Looking Back and Looking Forward

[CtahhR]

For Labour Distinction,40660,Chairman Of Collective Farm "Namuna",Namangan Oblast
For Labour Valour,U/N 1949,Head Teacher,Primary Classes,High School #157,Leningrad
A Medal "For Impeccable Service" to someone working on the Soviet Space Shuttle Programme isn't too bad either.

There were also a couple of Soviet items that are as yet "numb" but still deserve a mention. An October Revolution I was gifted for my birthday and the ZOT Badge that I've always thought was one of the best designed of Soviet Awards.

There's also been quite a few new Mongolian, Armenian and NKR items posted in the last year (which can be found in their own sub-forums, as there's far too much to list) but a few items that stick out to me are Military Merit Order #6966, Polar Star #1646, Polar Star #19838 and the exceptional "For The Liberation Of Shushi" Medal.

There was also a nice pair of Russian Federation that turned up; Honorary Sports Title "Meritorious Master Of Sport Of Russia" & Sports Title "Master Of Sport Of Russia International Class".

Not the rarest RF items but the pieces to 1st Lieutenant Clotilde Mary Govoni Kaluta, 8th USAAF, Operation Frantic are something else.

There have been plenty of other bits posted to many areas of the forum, all adding to the collected information available to reference. Of those multitudes of items the ones that stick out most are the 80 years after the fact award, a gift from the Chinese People and a group that keeps growing.
I still have a vast backlog of items to scan/photograph/post, which is still growing rather than shrinking. Every year I think I am going to be able to make major progress on it and every year I fail. We'll have to see what 2020 brings.

As I mentioned, I haven't been fully focussed on only the sphere of the forum and I've been acquiring and researching more awards from across the British Empire.

Being as unrelenting as 2019 was, I was also elected to the board of the local coin club, so as an active ember of that, I've also tried to obtain items of interest to the other members.

Photo #1, Some of the 2019 arrival British Empire pieces.
Row One;
Sutlej Medal With Ferozeshuhur Clasp, 31st Foot. This was originally displayed at the world renowned Military And Naval Exhibition, 130 years ago.

Baltic Medal, Royal Marine Artillery.

Crimea Medal With Alma, Balaklava And Sebastopol Clasps, awarded to a Private of the 42nd who was killed in action with it on his chest during the Indian Mutiny.

Crimea Medal With Sebastopol Clasp, 18th Foot.

China Medal With Taku Forts 1860 Clasp to 31st Foot.

Pair of Canada General Service Medal With Fenian Raid 1870 Clasp and Army Long Service And Good Conduct Medal to a RA Gunner.

Afghanistan Medal With Ali Musjid Clasp, 81st Foot.

Afghanistan Medal, 15th Foot, not issued until 12th October 1938, when the recipient was in his 80's.

Afghanistan Medal, 72nd Highlanders, issued 13th September 1919 - without his clasps as the mint had run out.

India General Service Medal With Samana 1891 Clasp to a Hospital Assistant.

India General Service Medal In Silver With Waziristan 1901-1902 to the Bugler of the 17th Infantry - the unit that was ambushed, triggering the campaign.

Four 1915 Stars, Three to Indians, One Royal Field Artillery.

Row Two;
Group of five plus dogtag to a child soldier of the Boer War and Old Contemptible; Queen's South Africa Medal With Cape Colony And Orange Free State Clasps, King's South Africa Medal With South Africa 1901 And South Africa 1902 Clasps, 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. As a Royal Norfolk he went to South Africa at 16 and as a member of the 3rd Hussars he landed in France on 15th August 1914. He never claimed his Clasp.

A South African World War One Trio to a Mounted Medic. 1915 Star, British War Medal, South African War Medal. He died in service in January 1943, one of the 11,023 SA casualties of the Second World War.

Group of five to a British Veteran of the German East Africa Campaign, Canadian Legion Post Commander and Gold Star Father of a Medal Of Honor Recipient. Gold Star Lapel Button, 1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and Canadian Legion Badge Past Commander. This is a unique find. I have photographs of him and his wife receiving the Medal Of Honor from the Secretary Of The Navy. The first posthumous Navy Medal Of Honor of the Korean War.

British War Medal to a member of the Royal Scots who emigrated to the USA, lots of documents/pictures.

British War Medal to a Woman who served in France, with surviving service records. Only 7,000 British women served in France.

British War Medal to a KIA British Officer.

Victory Medal, one of only 124 awarded to an African-American. The leader of the "naughty boys" of the 2nd Construction Battalion. Vast amount of research. Deserted on the first day of action, 6 pages of disciplinary action taken.

Meritorious Service Medal, RASC for service in Italy.

Row Three - All to family members;

British War Medal, only allowance, RA in India.

British War Medal, only allowance, YMCA, voluntarily went to the trenches in his late 40's.

British War Medal, RFA, wounded in action, prisoner of war, interviewed by the BBC for "The Great War" in 1964. He was originally entitled to a trio but he forfeited his other two after charges in 1919 and 1920.

British War Medal, Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque, Officer of the East Lancs, professional rugby player. missing presumed killed in action at the age of 21 at the Somme. Spent only 16 days alive in France. Body found two years later.

Trio to his Sister, Serving Sister Of The Order Of St. John, Service Medal Of The Order Of St. John, Defence Medal (Also awarded the MBE but that is not at hand). Most decorated resident of Hull during its Blitz (the most severely damaged city in Britain with 1,200 fatalities and 3,000 wounded). Head of the emergency hospital, which continued to operate even whilst being bombed.

Pair to a Police Sergeant, Defence Medal and Police Long Service And Good Conduct Medal. These Medals were only worn as a pair once, during the Queen's first review of police forces in 1954. The Sergeant dropped dead during the review.

Row four;
British War Medal and Victory Medal, official replacements to an English born Canadian soldier. Documents prove his widow was issued replacements 23 years after his death (from prolonged complications after Spanish Flu).

British War Medal and Victory Medal to a Yorkshire born Canadian Soldier. Blown to pieces in August 1918 but survived.

British War Medal and Victory Medal to a Canadian Original, signed up August 1914 and landed in England November 1914, discharged due to ill health in 1916, returned home and re-enlisted. Was not issued the 1915 Star.

British War Medal to a Canadian Officer.

India General Service Medal With North West Frontier 1930-31 Clasp to a Carpenter of the IASC.

General Service Medal With S. Persia Clasp to a Private of Coke's Rifles.

Five Medal Group to the only Wakefield recipient of the Vietnam Medal. United Nations Service Medal With Korea Clasp, 1954 General Service Medal With Malaya Clasp, 1962 General Service Medal With Malay Peninsula (Australian Army), Vietnam Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal With 1960- Clasp. The recipient joined the British Army along with his twin brother (who died in service) and after tours in Korea, Malaya and training as a Paratrooper, joined the Australian Army and did a tour of Malaysia and Vietnam (including an airborne drop with South Vietnamese forces). After returning from Vietnam he returned to Britain and rejoined the British Army. The group comes with all his identifications, badges, uniforms, hundreds of photographs and other personal items.

Photo #2,
Set of all four portable devices issued for the King's Commendation For Bravery with original paperwork, for bravery during the attempted rescue of the tail-gunner of a crashed plane in 1940. The plane crashed into a building I am very familiar with.

Photo #3,
Some bits away from awards. A piece of world famous "plate money" and local National Currency banknotes. Many of the small banks around here don't have many surviving pieces.

So many other pieces I just don't have time to show. I've been trying to research everything too, so all these British Empire awards have some level of research to them. Too many coins to count, but this really isn't a numismatic forum.

Who knows what 2020 will bring?

[desantnik]

Happy New Year and all the best in 2020 to everyone!

[charlet]

Originally Posted by CtahhR

For Labour Distinction,40660,Chairman Of Collective Farm "Namuna",Namangan Oblast
[URL="http://soviet-awards.com/forum/showthread.php?p=318843#post318843"]For Labour Valour,U/N 1949,Head Teacher,Primary

Gentlemen, happy new year 2020!

For my curiosity, how a civil medal archival research have been possible ?

[CtahhR]

I have various contacts that can do various things. Sometimes I get a very positive answer to a request, sometimes neutral.

The old "You scratch my back" still works in 2020.

I wasn't too sure if this year would be a good one, but I'm certainly not complaining so far when it comes to the acquirement of awards.

I spent the entire first week of 2020 researching awards already in the collection. Effort pays off!

At the end of the day, everyone needs to remember, "Everything that is owned can be bought".

I don't own anything that can't be owned, nor does anyone else.

With the digital age knocking on all of our doors, we can either surrender to it or take the vanguard. I'm not one for waving the white flag.

Let us all advance into the future with two fingers hoisted.

[charlet]

Thanks! So it wasn't a lucky internet search? An archival request?
The problem is the access to republican or oblast archives...

[CtahhR]

One happy find was an internet search. The other 30-40 were trawling through un-indexed archive, just knowing where to look (or guessing).

I have thrown money at a few lines of research, but only when I was certain of the result and things have been good. (I'm from Yorkshire, I don't throw money around for fun)

There are many "financial firewalls" but experience and skill really challenges them.

I don't want to scare newcomers to the world of research because with a bit of experience and the right contacts, everything will open up.

Just take a look at the research I've posted. Anyone could - with the correct attitude to research, to awards, to other people. If I can do it, ANYONE can.

[CtahhR]

It wasn't all Awards and research though.... I have continued to remix and remaster albums/singles for release from home. 13 Albums since 2019 with a few more in process.

I've also managed to pick up quite a few hundred banknotes. Pictured are you a few of my favourites (all scanned in at the same resolution for size comparison). The 50 Cent Note is quirky as it was signed by two different men of Indiana Borough, Pennsylvania that gave their life in service of the United States. Firstly Alexander Stewart, who died of wounds after the Battle Of Spottsylvania and Don Kime, USMC, KIA in 1942.

At the same time I've also managed to add ~94,000 coins to the collection in 2020 - but I'm best off not opening Pandora's box there.

What's in store for 2021? No-one knows but there is always room for optimism and expansion.

[desantnik]

Nice run down - all the best to you and all our subscribers is 2021!