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[w3526602]

Hi,

Micharl Portillo (sp?) featured a "Great Railway journey on TV this evening, concentrating om Malaya. Scream from Barbara ... he was on Penang.

His map also showed Butterworth, but not where I kept my Bloodhounds.

I gave Barbara two years living on Penang. She still says I never take her anywhere.

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[Craig T]

I haven't seen that episode yet but they are very watchable, Michael Portillo is a pretty good presenter despite the colour of his clothes! Probably would have made a decent PM...

Apparently I spent the first two years of my life living in Hong Kong as my father was RAF and stationed at Kai-Tak airfield. Apparently we visited Penang and Malaysia in our spare time, shame I can't remember anything about it...

Have a good collection of colour slides from Hong Kong though showing lots of Route Master busses, Ford cars and Land Rovers..

Craig.

[TimV]

I was in Penang in 1966, but I was only 11 then ...

[mrutty]

My Ex got to see Bath, Gosport and Portsmouth. She refused the Faslane and Plymouth 'opportunities'

[Gibbo103]

My father was stationed in Malaya in the late forties and early fifties. They mainly had Dakotas and a lone spitfire for photographic reconnaissance.

[w3526602]

Hi,

How many of those who served in Malaya during the "Conflict Years" managed to get their application in for the Malaysian Prime Ministers "Thankyou" medal (It's name is not easy for me to remember ... something like Jangat Pingat. ) I just managed to sneak in as the end of the entitlement period. I departed Butterworth in July 1967, with two tickets to Heathrow, a month's pay, a wallet full of "deficiency chits" and a 6-month foetus.  Barbara recently asked why I had all those medals ... only 3, and they are all the equivalent of luggage labels.

"We were in a war zone!" I told her.

"What do you mean?" she shrieked.

The new Australian CO failed to arrive ... it's suspected he was shot down, en route. I assume he was flying in from Viet Nam.

Me? I just stood in the appropriate NAAFI queues.

RAAF Butterworth had "White Mice" ... North America F86 Sabres, ex-Korean War, while I was there, and some Desault Mysteres (sp?) arrived just before I left.

A couple of Royal Navy jets landed, and taxied up the public highway with their wings folded. HMS Eagle (?) had gone into Singapore for maintenance, so her aircraft were dispersed around them local RAF bases.

We flew down to Singapore in a Fokker Friendship, then on to UK in a turbo-prop Britannia (26 hours). "Taffy", our dog, flew to UK in a QANTAS 707. £700 springs to mind ... in 1967.

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[w3526602]

Hi,

A quick Google revealed it was the PINGAT JASA medal.

If anybody wants to buy their parents a special prezzy, they appear to be for sale £50 to £100. The recipients name is not engraved on the edge, unlike the GSM.

HMG did not want us to receive this medal, something to do with getting two medals for a single campaign. But the Press was on our side.

OT (OT) A "DEAD MAN'S PENNY" is worth about £40 (more if the victim was female). The difficult bit is finding one with the appropriate name. I have my Uncle's "penny", MIA, "The Trenches", 1915. Co-incidentally, he also was John Williams. Remind me to nip over to France, give his memorial a salute.

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[Porkscratching]

Isn't there some scheme where you can "claim" your close relatives owed medals ? They'd be modern reissues tho I assume...

[w3526602]

Hi,

My mate Gabe (Reg Gen of Shipping, rt'd) was also involved in Merchant Navy medals.  He told me about a British soldier who rolled up on a formal parade wearing an Iron Cross. Apparently it was his grand-father's.

I assume it worked on a similar principle to our VC ... your son has the right to inherit it ... I don't know about further generations. I learned recently that a VC holder takes precedence over Generals.

Gabe also got involved in sorting out a claim for a medal ... that had been won by the claimant's ancestor ... at Waterloo. He managed to dig out then necessary evidence. Another happy customer.

During the Jubilee celebrations, a "Pongo VC"  accompanied the Queen, on her royal barge, cruising down the Thames. I think his name was Corporal Jones. Google "Living holder' of VC".

While I was in Malaya, an Aussie soldier won the VC in Viet Nam. Somewhat inebriated, he had attacked an enemy machine gun, armed with two beer bottles, having drunk the contents. It was rumoured that he made his way back to friendly "lines" ... too late for the award to be cancelled.

One of my staff at DVLD was aircrew during the war, rank of Sergeant Pilot. One day his mate, was summoned to the CO's tent, came back looking rather shaken.

"What's up?"

"Well ... for a start ... you can stand to attention! I'm a Squadron Leader!"

Apparently a series of promotion signals had been chasing him round the world.

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[genocache]

I spent most of my time over there during Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, a 10 month and a 9 month tour. Most of our shore leave was Subic Bay, PI. Made it once each to Hong Kong and Singapore. Did 60 days in the Indian Ocean during the War for Bangladesh, passed thru Java Strait, saw the most incredible sunset there and no camera......
    Never got to Japan or anywhere else, nuclear aircraft carrier wasn't wanted around back then.

[w3526602]

Isn't there some scheme where you can "claim" your close relatives owed medals ?

Hi Peter,

Yes, you can claim medals that your NEXT OF KIN would be entitled to, subject to them not having received them in the first place.

Some medals are anonymous, and you can just buy them from Ebay. The "old girl" living next door served in the Auxilary Fire Service during the war ... frequently complained that she'd never got her medal. I can't remember which medal ... but when it was fresh in my mind, I just bought her one.

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[Porkscratching]

I don't suppose my gran, now deceased of course, would count as a next of kin to myself then... She should have got the named WW1 war and victory medals as she was in army uniform,( ASC I estimate going by the photo) driving ambulances, plus I'd think the WW2 defence and war medals as she did the ambulance thing during the blitz too, tho in ARP uniform rather than military.
I assume my mum (also now deceased) would have been the only one entitled to claim them as 'next of kin..
I don't think my gran ever received any medals, certainly was never mentioned when her war involvement was talked about..

[w3526602]

Hi Peter,

Next-of-Kin moves up a notch, when the present one dies. So if she dies a widow, her eldest son takes over the role.

I think all sons have to be wiped out before the eldest daughter gets a look in.
I'm happy to be corrected.

I have my Uncle John's DEAD MAN'S PENNY. (MIA France 1915) Dad was his younger brother. I out-ranked all his sisters.

I hope!

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[Porkscratching]

Interesting, tho I'd suspect when you get to another generation along, ie. me as a grandson, they'd say it's too far removed , but nice if that wasn't the case.
Not sure how you'd establish what they were entitled to either...

[w3526602]

Hi PS.

Assuming your Grand-mother died as a widow, her eldest living son would have been her NOK. If no living sons, it would have become her eldest living daughter. If that daughter was married, her husband would have been her NOK,  But if she was a widow, then it would be her eldest living son, etc

If someone dies without a will, the Law decrees who inherits, with various relations get a proscribed (is that the word?) percentage. I believe illegitimate off-spring, and "Common Law" spouses.in Australia, are entitled to a share. I'm not sure about in UK.

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