Awards Medals Blog

On 30th June at 12 noon a Memorial Service and Wreath Laying will be held by the National Service Veterans Association in remembrance of National Service Conscripts from 1939 to 1960. The service will take place at the National Service Veterans Association Memorial.

For more information about the National Service Memorial Service, visit the National Memorial Arboretum website.

Seating for the service will be provided for all who register their attendance by contacting: Peter Lloyd, Secretary of National Service Veterans Association; Tel: 0121 422 0649; Email: [email protected]

At AWARD we are lucky to have a dedicated team of framers, sewers and engravers who dedicate time and passion in producing hand-made items for our customers. A beautifully crafted Cockade, made to order by hand and traditionally worn by ladies and gents on lapel or hat, has been created in-house, using a metre of Normandy Campaign Commemorative Ribbon. At its centre is the exclusive Normandy 75 die-struck enamel badge depicting the red, blue and RAF blue of the Allied services and the 5 white stars which represent the five landing beaches and the white stars also identified Allied vehicles with the striking Normandy 1944 crest. The Normandy 75 Cockade can be worn in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. £2.50 from the sale of each Normandy Cockade will be donated to the Spirit of Normandy Trust.

View Cockade

On 3rd September 1939, with the outbreak of war, the Military Service Act was replaced with the National Service Act which saw many conscripts play a key part in the Normandy D-Day Landings, with many souls paying the ultimate price for their dedication and service to King and country. As we remember all precious lives lost and the impact on those who were involved in the D-Day Landings, we will turn our thoughts to those who performed National Service on 6th June on the 75th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day Landings and on 30th June at the National Service Conscripts Memorial Service at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Do you ever want to be hands-free of all paraphernalia when embracing the great outdoors? We discovered this larger size of belt bag which is large enough to store a phone, wallet, refreshments, camera or whatever essentials you need to access without the need for a bag or rucksack. Since we launched these last weekend, they have proved really popular. It can also be printed with your choice of military badge, logo or initials.

The Isle of Man Stamps and Coin department under the Directorship of Maxine Cannon launched their 75th Anniversary of D-Day stamps at CoinEx in London on February 14th 2019. The event was attended by Ian Stewart CM, Vice Chairman of the Spirit of Normandy Trust and Veteran Mervyn Kersh Leg.d’ hon. Mervyn was accompanied by his daughter Lynne and the launch was hosted by Maxine Cannon. The IOM Post Office are supporting the SONT and the YHP for Normandy 75.

In 1939 Parliament introduced the National Service Act, calling on the men and women of the UK to prepare for National Service, either within an arm of the regular services or as a civilian in one of the many voluntary groups being formed and trained at that time. With typical British pride the nation rallied to this call and the ranks of both the armed forces and home defence elements swelled until those who fought for peace were backed by over sixteen million men and women registered for non-military National Service. After WWII others were called to National Service and served with pride to carry the flag to the farthest corners of the globe. By December 1960 when the National Service Act was abolished some five million three hundred thousand young people had been conscripted into the forces.

The commemorative National Service Medal medal, originally proposed and sponsored by the Royal British Legion, is available to those who performed National Service, both military and civilian, between January 1930 and December 1960. It has raised over £600,000 for the Poppy Appeal and The Royal Britsih Legion. The medal is available for application for those who served plus next of kin or direct descendants. View Medal

Armed Forces Day 2019 is an opportunity to express support to the men and women of the armed forces including serving members, their families, veterans and cadets. There will be hundreds of events across the country to mark Armed Forces Day. This year Salisbury will be hosting the national event with many ocal events taking place across the country. You can view all the events taking place here.

70th Anniversary of NATO

On 4th April this year, NATO will mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. The UK was one of 12 founding members of the Alliance offering transatlantic cooperation in safeguarding the freedom of NATO's citizens, which now comprises 29 countries, and continues to provide significant financial support, personnel, expertise and equipment.

VIEW NATO medals available from AWARD