Medal that must not be worn
Aug 30 2007


By Alex Turner, Runcorn Weekly News


AN Army veteran from Runcorn who received a medal for 'the meritorious acts and supreme sacrifices' he made more than 40 years ago has been told that he is not allowed to wear it.

Christopher Threlfall, of The Knoll, Palacefields, received the Pingat Jasa Malaysia medal at a presentation ceremony in Stockport alongside more than 200 former soldiers.

But the medal can only be worn in very limited circumstances - between August 15 and September 9, during the main independence celebrations in Malaysia.

Malaysia became an independent country 50 years ago tomorrow, on August 31, 1957.

Permission to wear the medal at any other time, including Remembrance services and other military parades, will not be given.

Mr Threlfall said: 'I think it's unfair that the British Government said we can't wear it because it is a foreign medal.

'No-one is going to stop me wearing it.'

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'It is long standing Government policy that non-British medals will not be approved for events or service that took place more than five years before initial consideration or in connection with events that took place in the distant past, or if the recipient has received a British award for the same service.'

Mr Threlfall said: 'I joined the Army in 1959 when I was 17.

'My first overseas posting was to Malaya in 1962 and there were riots in Singapore when we first arrived.

'We were basically a radar section but we also had to go out in the jungle on patrol.'

He said: 'It was one continuous stint from 1962-65.

'The years in the army were the best years of my life


http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=medal-that-must-not-be-worn&method=full&objectid=19711118&siteid=50020-name_page.html

See also...

http://tinyurl.com/2f6h6w


_________________
Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka,
from the HD Committee and its decision.

I hope this turns out OK.

This was published yesterday in the 'Runcorn Weekly News' >>>>



The presentation is at 1430 and I intended to be there (wearing my PJM ribbon & PJM pin) to find out what decoration/badges he is giving away.
If it is "his placebo", the Vetrans Medal, he is looking for good press and votes to feather his nest.

I have spoken to the Paper concerned regarding this presentation and the PJM and they have asked me to drop by on Monday. I WILL BE there. I have passed on to them the link for this site.

Phredd (will post pics if I can get some)

Well done Phredd try and get a photo of you and Derek Twigg togeather you wearing your PJM of course.

Go get him Phred PJM to the fore

John

Happy hunting Phred.

A rumble from the jungle for Twiggy. (apologies to the real Twiggy)


_________________
Pingat Kami - Hak Kami
651 Signal Troop,
Semengo Camp,
Kuching.

Well I was hopping to bring good news but sad to say it is not.

Went over to Halton BC office to see if I could have a word with our friend Derek Twigg MP but it was not to be.
Tried to get into the presentation but was told as I did not have an invite I did not have a chance.

I only managed to get about three pics but even they are not much to look at.

The presentation was for the Veterans Badge. This was defo a "Look at what I am doing for the veterans of this country".

Now to the pics >>>>

Pics one and two need no explanation. He is a very proud man. I could not get close enough to have a chat with him.





The third and fourth pics are those of the Lord Mayor and our ?friend? going in by the back door while we were kept at the front. I had an idea they might pull that trick.

Just in case you may want to see me >>>


Phredd = wish I could have done better

ps = I will get the hang of this ImageShack one day

Phredd,

Well done, a damn good try. To see an enlargement of the 'thumbnail's, right click on thumnail of choice, left click on 'open link', OR just left click on thumbnail and hey presto!

Again, good try,

Regards,

David

Yeah Phredd, good try right enough.....but don't forget to keep your 'beady little' open for reports of this presentation in the local press....they might provide us with some opportunity to get some 'Letters to the Editor' in on the topic.


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

owen lawrence wrote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/04/nhonours104.xml


Is this not double medaling, much as our lads deserve it, or is our 'leader' mellowing or just pontificating again.

Plus I'm showing off after you lot showed me how to cut and paste.

Owen

Hi Owen,

I doubt that Gordon "I'll look into it" Brown is mellowing. In my apolitical and unbiased view (!) he has been told that his promotion of this idea may recover some of the lost ground in the polls that has resulted from his raid on our pensions, his no-tax-rises tax rises, his politicking over an election and then his respect-losing bottling-out of an election.

So long as those who place their lives on the line are acknowledged, then I'm all for it.

But I would have thought that the present system of bravery awards can address this goal - why single out and highlight 'terrorism'? Other than for political gain, of course. Identifying a need to specifically acknowledge acts of bravery in the context of terrorism seems to me to be one step towards throwing in the towel.

I think Brown is politicking.

My last thought on this is that I very much hope few such decorations need to be awarded.

Barry


_________________
BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/04/nhonours104.xml


Is this not double medaling, much as our lads deserve it, or is our 'leader' mellowing or just pontificating again.

Plus I'm showing off after you lot showed me how to cut and paste.

Owen

""



Last edited by StanW on Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:20 am; edited 1 time in total

phredd wrote:

I was out yesterday in the local shopping precinct with the RBL doing my bit with poppies.
I wore on my jaket left lapel:- from top to bottom..
My PJM Ribbon
My PJM Pin
My Vets Badge.
I am out again on Monday so the word will go further.
Most of the elder people recognised the Badge but many wanted to know what the Ribbon & the Pin was for.
In the short time I had I tried to explain what the PJM was. Some had heard of it and others wanted to know.
I am now in the process of scanning the card that you sent my Pin on. Anyone that asks will get one of them.

Phredd

That is absolutely brilliant, Phredd!

Wonderful support for the RBL ... and staunch support for British veterans.

Thank you.

Barry


_________________
BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

StanW wrote:

Post your comments to:

http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/search/display.var.1793285.0.vet_fights_to_wear_medal.php

..................In response to Stan's call, the 'comment's on this article are starting to appear...click on the link and read them for yourself....let's see if we can add a few more to the total eh? The more comment we generate, the more interest the papers will take.


_________________
...................'Jock'
Paroi...Rasah...Batu Signals Troop.

BarryF
Thank you for that. Your words are better than mine.

I was out yesterday in the local shopping precinct with the RBL doing my bit with poppies.
I wore on my jaket left lapel:- from top to bottom..
My PJM Ribbon
My PJM Pin
My Vets Badge.
I am out again on Monday so the word will go further.
Most of the elder people recognised the Badge but many wanted to know what the Ribbon & the Pin was for.
In the short time I had I tried to explain what the PJM was. Some had heard of it and others wanted to know.
I am now in the process of scanning the card that you sent my Pin on. Anyone that asks will get one of them.

Phredd

StanW wrote:

Post your comments to:

http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/search/display.var.1793285.0.vet_fights_to_wear_medal.php

Stan

Dunnit, Stan. I have posted the following to the newspaper:

"Why did that spokesman for the Foreign Office try and mislead you and your readers? Answer - because he cannot tell the truth about the PJM. To do so destroys their 'argument' for trying to stop British veterans from wearing their PJM. The fact is that most ex-servicemen and women who are eligible for the PJM do NOT have a British medal to wear. And they are being stopped from wearing their only medal, the PJM, on this year's Remembrance Day.
The Queen has said all other countries like Australia and New Zealand, those we fought with, can wear the medal with pride!

In this day and age, it beggars belief. It's all about mean-spirited double standards from an Imperialist past!

Will that same spokesman admit to another fact - that his Minister who made the PJM statement in Parliament which denied ordinary men and women the right to wear the medal (the Rt Hon Ian Pearson MP) has changed his mind and now says his decision was wrong and should be reversed – and he is lobbying for the PJM to be worn by men like Colin Timbrell. Good luck to Mr Timbrell– he should wear his medal. If he was not in Crown Service in January 2006, The Queen said he could wear his medal by dint of a decree in the London Gazette in 1968.

The full story is at www fight4thepjm org. "

and, referring to the support from the local RBL President:

"I would like to add that Mr Timbrell and everyone else should wear their PJM with honour on Remembrance Day.

At this year's Royal British Legion National Conference, the RBL unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the RBL to campaign for the PJM to be officially recognised as being a wearable medal. This story is also on www.fight4thepjm.org - the web site set up specifically to campaign for British veterans' right to wear their Malaysian medal."


_________________
BarryF, who fought for the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia