Award documents to British medals

[Marcus H]

In response to Rick's rquest:

This is the only ever citation/award document I ever received. In my near on 11 years in the regular army, it was never a thought or consideration we didn't even know they existed....not to our likes anyway.

I was aware of many countries award certificates but the UK forces, I never heard of the likes. And only because I was a collector of such things.

The only exception I can think of is we had TA (Territorial Army) serve with us amany a time (they were better soldeirs than us LOL), on just a 6-7 month tour or an S-type engagement where they served a year with a regular outfit. This was the only exception when they went to Northern Ireland.

They were bestowed with certificate for the NATO Former Yugoslavia Medal, which was plain white and printed, that I recall and know of one at least. And come to think of it he wasn't TA but a reservist actually, now I think about it.

All documents relating to service, duplicate med doc's, medals, course's etc were as I recall kept in A4 sized light brown folders on us. I dare say it's it's on a computer too.

Never did I reiceve a documnet for the Gulf War medal of 1990/91, GSM, UN, or Former Yugo NATO medal. The only one was for Kosovo, and that was a PR excercise of pomp, as we were the first troop's to do a full tour of Kosovo.

The date on the certificate neglects to mention, I was in Greece and Macedonia and Kosovo three months prior to this tour date, and the main body came over on the 25 Sept not October. And then when back in Germany it was two weeks before I came back to the UK, April in fact .......gripe, gripe, moan, moan !!!

I wasn't married at the time, so I had to stay behind and sort out my section kit and wagons.

On leaving the army just less than year after this last tour, I received from Glasgow (main doc place in the UK, apert from a storeage facility in Milton Keynes) my discharge papers, where it mentions the 'awards' you have, and my 'red' book.

Other than that, to my knowledge Ricky, Brit Forces never got certificates for general medals such as mine, which every Tom, Dick and Harry has. I'm not conversant with the Civil remit.

I think it's just a Brit thing, even on promotions, I never got a certificate as such when an ordinary rank. On my Regular Reserve Commission I did get a certificate and an allegiance citation as such, a reminder of my loyalties

Thats all a bit long, sorry for the testimonail...you can tell I'm going to be of those boring old men

Kr

Marcus

Edited May 28, 2005 by Marcus H

[Marcus H]

The only other doc's I'm personally aware of for Brit medals (I'm not a collector of these at all really) are along the lines of this which accompanied the medals in a box just post WW2.

[Simon F]

Another NATO award doc to former Yugoslavia

[Simon F]

No fair Marcus, you have more flags on yours

[Jacques]

I got the same NATO docs too, for "Former-Yougoslavia", "Kosovo", "Afghanisatan".

jacques

[Marcus H]

Arhh I was out there at the same we changed over from UN to NATO after the 'agreement' I came home in the March that year too. We ended up as IFOR that time.

I never got a citiation

Kr

Marcus

[Simon F]

SFOR to IFOR is that right? I am useless with acronyms, I was a young scabby Able Seaman at the time and didnt pay alot of attention apart from my 6 hours in it

[Marcus H]

No it was UN, I went there first in '93 then when back in '95 we were still UN then over the Christmas period changed to IFOR.....a year or two later it became SFOR and when there in Bosnia last 98-99 there was a potential of being called DFOR.....but I don't think that came into fruition.

Able Seamam well god bless you mate you to worked for a living, unlike these Officer types My regular serive ended as me being a Corp, and that was only a gesture to keep me in

Nah, I'd had enough and found a rare good woman. Married now though for fives years the army didn't seem so bad

Kr

Marcus

[Simon F]

Good for you mate, I only wish I could make the move. Im fast approching 20 years done, 4 to go and they have just offered me another 5 on top of that. Ah well the moneys okay and I would only revert to delinquent mode if I came out, recapture my lost youth. You boys did a good job out there in very testing circumstances, hats off to you and Jaques and of course all the other guys who have served away :food-smiley-004:

Edited May 28, 2005 by devonrex2003

[Marcus H]

It was a hard choice to make, it was like leaving a family......I'm a commercial pilot now, but I couldn't write a cheque when I left the army I didn't know how too !!!

You guys were in Croatia on the docked 'bomb' ship, I visited there a couple of times when they needed a passenger in a wagon for guys going on leave.....there was a PRI down there, but futher down the road at the Dutch EFFI in Split which was better.......I got real food there !!!! In 98-99 I was at Lipa the inland equivelant the main DSA & BFI, we had a couple of Navy types drop in, their officers are great unlike the some arrogant sods we had......and I don't fit the bill at all with my pip's. Your still judged even as a 'ranker' in the mess (looked down on in other words, by 24 year old kids with 9 months in and all they can excalim about is OTC ....I dropped out of Uni when I was 19..I hated it)

I see you were in Ireland too, from the medals, for a collector thats a nice rare treat, RAF and Navy medals with NI and other !!!!

I think I know where perhaps you were, I was bitten by a Navy Police dog up there

Good to see your bar nice and clea too !!! Let me see, cellotape around the medal and a cotton wool ear bud for cleaning the bar......LOL thats the way I used to clean mine. Cellotape, the use's it has, uniform, beret etc etc

Your my senior service, and this reserve rupert pongo respects our fish head brothers.......I certainly wouldn't have started a fight with you guys !!!! Funny how traditions pass on, we used to have gunfire every Christmas morning on tours.

And we also respect the fact you poor buggers on board, did a 6 monther with no leave or a longer duration. At least we had a break of two weks in tour....well it was 11 days in reality. And I could spread my legs i.e no pun intended there.....I mean dance about, hop in a wagon and drive here and there, I think you guys were kind of limited to an extent.

My hats off to you guys, the Navy made Great Britain, kept us from loseing the war in WW2 and took us here there and every where.......I think your life was harder. A good buddy of mine was on carriers, aircraft tech......he now works for BMI.....but he was on constant 12 hour on 12 hour off. Sod that......I did similar in Ireland and other other places but for 24 & 48 hr durations only.

Keep in touch and keep safe mate, a pleasure to converse with you.

Kindest regards,

Marcus

Edited May 28, 2005 by Marcus H

[Simon F]

Unfortunately I never got to go to Ireland the GS is for a 7 month tour in the Gulf in 1988, keeping the Tankers safe through the straits of Homuz during the Tanker wars. It was a real pleasure to converse with you also my friend, take care and happy sailing.

Kind regards,

Simon

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks! So the graphic design artistes responsible for the awards aren't pushing their aesthetic limits with Framable Wall Art, obviously! :food-smiley-004:

[Nick]

Here is an award document on Vellum for the 1911 Kings Coronation Medal.

[Nick]

Award Document for a WWI War Badge.