RCAF Medal bar question

[Hinrik]

Guys,

I just got this nice Medal lot to a Pilot in the RCAF 162. squadron. Can you please tell me what the medal on the far right is for? Specially interested in knowing what the little bar across the ribbion is for.

Regards

Hinrik

[Hinrik]

Nice lot with a lot of extra stuff.

[Hinrik]

Canadian Service medal ?? Reverse.

[Hinrik]

Some odd bits. Interesting to see he was a Commander of a survival training school.

Edited December 5, 2005 by Hinrik

[Ed_Haynes]

With such a nice medal group, you should really invest in at least one basic reference book, even the much-maligned Medals Yearbook (MYB)!

What you have here is:

1- 1939-45 Star (MYB 177)

2- Atlantic Star (MYB 178)

3- Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (MYB 188) - without clasp for overseas service - looks like the chap spent the war doing flights off Canada's coast only

4- War Medal 1939-45 (MYB 186)

5- Canadian Centennial Medal (1967; MYB C27)

6- Canadian Forces Decoration (MYB 255/C32) - awarded for 12 years of examplary service - the bar represents an additional 10 years

Is the Canadian Forces Decoration named? Should be. A shame Canada did not name the others, following the faulty British precedent. There was such a desire to get the medals issued quickly that naming was dispensed with (it was not an economy measure, as some assert).

[Hinrik]

Ed,

Thanks for the info. I do also have his "Shighting Logbook" with some sextant locations. He was based in Iceland in 1944 with the 162 squadron, and that is listed in the logbook.

I have over a hundred referance books, how ever I work over seas, far away from them, and can only read them when home on days off.

The medal you asked about is named. I incuded a photo of it, you can see his name engraved on the lower part of the ribbon attachment part.

Thanks

Hinrik

[Ed_Haynes]

Very very nice. I'd have to check to see how far east he had to go before being considered "overseas" and, thus, qualifying for the overseas clasp to the CVSM. I'd have thought Iceland counted, but . . . . Can anyone help?

[Hinrik]

Ed,

Here is another RCAF CVSM lot that I have from another guy in the 162 squadron, based in Iceland. He was a pilot, but was operating as Flight Engineer flying Canso?s. His pilot log book is next to his 4 medals. This CVSM has the overseas bar to it.

Is there a chance the 1st lot I have is just missing the bar and I can replace it? If so, any idea where I can get one?

I have 3 US Bronze star lots, will post them in a different forum.

Regards

Hinrik

[Hinrik]

More medal lots. This medal bar, cap badge and photo comes from UK Solider based in Iceland. He can be seen on the photo with polar bear patch on his shoulder, holding his son, with Icelandic wife.

Hinrik

[Ed_Haynes]

As your first group did not have the overseas clasp on his fulkl-sized medals, I, for one, would be very reluctant to add it. In doing so, you'd be "augmenting" the group to such a degree that you'd be destroying the existing group (and its history) and inventing a new fraudulent group that never existed before in its place.

Though, interestingly, he does have one on his miniatures and represented on his ribbon bar . . . ! I had missed that before, hidden in among the haberdashery.

He qualified, apparently, but never mounted one with his full sized medals. As they are originally mounted (?), I'd leave them alone.

Edited December 5, 2005 by Ed_Haynes

[Hinrik]

Ed,

You are right! I missed that on the minature aswell, but I just bought this lot and have not had them in hand.

If you look closer at the full size CVSM, then it looks like there is a little damage to the ribbon, on the side where the bar should of originally been, so maybe it just feel off. I will look more closely at it, when I am home next time.

Regards

Hinrik

[Ed_Haynes]

If, on close examination, it seems merely to have fallen off, then replacing the clasp might not be so naughty. Many of the usual dealers (Dixon or Liverpool, for example, and maybe Ursual) stock original clasps. While you don't want to think too much about where they came from, you should be able to "restore" this without too much trouble.

[Hinrik]

Ed,

Can you get me a website address or e-mail for the dealers you mentioned?

Regards

Hinrik

[Ed_Haynes]

Sorry if links to commercial sites are naughty:

Dixon- http://www.dixonsmedals.co.uk/

Liverpool- http://www.liverpoolmedals.com/

Ursual- http://www.medalsofwar.com/