by Stanley Merridew
Have you ever wondered what happened to medals awarded to members of your family for serving in the Armed Forces during World War 2? They could have been sold or now be in the possession of another relative. There is also the possibility they were never claimed.
As a
general rule, most Second World War Service personnel were not issued with
medals before they were de-mobilised at the end of the war and consequently
they had to claim them after they had left the Services. This differed from the
arrangements at the end of the First World War when the majority of medals were
sent out automatically. This was not considered to be practical after the
Second World War, as most people had returned to civilian life before the
medals were instituted in 1948. At the time they were encouraged to visit their
local Post Office, pick up a buff card and enter onto it their number rank and
name, and send it to the Minister for War to request their medals.
Many had much more pressing things to worry about, like where were they going
to live as a result of their house being demolished by bombing, or where were
they going to find a job. Many forgot to claim or wanted to forget what they
endured. It was decided at the time that
only those people who remained in the Armed Forces would receive their medals
automatically. Although the availability of medals for wartime service was
widely advertised at the time, many people did not come forward. As a
consequence, more than 70 years later, the MOD Medal Office are receiving in
the order of 200 applications for WW2 medals per week. They are still issued in
the first instance free of charge. Medals can be issued to the legal next of
kin of deceased ex-Servicemen/women; however proof of kinship will be required.
If you visit www.veterans-uk.info/medals/claiming you will find instructions on how to claim. They are generally issued to surviving next of kin. However if you are not the next of kin they will accept written authority from the next of kin. You can download the appropriate form from the website. Alternatively you can apply by post to:
Service
Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA)
MOD Medal Office, Innsworth House
Imjin Barracks, Gloucester
GL3 1 HW