01-02-2021, 01:19 AM
Well that was an interesting year......
It started off brilliantly for the forum with a record number of users at one time, with 553 on 20th January.
Things however did take a turn and the whole year ended up being quite the experience. Never-the-less there have been plenty of distractions and productive avenues. Personally, I've done more research than ever before. Really digging deep, with some great successes. The awards haven't been flowing in as swiftly as before, with only 157 decorations acquired in 2020, but some great ones within that reduced selection. One of the highlights was completing the full collection of the Karakalpak Titles. The outstanding piece will be posted soon as it is in hand.
Another unbelievable find was Anania Shirakatsi Medal #001.
Only seven newly obtained and researched Medals this year, though many older ones have been expanded upon.
For Bravery,U/N 1957,T-70 Mechanic/Driver,78th Separate Tank Brigade,Catch-Up
For Combat Merits,0148724,Welder,Leningrad Army Of Anti-Aircraft Defence
For Combat Merits,1430174,Kiev NKGB,Long Service
For Combat Merits,2105221,Telephonist,214th Guards Artillery Regiment
For Combat Merits,2319744,Driver,115th Separate Auto Company,19th Rifle Division
For Combat Merits,3115823,Laundress,Intendant Section,58th Guards Rifle Division
For Combat Merits,3209668,Tank Battalion Commander,202nd Tank Regiment,Long Service
Older pieces expanded on include;
Red Star,1990750,Senior Secretary Of The Military Tribunal,Kronshtadt Naval Region
Red Star,3548523,50mm Mortar Commander/Partisan,305th Battalion/Garibaldi Brigade
For Combat Merits,0706204,Sniper,NKVD,1st Ukrainian Front
My main focus with awards this year has been British Empire, specifically The Great War and shown are this year's pick-ups which are currently on hand.
Row 1,
Trio #1 A Private of the Royal Fusiliers that emigrated to Canada.
Trio #2 A Driver of the Royal Field Artillery that emigrated to the US.
Trio #3 A Private of the Army Service Corps, named Rigby, first cousin of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby.
Row 2,
Pair #1 A Yorkshire born member of the AIF that fled to Canada on demobilisation, abandoning his wife in Australia.
Pair #2 A one-eyed Bristolian member of the Canadian Railway Troops, later called to work for Henry Ford.
Pair #3 A Glaswegian plasterer living in the Bronx that volunteered to build trenches for the Canadians in France.
Pair #4 plus Badge, A Canadian Engineer who demobilised to the USA.
Row 3,
Pair #1 A Sergeant of the Army Service Corps who emigrated to the USA.
Pair #2 A Suffolk born Valet working in affluent New England before volunteering for the 13th Canadian Battalion, getting blown up in the trenches and laid off for being an invalid on his return to the USA. Thrown into State Prison and deported back to England.
Royal Red Cross 2nd Class. One of only 8 awarded in 1948.
Indian Mutiny Medal to an original defender that did not advance on Delhi as he was on guard at the arsenal.
3 1914-15 Stars, one to a member of the Sherwood Foresters for landing at Gallipoli.
Row 4,
Military Medal awarded in the field to a pony driver of the Canadian Railway Troops.
Baltic Medal to a Marine of HMS Nile who boarded and torched Russian ships at Primorsk on 18th September 1855. Sole entitlement as he was invalided out of service during a storm.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a member of the Mombasa Defence Force.
British War Medal to a Fijian native Pacific islander member of the NZEF.
British War Medal to a Sergeant of the Royal Artillery.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) and sweetheart brooch to a Private of the Scottish Rifles, later emigrated to the USA.
British War Medal to a Jewish Gunner of the Royal Artillery
British War Medal to a Scottish Flight Sergeant of the RNAS/RAF. Later a professional motorcycle racer.
Row 5,
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Scottish born member of the 156th Canadian Infantry who died of Spanish Flu in July 1918. (His brother was KIA a few weeks later).
British War Medal to a member of the 24th London/RAF.
British War Medal to a Canadian Officer.
British War Medal, unnamed (Not erased).
British War Medal in Bronze to a member of the Macedonian Mule Corps.
India General Service Medal Wit Waziristan 1921-24 and Mahsud 1919-20 Clasps to a Sergeant of the 2-76 Punjabis.
British War Medal to a Corporal of the Royal Army Medical Corps that served in the Balkans.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Sergeant of the Devonshire Regiment.
British War Medal to a Jamaican member of the 10th Battalion, British West Indies Regiment that mutinied.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to an Austrian member of the 17th Canadian Infantry, the ONLY ethnic Central Powers born soldier mobilised in any of the British Empire forces during the war. Dismissed for being an undesirable alien twice. Later emigrated to the USA.
British War Medal to a Private of the Middlesex Regiment saved from being melted.
British War Medal to a Private of the Army Service Corps.
Row 6.
British War Medal to a 16 year old Irish born Corporal of the 14th Canadian Infantry. Shot in the head in May 1915 at 2nd Ypres. Emigrated to the USA on discharge after over 2 years in hospital, joined the US Navy serving on USS Ramapo.
British War Medal to a Gunner of the Canadian Field Artillery with 18 cases of VD under his belt!
British War Medal (Sole WWI entitlement) to a Yorkshire born Corporal of the Central Ontario Regiment. A Veteran of the Boer War that lived to 100. Emigrated to the US after demobilisation. Heavily reported on after getting involved in politics in the US. A fantasist of being a friend of Churchill and getting wounded in the trenches, was never deployed to France.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Native American Veteran of the Philippines War 1899-1900 (for which he received no Medal). Volunteered for the Canadian Forestry Corps after lying about his race and nationality. His Company in the Philippines was the first to employ the water-boarding technique on captured enemies.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a French-Canadian (Test) Pilot of the RNAS/RAF. One confirmed victory on 4th November 1918 whilst flying for the 99th Squadron. Single Medal due to clerical error. Went to the Wright School Of Aviation. Emigrated to Hollywood on demobilisation. Featured in Howard Hughes' film "Hell's Angels" as a stunt pilot. Later owned the trademark "Kellogg's" for all but cereal products.
British War Medal to a British immigrant to the USA. Officer in the 172nd Canadian Infantry. Wounded and gassed. Transferred to the RAF as an Observation Balloon Pilot. Died of wounds in 1936.
British War Medal to an Officer of the Worcester Regiment, KIA.
British War Medal In Bronze, 6th Porter Corps
Mercantile Marine War Medal to a Scottish Officer of the Australian Merchant Navy. 3rd Officer of HMS Kangaroo when it fought off attack from a German vessel in the Mediterranean. Chief Of Staff of the SS Île de France during the Second World War.
It started off brilliantly for the forum with a record number of users at one time, with 553 on 20th January.
Things however did take a turn and the whole year ended up being quite the experience. Never-the-less there have been plenty of distractions and productive avenues. Personally, I've done more research than ever before. Really digging deep, with some great successes. The awards haven't been flowing in as swiftly as before, with only 157 decorations acquired in 2020, but some great ones within that reduced selection. One of the highlights was completing the full collection of the Karakalpak Titles. The outstanding piece will be posted soon as it is in hand.
Another unbelievable find was Anania Shirakatsi Medal #001.
Only seven newly obtained and researched Medals this year, though many older ones have been expanded upon.
For Bravery,U/N 1957,T-70 Mechanic/Driver,78th Separate Tank Brigade,Catch-Up
For Combat Merits,0148724,Welder,Leningrad Army Of Anti-Aircraft Defence
For Combat Merits,1430174,Kiev NKGB,Long Service
For Combat Merits,2105221,Telephonist,214th Guards Artillery Regiment
For Combat Merits,2319744,Driver,115th Separate Auto Company,19th Rifle Division
For Combat Merits,3115823,Laundress,Intendant Section,58th Guards Rifle Division
For Combat Merits,3209668,Tank Battalion Commander,202nd Tank Regiment,Long Service
Older pieces expanded on include;
Red Star,1990750,Senior Secretary Of The Military Tribunal,Kronshtadt Naval Region
Red Star,3548523,50mm Mortar Commander/Partisan,305th Battalion/Garibaldi Brigade
For Combat Merits,0706204,Sniper,NKVD,1st Ukrainian Front
My main focus with awards this year has been British Empire, specifically The Great War and shown are this year's pick-ups which are currently on hand.
Row 1,
Trio #1 A Private of the Royal Fusiliers that emigrated to Canada.
Trio #2 A Driver of the Royal Field Artillery that emigrated to the US.
Trio #3 A Private of the Army Service Corps, named Rigby, first cousin of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby.
Row 2,
Pair #1 A Yorkshire born member of the AIF that fled to Canada on demobilisation, abandoning his wife in Australia.
Pair #2 A one-eyed Bristolian member of the Canadian Railway Troops, later called to work for Henry Ford.
Pair #3 A Glaswegian plasterer living in the Bronx that volunteered to build trenches for the Canadians in France.
Pair #4 plus Badge, A Canadian Engineer who demobilised to the USA.
Row 3,
Pair #1 A Sergeant of the Army Service Corps who emigrated to the USA.
Pair #2 A Suffolk born Valet working in affluent New England before volunteering for the 13th Canadian Battalion, getting blown up in the trenches and laid off for being an invalid on his return to the USA. Thrown into State Prison and deported back to England.
Royal Red Cross 2nd Class. One of only 8 awarded in 1948.
Indian Mutiny Medal to an original defender that did not advance on Delhi as he was on guard at the arsenal.
3 1914-15 Stars, one to a member of the Sherwood Foresters for landing at Gallipoli.
Row 4,
Military Medal awarded in the field to a pony driver of the Canadian Railway Troops.
Baltic Medal to a Marine of HMS Nile who boarded and torched Russian ships at Primorsk on 18th September 1855. Sole entitlement as he was invalided out of service during a storm.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a member of the Mombasa Defence Force.
British War Medal to a Fijian native Pacific islander member of the NZEF.
British War Medal to a Sergeant of the Royal Artillery.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) and sweetheart brooch to a Private of the Scottish Rifles, later emigrated to the USA.
British War Medal to a Jewish Gunner of the Royal Artillery
British War Medal to a Scottish Flight Sergeant of the RNAS/RAF. Later a professional motorcycle racer.
Row 5,
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Scottish born member of the 156th Canadian Infantry who died of Spanish Flu in July 1918. (His brother was KIA a few weeks later).
British War Medal to a member of the 24th London/RAF.
British War Medal to a Canadian Officer.
British War Medal, unnamed (Not erased).
British War Medal in Bronze to a member of the Macedonian Mule Corps.
India General Service Medal Wit Waziristan 1921-24 and Mahsud 1919-20 Clasps to a Sergeant of the 2-76 Punjabis.
British War Medal to a Corporal of the Royal Army Medical Corps that served in the Balkans.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Sergeant of the Devonshire Regiment.
British War Medal to a Jamaican member of the 10th Battalion, British West Indies Regiment that mutinied.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to an Austrian member of the 17th Canadian Infantry, the ONLY ethnic Central Powers born soldier mobilised in any of the British Empire forces during the war. Dismissed for being an undesirable alien twice. Later emigrated to the USA.
British War Medal to a Private of the Middlesex Regiment saved from being melted.
British War Medal to a Private of the Army Service Corps.
Row 6.
British War Medal to a 16 year old Irish born Corporal of the 14th Canadian Infantry. Shot in the head in May 1915 at 2nd Ypres. Emigrated to the USA on discharge after over 2 years in hospital, joined the US Navy serving on USS Ramapo.
British War Medal to a Gunner of the Canadian Field Artillery with 18 cases of VD under his belt!
British War Medal (Sole WWI entitlement) to a Yorkshire born Corporal of the Central Ontario Regiment. A Veteran of the Boer War that lived to 100. Emigrated to the US after demobilisation. Heavily reported on after getting involved in politics in the US. A fantasist of being a friend of Churchill and getting wounded in the trenches, was never deployed to France.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a Native American Veteran of the Philippines War 1899-1900 (for which he received no Medal). Volunteered for the Canadian Forestry Corps after lying about his race and nationality. His Company in the Philippines was the first to employ the water-boarding technique on captured enemies.
British War Medal (Sole entitlement) to a French-Canadian (Test) Pilot of the RNAS/RAF. One confirmed victory on 4th November 1918 whilst flying for the 99th Squadron. Single Medal due to clerical error. Went to the Wright School Of Aviation. Emigrated to Hollywood on demobilisation. Featured in Howard Hughes' film "Hell's Angels" as a stunt pilot. Later owned the trademark "Kellogg's" for all but cereal products.
British War Medal to a British immigrant to the USA. Officer in the 172nd Canadian Infantry. Wounded and gassed. Transferred to the RAF as an Observation Balloon Pilot. Died of wounds in 1936.
British War Medal to an Officer of the Worcester Regiment, KIA.
British War Medal In Bronze, 6th Porter Corps
Mercantile Marine War Medal to a Scottish Officer of the Australian Merchant Navy. 3rd Officer of HMS Kangaroo when it fought off attack from a German vessel in the Mediterranean. Chief Of Staff of the SS Île de France during the Second World War.
"Signed with his own rubber stamp"
