Wearing of relatives medals for a commemoration

[LarryH57]

My wife and I are to attend an official commemoration event for my wife's great uncle killed in action with the British Army. On various Remembrance Sunday parades in London, we have seen relatives wearing the medals of the fallen on their right breast purely for commemoration purposes. My question to members is whether this is an accepted practice and whether this is only for war widows? Your comments please!

[Marmite!!]

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/how-the-nation-remembers/medals/medal-faqs#wearing

 

http://www.britisharmedforces.org/other/other_faq.htm#faq3

[LarryH57]

Many thanks. Interesting that the British Legion link says no and the second link suggests its OK!

[gas 44]

Many thanks. Interesting that the British Legion link says no and the second link suggests its OK!

 

Just my veiw I know and not knocking anyone, but if I aint won them I aint wearing them.

[Chris Hall]

This from one of the HM Forces web pages

 

When is OK to wear my relatives medals ?

War medals and service decorations of any sort may be worn only by the person upon whom they were conferred, and in no case does the right to wear war or service medals, or their ribbons, pass to any relative when the recipient is dead. Modifications of the above rule are permitted in connection with Remembrance Day, when relatives who desire to avail themselves, on those days only, of the distinction of wearing the decoration and medals of deceased relatives, they may do so, wearing them ON THE RIGHT BREAST.

[OZITIM]

In Australia, family are permitted to wear deceased relatives embellishments on the right breast only, on remembrance day. Personally I don't agree with this practice. My father died when I was young and I have not felt that I should wear his medals. I earnt my own medals and wear them. I think the practice leads to confusion, as the general public is not aware of official military protocols around medal wearing and can erroneously assume that a person earnt certain medals when they didnt. I think it is just easier to only wear medals that you earnt. Remembrance day can be acknowledged just by your attendance. Sadly their is a growing trend where people are wearing all sorts of tin on their shirts and attempting to 'pimp' up their parade jacket with unofficial medals or medals that they didnt earnt. Just keep it simple. Wear what is yours.

 

Regards, Tim

Somalia Veteran

[79x100]

My personal feeling as the son of a WW2 serviceman who still hasn't claimed his medals ("If the buggers couldn't be bothered to send them to me, I can't be bothered to ask...") is that medals worn on the right at remembrance ceremonies by the widows or children of those who didn't survive the conflict have some relevance. In many ways, those widows and fatherless children are the ones who deserve a medal.

[LarryH57]

The reason I raised this query is that my better half (and the rest of us in the family) are to attend an official UK Government organised ceremony in the presence of HRH....to honour a select number of British War dead, which makes it more akin to Remembrance Day rather than swanning around at W&P wearing someone else's medals. It's hard to put in words how hard the soldier's death was for his family and that his parents and brothers and sisters were never able to visit his grave. So the wearing of the medals on the right breast was very much with them in mind as well as to honour the casualty. But having read some of the links I think we will take the medals in their framed case rather than wear them.

[gas 44]

I think your situation is very similar to tens of thousands unable to visit a grave.... good idea re the box though.

[Rick W]

If it is not acceptable to wear the medals of your ancestors on the right side during special occasions of remembrance how are we to remember them? They would remain in a box, in a drawer somewhere, maybe in frame on the wall. I like my children to wear their ancestors medals on their chest, they wear them with pride and it helps the young to appreciate the past, especially as they don't teach it at school.

[OZITIM]

I think attending the service in memory and honor of your loved ones is a fitting enough gesture! I attend remembrance day each year in memory of a mate who was killed in my company in Somalia in 1993. No one but his spirit knows why I attend the service and no one else needs to know. Anyway, that's my thoughts. I guess its a personal thing. Each to their own.

 

Regards, Tim

[GeePig]

As an aside, my wife threw all her father's medals away - and he never wore them anyway because they were all soviet medals given out so that the organisers could have a nice ceremony - with little thought for why or who the medals were for. The worst one was the one given out so that, basically, the recipient could have a larger pension.

 

My grandfather's Desert Star, on the other hand, is kept safely in a box so that I can get it out and remember what he did.

 

trevor