a nice touch! Not subtle, mind, but maybe effective? Or would recruits for la Legion be the type who bought stamps? Peter

He served with the 48th Overseas Battery, at Millford Camp, before being discharged [late July, 1917] to take a commission in the Imperial Army and I think his previous service with the RGA was 18 years, or so one document says. Here are his CEF records up to the end of July/17. 33 when he enlisted. A shoo-in for a commission and an instructor's role in England, IMHO. http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B8542-S016