Topic: Medal and Awards Research

[Old Sweat]

In this thread we have been discussing awards for gallantry or good service. Medals awarded for awar or campaign are a different matter.

Do you have a specific example in mind?

[ftsmith]

Do you have a specific example in mind?

I guess it would be for a service medal with an inscription of the soldier's name.

[Blackadder1916]

How long after the medal(s) awarded to a soldier can said medal(s) be claimed by a relative?

or

If a medal is not claimed, how much time elapses before medal is destroyed?

Example: If a Boer War medal was never claimed...

The medal for the Boer War is the Queen's South Africa Medal.

No reference is made to continued administration of honours and awards for the Boer War on any of the sites of the agencies responsible for such; however, they continue to administer awards for WW1.

The following should direct you to someone who can assist if you're attempting to claim an ancestor's medal or answer your question if it is only hypothetical.

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhr-ddhr/nhs-sdh/index-eng.asp
Questions on the administration of war and campaign honours for veterans of the First and Second World Wars and the Korean Conflict (less the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea, which is managed by the Chancellery) may be addressed to Veterans Affairs Canada, Honours and Awards Section.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/medals/infomedals
Medals (WW1, WW2, Korea): Army, Navy, RCAF:

Veterans Affairs Canada
Honours & Awards Section
Room 1711, 66 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0P4
Telephone:
Local:995-5003
Toll Free:1-877-995-5003
Fax: 1-613-947-3844

[Hammer Sandwich]

Some necro-madness...here, (Thanks to the Mods for sticky status).

I'm sitting here, looking at my Grandpa's, (well, I guess my Grandma's), Widow's cross.
It's the make with the EIIR in the middle.

The website, VA/Canada Remembers/....etc.....lists three different "Widow's Medals", all differentiating slightly, with no explanation of the differences.

I'm assuming that the different Crosses are for different periods of service?

My other question is, whom (specifically, if anyone knows), would I go to for paperwork regarding my Grandma's Cross?

Edit.....crap, I just noticed the 9 lines of contact information Blackadder has at the bottom of the previous post. Some people are as dumb as they look...I am them.

[ArmyVern]

Some necro-madness...here, (Thanks to the Mods for sticky status).

I'm sitting here, looking at my Grandpa's, (well, I guess my Grandma's), Widow's cross.
It's the make with the EIIR in the middle.

The website, VA/Canada Remembers/....etc.....lists three different "Widow's Medals", all differentiating slightly, with no explanation of the differences.

I'm assuming that the different Crosses are for different periods of service?

My other question is, whom (specifically, if anyone knows), would I go to for paperwork regarding my Grandma's Cross?

Exactly ...

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lfwa-dsg/mc.asp

Marking (Cypher)          Commemorating the Dead of     Year Created           Number Awarded
Memorial Cross GR V               The Great War                     1919                              58,500
Memorial Cross GR VI                   WWII                              1940                              32,500
Memorial Cross EIIR             The Korean War                       1950                               500

[Hammer Sandwich]

Goddamn, you're good, ArmyVern....max Mil's for you!

But, I'm still thinking about contacting VC about the medal itself....(just for clarification).

I'm going through the transcripts I have right now, and my Grandpa's ticket home was by grenade near Vlijen, Holland....looks like fall of 1944.

But Grandpa's first wounding I'm sure was France, in summer 1941....(I just wish the stuff I have was a little better organized).

But I digress....

My Grandpa was finished by 1945....,and lived until 2006 and Grandma was awarded the "EIRR" Cross in 2007.

There was no "Sgt. Peter Worobec" serving in Korea.

This is what totally befuddles me.

[ArmyVern]

That site has some good links on it; there's one to an online forum etc.

[Hammer Sandwich]

Thanks, ArmyVern, I'll check the forums out.

Much appreciated.

HS

[ArmyVern]

Goddamn, you're good, ArmyVern....max Mil's for you!

But, I'm still thinking about contacting VC about the medal itself....(just for clarification).

I'm going through the transcripts I have right now, and my Grandpa's ticket home was by grenade near Vlijen, Holland....looks like fall of 1944.

But Grandpa's first wounding I'm sure was France, in summer 1941....(I just wish the stuff I have was a little better organized).

But I digress....

My Grandpa was finished by 1945....,and lived until 2006 and Grandma was awarded the "EIRR" Cross in 2007.

There was no "Sgt. Peter Worobec" serving in Korea.

This is what totally befuddles me.

The memorial Cross is not awarded for "wounds", but rather is awarded for KIA.

EIIR means: HRH Queen Elizabeth II

GR V means: King George V

And King George VI.

It is ciphered based upon the Monarch at the time of the War, for WWII, that was George VI. But, HRH came to the throne in 1952 and the ciphre would have changed to hers at that point in time and will remain in effect until her death.

I wasn't aware that they were awarded for deaths occuring after the War ... but perhaps the case is that your grandfather's death was ruled to be caused by the injuries he sustained in that War??

[Hammer Sandwich]

[quote
I wasn't aware that they were awarded for deaths occuring after the War ... but perhaps the case is that your grandfather's death was ruled to be caused by the injuries he sustained in that War??
[/quote]

Exactly the case....only 60 yrs later.


I'm in no way out to disrespect my Grandpa,  or his memory, or the fellas he served with, but in light of what I've been reading "RE:  Current Veteran's Affairs", I'm getting a bit confused.

I'm starting to get more than a little P.O.'d about the Guys & Gals coming back 7 shades of F>cked up, with less support than I have seen for my Grandpa....

but that's for another thread.

[2010newbie]

My girlfriend has obtained her grandfather's service medals from WW2 and there was a Canadian General Service pin in the box as well. On the back there is a 6 digit serial number and I was wondering if this is his service number. In some articles I've found they state this number correlates to release/discharge paperwork, but they weren't clear. Anyone know if this is supposed to be the member's service number?

Thanks.

[medicineman]

Yes - it's the service or regimental number.

MM

[Michael O'Leary]

My girlfriend has obtained her grandfather's service medals from WW2 and there was a Canadian General Service pin in the box as well. On the back there is a 6 digit serial number and I was wondering if this is his service number. In some articles I've found they state this number correlates to release/discharge paperwork, but they weren't clear. Anyone know if this is supposed to be the member's service number?

Thanks.

No. it is not the member's service number.  The pins were individually numbered, and the soldier's discharge papers would note what number pin he was issued.

[2010newbie]

That's great, thanks.

[Dennis Ruhl]

I wasn't aware that they were awarded for deaths occuring after the War ... but perhaps the case is that your grandfather's death was ruled to be caused by the injuries he sustained in that War??

The website doesn't explain WWII conditions but I suspect it relates to death from a pensionable injury.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group09

The changes will affect Veterans of the Korean War and Veterans with Special Duty Area service from 1950 to October 6, 2001 who were living as of December 12, 2008. As of this date, these Veterans can now designate any two individuals to receive a Memorial Cross in the event their subsequent death is ruled to be as a result of a pensioned condition from this service.

When someone outlives the vast majority of his peers things get strange. 

[medicineman]

No. it is not the member's service number.  The pins were individually numbered, and the soldier's discharge papers would note what number pin he was issued.

I stand corrected - thought he was talking of the medals.

MM