Firewatcher's Medal Entitlement

[Peridot]

Hi All

I know this may be outside the immediate area of WW1 but my query does have it's roots in the identification of what I thought was a British WW1 steel helmet on another GWF Sub-Forum. It was found in my grandfather's garage and he was in the ASC in WW1. Had assumed it was from then but apparently it is a WW2 firewatcher's helmet which I think he did in that conflict from the local Tannery or Shoe Factory roof. My query is whether this would entitle him to the WW2 British War and Defence Medals and if so whether these can still be obtained. He always said that there should have been two more medals apart from his pair and so this would fit.

Thanks.

Peridot

[Staffsyeoman]

Unless he was an embodied member of ARP, the Home Guard or other official Civil Defence organisations, I'm afraid the answer is no, he is not entitled to either as a volunteer firewatcher. The War Medal 1939-45 (not the British War Medal this time around) was only for service in the armed forces, minimum 28 days.

The Defence Medal

12. a The institution of a Defence Medal has been approved. This is to be granted (a) for service with Forces in non-operational areas subjected to air attack, or closely threatened, ( for non-operational service with the Forces overseas from, or outside, the country of residence, © for Civil Defence or other specified civilian service in military operational areas, and (d) for Civil Defence service in non-operational areas subjected to air attack, or closely threatened.

The time qualification will be three years for (a), © and (d) except for Mine and Bomb Disposal units of the Forces in (a), for which the period will be three months. For ( the time qualification will be one year.

b. The centre of the ribbon is flame-coloured, and the edges are green, symbols of the enemy attacks on our green and pleasant land. Two black stripes represent the black-out.

c. Those qualified for any one of the Campaign Stars may be granted this award in addition, and subsequent award of one of the Campaign Stars will not supersede a previous grant of the Defence Medal. Military or Civil Defence service in the territory of residence, neither subjected to air attack nor closely threatened will not be a qualification for this Medal.

(iv) Service in the Forces

a. All members of the Forces who have served in the United Kingdom during the war will be eligible for the Defence Medal. Personnel of the Anti-Aircraft Command and all Royal Air Force personnel other than operational air crew will, for example, be included. Members of Dominion Forces who have served in the United Kingdom will be eligible The United Kingdom Home Guard will also be included.

b. It is the intention, for example, that service by United Kingdom Forces in West Africa, Palestine or India, as well as service by Dominion Forces in non-operational areas outside their own countries, should also be a qualification.

c. The part-time service of the Malta Home Guard will be specially recognised by the grant of the Defence Medal.

(v) Civil Defence, &c., service

a. Members of civilian services in the United Kingdom eligible for Chevrons for war service will be eligible for the Defence Medal. A list of most of the categories which will be included is given in the Appendix.

b. Part time, as well as whole time, civilian service of the kind described in sub-paragraph (a) above will be a qualification. Any period since the 3rd September, 1939, during which the enrolled member was

- available for duty up to the standard required from time to time, and

- performed such duty as and when required, will be reckoned towards the period of three years qualifying service.

c. It is the intention that Civil Defence service in military operational areas subjected to enemy air attack should be included on a similar basis. Civil Defence services in Gibraltar and Malta and in other territories in the Colonial Empire, which qualify for Chevrons for war service, will also be eligible. Civil Defence service in, for instance, West Africa or the West Indies will not be a qualification.

(vi) Time qualification

Service will be counted from the 3rd September, 1939, to the 8th May, 1945, or to the stand-down of the organisation if earlier. United Kingdom Home Guard service, for instance, will be reckoned from June, 1940, to the stand-down in November, 1944, and Civil Defence service will be counted up to the 8th May, 1945, or whatever date is fixed for the cessation of service in particular cases. Service in the various eligible categories may be aggregated. Time overseas in non-operational areas amounting to less than a year will be added at its actual time value to service of less than three years at home, that is to say, it would not be multiplied by three.

(vii) Time qualification in the Colonial Empire

Where in certain cases in the Colonial Empire in territories which have been subjected to aerial bombardment or closely threatened, a three-year qualification cannot be adopted without excluding the full or part-time local military Forces and the Civil Defence organisation, it will he necessary to seek approval for special time qualifications.

(viii) Special awards

a. Service in eligible categories brought to an end before the period of three years or twelve or three months service has been completed, either by death due to enemy action when on duty, or by injuries entitling the candidate to a Wound Stripe, will be a qualification for the grant of the Defence Medal.

b. The Defence Medal will also be granted, without regard to the three year or twelve or three months service requirement, to those British subjects who may have received an award or Commendation for brave conduct or Commendation for valuable service in the air, provided that the recipient, when the award or Commendation was earned, was serving in a category eligible for the Defence Medal and that the distinction was granted in respect of service qualifying for the Defence Medal.

c. It will be noticed that, for obvious reasons, the above definition excludes those granted the George Cross or George Medal for actions in service qualifying for Campaign Stars or for actions in territories neither subjected to air attack nor closely threatened.

d. There are a few other recipients of the George Cross or the George Medal not in any of the categories mentioned in the preceding subparagraphs ( and ©, mainly those granted these awards for gallantry in Civil Defence, who were not in a service which would qualify them for the Defence Medal. These also will be eligible specially for the Defence Medal. This arrangement will not apply to holders of awards other than the George Cross and the George Medal.

(ix) Claims

It will not be practicable for Departments to certify awards until application has been made and the prescribed form has been submitted and examined. Further information will be issued on this point by the various Departments. A candidate with qualifying time in more than one Service will submit a certificate from the appropriate authorities in respect of his earlier service.

(x) Closing date. Continuance in the Pacific

a. The closing date of the qualifying period for the Defence Medal in respect of service in the Forces will be that on which active hostilities ended in Europe, that is to say, the 8th May, 1945, except that service in the Forces overseas from, or outside, the country of residence, will continue to be reckoned until the end of active hostilities in the Pacific.

b. Service by local military Forces or Civil Defence Organisations in non-operational areas in territories in the Pacific area classified as qualifying by reason of aerial bombardment or because they have been closely threatened will continue to be reckoned towards the award of the Defence Medal during the interval between the end of active hostilities in Europe and the end of active hostilities in the Pacific.

Interpretation

13. Any questions of difficulty in connection with the scheme, including interpretation and so forth, will be a matter for reference to the Committee on the grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals in time of war and in relation to the Stars the practice adopted for the 1939-45 and Africa Stars will be followed as far as may be possible.

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Sorry for the emoticons - they're hard to root out.

[Nigel Marshall]

Hello,

Being a Firewatcher would not entitle him to a War Medal 1939- 1945 because this medal was awarded to members of the armed forces. Firewatchers were civilians. I don't know off the top of my head if this particular civilian organisation was entitled to the Defence Medal, but if it was, your Grandfather would have had to have served at least three years within the UK in this (or another entitled capacity).

Unclaimed WW2 medals may still be obtained from the Medal Office on production of the necessary documentation to prove 1.) Your grandfather's entitlement and 2.) Your kinship with him.

If you are not the surviving next of kin, that person will have to apply for the medals, however you could act as an appointee.

If it was me in your shoes, I would consult a local medal dealer who will probably have a shoe-box full of individual WW2 medals and ask them to pick out a nice Defence Medal for you (if you discover the entitlement of course) and buy that. WW2 medals were issued unnamed to UK personnel and so the one from the box will be as much his as any you might be able to prove an entitlement to with the Medal Office.

The more modern strikings of the WW2 medals are known to be of a lesser quality that n the originals, another reason for visiting your local dealer. If you need another reason, there is time. It can take many months to see a claim to medals settled via official channels.

My advice?

Make certain the firewatchers were a qualifying group and then go an buy the medal. It will cost you about £15.00 and the hassle will be over in a day!

Cheers,

Nigel

[Peridot]

Thanks to you both for your time and trouble. The position with the War Medal 1939-1945 is clear cut as he did not re-enlist-would have been 54 then. Position with the Defence Medal will need some further digging as I am sure I have seen papers referring to this somewhere in the past.

Thanks again.

Peridot