Medals for All

What the f**k is going on, are we turning into yanks and commies, the Tories have just announced that Reservists will get a gong for 10, yes 10, years service, this on top of every man and his dog with a uniform getting jubilee medals. I know many ex RN who served up to 35 years and did not receive any gongs, cold war, jubilees the best you could hope for as Rating was LSGC, to some the lack of gongs is sign of success, peace was maintained. I assume the reservist medal is a pathetic attempt to encourage recruits to make up for the short fall, still better than seconding US Coastguard Engineers to man our ships as the much put upon and abused RN has had to do. Any one interested in defence who believes its safe with the Tories are deluded at best!

I got a medal for coming second in the school cross country. Whats the problem with it if they give a 10 year service medal to a reservist who served ten years. Its not like they're handing out VCs or GCs.

Moonraker , thats a bit strong , but I agree toatlly with your sentiments

Im not sure what they mnean by reservists, ( Its not the TA) reservist have a reserve commitment to be called up after they have completed their regular service.

Its done through an act of parliment. lThe last time reserves were fully called up was for Op Granby. I know I had to help train many reservist prior deployment to irag and suadi

In recent conflicts TA soldiers have been called up by a similar process but this tend to be individuals , I shall not bore you anymore

I do not see why reservist should get a medal , I think they have to report o a centre once every 2 or 3 years, and they get paid for doing that

they take their little green book along and get it stamped.

If the Govt are talking about the TA Reserves, They already have a medal for ex years service. so I do not see the need for another one

OH and dont get me started on the diamond jubilie medal

Many service personnel who left in the year of issue didnt qualify even though many have served 22 plus years during the reigh of the queen

Its the first medal that was correctly classed as a bling medal .

Im proud of the 5 medals I have .

VW agree with all you say, I am concerend that traditionally the UK was very tight with medals, you had to earn them in one way or another. The Silver Jubilee Medal was awarded on a very limited basis, 2 were allocated to an SSK, one went ot the Captain and the other to a rating chosen by the Captian (if memory serves). Then jump forward 25 years and as you say 18 year old Cadet Instructors get one! Having blotted my copy book I dipped out of my LSGC medal and the one campaign medal I have i to am proud of.

i've got the crossing the line and blue nose chit, oh and for lasting six weeks in samberwang village i was awarded the VD n scare,

wheres Dull Days when you need him,

you dirty bastard mack rill

Just like your Gk , he had no protection and was constantly exposed to all sorts of nasties

moonraker

Still its only a medal

i've got the crossing the line and blue nose chit, oh and for lasting six weeks in samberwang village i was awarded the VD n scare,

wheres Dull Days when you need him,

canestan secured in the sky rocket. ready to dispense.

plenty of that going around when we pulled into Changi for 8 days. during international festival of the seas...

Orchard Towers was very 'busy'

Get my LSGC soon

Just in case you were unsure about defence under the Tories RUSI provided this a little dated but still relevant. ( RUSI Analysis, 25 Mar 2013 By Professor Malcolm Chalmers, Research Director / Director, UK Defence Policy Studies):

UK defence spending was further squeezed in the 2013 Budget announcement. It is likely to face additional cuts for 2015/16 in the 2015 Spending Review. The defence budget for subsequent years may depend on how the 2015 Spending Review shares the burden of future austerity between expenditure cuts and tax rises.

This year's Budget, announced on 20 March, was not good news for British defence. The Chancellor found time in his speech to announce that the armed forces would be exempt from the restrictions on progression pay introduced for civilian officials. He also confirmed that they would receive an additional 'X factor' allowance, equivalent to an extra 0.45 per cent on their base pay. But he only mentioned in outline his decision (conveyed to Cabinet colleagues the day before the Budget) to make a further 1 per cent cut in departmental current budgets, over and above those made in the December 2012 Autumn Statement.

Defence Spending Cuts in Context

In order to find out what these cuts mean for defence, it is necessary to examine 'Supplementary Table 1', published separately from the main Red Book on the Treasury website. This shows that the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) resource budget (excluding capital spending) is being cut by a further £249 million in 2013/14, and by an additional £247 million in 2014/15. As with the previous round of cuts, announced in the Autumn Statement, these reductions are bigger (in absolute terms) than those for any other single government department.

Batman

are you sure your getting an LS&GC gong

I thought you only got to the high rank of bunting tosser .

Lol