THE WAR MEDAL

[Guest pikemedals]

THIS MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO ALL FULL-TIME PERSONNEL OF THE ARMED FORCES WHEREVER THEIR SERVICE DURING THE WAR WAS RENDERED.OPERATIONAL AND NON-OPERATIONAL SERVICE COUNTED,PROVIDING THAT IT WAS OF TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS'OR MORE DURATION.IN THE MERCHANT NAVY THERE WAS THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT SEA.

OPERATIONAL SERVICE THAT WAS TERMINATED BY DEATH,WOUNDS OR A DISABILITY DUE TO SERVICE,CAPTURE OR THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES WHICH QUALIFIED FOR ONE OF THE CAMPAIGN STARS ALSO QUALIFIED THE RECIPIENT FOR THE WAR MEDAL EVEN THOUGH THE TOTAL SERVICE DID NOT AMOUNT TO TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS,THIS PROVISO DID NOT,HOWEVER,APPLY TO THOSE WHO WERE NOT AWARDED ONE OF THE STARS. IF ONE OF THE CAMPAIGN STARS WERE AWARDED FOR SERVICE OF LESS THAN TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS,THE WAR MEDAL WAS GRANTED IN ADDITION.THOSE ISSUED TO THE CANADIAN MERCHANT MARINE WERE NAMED(4.450)

[Guest Darrell]

Here is a War Medal (from my Uncle's Bar):

Edited May 15, 2005 by Darrell

[Guest Darrell]

Another Unattributed Piece:

[Laurence Strong]

Here's the obverse of Dad's

[Guest Darrell]

Hi Laurence ... nice. I was looking more closely at the two I posted above and see some slight differences in where the pendant is attached to the Ribbon device. Notice on yours and my second example that the pendant is attached directly on top of the "D" in the VID, whereas the example on my uncles is a little further clockwise where you can just see the edge of the "D".

Never noticed this before

[Laurence Strong]

And the reverse, Sort of doing this between bouts in the flower beds. I see what you mean....could that be a means of tracing manu?

Edited May 15, 2005 by Laurence Strong

[Guest Darrell]

And the reverse, Sort of doing this between bouts in the flower beds. I see what you mean....could that be a means of tracing manu?

←

Could be ... Appears to be two different types. If you look at the entire stem from pendant up to the ribbon bar ... you see minute differences between the two versions. Yours and my second one have sharper double rings on the one spot, where the Uncles is more dulled and less pronounced.

Ive placed yours directly above my uncles to point out the main differences, then my unattributed piece to the right of yours that appears to be a match.

Edited May 15, 2005 by Darrell

[Tony]

Hello Darrell & Laurence,

Here's my Grandad's war medal. He didn't receive his medals (he didn't want them) so I had them issued to me a few years after he died.

The suspender looks like much less pronounced and note the poorer quality, especially where the ribbon suspender bar is poking out.

Tony

[Guest Darrell]

Tony,

Interesting ... can you remember what year you ordered them?

[Tony]

Hello Darrell,

Yes I still have the medals with the paperwork received from the Army Medal Office.

I received a letter dated 12.3.98 asking me to complete a form proving who I am and that the medals would be issued in 10 - 12 week so, I probably received them about early summer 1998.

Tony

[Sahil117]

On 5/15/2005 at 22:36, Guest Darrell said:

Another Unattributed Piece:

Gentlemen, good day to you all. With all this 'in depth' talk that I just read above, it seems like I came to just the place to have my queries answered.

1. If you see the area on the obverse side of the War Medal 1939-45 above, immediately below King George VI's neck line, there is a really tiny "PM" initials that appear. Could anybody tell me the significance of this please- is this the maker's mark or something more?

2. The marking on the same place as described above on the War Medal, i.e. just below King George VI's neckline, appear on the Defence Medal 1939-45 as the letters "HP" & seemingly just a little larger than the "PM" of the War Medal. Again- what is this please?

3. Lastly and most importantly, King George VI is figured on the War Medal, wearing the Crown, but appears on the Defence Medal, without the Crown. Anybody- any idea on the significance of this please?