Red Hackle

[macwilkin]

You are quite right Todd. I have been amazed in the past that there wasn't more damage. But you can't fight tradition. The men of WWII, Korea, The Radfan, The Middle East and all the way up to The Troubles would not consider having their medals mounted any way other than swing.

One of the reasons for this is that the medal bar was an issue item and the serviceman was expected to be able to swing mount his own medals. Court mounting meant that they had to be sent off and the serviceman would have to pay someone else to do it. A waste of good beer money!

When I received my second medal in 1977, official policy was that the medals should be swing mounted, but the corresponding miniatures should be court mounted.

There is a school of thought that some styles of medal do not lend themselves to court mounting. All the various crosses come to mind and the French Légion d'honneur, which was designed to show the colour of the uniform through the medal pendant. I do not know the Rhodesian medals, but I can imagine that there might be difficulties.

Regards

Chas

Indeed, Chas. Spot on about the ex-squaddies and their beer money.

US Army medals are also "swing mounted", although I know a few ex-servicemen over here who have sent their medals to Canada to be court-mounted.

T.

[BoldHighlander]

hehe, his medals. Now there is a way to divide a room of Beatons.

I know what you mean. My grandmother is still alive and she has all of my grandfather's medals, but it is already a bit of a "hot" topic when it comes up - so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually end up in a museum or out of the family.

Oh my....sounds like the fight over my grandfather's 1959 Chev Apache p/u truck!!

[rtc872]

I know what you mean. My grandmother is still alive and she has all of my grandfather's medals, but it is already a bit of a "hot" topic when it comes up - so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually end up in a museum or out of the family.

It would seem the Uncle Arthur gave his medals to his favourite son instead of the eldest. Favouritism is always troublesome within families.

[Drum Major]

Court mounting looks so much better than swing. I first court mounted mine when I had three medals. I have always done my own and have done many of my freinds and band members. Many exservicemen do this as a hobby or a business. It is a pain pulling them apart to include a new one that often go in the centre of the set. I am up to eight now and not looking for anymore. Adding a new one often means using new ribbon thus ensuring they look their best. Polishing them becomes more difficult and you must take precautions to ensure you do not get polish on the ribbons.

[English Bloke]

Polish on the ribbons??... Ohhhh you don't wanna do that... Beret off, belt off, get awaaaay!!

[Mike_Oettle]

English Bloke wrote: “Polish on the ribbons??... Ohhhh you don't wanna do that... Beret off, belt off, get awaaaay!!”

Yep. Polishing is such a messy business. Some of our guys were lucky enough to be issued with a button stick, which protected the cloth from polish not only for brass buttons but also for badges (lapel or headgear).
For the rest of us it was a real chore to take the badges off and polish them separately, then put them back. Fortunately the regimental bonnet badge did not require polish!
The belt buckle was a particular hassle because it couldn’t be removed, and woe betide the troopie who got metal polish on his spit-and-polished leather!
Medals I have never worn on parade – I have only one campaign medal that I am not particularly proud of, and have never bothered to mount it for either military or civilian wear. In part that might be because I was not issued with a bar of any sort to hang it from.
I could wear my father’s war medals (which I have) on the wrong side, but I have not done that either.
I don’t recall offhand whether he had miniatures: all I remember is the large medals (three medals, three stars) and the strips of ribbon that he wore on less formal occasions.
I have a vague recollection of seeing officers in mess dress with their miniatures, but definitely not court mounted.
I never did see my dad in uniform in the flesh. When he was discharged in 1946 his uniform went into a trunk and stayed there. I do recall a day in the 1950s when my mom took the uniform out and aired it, but I don’t recall what became of it.
I did admire his pair of pips, and asked him why he had not responded to the Minister of Defence’s call for officers to serve in the Citizen Force.
His response was that he did not play soldiers, and he was not prepared to do so for the National Party.
Regards,
Mike

[Woot22]

When I was in the US Army they would issue you a Class A jacket with really dull buttons on it and any badges or medals you earned that were issued would be dull as well. But if you were willing to purchase your own medals and replace the buttons on your Class A jacket you could get something called Sta-Bright medals and buttons. You were not allowed to mix issued dull looking medals, badges and buttons with Sta-Bright ones but most of went the Sta-Bright route as it meant you never had to polish them again. Well sort of, they did need to wiped with a cloth to remove finger prints but all in all it was a quick and easy task and definitely never required polish. Ah, the good ole days.

[Bigkahuna]

Regarding the Red Hackle, during the American Revolution, a Red Hackle was worn by the 71st Regiment of Foot. If I recall correctly it was to identify themselves to the Americans as a unit that took part in the Paoli Massacre.

[jForrester]

It would seem the Uncle Arthur gave his medals to his favourite son instead of the eldest. Favouritism is always troublesome within families.

When my father (WW II U.S. Navy veteran) passed away, I obtained miniatures of his medals, and they were on his lapel during funeral visitation. Later I mounted his full size ones with the funeral flag, which was given to me as next of kin, and gave the miniatures that he actually wore to my sister, mounted with a photo of him in uniform. That way we both had something special. (We had no other siblings.)

Compromise and thought for the others makes things easier.

[Jack Daw]

I was given a red hackle and the old Blackwatch badge by my great uncle when he found out I was playing the pipes. I was just wondering if I were to put them on my bonnet is that a bad thing or not.

Thanks

I'm a piper and have a green hackle and a red one that I wear when I'm in full pseudo-military kit. Enjoy.