RobW

A nice New Zealand Navy group of 8: * Distinguished Service Cross. * 1939-45 Star. * Burma Star (with silver rosette denoting Pacific bar). * Defence Medal. * British War Medal 1939-45. * New Zealand Service Medal 1939-45. * Korea Medal 1950-53. * United Nations Korea Service Medal 1950-54. Regards, Rob

Group of 7: * 1939-45 Star. * Africa Star. * Pacific Star. * Defence Medal (Service in the Northern Territory of Australia, or the Middle East, east of the Suez Canal, or Malaya prior to 8 December 1941). * British War Medal 1939-45. * Australia Service Medal 1939-45. * United Nations Korea Service Medal 1950-54. (This could be issued for service in the area post-armistice 1953 period or if attached to the UN). Interestingly the ribbon bar screws are actually screwed threads with triangle shaped attachments.

A group of 4: * 1939-45 Star. * Pacific Star. * British War Medal 1939-45. * Australia Service Medal 1939-45. This ribbon bar group is regularly seen and indicates an Australian serviceman who served in the Pacific theatre of war.

A trio of: * British War Medal 1939-45. * Australia Service Medal 1939-45. * Efficiency Medal. This group indicates both pre-war reserve or territorial service as well as home service inside Australia during the war.

To all, As there doesn't appear to be a lot of ribbon bars from the antipodes on the forums here are a couple of ribbon bars from Australia and New Zealand. Descriptions and explanations will be posted with the pics. The first of 5 ribbon bars. A pair of: *British War Medal 1939-45. *Australia Service Medal 1939-45. This pair indicates home service in Australia only and no operational service outside of Australia. More to follow. Regards, Rob

Hello Noor, Nice pics. Any humble collection has to start somewhere. That is the interesting thing about the vic series; there is always something to collect considering the large number of countries involved and the corresponding number of different strikes and varieties. The bonus of vics from the Commonwealth countries (Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa) was that the medals were named which makes researching them all the more enjoyable. Regards, Rob

To all, To change direction a little, here is a Portugal unofficial type 2 vic. In Mr Laslo's reference book it is described as the 'cracked die' variety. Note the cracks in the obverse design running from approximately the 5 o'clock position (as viewed) through the legs of victory and running upwards toward and parallel to the left hand and wing of victory. These cracks end at around the 10 o'clock position. The planchet is quite thin. Regards, Rob

Hello Bosungus, To further illustrate here is a US vic with a reproduction type FRANCE clasp in Navy format. These reproduction type clasps are recognisable by the pebbled background and uneven rope loops on the edges. The original strikes have a smooth background. Regards, Rob

And the Medal of Military Merit Regards, Rob

Here is the reverse of the War Cross.

Hello Nicholas, You are correct again. On the reverse of both medals is the marks of: L.Süe (Sculptor) A.A.Rivaud (Designer) Salonique 1917 Pics of the reverse to follow. Regards, Rob

Hello Bosungus, As has been indicated in post #332 the Army service clasps were all eventually authorised for duty ashore in the relevant areas under certain timeframes. The point that needs to be made is that these country (service) clasps that were authorised for Navy & Marine Corps personnel were of the Army format and hence would be the same as the regular service clasps issued to Army personnel. As the Navy adopted a one clasp only rule, only one such clasp, either Navy format or Army format if qualified, could be worn. While it is not unusual to see combined Army & Navy clasp combinations this is usually seen in the form of a Navy AVIATION clasp and an Army battle or engagement clasp. While it would not be unusual to see a Navy or Marine Corps medal with an Army service clasp I would suggest that it would be rare as the permission to wear such Army clasps was approved quite a few years after the conclusion of the Great War (First World War). It would be expected that the majority of Navy & Marine Corps personnel would have already been awarded their medal with corresponding Navy clasp so would not have needed to apply for an Army clasp at a much later date. Of course this does not discount the possibility of a later re-issue or replacement medal being requested that may have had such a combination, or the fact that a veteran simply put the clasps he felt he was entitled to on his medal. There are numerous other examples of unofficial strikes of Army clasps, in the Navy rope bordered format seen in the market. Regards, Rob

Thanks Ulsterman, I have sent an e-mail request to the Ribbon Bank Manager, so we will see what transpires. Regards, Rob

And followed by: Medal of Military Merit, 3rd class, with bronze wreath. As can be seen in this example much of the bronzing on the wreath has worn off. Hope they are of use for comparison. Regards, Rob

Here is the: War Cross, 2nd class, with second award silvered star Regards, Rob

Hello Noor, I do have some full size medals with the according ribbon devices, which would correspond with the same ribbon bar devices you have illustrated. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can comment. Pics to follow. Regards, Rob

To one and all, I recently picked this Greek-Bulgarian War Medal 1913 as part of a larger Greek group. I intend to remount the group in a court mount style, as per other Greek Army groups from the period, and am looking for a 12 inch piece of original silk ribbon for this medal. Could any of the fellow forum members point me in the right direction so I may be able obtain some of this ribbon?? Thanks in advance for any help. Regards, Rob

Here is another recent arrival. It has been tentatively attributed to the French manufacturer, located in Paris, M. Delande although this has yet to be confirmed. It has a different suspension ring, being totally round and not elongated as is usually seen on the more common strikes. It has a slightly thicker planchet and a much darker bronze finish. There are minor obverse & reverse variations compared to the other strikes, as well as being suspended by a thicker weaved ribbon. Hope it is of use to others for comparison. Regards, Rob

To all, As alluded to in post # 24 here is another box with the dates printed horizontally across the middle. It is of the same plain pasteboard type construction as before. Although it may not appear evident from the scan the box is of a light blue colour. Regards, Rob

To all, Here is a close-up of the obverses of the cross'. It clearly shows the differences in the detail of the crowns. Regards, Rob

And the reverses. Regards, Rob

To all, Further to a number of earlier posts here are two of my Belgian Croix de Guerre (1940) that appear to be different in a number of areas. Notwithstanding the different ribbons and palms, I believe the differences are: * the crown on the model on the right appears to be much wider than that on the left. * numerous smaller differences in cut-outs on the top of the crown as well as differences in the jewels on the base. * a smaller gap on the suspender on the top arm. * larger balls on the ends of the arms on the model on the right. * thicker hilts and details on the swords. * differences in the royal monogram as well as the circle and ring on the reverse. While it is not immediately noticeable the model on the left has a flat base metal while the model on the right has a slightly dimpled effect on the arms. I am leaning toward the belief that the model on the left is an earlier WW2 production while the model on the right is of a later production. I would appreciate any thoughts from those with more experience than I. Pics of the reverse to follow. Regards, Rob

To all, To close the loop on an earlier entry regarding a reprint of the Battle Participation reference, there is also a reprint of the Final Report by General Pershing. This publication is a reprint of the original May 1920 War Department issue, and was produced by the University of Michigan Library. It is available through amazon for US $ 20. Here is a pic of the cover for reference. Regards, Rob

Hello Noor, This is definitely the place for that ribbon bar. These prototype allied victory medal ribbons were quite often seen on the uniforms of British and Commonwealth troops' uniforms during the victory parade in London in 1919. I have also seen examples with just the British War and early victory medal as seen below. It is a nice side-point in a victory medal collection especially as the ribbon in question was later replaced by the all to familiar rainbow variety. Regards, Rob

Hello Noor, Good to see someone other than the usual suspects on this thread. While the medal has seen better days at least it can be attributed to an individual. Formed in 1919 during the North Russian campaign against the Bolsheviks after the war, the Slavo British Legion had a somewhat interesting history including mutinies and murdering of their British officers. Awards to the Slavo British Legion were accordingly not that prevalent so it is a nice example despite the wear. Regards, Rob