When I was on the Great War battlefields recently......

[Roger Payne]

It's all very poignant. It never ceases to amaze me how some people let the family medals go; how great uncle Harry's service & gallantry means less to them than funding next year's holiday in Benidorm.....

I would give an awful lot to be able to own my grandfather's medals.

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[waco16]

Completely with you on that, Roger...

Around 25 years ago we had a major fire at our house that caused a huge amount of damage.
It started in the room where my Grandfathers medals were framed on the wall, on either side of the only picture we had of him in his uniform.

The fire brigade had swept all of the debris from the room into a large bin, that I spent hours going through trying to find his medals
I'm pleased to say all 4 were found, albeit in a bit of a state - Frame, ribbons and sadly the picture gone, but the medals themselves survived
That fire caused over £25,000 worth of damage - a lot of money 25 years ago - but the thing that caused me the most trauma was the thought of losing his medals

They're back on the wall again - in a new frame with replacement ribbons, but they are the same medals he was awarded

Eventually my son will have them and I know he will cherish and respect them in the way I do

[browningautorifle]

They're back on the wall again

How about a pic of those?

[waco16]

I'm away from home for a week, but will certainly post a picture of them when I return.

My Grandfather served in North Africa during WW2 - he never talked about his experiences so what little information I have was from my Grandmother before she passed away a number of years ago.

It seems that he was badly wounded during an action and left for dead - my Grandmother actually received the 'missing in action' telegram

The story gets a little confused, but it seems that he somehow ended up in an American field hospital, and many weeks later she received notification (she said he was traced through the hard work of the Salvation Army) that he was still alive.
He was invalided out of the army in 1943 as a result of his wounds.

So, while to a collector, his Africa Star, 1939 - 45 Star, War Medal, Defence Medal and Wound badge are probably only worth a few pounds - no amount of money would take them away from my family

[Simon]

It's all very poignant. It never ceases to amaze me how some people let the family medals go; how great uncle Harry's service & gallantry means less to them than funding next year's holiday in Benidorm.....

I would give an awful lot to be able to own my grandfather's medals.

I'm lucky enough to be the temporary custodian of my Grandads Medals. AM2 Walter Booth. Enlisted with the Royal Naval Air Service, transferred to Royal Flying Corps and ultimately served with 64 Sqn Royal Air force until demobbed in late 1919.

[bigduke6]

I'm lucky enough to be the temporary custodian of my Grandads Medals. AM2 Walter Booth. Enlisted with the Royal Naval Air Service, transferred to Royal Flying Corps and ultimately served with 64 Sqn Royal Air force until demobbed in late 1919.

Si, thats got to be a propeller tip picture frame ?

[Simon]

Si, thats got to be a propeller tip picture frame ?

Well spotted Geoff. As a little aside I have a lot of his letters home too and in one of them, to his sister, he talks about the prop tip picture frame being ready very soon.

I've also found out recently that his older brother James Edwin Booth served with the South Lancs during the Boer War.