khorgor

wow! very nice! never seen or heard of it before. don't suppose you might hint at where you got it? :-)

Hi mate, Thank you for your input. Kind of disappointing to see that site was completely off the ball what the medal was. But the good news is that I didn't buy it there. Got it off ebay for much less than that luckily. Also disappointing that I got a new medal that is non-military. Kind of a double strike really :-) but alas, its all new info for some members, so glad to contribute

thats a great and very cool collar!!

Hi Gavin. Been wondering where you went :-). Great buy. Such a beautiful award

holy gees mate. that collection must of cost you a fortune. congrats on such a wonderful collection!!! good luck to you in the future for finding the two hero awards for this grand fellow

Hi Gavin, Just wanted to say that even with all the bad news, you still have purchased a beautiful medal. and even if the medal did not belong to your man, I just wanted to welcome you properly to the world of researching. Just think what it will be like when you get a proper match it. It shall be a glorious achievement. Enjoy your medal and good luck for the future

hi gavin. the thai cabinet is always a book mark for me as a thai collector and a post mark of to buy list :-D thanks for putting it up though #edit# I would also like to say thankyou for having a look around for me. unfortuantely, crowns and elephants are the usual parcel and through delaers they are quite expensive to boot Hi Paul, thank you very much for your input. I definately know where I can get unissued's, but still not sure if its from a official supplier. I still need to figure out if the proper version is real diamonds or just simulated.....

hi gavin, thanks for the help. here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratana_Varabhorn_Order_of_Merit

thanks kapten. I'll give that a go and apologies for wrong section. I swear I clicked on south east..... my bad. sorry!!

Morning all. The R.V. order is currently at the top of my list of must have for my collection. I see it as a wonderful order and very beautiful. I was hoping if any thai collectors here know where I can get one. I would prefer a older version of around war time period, but certaintly DO NOT WANT jeweller copies or non-awarded versions. and just to clarify... I can't go to thailand to buy one. :-) thanks to all and any who can supply help in this area. I have only seen one come up for sale (evil-bay) which was from a seller who is known for jeweller copies and non-issued orders.

hang on wait... you have this??? holy gees dude!!! congrats on such a supurb item!!!! congrats!!!

oh you gotta be kidding me. hahha thats amazing mate. what a great pick up!!!!! I dearly hope I can see these in the flesh myself sometime :-)

Thanks all Dr claw, that German frame was originally for my rising sun collection However, until I get more suns, my research project gets a spot :-D

Hi Mervyn, thanks for your comments!! With the bullion - which award are you referring to? It would be great to know I have a older award. I need to take the time this weekend to read the date stamps and see which era they came from. And wow - a white elephant for blood donations? You got to love the thai system for awarding medals :-D may I ask how that all came about with how you got to donating blood to thailand and receiving the medal? Just interesting to learn more on how the government and monarcy decide on who gets medals especially when it comes to foreigners. and thankyou so much!!!! :-) I will have to start a elephant display next :-D

Thanks for your input Hugh. Gives me something to look for on auctions and local shows now :-D

Very nice!!! Great find and win Only thing the japanese don't sell cheap is Thailand medals funnily enough. Wonder if there is still bad blood there?

Hi everyone, Hope I'm in the right forum, if not please feel free to boot this thread over to east asia section. Anyways, during some lunch time research today, I happened to stumble across a website dealing with the Thai Volunteers in Vietnam (RTAVF). I was very surprised in reading the article about a few thai men who were awarded the bronze star for valor. One soldier on the website had two stars and a glowing account of how he drew fire to protect his fellow men. Brilliant! Anyways, with that in mind, I searched through NARA and was amazed to see 287 records for thai soldiers from the Thailand Army as being presented the Bronze Star for valor. Was this sort of occurance normal? I have no idea on how many thai's went to vietnam to volunteer, but its great to see so many awarded for their efforts. In conclusion, I'm also wondering whats the chances of finding any of these stars for collecting and research? I suppose the only way is to look around with the numbers in hand and hope. Any suggestions? EDIT: I have heard that most bronze stars don't have a written commendation. I suppose this would include international forces? What are the chances for full research here? P.S. Here is the website for those who are interested in reading about the Thailand Vietnam unit and the soldier mentioned above: http://www.nationrel...national/rtavf/?

Thankyou Lorenzo and Brian :-)

Hi all. I finally fonished moving house and unpacked my medals. Got some frames professionally made overseas for display. The first pictures are my thai Order of the Crown Collection. I have a 8th class, 5th class, 2nd class and special class. Also in the frame is a vietnam thai dog tag, a vietnam volunteer badge, a border patrol badge and shoulder boards from a government offical (supposedly a thai lady who was presented the 2nd class seen in the frame) The german collection is a simple german soldier who met a grim end in russia. Unfortunately, the medals are not his (bought seperately). This collection is a research project for me which I'll eventually finish andpost up.... Hope you guys enjoy. For those that are wondering, thats a bronze IAB. The german was a part of the mechanised infantry.

my heart and thoughts out to those in japan

thanks everyone for posting these!!! Amazing to see that 2nd class. pure gold?? wowow I'll have to let someone else translate that one ilja. Unfortuantely the lady is out of house till next week

wow... just wow gavin great finds and wins!!!! A bet the fees from the YJA shops would have hurt a bit

beautiful. so which period is this one from?

thankyou graham not a relative - just a auction pick up

ohhh thankyou graham :-) can anyone give me a hint on where I might be able to find transfer documents or reasons for transfer for this fellow? and still need to follow up on if he actually arrived at the landings as noted by michael