This is a 1960 commemorative medal, issued through the Dunkirk Veterans Association (now disbanded) and subsequently managed by the French National Association of Veterans of the Fortified Sector of Flanders and of Dunkirk. This is my second example and I like it better because, surprisingly, I think the other one is an accursed fake! This one has much better quality characteristics.
This is the Emergency Service Medal 1939-1946 issued by the Republic of Ireland. For service with good conduct between 3 September 1939 and 31 March 1946 this medal came in eleven variations depending on the unit or branch of service. I have four of these, this one is for AN CAOMNAORI AITIULA : the Local Security Forces.
This small group belongs to 1076673 Eric Birchall, Sergeant, RAFVR. Eric flew on Lancasters of 44 Squadron and was killed in action on December 24th 1943. Eric was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. He trained in 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit and was posted to 44 Squadron on 12th August 1943. He flew 13 sorties including two to Berlin, two to Hannover and one to Munich. On his 14th sortie, again to Berlin, he was part of group of 379 aircraft, mainly Lancasters. They took off at 0034hrs on the 24th and had a troublefree outer leg due to bad weather. His aircraft was en route home to Dunholme Lodge when it was attacked by a night fighter at 0315 hours and set on fire. It was observed to crash 30 miles NE of Limburg. The entire crew was killed. Eric is buried in the Hannover War Cemetery along with the rest of his crew.
Here’s another very ordinary Birchall. In this case it’s Albert Birchall, Private, 38249. He served originally in the East Lancashire Regiment and later in the North Lancashire Regiment. His medal card shows an entry for the Silver Wound Badge.
Here’s a lonely single to Private Jonathan J. Birchall of the South Lancashire Regiment (No 39159). John Joseph Birchall was born in Salford in 1885 and appears in the 1911 census as single, living with his Mum Elizabeth and working as a general labourer. The census has their address as 16 Anderson St, Salford. This house and street no longer exist as they were flattened during the Blitz in WW2 and never rebuilt.
This memorial plaque (also called a Dead Man’s Penny) commemorates the death of Private Alfred William Burchell 8121. Alfred, born in Tottenham, London, was a member of 2nd Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and was killed on the 17th of November 1914 during the last stages of the 1st Battle for Ypres in Belgium. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the 47th panel of the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. Also shown is the original wax cardboard sleeve these plaques were shipped in.
This group belongs to Thomas William Burchell. They are unnamed except for the Naval LSGC which is impressed to D/J109394 Petty Officer T.W.Burchell, H.M.S. Valiant. The LSGC was issued on June 12th 1941. I have his papers up until 1929 and can see that when he was made P.O. in May 1941 he was on the Valiant. In this case he would have had an action packed war with convoy runs to Gibraltar, the defeat of the Italian Fleet at Cape Matapan and the Greek Campaign.
This Naval General Service Medal, impressed to C/JX 155864 E.Burchell A/B R.N. has the 1945-1948 Palestine Bar. Most of the naval personnel involved in this brush fire war were offshore patrol craft crews attempting to interdict arms and illegal immigrant traffic into what was still the British Mandate territory of Palestine.
This is an example of the newly issued Arctic Star.
The Arctic Star is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom, awarded for service in World War II. The medal is awarded for any length of service above the Arctic Circle by members of the British Armed Forces and the Merchant Navy. The Arctic Star is a retrospective award, coming nearly seventy years after the end of World War II, being announced in late 2012. The Arctic Star was formally approved by The Queen, and began production in early 2013. There are not many of these out there yet as so few have been issued. Those that are sold through are generally part of a group. This is a reproduction made by a Birmingham company. The indicators are the large ribbon ring as well as the way the VI do not intersect with the raised ring.
This single is the Territorial Efficiency Medal (EVII). It was awarded on the 1st of July 1909 to 63 Serjeant T. Birchall, of the 4/W.Lancashire Regiment Howitzer Battery, RFA.
This is the miniature medal matching the full size one listed elsewhere here, from the Principality of Transjordan, and issued to all citizens of the mandate who served in WW2. Trans-Jordan later became the Kingdom of Jordan. It’s Arabic name is “Midalat al-Zarari al-Herb al-Iradani Lasanat 1939-1945“.
The Australia Service Medal 1939–45 recognises service by Australia’s armed forces, Mercantile Marine and Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II.
Initially, the qualifying period was those members who served overseas for at least 18 months full-time service or three years’ part-time service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. On 16 August 1996, the qualifying period was reduced to 30 days for full-time service and 90 days for part-time service.
My one is named to Q191735 E.E.G. Finlay. Staff Sergeant Eric Edward George Finlay died on the 15th of March, 1942, aged 29, while serving in the Australian Army, 4 Supply Company AASC. His place of death is recorded as Australia, but a bit more googling reveals more. Eric was the son of Albert Edward and Elizabeth Marie Finlay, of Bardon, Queensland; Husband of Barbara Mary Finlay, of Bardon, Queensland. His grave is in Adelaide River War Cemetery in the Northern Territory. In this cemetery are buried the men who died building the “track” to Darwin during WW2. His death notices, placed by his wife and other family in the Brisbane Courier Mail on the 15th of March 1942, describe him dying in a “burning accident” at Mount Isa. How awful.
This is my Italy Star. The Italy Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.
The medal was awarded for operational service (on land) in Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Pantelleria, the Aegean area and Dodecanese Islands, and Elba at any time between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945. Other areas to qualify for the award are:
In 1945 Bahawalpur, while part of the administration of British India, was still nominally independent, run by its Maharajah. In consequence it was never a British possession. After Independence in 1947-48 it became part of Pakistan. It’s rulers produced this Overseas Service Medal medal in 1945.
The Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.
The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. This medal was also awarded for certain specified service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra:
British uniform regulations stipulated that the Pacific Star would not be awarded to a prior recipient of the Burma Star. Subsequent entitlement to the Pacific Star was denoted by the award of the Pacific clasp.
In 1945 Bahawalpur, while part of the administration of British India, was still nominally independent, run by its Maharajah. In consequence it was never a British possession. After Independence in 1947-48 it became part of Pakistan. It’s rulers produced this Victory medal in 1945.
The Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.
The Star was awarded for a minimum one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943.
The whole of the area between the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar is included, together with Malta, Abyssinia, Kenya, Sudan, The Solmalilands and Eritrea. The areas not bordering the Mediterranean only qualified for the Africa Star from 10 June 1940 to 27 November 1941.
Members of the Australian Imperial Force qualified for the Star for service in Syria from 8 June 1941 and 11 July 1941.
This example has no bar.
The Kings Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom. This medal was issued to foreigners who put themselves in harms way assisting the Allied cause. Examples would be helping run one of the escape and evasion networks getting Allied airmen out of Occupied Europe. Approximately 3200 of these medals were awarded from 1947. I have two of them, the other one here has its case.
This, along with the companion for courage, is one of my favourite WW2 medals.
From Wikipedia, “The King’s Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom is a British medal instituted by the The Sovereign, on 23 August 1945. Its was to recognize civilian foreign nationals, mainly of allied countries, who had given meritorious service to further the interests of the British Commonwealth or the Allied cause during World War II. The medal was awarded 2,539 times. Those who helped British military personnel to escape the enemy and escape from occupied areas or for other dangerous work for the British or Allied cause during the war were eligible for the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom.”
The Air Crew Europe Star is one of the rarest of the Commonwealth WW2 Service Stars. As a consequence it is valuable and heavily faked.
I have two here, one original and one reproduction. In this case the only way to really tell one from the other is that the cypher of King George in the center is slightly rotated in the fake so that the bottom of the V is lined up with the center of the W in crew instead of with the left hand leg of the W. If you look at the right hand foot of the W on the repro, you can see that it doesn’t align with the spine of the lower star point as it should.
And finally, repros usually age to a mid brown colour. The originals retain some colour and age to a red-brown patina, rather like a penny.
Original at left, Repro at right
Reproduction
Original
This is a late Great War pair to 202339, Frederick C. Birchall of 6th Battalion, The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment. Frederick was killed on the 30th of March 1918, during Germany’s last throw Spring Offensive. He is buried at Doullens Communal Cemetery, Extension #1.
William Birchall, the son of William and Jessie Birchall and the husband of Alice was from Bradley Green, Whitchurch, Salop. he enlisted in Chester. He was a private, 34582, in C Company, 13th Bn, The Gloucesters when he died of wounds (gun shot wound to the abdomen) on the 31st of March, 1918, aged 32. The cemetery he is buried in, Namps-Au-Val was used by the 41st, 50th and 55th Casualty Clearing Stations when they operated here during the German Picardy Offensive of March 1918.
This is the miniature medal for this medal here. What is a little odd is the ribbon. My Danish contact Sune tells me the device is absolutely non-official. As well the ribbon appears to be that used on the Order of Dannebrog.
The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) Medal recognises members of the Australian Defence Force who served for 30 days (or 30 sorties) in East Timor during the INTERFET campaign (16 September 1999 – 10 April 2000). The qualifying area comprises East Timor and the sea adjacent to East Timor out to a distance of 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the low water mark.
This medal was instituted on 12 February 1951 and could be awarded on either of three ribbons, depending on the type of defaulting the recipient had performed during the war.
In general the medal was awarded to those who refused forced labour or military service, ordered by the German occupant.
A green ribbon with yellow stripes indicate the recipient refused to perform military duties for the enemy, a green ribbon with white stripes was given to those who refused to do work for the Germans and a green ribbon with red stripes was awarded to those who, having been deported to Germany for forced labour and having returned on leave, refused to go back (before 6 June 1944, day of the Normandy invasion).
Kiwi Medals 