D-Day

Major Howards daughter was wearing her fathers medels, but I think there was a good reason why he was wearing them on the wrong side, I am not a medal man but some of his looked like they were for more than for just being there.

PNK;46793 wrote:

Are family and close relatives allowed to wear the medals of their relation but only the right? My wife could wear her dad's medals. He was on HMS Serapis just off the beachs on the morning of 6th June 1944.

The Royal British Legion offers the following advice on wearing a relatives decorations

The official position regarding wearing medals other than your own is that they should not be worn. However, it was generally accepted from soon after the Great War that widows of the fallen wore their late husband's medals on the right breast on suitable occasions.

More recently it seems to have become the custom for any family member to wear medals of deceased relations in this way, sometimes trying to give a complete family military history by wearing several groups. Although understandable it is officially incorrect, and when several groups are worn it does little for the dignity of the original owners.

The Legion takes a pragmatic view and our Ceremonial Rules state:

"The official rules for wearing medals allow only official awards to be worn. Unofficial purchased medals and foreign medals which do not have the Sovereign's permission to be worn are not allowed. Standard Bearers, Parade Marshals and other officials on Legion duty are bound by this ruling and unofficial medals must not be worn when on Legion duty.

The medals awarded to a deceased Service / ex-Service person may be worn on the right breast by a near relative (mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, daughter and son). Not more than one group should be worn by any individual."

One thing is certan, no action will be taken officially if anyone wears a relation's medals. In the Legion this practice is banned for Standard Bearers and parade officials and as stated above for other members.



I think it a matter for the individual, I would never think of wearing my late fathers decorations but of course we all have our own ways of remembering.

I'm inclined to agree with Kebecker about the wearing of old mans medals - even tho' he was Merchant Navy he accumulated a handful of them . He spent most of the war on a salvage tug that did target towing when not actually trawling the Western approaches for lame ducks.... bith exceedingly dodgy occupations.

Funny thing is , they never really had any problems they couldn't cope with till one night tied up in Plymouth and a German raider dropped a bomb right down the smokestack!

I am afraid I have to disagree with the last two comments, John Frost's daughter was wearing his medals to honour her fathers memory. My daughter found she could wear my Dad's medals although has no need too, said how proud she would be to wear them. Some of you wish to see memorials all over the place, built and paid for by people who were not there. Both perpetuate the memories of brave men. When I placed the photos on the forum I did hope for a better response, I am a bit disappointed that all the comments were about one mans medal wearing. He was stood on a stage singing songs of the 40's to an adoring crowed with many more veterans of 80, 90 years old. They were wonderful to meet and talk to and also just to watch as they marched past thanking the people for clapping them. A little old French lady thanking a British paratrooper of 19. He said what was all that about, I explained that she was probably thanking him for liberating her country. Slightly old and maybe a bit confused. It was a humbling weekend, a young German laying a wreath on the grave of an unknown German soldier(buried in a British cemetery) and afterwords hugging a British officer in thanks. The officer was not used to being hugged, very stiff reaction but folded later in the arms of a Frenchman when he realised the meaning of friendship across Europe. The old man with two walking sticks helped across the road by a young mother and kissed her hand in thanks. The Colonel at Arromanches who was helped to the start of the march by his wife but managed to lead the parade again like he has for many years and I hope for many to come. Sorry if you do not agree with my reply but it was a fantastic weekend with wonerful people, no animosity (except from a woman Britsih biker pushing through the crowd and a couple smoking in the cemetery) apart from that we paid NO parking fees, NO fees to enter parades, NO pedlers of junk food. NO sellers of junk flags. And we did not have to book in advance.

Oh dear I seem to have started it all off, I was just curious thats all.

As to the men who liberated Europe from the yoke of German oppresion I yield to no one in my admiration and respect, after all my dad was one of that generation. But cast your mind back to the seventies and people werent interested in them. As Kipling said "its tommy this and tommy that".

Next year if anybody wishes to visit the D-day celebrations I will be happy to take them around, perhaps an AIX group visit?? I could even show you a few airfields.

Richard

I was very impressed and moved by your report, make no mistake I hold all of those men and women in the greatest of regard, I also hold in great regard those who choose to honour their relatives by wearing their decorations. I was very moved to see one of your pictures of the Veteran wearing his Military Medal. I am immensely proud of my father, I just choose not to wear his decorations, my way of keeping his memory with me is to carry his pay book at all of our Legions Branch ceromonies.

Richard - I don't think anyone was belittling either the debt we owe those who fought or their memory.

Personally , I tend to go along with what my father told me - he said words to the effect that for every man that was awarded a medal there were another ten equally courageous who did not get one.

Whatever the opinions on the wearing of medals on behalf of fathers etc(it must be a personal choice) ....as long as there are even a small number of people with an interest in the past , the memories will live on.

I think that we are doing a small part here on the forum, don't worry about me I am a bit tired and tetchee after a good weekend and back into work straight after. Nowadays I need a weeks holiday to get over a days work. I missed my lunchtime sleep.

Dave have a look at my latest post on Anderson Manor you may know of it?

Richard,
Thanks again for the photos. Not to pursue the medal wearing part of the thread too much, but I also understand where Canberra was coming from. Today marks D-day+3, the day my old dad set foot in France all those years ago.
He was with 143Rgt Royal Armoured Corps as part of montgomery's XXXCorp.
I thought long and hard about wearing his medals later in the year, I have solved that issue by doing this to them. Much more fitting.