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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Names on medals


John Shaw

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I think you will find that the British Empire is more or less Unique in its approach to Naming of Gallantry & Service Medals,Though even some of those are/were left unnamed{MC,OBE,MBE,DSO,etc}I believe that certain US Decorations {OPH,DSM,DSC,Etc;}were @ times "Named" or Numbered,& Some Continental Awards certainly had "Excruges" to allow Naming to be added,but as a rule of thumb,It was just the Brits,Colonial & Empire Troops that had Officially named awards

The Other Nations seemed to put more store in the Award Document which was often very eloborate,rather than the Award itself

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Generally, only the British & Empire (Commonwealth) forces named their medals to the recipient.

Some foreign medals contemporary to WW1 period were officially named, such as US gallantry awards and USMC & USN Good Conduct medals, but aside from these and several European civil medals, the Americans and all other nations issued their campaign medals without naming. (Although retrospective awards of the Purple Heart made from 1932 to WW1 veterans were named, as they are today.)

Richard

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Canada followed British custom during WWI and WWII since we had no real honours system of our own.

Since the 1960's, we have had a uniquely Canadian honours system. Our long service and good conduct medal, the Canadian Forces Decoration, is named. All bravery and meriterious service decorations are also named. Most service medals are not named with the exception of our new General Service Medal and Star, which is for operations which take place in the presence of an armed enemy (ie Afghanistan). The GS star looks a lot like the 1914 and 1914-15 stars and the WWII stars.

Our Orders of Canada and Orders of Military Merit are not named but serial-numbered. This is because (if I'm not mistaken) the amount of awardees each year is based on population of Canada for the Order of Canada and the strength of the military for the Order of Military Merit.

http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dhh/honours_awa...ed1_e.asp?cat=3

Regards

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