Medals for Service

**Bumfluff** · 25 September 2008, 18:26

My grandad got the Military medal in the 2nd world war but he never liked to talk about what happend and why.

Without the family knowing though the War museum contacted him to interview him a couple of years ago and they recorded it all, in his will he left us copies of the tapes

He talked about when he was in the d-day landing, and how he thought he was going to die so passed a letter to someone to send back to his mum just in case as they had to keep the landing quiet.

He drove a tank and there was a story about how they got cornered by the Germans and they blew up his tank and how he got out and managed to provide cover to his colleages by using a machine gun in a German trench which they had fled, he then passed out, when he woke up he thought he had been captured by the germans as he was blined at some point but it was the red cross.

He was also one of the first to arrive at Belsen the concentration camp, he said they could smell it up to a mile away, not supprising he didnt want to talk about it.

**Peoplesoft bloke** · 25 September 2008, 23:11

Originally posted by Fishface View Post

Its 64 years to the day since my great uncle was killed at the Battle of Arnhem - served almost 5 years overseas.

He has 5 medals for his service.

1939-1945 Medal
Africa Star
France & Germany Star
Defense Medal
War Medal

anyone else have family with medals for service?

...some just didn't get them although they served.

Yes I have my Great Uncle's WW1 medals. By the way, we still spell it 'defence' here.

**voodooflux** · 26 September 2008, 08:31

My Dad has the Burma Star amongst some others.

**Moscow Mule** · 26 September 2008, 08:56

My Grandad had 3 or 4 campaign medals from WWII, and a couple of others for gallantry.

He was in the Paras, so a double hard bastard in his time. He was wounded in Italy somewhere and spent 6 months paralysed.

I only knew him as a gentle giant from his 60s to his 80s and he would never say a word about it. I shudder to think at the things he must have seen and done.

**Mehmeh** · 26 September 2008, 09:02

I have both sets of my grandpops medals.

1 was enlisted to ww2, the other was in the army before and during.

I know mums dad did burma.... i have a piece of paper that he wrote all the times/places that he flew from, quite emotional looking at it imagining his age. and probably cramped into a tulipty plane.

got his wrist watch that he had when he was at war too.

apparently he was never the same after the war....

Weird to think of my self sitting on my arse all day getting good money, and grandad at my age was in the jungles fighting

**Mehmeh** · 26 September 2008, 09:04

ohhh just remembered that a ship my grandad was on went down. Must dig out the news paper clipping my mum has.

He was lucky as he knew how to swim (apparently that was fairly rare back in the day?!? neither of my parents can swim...)

**FiveTimes** · 26 September 2008, 09:44

I've got a set from grandparent. He was a Dunkirk vet. and PoW for a good long while.
It was only in his last few months did he start telling us about it.
They used to pass camp coffee everyday to him, and every time he smelt a Douwe Egberts coffee it would send a shiver down his back.

I tried to research what the medals were for by ribbon colouring, but couldn't.

Anyone got any good links for finding out ?

**The Lone Gunman** · 26 September 2008, 09:47

Originally posted by FiveTimes View Post

I've got a set from grandparent. He was a Dunkirk vet. and PoW for a good long while.
It was only in his last few months did he start telling us about it.
They used to pass camp coffee everyday to him, and every time he smelt a Douwe Egberts coffee it would send a shiver down his back.

I tried to research what the medals were for by ribbon colouring, but couldn't.

Anyone got any good links for finding out ?

http://www.worldmedals.co.uk/Rib/Britrib/britribb.htm

**ratewhore** · 26 September 2008, 09:58

My old fella has the General Service Medal (Libya) and the UN Medal (Cyprus). Both from the 70's.

I have the NATO medal for the Balkans from the 90's.

Not sure about Grandparents. I know my Dad's dad fought with the chindits and my Mum's dad was on the buses...

Medals for Service