REMEMBERANCE DAY.11/11/08

ibbo · Guru

REMEMBERANCE DAY.11/11/08

dave06 · Guru

yep,I'll agree with that, got a few of our family in amongst them, took a couple of uncles and great uncles and some that I dont know how they were related through the first war. but we got the photos of young good looking ghosts that were taken from us

Smokeydk · Guru

Yep....Remembrance Day,

this year I collected the history of 9 family members, who fought in WW1 and WW2
I have had My Grandfathers things (medals etc) framed..hoping they will be handed down through the next generations. He was in the 1st Light Horse..NSW 1914-1919.

Dave

Wombat 280 · Guru

Thank Christ the old diggers are all gone now , it was remembrance day every day for them.

No one wins everyone loses out

Basil Faulty · Guru

I wore my Poppy with pride today....Have been doing some research into deceased rellies who were in the Boer and WWI & WWII, made some very interesting discoveries.
You can search for service records here: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/index.aspx

I was able to print out some records which I will store with the medals of those who I have. I do wonder what will become though of these medals etc in the future as my kids seem to have no interest, I'd hate them to be just thrown out with the "dietrus" of my life. Spose tho when you die you don't have to worry do you, maybe I should put yet another codicile on my will and bequeth them to the War Memorial....

Gary and Kerry · Guru

I have just finished reading a book called
11th Month
11th Day
11th Hour
by Joseph Persico.
If anybody has any doubts to the futillity of war this book would soon set them straight.
Compelling reading.

Wombat 280 · Guru

Basil Faulty wrote:

I wore my Poppy with pride today....Have been doing some research into deceased rellies who were in the Boer and WWI & WWII, made some very interesting discoveries.
You can search for service records here: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/defence/service-records/index.aspx

I was able to print out some records which I will store with the medals of those who I have. I do wonder what will become though of these medals etc in the future as my kids seem to have no interest, I'd hate them to be just thrown out with the "dietrus" of my life. Spose tho when you die you don't have to worry do you, maybe I should put yet another codicile on my will and bequeth them to the War Memorial....

You can leave them to your local or National RSL Branch especially if you have the history behind them.

My family has a military history dating back to the Crusades. In more recent times family have served in all branches of the ADF and as a vet myself it has fallen to me to keep the records and pass them on to my kids. I now have a grandson about to join up so he looks like the next in line.

A good way to preserve and present them is to have them mounted in a frame with a pic of the recipient, costly but truly effective.

If you don't have all the medals or need the ribbons replaced contact Christies or a medal restorer they do all the mounting and you can buy duplicates if needed.

Personally they can stuff all my medals where the sun don't shine I'd rather have the dollars put into vet pensions or other vet welfare issues , can't spend a medal or run the car on them

That issue is for another time and place.

Basil Faulty · Guru

Wombat said: Personally they can stuff all my medals where the sun don't shine I'd rather have the dollars put into vet pensions or other vet welfare issues , can't spend a medal or run the car on them
Tend to agree, I came home from Vietnam with 2 medals, I now have 5, 3 have been given to me post my service presumably to assuage the guilt of the Politicians who probably feel that I would vote for them if they give me another medal. Two of mine were earned, three I consider bribes....

dave06 · Guru

now look i dont want to step on any toes here and I certainly dont know what I'm talking about as far as how you feel about your medals, never been in a war and I dont want to either, BUT please dont look at the medals like that, try to look at the bloody things as given to you by a freindly and extremely gratefull nation, not the pollies, but from the people

we love to see the medals adorning our returned and it fills us with a little bit of pride that we recognise our warriors in such a glorious manner

make me god and I would make you all instant millionaires, but at the very least and I do mean the very least we can do is to give you something that makes you stand out a bit from the everyday man or woman even if it is only a bit of bronze and a bit of ribbon, it is what they represent that matters

please dont dispose of them, show them to whoever will look, wear them with pride, it is with pride that I would have given them to you if It was me at the ceremony, and by god I would shout it from the rooftops that you received them as well

we had all sorts of medals from our various fighters in all sorts of wars, my father threw them out after he lost his brother in the second war, I would love to have had them, and displayed them with pride and said thats MY FAMILY HISTORY right there, once disposed of, forever gone, bribes, maybe, earned ABSOBLOODYLUTELY!!!! that and a whole lot more

ibbo · Guru

Thank you mate for such a passionate and obviously heartfelt response.Cheers Ibbo.

tonyd · Guru

On the subject of our national military history, I trust I was not the only one whose blood pressure soared last week when that oxygen thief Keating took it on himself to slag off the whole Gallipoli thing. Poncing around in Zegna suits, collecting ancient French clocks. Makes me sick. As (I think) Kim Beasley senior once said, Labor used to be the cream of the working class. Now it's the dregs of the middle class.

Wombat 280 · Guru

If you want to get replacement medals for those lost or disposed of by your dad go to that sight mentioned earlier and get the service history that will give you a start point of what medals they are entitled to then contact the ADF medals and awards branch for duplicates , not sure if relo's can get replacements or only those who have had them . .. Can always buy them from Christies once you know what you need.

By the way that last medal they struck for Nasho's only, costs all up once issued around 24 million and there's been two more since . Just think how many war widow and service pensions that would pay for.

I have 11, need to grow another chest to pin them on and then I can't carry the weight. Now if they gave me 10 dollars a week I for each then I'd be very grateful or maybe just 10 dollars a week for the lot.

It was worked out by the VVA that if you gave every veteran and war widow a full TPI pension for the remainder of their lives and closed down the Department of Veteran Affairs the government would turn a profit within two years.

Anyone who has dealt with DVA in the early days knows exactly what I mean, they turned procrastination into an art form

If you want help to chase the family military history down give me a call I may have access in Canberra that can help out.

-- Edited by Wombat 280 at 21:10, 2008-11-11

Wombat 280 · Guru

tonyd wrote:

On the subject of our national military history, I trust I was not the only one whose blood pressure soared last week when that oxygen thief Keating took it on himself to slag off the whole Gallipoli thing. Poncing around in Zegna suits, collecting ancient French clocks. Makes me sick. As (I think) Kim Beasley senior once said, Labor used to be the cream of the working class. Now it's the dregs of the middle class.

Couldn't agree more you wouldn't Pee on him if he caught fire unless you could pee petrol another pompous 'B". who over time will be nominated for an AOM or a kinghthood for been a SNAFU.

The full history of Gallipoli as told by those who particapated details a disastrous event of untold magnitude , another fine mess the poms got us into, or at least Churchill did the pompous 'B" . Our pollies of the time were as much to blame chasing their knighthoods or OBE's ( other bastards effort ) Fortunately the victor , if there was really one, gets to write the history for their own public's consumption that way any failures become folk lore and over time hero's are born. Which is what the country needed when the chips were down and times are hard .

Smokeydk · Guru

Hi,

The chap who framed My Grandfathers medals etc....also does replicas and mountings too.

The framing was fantastic..all things historic will cost ofcourse.but it was done professionally

Hes.

Barry Presgrave OAM. LCM. FAIES
Blackwood SA

Basil Faulty · Guru

tonyd wrote:

On the subject of our national military history, I trust I was not the only one whose blood pressure soared last week when that oxygen thief Keating took it on himself to slag off the whole Gallipoli thing. Poncing around in Zegna suits, collecting ancient French clocks. Makes me sick. As (I think) Kim Beasley senior once said, Labor used to be the cream of the working class. Now it's the dregs of the middle class.

Mate Keating is the original oxygen thief..... Amazes me how these past PM's who have public records of screwing the public can still keep the hubris flowing....

dave06 · Guru

anything to sell a book, all publicity is good publicity

Wombat 280 · Guru

Basil Faulty wrote:

tonyd wrote:

On the subject of our national military history, I trust I was not the only one whose blood pressure soared last week when that oxygen thief Keating took it on himself to slag off the whole Gallipoli thing. Poncing around in Zegna suits, collecting ancient French clocks. Makes me sick. As (I think) Kim Beasley senior once said, Labor used to be the cream of the working class. Now it's the dregs of the middle class.

Mate Keating is the original oxygen thief..... Amazes me how these past PM's who have public records of screwing the public can still keep the hubris flowing....

Note that all ther major stuffers came from the Labor party , the workers party, be buggered it is. I see Gough and Keating and Hawk all struting around the world still at our expense flogging books just like encylopediea salemen. Sorry if I've insulted encylopediea sale people.

Basil Faulty · Guru

Just recieved this response from the Australian War memorial re keeping medals etc for posterity:

Dear Mr Watson,

I am emailing in response to your inquiry concerning the donation of yours, your fathers and grandfathers service medals to the Australian War Memorial. I can advise you, that the Memorial does indeed accept service medals and awards of Australian service personnel to be housed safely and securely in the National Collection here in Canberra. I have inserted here a link to our donation page on the Memorials website: http://www.awm.gov.au/donations/index.asp which provides information on the process for donating items to the Memorial. However, if you have any further queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I will do my best to address them for you.

With regards

Luke DigginsAssistant CuratorMilitary Heraldry & TechnologyAustralian War Memorialt: (02) 6243 4513e: Luke.Diggins@awm.gov.au