Does the British military have an equivalent medal to our Purple Heart?
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Does the British military have an equivalent medal to our Purple Heart?
I do not belive so. They used to have 'stripes' that a wounded man would wear on the sleeve, one stripe for each wound.
Now we're going to get a decent thread of insulks etc. lol, flesh wounds and other grazes were just a bother...real soldiers in my comic books carried on, just wearing few more bandages...
Its a good question, do we have an equivilant to the purple heart and if not, why not?
As of April 19, 2008, apparently they did not. More HERE.
Bob
The British military has never been all that free with medals. Until recently many with years of service would have nothing more than a G.S. Medal with some clasps to show for it.
I wouldn't know about that, While the U.S. had medals for the Indian Wars, the Spanish American War, plus WW1 and WW2, The British have campaign medals by the ton. Then there are the "stars" both WW1 and WW2.
Of course it wasn't until Waterloo that everyone got a medal instead of just the officers. Medals for previous wars followed but again, long after the event, and most likely only long serving officers or other ranks would have lived to recieve them.
We have JUST issued a General Service Medal for those who served in the Canal Zone................ in 1956! A national newspaper mistakenly called it the Anal Zone Medal. May be they weren't mistaken!
So over 50 years after the event, they probably won't have to issue a lot of them, and certainly by now only to ex-servicemen.;)
I do remember seeing a picture of the Royal Navy skipper of one of the ships that sank the Bismarck, and he only had one row of ribbons...so I think they are little less inclined to just hand them out...
With a stiff upper lip who needs a purple heart.
I never could understand getting a medal for being stupid enough to get yourself shot... now a medl for shooting the ENEMY that's a whole different matter.
Well they did "wound stripes" both in cloth and in brass for the dress uniform.
Actualy the "purple heart" was originaly made of cloth and issued for military merit. It was only much later (WW1) that is became an award for not getting your arse down in time. Actualy Untill the Spanish American War, there was only ONE medal and that was the medal of honor.
By comparison with the Navy the RAF are notorious for handing out medals by the bucketload. I seem to recall navy Fleet Air Arm pilots were a bit miffed after the Falklands when gongs were dished out to all manner of RAF pilots involved in ops from delivering cargo, to those two long range Vulcan raids on Stanley airfield (they missed) at no risk to the crews, whereas the FAA pilots who went hammer and tongs with the argie airforce got naff-all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Critch
In Malaya and Borneo, if you were being supplied or reinforced or casevac'ed you hope that it'd be FAA/Navy helicopter pilots on the op. They'd fly in all weathers, even in the howling monsoons and half light whereas, the RAF pilots were a little more careful. Having said that, the FAA helicopters were always in a bit of a state, looked a bit rough and ever so tatty, like a tip inside, sounded like they were only running on 3 cylinders, could always do with a lick of paint but did the job I suppose.
Does anyone remember a twin propellor job called a Belvedere. They always had spare 44 gallon drums of petrol or whatever makes them fly, lashed into the fuselage somewhere
" It only hurts when I laugh", Tommy
Remember Ollie North? More rows of ribbons than Montgomery, and he's typical.
I remember them - vaguely. Long straight body with the 'office' up front and a 'tower' mounting the engine and tail rotor, side loading cargo door. Sort of like a skinny, piston engined grandfather of the Chinook. Right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
I never rode in one, but I remember seeing them. The memory is a bit fuzzy on this one, but I think the last one I saw was in NZ back in the late '70s (or mid '80s) parked off the tarmac at Auckland (could have been Christchurch).
On the subject of ribbons, I had been serving for 14 years and was a Major in the NZ Army and posted to the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai. My quarters were shared with a US Army Ordnance Major and we had to attend a Force presentation, dressed in full uniform - Service Dress. He told me that we had to have all our medals on and I replied that I had none. He found it hard to believe, he had 14 and except for one tour to Korea, this was his first service outside the US.
Our newspapers always make derisory remarks about the Royal Family's childrens and grand-childrens rows of medals. Prince Charlie being a prime example. He's got stacks of them for, well, ....everything! They've just picked up on the one that couldn't hack Royal Marines basic training has a load as well. Where do they get them from.... Ah yes, that auction site
And it's nice to be able to fly your own chinook to parties as well Peter! (for 'training' reasons, naturally). If I was an aspiring army air force helicopter pilot being kept off the course by Harry, who let's face it, mentally at least, does not remotely possess the qualities normally taken as essential for that role, I wouldn't be best pleased. The Saxe-Coberg-Goetha gang like playing at soldiers (honourable mention to Randy Andy though I suppose, although his subsequent life hasn't exactly been worthwhile).
And what about their love of uniforms too........... Don't get me going.
Of medals, this is how difficult it is. Many TA soldiers were in dispute about the 'everyone-gets-one' Golden jubilee medal of 2002 due to the fact that they hadn't put in the requisite number of hours to qualify. Until they realised that the Foot and Mouth outbreak closed all of the huge training areas and most TA camps and Field training was cancelled. So effectively, you couldn't qualify using the requisite Hours criteria!
This was appealed and the 'bar' was lifted when one wise old RLC TA Major noted in his appeal that the two Princes got one each while they were in their school Cadet Corps. They HAD too!
Medals....., yes. Not easy to get in Our Army!
Mr. Laidler
Below is my Air Force Expert Marksmanship Ribbon awarded to me in 1969, out of 60 rounds issued to me, my target had 82 holes in it. I was never shot or wounded because the guy shooting next to me was out of ammunition when he found out he had been shooting at the wrong target and wasn’t going to get a medal.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/deleted.gif
Below an Air Force MRE or meal ready to eat. :thup:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sCoffee1-1.jpg
I was running the firing point several years ago when one of the cooks, who couldn't hit a barn from the inside was getting lower and lower scores as the day wore on! He had to get a reasonable score to pass of course. So after a phone call to the butt Sergeant, on thenext shoot, not only did he pass, he was to sniper standard! After which we were able to pack up and go home!
Army rations.......... Ed. Many old British sweats will be a little sadder this evening to learn that after being introduced in 1950 or 1951, nobody is quite sure, but the OATMEAL BLOCK biscuits are finally being withdrawn from UK Army ration packs. It was the one thing that you could rely on. That and the fact that whatever happened, you could also rely on the Bren to work!
We had a guy in Basic who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a rifle if he was locked inside. HOWEVER he qualified expert with the BAR. We found out that before coming to America, he was a BREN gunner in the British army;)
The muzzle loading rifle team I shoot on got a new member one year. He qualified expert on just about everything in the Army(legitimately, too), but could not hit anything using a muzzle loading rifle. After trying for 4 years, he gave up and went to another club and shot M-1 Garands. He rated as the club's top shooter. Go figure.
[QUOTE=Peter Laidler;56594 They've just picked up on the one that couldn't hack Royal Marines basic training has a load as well. [/QUOTE]
Bit harsh there Peter. I'm not sure I could have hacked RM basic training either. At least he had the balls to opt out, even knowing, as a Royal, he would face moreflack than average.
I actually met him in Calgary last Sunday when he presented my daughter with her Duke of Edinburgh's gold award. He wore civvies & was very pleasant.
I know exactly what you mean Sprog, and point taken. But I ask why they have so many uniforms? Not to mention medals!
Not exactly Lee Enfield but just as iconic. I have just seen a delta wing Vulcan bomber fly overhead. It must be the last survivor that has just got a new MoT test or whatever they do to test aeroplanes. Accompanied by two equally iconic VC10 tankers.
Wow, what a sight!
My #2 Son, the E5 came to the Army as a reasonably successful Highpower competition shooter...in 8 years in the Army he never missed a single target on the 300m "Pop-Up" Range and was a member of the Unit Rifle Team. He was working over at the "Det." at Camp Perry, changing oil in trucks when their LT came in and told him and his "shooting Bud" to head over to the Qual Range. An Army Reserve MASH Unit was trying to get qualified and things were NOT going well! James and Taft spent the rest of their weekend shooting! Fired qualification scores for the entire MASH unit! By the end of that weekend, that MASH Unit was one bunch of steely-eyed hard-holders...at least on paper!Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
The Vulcan's pretty amazing - I saw one take off a few years ago at the Fairford Airshow and it was very loud indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
But on the second point - given the state of our air refuelling and cargo fleet - surely VC10 vintage aircraft are still the cornerstone of the effort.
When I was a young teenager I used to attend the American High School in Bushey. We lived in Harpenden and my brother and I would catch the train to Radlett then ride the bus to Bushey. Everyday we would go past the Handley Page airfield with the Victors parked on the tarmac. Awesome sight! I especially enjoyed the camouflaged painted A/C.
First Vulcan I ever saw was in "Thunderball".
BEAR
Many years ago (about 25) I was flying south alongside the A1 (the Brits will know it) between Grantham & Stamford when a Vulcan passed about 100ft below me, heading North, talk about "brown trousers" - put me in a bit of a spin (literally) but nothing was done when I reported the airmiss
Never liked the things since.
Do get a buzz as the Battle Of Britain Flight pass over us most weekends in the summer its based about 10 miles away - and as we are based alongside an old WW2 Lancaster airfield the Lanc does a low flypast everytime (about 250 - 300ft, occasionally considerably less and we get a wave from the guy up front). Great noise and everyone looks up - unlike the Typhoons - nobody looks at them.
It took a year after demob for my GS medal to arrive {Cypress]
A while back I applied for my Canal Zone GS -my posting began one month too late for that one !!
I did get dysentery in Egypt; that definitely deserved a medal.
Oh well.
[QUOTE=Alan de Enfield;57029]
Do get a buzz as the Battle Of Britain Flight pass over us most weekends in the summer its based about 10 miles away - and as we are based alongside an old WW2 Lancaster airfield the Lanc does a low flypast everytime (about 250 - 300ft, occasionally considerably less and we get a wave from the guy up front). Great noise and everyone looks up - unlike the Typhoons - nobody looks at them.[/QUOTE
The BBF used to stack up above my junior school when I was a kid, when they used to do the fly past for the RAF Finningly open day. As has been said many times before on here, the sound of the Merlin engine is distinctive and stirring.
On the flip side of the coin, I was once driving an 8 tonner between Fallingbostel and Hohne when I just happened to glance up and see a Messerschmidt 109 fly over. At first it didn't even register, I just thought, "Hmm, a Messersh...What!?" I nearly crashed the bloody wagon doing a double take.
You may have seen n the press a few weeks ago the story about the Lancaster "breaking down" in Holland.
One of our members is one of the Lancaster pilots and he told me the true story.
The Dutch Government requested the Lanc to do a couple of fly-pasts over the war graves during a rememberance parade.
The turbo on one of the Engines failed and the Lanc ended up landing at Schipol airport.
There was not a single aircraft in the RAF available to collect a spare engine from Coningsby and fly it out to Schipol,
The memorial flight looked at using their old Dakota but the floor loading would not take the engine so they couldnt use that.
The German airforce offered to collect and deliver the engine which was gratefully accepted.
So the Luftwaffe carried Lancaster parts - bit Ironic.
Postscript - the Memorial flight have now received a bill for Hangerage for the Lancaster of £20,000
as an ex -british soldier I can confirm that all wounded servicemen with overseas postings recieved the VD and scar medal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan de Enfield
That's just a tremendous turn up isn't it!
I'm not surprised, with our 'one pound shop' air force these days. Jump training for the Parachute Regiment has been abandoned, as Crab Air can't spare any a/c for them to practise, and many new people have gone off to their units and the war without ever having jumped at all.
The B-58 Hustler is the finest looking aircraft I've seen yet. The F-106 is a close second.
As for Purple Hearts I've heard WW2 veterans say that everyone got hit by shell splinters and the like, often many times. They almost never asked for a purple heart for the first wound unless it was really serious. They figured it was bad luck to expect a medal for a minor wound and that if they got one then the next time they were hit it would be much worse.
I've treated a few gunshot wounds and some very serious injuries, first aid only of course. Most men seem more embarassed by relatively minor wounds than anything else.
One guy refused to be taken to the hospital after an AD. The wound was clean through the thigh, and I don't see how it could have missed the bone.
A round nose .38 Special. Exit wound was little larger than intrance wound.
He is pretty muscular and there was a suprising penetration for a pistol bullet even at close range.
He'd missed the artery and bleeding had all but stopped by the time he got here.
I loaded him up with Cipro I had put away for emergencies, and since he didn't want anyone to know about the wound I suggested he tell his doctor he had the Clapp and ask him to call in a script for anti-biotics.
Several guys I know have taken some fairly serious wounds and gone on fighting. The step father of a close friend took five .380 bullets including one that took out part of his jaw and exited under the eye, and another that destroyed a kidney, and he then disarmed the shooter and broke his arm before beating him to a bloody pulp.
Another fellow, a bouncer at a nightclub, was hit seven times point blank with a .25. He broke both the shooters arms and then broke his back.