1953 Coronation Medal

[The Station Cat]

Hello everyone (this being by first post),

I recently came across a 1953 Coronation Medal & Police Long Service Medal (mounted) to a Sergt. Lawrence H Pickering and thought they might be an interesting topic in which to launch my GMIC career. They are to be mounted on an old clasp, which would perhaps suggest that they have been a pair for sometime. I'm not suggesting that they are not genuine, but have a few points which I like to seek advice from fellow forum users. My first point is thus, is there a nominal roll for all officers who were issued this medal and does it give their force. Secondly, as he also has the LSGC GV1R type and was a Sergt at the time of being awarded it, this would suggest to me that he had obviously been in at least 22 years by 1951-1953, so would without a doubt have served during WW2, yet there is no Defence Medal? Which I find very curious, has anyone ever come across anything similar? 

[Dave Wilkinson]

There is indeed a medal roll for the 1953 Coronation Medal. Those awarded the medal have an identity code at the end of their name which (if you can decipher the code) indicates which force, organisation or department they belonged to.

Dave.

 

Edited March 24, 2016 by Dave Wilkinson

[The Station Cat]

14 hours ago, Dave Wilkinson said:

There is indeed a medal roll for the 1953 Coronation Medal. Those awarded the medal have an identity code at the end of their name which (if you can decipher the code) indicates which force, organisation or department they belonged to.

Dave.

 

Thanks Dave. Where can this medal roll be found and how does one decipher the code? 

[Dave Wilkinson]

A mate of mine has a list of all the police recipients. I'll get him to have a look for your man and get back to you.

Dave. 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Your man, according to the medal roll, was a member of the Halifax Borough Police.

Dave.

 

[The Station Cat]

52 minutes ago, Dave Wilkinson said:

Your man, according to the medal roll, was a member of the Halifax Borough Police.

Dave.

 

Many thanks for this information!!! Is the medal roll broken down into separate forces or is it in alphabetical order? 

[Dave Wilkinson]

It is alphabetical order and lists all those awarded not just the police forces.

Dave.

[Great Dane]

Including foreigners?

/Mike

[Odin Mk 3]

In the National Archives there are several volumes on the open shelves - these are labelled Coronation Medal 1953 UK Issues.  There are in alphabetical order but show a section reference on the right of the page - UK 8 is UK Police.  This suggests that a series of section lists were produced first (which may still exist somewhere but I've never seen any) and then later combined to produce these overall alphabetical lists.  The lists do include some foreign diplomats and dignitaries who were in London and also some UK citizens who were working abroad but I don't think it shows other overseas personnel  like Australians who were nominated by the Australian  Government.  The part page for Pickering (H = Holland) is shown below and it also includes someone working in the Sudan who sounds British.

Sorry I forgot to mention about the Defence Medal - I own a few groups with 1953 Coronation Medals plus GVI Police LS Medals and they also all include a Defence Medal.  I can't see how anyone entitled to a GVI issue LS wouldn't have also earned the Defence Medal (or perhaps other WWII medals if they had broken their service to serve in the armed forces).  Never seen that pair on their own before - they don't look like they have been remounted recently either. 

[The Station Cat]

"Never seen that pair on their own before - they don't look like they have been remounted recently either." 

 

I was of the same opinion, very curious isn't it? 

[The Station Cat]

What about this chap, appears to be entitled to a WW2 Defence Medal, 1953 Coronation Medal and a GV1R LSGC -   Sergt Alexander Macdonald