Mini Medals

[macwilkin]

Hi Todd,

I agree whole heartedly and disagree totally both at the same time. I think there are a couple of issues here.

Firstly, as the Sovereign's spouse, a royal prince and a royal duke, Prince Philip gets given every medal as soon as they are issued and consequently his medal bar is huge - if it didn't cover his lapel, it would be hidden under his armpit.

When the service regulations and advice for civilians was originally written, mess dress and civilian clothing had w i d e lapels. The British forces are very parsimonious when it comes to issuing medals and a man's medals could easily fit on a wide lapel. As lapels got narrower there came a point when it looked silly - half on and half off. Whereas if the miniatures were put where the full sized medals would have gone, there can be no mistakes and no room for interpretation.

The construction of court mounted medals is different to swing mounted. Swing mounted hang from a medal bar (which can be bent to match the contours of a man's chest / jacket). Court mounted medals are affixed to a plate which is rigid and by its nature sits away from the body. The more medals a man has the more it will stick out at the ends.

I will agree that you are probably right in what you say about the wearing of miniatures, BUT, when I was awarded my full sized medals I was instructed on the correct wearing and how I should wear miniatures should I want to purchase them. I have followed that advice ever since.

Regards

Chas

Prince Phillip indeed may not be the best example, but I have seen photos of other gentlemen wearing miniature medals, court-mounted, on their lapels. I am familiar with swing-mounted vs. court-mounted medals, btw. I've just never seen anything that says that there is an alternative in terms of placement. I'm not saying you're wrong, mind you...

Todd

[Nervous Jock]

Firstly, as the Sovereign's spouse, a royal prince and a royal duke, Prince Philip gets given every medal as soon as they are issued and consequently his medal bar is huge - if it didn't cover his lapel, it would be hidden under his armpit.

Phil has numerous medals from his WW2 service, while he's accrued a couple from his missus it would be unfair to say that was the only source

[Nervous Jock]

Both my Full size and miniatures are court mounted, I see very few with medals that are not. its much smarter

[kiltedmapleleaf]

Both my Full size and miniatures are court mounted, I see very few with medals that are not. its much smarter

I agree fully that medals look way smarter as full court mounts, some regiments only allow part court or losse mount

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Both my Full size and miniatures are court mounted, I see very few with medals that are not. its much smarter

Generally speaking, court mount medals are worn by officers and civilians in the UK, and swing mounts are worn by other ranks. In the Royal Navy, regulations stipulate that only officers may wear court mount medals.

Referring to SPINK'S GUIDE TO THE WEARING OF ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS it is clear that "Miniature badges of all Orders, Decorations, and Medals are worn from a medal bar on the left lapel" (emphasis added). This applies to evening dress for civilians as well as military and naval personnel (with some variation for those mess uniforms which lack lapels).

The same placement is used by civilians for the day-time wearing of full size medals-- "The full-size badges of Orders, Decorations, and Medals are worn from a medal bar on the left lapel" (again, emphasis added).

The wearing of medals on the breast (above the pocket) applies only to full-size medals worn on the service uniform. Miniatures are always worn on the lapel, both with military uniform and when in civilian attire.

[Highland Logan]

In the Canadian Forces it is now required that all medals be court mounted.

Frank

[English Bloke]

In the Canadian Forces it is now required that all medals be court mounted.

Frank

... And everybody full court mounts in the British Forces too. Never saw a swing mount on a serving soldier in all the time I was in.

[planemaker]

It was optional in the Canadian Forces when I left, but I thought that they looked much better, than having them loose.

BTW HRH Prince Phillip is a serving Royal Navy Officer, and while some of his medals, are "Thanks for coming out" medals, he did earn a number in the second world war, and in the 50's/60's.

I am also a Gold Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh award, which is his award for youth 13 to 25 in the Commonwealth.

Cheers!

Paul

[Woot22]

Can any of our currently serving US members help clarify this discussion for me. I have been out of the military since '03 and I never have heard the term "court mounted medals" before. I understand what everyone is saying in regards to what the term means, but as far as I know it is not allowed in the US military or for US vets for that matter. I could be wrong about this and just wanted to know if it is authorized by the US Army to mount your medals in such a fashion, even if we may use a different term for it. I am really just kind of curious about it, thanks in advance for any info.

[davedove]

Can any of our currently serving US members help clarify this discussion for me. I have been out of the military since '03 and I never have heard the term "court mounted medals" before. I understand what everyone is saying in regards to what the term means, but as far as I know it is not allowed in the US military or for US vets for that matter. I could be wrong about this and just wanted to know if it is authorized by the US Army to mount your medals in such a fashion, even if we may use a different term for it. I am really just kind of curious about it, thanks in advance for any info.

I haven't been in for a long time, but I do try to keep up with these things. As far as I know, there is no provision to wear court mounted medals on any US Military uniform. Even if the US serviceman is awarded a foreign medal, it must be done in the swing mounted style.

Even if the medals are worn on civilian clothing, they are to be worn in the same manner as they are on the uniform.