GSM Canal Zone

[geoff]

Hi all, thought you might be interested in how I acquired a GSM Canal Zone. I am a member of a local Band, a number of the members of the Band having seen military service, while speaking with one of these guys I just happend to ask what Regiment he had been in, it was the "Cameronians" (Scottish Rifles) I asked about his service and found out that he was very bitter about his National Service and the time he had spent in the Canal Zone! the issuing of the Canal Zone medal had been sanctioned and had been going on about a year at this time, I asked him if had applied for his medal, he replied "they can stick the bloody thing right up their backsides" and then he said "you can have it if you want, get the paperwork and I will sign whatever is required, it's yours" you can imagine my thoughts . I sent for the application paperwork, had it signed by James, that's the guy whose the rightful owner, and within a month I was the proud owner of a mint GSM Canal Zone. I never saw James again, he moved north, Perthshire I believe, so he never got to see his medal. About four months later I received an e mail from him asking if I would like some items he no longer wanted, nothing much, a Xmas card and a map, I replied I would have them and thanked him, the items came by post, and thats it, no more correspondance, he's just disappeared, he was 74 at the time I received his medal.......hope he's OK. James added a little note I would like to share with you, "Geoff, I spent all my time (Feb 52-Aug 53) in a tent. This photo (enlarged) must have been taken in the winter months of 53 because in summer we were all in khaki drill, (lightweight clothing) When the tents were new they were jet black (no doubt to absorb the heat and make it feel worse) but soon bleached white, especially the roof. That is why I appeaer to be against a sky background, it's actually the roof. Just writing these few words brings back all my resentment for 19 months 3 weeks, 5 days and 22 hours of my time in the Zone. James. P.S. There is one mitigating factor; I could have easily have been a) with the K.O.S.B. in Korea or b) with my parent battalion 1st Cameronians in Malaya, both would have been worse than Egypt and for that I'm greatful.

I have attached a couple of photgraphs showing the items of 22590925 Corporal James McWhinne MacMillan Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Stats Centre GHQ MELF 17. Fayid Namur Camp - Suez Canal Zone Feb 52-Aug 53, hope you like:

[tynesideirish]

Geoff, thats Jammy and a great little story.

[Ed_Haynes]

Fascinating and, I think, important -- especially in the face of all the whining that gave birth to that clasp.

Thanks.

[Tony Farrell]

Interesting post Geoff - and a good example of the resentment that many have regarding National Service. To some the time of their lives, to others a period to forget. It was good of the ol' boy to apply for it for you.

[PKeating]

I served in Suez in '51 and '52. As your prog correctly stated, despite large casualties and severe conditions we were not even granted a medal until 50 years after the event. Most of us were teenagers, dreadfully unprepared mentally for the hardship and horrors we were to experience. Much we took in our stride and learned very rapidly how to cope but some experiences have lived with me for the half century since. I was in the RAMC but not trained in trauma procedures, nevertheless, I was posted to work in an emergency operating theatre in a Station Hospital. We collected casualties from the destruction of the Police Station in Ismailia-more than 50 casualties many of whom were too badly wounded to save. We worked for more than a day without a stop. The Padre was washing the floors for us, a dentist was assisting the surgeon, a civilian engineer was our clerk. We were filthy, hot, tired, horrified and traumatised ourselves. There was no post trauma counselling in those days. I have a 20 year old son, if I enter his room whilst he is sleeping his face changes in my mind to one the faces of the dead youths I saw those 50 years ago.

From: Ken Brock

Source: BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/...ails_2006.shtml

I am surprised that Ed Haynes does not seem to know that the British garrisons in Egypt in the early 1950s were subject to terrorist activity including organised terrorist attacks on camps and vehicle convoys, sniping, abductions, murder and sabotage. I would like to see him walk into a bar full of some of the veterans I have known and describe the pressure for a clasp to the GSM to recognise the service of professional and national service soldiers in the Canal Zone as "whining" .

A classic piece of MOD doublespeak...

It is a basic principle of the Honours and Awards system that medals are not issued unless qualification has been proved from official records. Regrettably, there is a lack of detail in many Service records of the 1950s and some people who believe their service qualified them for a medal and clasp will not be able to receive them because of the absence of satisfactory evidence.

Don't worry. This does not mean that individuals' Records of Service have been lost or destroyed. Very few Service files are mislaid. In most cases where they are not held in the archives, and therefore not immediately available, it is because they are already in use elsewhere, perhaps by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency for use in assessment for a War Pension, or similar.

However, medals will only be issued if it can be proved from official evidence that an individual was in the right place at the right time for the necessary minimum period. It is known that some records of service give only general statements of where people served and corroboration will need to be sought from other records. As we are certain veterans already understand, medals are not issued automatically. If the medal offices are unable to confirm eligibility, a medal will not be awarded. This is common to all applications for campaign medals and nothing to get alarmed about. There is no difficulty in the vast majority of cases, but it depends on what is contained in the records. Careful checks are made before medals are issued which is a skilled, time-consuming and exacting job, but the medal office has skilled staff who are experts at assessing eligibility quickly and accurately.

I'll round it off with another comment from Captain Peter Boxall (Ret'd), whom I knew when he was the Pay Master of 10 PARA. It's from the same BBC website. It's more about the Suez jump in '56 but Peter Boxall, who also served in the Canal Zone from 1952-1954, makes a couple of pertinent remarks about GSM clasps.

As a young soldier I served in the Canal Zone from April 1952 to June 1954 for which service I recently received the 'Canal Zone' bar to my General Service Medal (GSM). I hardly recognised the descriptions of service from some of your contributors, thousands and thousands of servicemen from all three services served over the years and the number casualties was comparatively small and in no way compared to Iraq as was inferred. Later as a young Lance Corporal I was part of an attachment to 3 PARA Group at El Gamil in 1956. Again I had difficulty in picturing the "Storming Ashore" mentioned by another contributor considering that it was two or three days after the first assault by 3 PARA on the 5th November and the helicopter assault by the Marine Commandoes on the 6th November both well documented. I must say that there was confusion over the two entirely separate events, the only real connection was the fact that they both happened in Egypt. I would maintain that the Suez Veterans Association should be for those many personnel who served in the Canal Zone from 1945 to 1955 for whom the 'Canal Zone' GSM or bar was awarded and that any association formed around Operation Musketeer should have a different name as indeed we have a separate bar 'Near East' to the same GSM for that action. It is a matter of great annoyance that the 'typical political cowardice' of the then government prevented it being named more accurately eg 'Port Said 1956' or from our perspective 'El Gamil 1956'. All opinions are of course my own.

From: Peter Boxall.

PK

Edited November 14, 2007 by PKeating