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Gradia Militaria

Miniature WW2 & post war group of 11 to professional soldier.

Miniature WW2 & post war group of 11 to professional soldier.

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Obviously this is only a guess as these are un-named miniatures but this is what I suspect.

What's on the bar (left to right)

  1. 1939-45 Star
  2. Africa Star
  3. Italy Star
  4. France and Germany Star
  5. Defence Medal
  6. War Medal 1939-45
  7. General Service Medal 1918-62 (George VI), clasps Palestine and Malaya
  8. Africa General Service Medal (Elizabeth II), clasp Kenya
  9. 1935 Silver Jubilee Medal (George V and Queen Mary)
  10. 1953 Coronation Medal
  11. Special Constabulary Long Service Medal (Elizabeth II)

They're mounted in the correct order of wear.

Why not the Navy

The GSM ribbon is the key. It's purple and green, which is the Army and RAF General Service Medal. A sailor serving in Palestine or Malaya would have the Naval General Service Medal, which has a crimson and white ribbon. There's also no Atlantic Star, which most sailors of that era earned.

Why Army over RAF

North Africa, then Italy, then North West Europe is the classic 8th Army route. It was followed by Palestine (1945-48), Malaya (1948-60) and Kenya (1952-56, the Mau Mau emergency). RAF ground staff did serve in all of those places. But the full sequence, especially Kenya, reads much more like an Army career.

Clues to rank and length of service

  • The 1935 Jubilee Medal means he was already serving in 1935, so he was a pre-war regular. It was issued on a quota and often went to senior NCOs and officers.
  • There's no Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. A regular soldier in the ranks with 20+ years would almost certainly have one. Officers aren't eligible. So he was probably commissioned, possibly from the ranks.
  • The 1953 Coronation Medal was also issued on a quota, which suggests some seniority.
  • The Special Constabulary medal needs nine years' service. He was policing as a volunteer well into the 1960s.

That's roughly 30 years of service across five decades.

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