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    How to claim French medals


    Michael Johnson

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    Can any member advise me as to the procedure for putting in a claim for French medals? My grandfather was in the French Army 1914-18 (although put on leave in 1915 to run his munitions factory in Canada). He does not seem to have applied for his medals.

    How would I go about putting in a claim?

    I may also apply to the British government for a BWM, since he was also attached to the B.E.F. as an interpreter. National Archives lists quite a few to "French Interpreters".

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    How would I go about putting in a claim?

    Don't know about the British medal but I very much doubt you can still "claim" French WWI medals : applications for the WW 2 (!!!) Medal of Liberated France are no longer processed as of a few years ago ...

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    Its not easy. There are a number of different deppartments responsible for different medals. After almost 10 years of putting it off I started to claim the ones I am still missing.

    Jaques Calero helped me get a couple of Foreign awards some years back. That worked well as they were issued by the Legion HQ (I guess they had a stock of blank docs and fill them out as needed.

    The veterans affairs dept of the army is processing 2 other requests, they have to check a number of things but it seems they are making a bit of progress, the document for one of the medals arrived last week.

    A simple campaign medal, which I assumed would be the easiest to claim has taken a few years and I still have heard nothing after 3 letters to them. This claim is direct to the army.

    I would say, go for it, you have nothing to loose.

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    I may also apply to the British government for a BWM, since he was also attached to the B.E.F. as an interpreter. National Archives lists quite a few to "French Interpreters".

    Michael,

    I believe the medal office stopped issuing Great War medals about 10 years ago but give it a go anyway.

    Tony

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