Monday 11 November 2013

Singapore Medal: Former President S R Nathan honoured for service to Singapore



The Straits Times, 11 Nov 2013. 
"Former President S R Nathan was conferred the Order of Temasek (First Class) for exemplary service to the nation at last night's National Day Awards Investiture.
Mr Nathan, now 89, is only the seventh person in history to receive the honour, which was awarded in recognition of his service to the nation spanning the history of post-independence Singapore.
He received his sash and medal from President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who presided over the ceremony, which was attended by 421 award recipients and about 1,000 guests, at the National University of Singapore."
The other Singaporean recipient can be found in the S'pore The Encyclopedia. They are:



Mr. Hon Sui Seng medals, including The Order of Temasek awarded in 1984 can found in my previous post: Orders and Medals Awarded to Mr Hon Sui Sen, Ex-Singapore Finance Minister.

This Order have also been awarded to 10 foreign dignitaries. However, it appears that such practice have been discontinued more than 20 years ago.





The Darjah Utama Temasek was instituted in 1975 and revised in 1996. There are 3 classes of award: First, Second and Third Class. The number of recipients admitted to the First Class is limited to 12 persons. There is no limit to the number of persons admitted to the Second and Third Class.

Brief History of United Kingdom Honour System
The Singapore National Day Award system was adapted from the UK system. The practice of awarding Order has its origin from Knighthood. 
Extracted from Wikipedia:
"Although the Anglo-Saxon monarchs are known to have rewarded their loyal subjects with rings and other symbols of favour, it was the Normans who introduced knighthoods as part of their feudal government. The first English order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter, was created in 1348 by Edward III. Since then the system has evolved to address the changing need to recognise other forms of service to the United Kingdom."


The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry and the most prestigious honour in England and of the United Kingdom, and is dedicated to the image and arms of St. George as England's patron saint. It is awarded at the Sovereign's pleasure as his personal gift, on recipients from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms. Membership of the order is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members, or Companions. The order also includes supernumerary knights and ladies (e.g., members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs).
The order's emblem, depicted on insignia, is a garter with the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (Middle French: "shame upon him who thinks evil upon it") in gold lettering. Members of the order wear such a garter on ceremonial occasions.
The concept was followed over the next century or so with other European monarchs founding their own prestigious orders of chivalry.

Knight

knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch or other political leader for service to the monarch or country, especially in a military capacity. Historically, in Europe, knighthood has been conferred upon mounted warriors.[1] During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior. Since the Early Modern period, the title of knight is purely honorific, usually bestowed by a monarch, as in the British honours system, often for non-military service to the country.

Some orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have become the subject of legend; others have disappeared into obscurity. Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in several countries, such as the English Order of the Garter, the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim, and the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. Each of these orders has its own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state to selected persons to recognise some meritorious achievement.





Friday 14 June 2013

An outstanding Malaya 1950-52 operations Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.) group of four awarded to Wing Commander A. P. Norman, Royal Air Force

A very rare Malayan Emergency medal group being auction by U.K. auction house DNW on 19 Jun 13. DNW is my favourite medal auction house and a number of medals in my collection were purchased from DNW.

However, I have to give this medal group a miss...




An outstanding Malaya 1950-52 operations D.F.C. group of four awarded to Wing Commander A. P. Norman, Royal Air Force, who, having gained his laurels in Typhoon rocket strikes over Aden in 1948-49, amassed a tally of 229 operational sorties during the course of Operation “Firedog”, carrying out bombing and cannon attacks on Malayan jungle targets in Brigands of No. 45 and No. 84 Squadrons, the majority of them as Squadron C.O. and Strike Leader.


Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R. 2nd issue, the reverse officially dated ‘1952’; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya (Act. Sqn. Ldr. A. P. Norman, R.A.F.), mounted court-style as worn, minor contact wear and a little polished, otherwise generally very fine (4)  


(The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of theUnited Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy).

D.F.C. London Gazette 29 August 1952:
‘In recognition of distinguished service in Malaya.’
The original recommendation states:
‘Squadron Leader Norman has been continuously engaged on anti-communist operations in Malaya since January 1950, first as a Flight Commander and, since September 1951, as Officer Commanding No. 84 Squadron. During this time, this officer has shown the highest powers of leadership and devotion to duty and has been an inspiration to his squadron. This was particularly noticeable at a time when a series of technical defects in Brigand aircraft and equipment resulted in a number of serious accidents and losses on operations, the cause of which remained for a time undiscovered. It was largely due to the example and leadership of Squadron Leader Norman that the morale of his squadron did not seriously deteriorate. In addition to the large number of operational sorties that this officer has carried out over what is probably the most dangerous jungle country in the world, Squadron Leader Norman has been untiring in his efforts to suggest ways and means by which air operations in support of the Army in Malaya could be made more effective. Squadron Leader Norman has played a leading part, as Flight Commander and Squadron Commander, in maintaining the very high morale of his squadron through some very difficult periods.’


Ayshford Peter Norman was born in May 1924 and educated at Hurstpierpoint, prior to enlisting in the Royal Air Force in London in August 1942.
Embarked in the Queen Mary for New York in June 1943, he journeyed north to commence his pilot training in Canada, where he gained his Pilot’s Flying Badge at Yorkton, Saskatchewan, in December of the same year, and was commissioned as Pilot Officer. Back in the U.K. by May 1944, where he was advanced to Flying Officer, Norman served at assorted O.T.Us and A.F.Us for the remainder of the War.
Operations - Aden
Post-war, he served in Mosquitos out in Aden, namely in No. 114 Squadron from May to August 1946, and No. 8 Squadron from September 1946 to March 1947, prior to returning to the U.K. to attend the Central Gunnery School. He then returned to No. 8 Squadron in Aden at the end of the year, this time piloting Tempests and acting as air cover for negotiations on the ground, in addition to carrying out at least 20 rocket strikes - his C.O., Squadron Leader F. W. M. Jensen was awarded the D.F.C. in the same period. For his own part, Norman returned to an appointment at R.A.F. Finningley in early 1949, followed by a conversion course to Brigand aircraft at Leeming, whence he was posted to No. 1 Ferry Unit in the Far East.

The Brigand - Malaya - D.F.C.
The first unit to convert to the Brigand was No. 45 Squadron, then based at R.A.F. Station Tengah, Singapore, flying operations in support of British forces against the communist guerrillas then engaged in an insurgency in Malaya - the first combat operation was conducted by a single Brigand of No. 45 Squadron against guerilla targets in jungle west of Kluang, Malaya, on 19 December 1949. On this flight, the Brigand carried three rockets, one 500lb and two 1,000lb bombs. The operation was successful, and No. 45 Squadron soon completed its transition to the Brigand as more aircraft arrived. Thereafter, Brigands of No. 45 Squadron and, soon afterwards, No. 84 Squadron, were routinely engaged in strikes against communist insurgent targets throughout Malaya, both in direct and close support of ground forces, as well as providing air cover as needed to convoys on the ground against possible ambushes. And it was for his gallant service in both of these squadrons, but particularly as C.O. of No. 84, that Norman would be awarded his D.F.C.
He joined No. 45 Squadron in Singapore in early 1950, the commencement of some three years of operational flying, his Flying Log Book of the period recording his first sortie on 23 March - a bombing strike on a jungle target east of Mount Ophir. And between then and August he completed another 31 such strikes over Malaya, following which he was posted to the Far East Examining Squadron and advanced to Flight Lieutenant.

Brigand Over Malaya

Returning to an operational footing with No. 84 Squadron in Singapore in August 1950, his new C.O. was Squadron Leader George Unwin, D.F.M., the ex-19 Squadron Battle of Britain ace who would shortly add a D.S.O. to his accolades. Four weeks later,however, Norman himself was appointed Squadron C.O. in the acting rank of Squadron Leader. And, as verified by his Flying Log Books for the period in question, he raised his tally of operational sorties to the 229 mark, 167 of them as Strike Leader, a remarkable feat comprising some 750 hours of operational flying.
And throughout this tour of duty Norman, in common with other pilots of No. 45 Squadron and No. 84 Squadron, faced considerable risks over and above enemy fire, namely a string of mechanical and other defects in the Brigand’s design and airframe. One of the first problems to arise was the failure of the undercarriages to lower, owing to rubber seals in the hydraulic jacks gradually breaking up because of the hot, humid climatic conditions, for which they were not suitable.
But just as this problem was being resolved, another more serious one arose with the aircraft’s 20mm. cannon system - widely used by Norman during his tour of duty. It was ascertained that a build up of gases in the long cannon blast tubes, which ran under the cockpit, were igniting through use of high-explosive shells, which in turn severed hydraulic lines, which would burn. In effect, the Brigands were shooting themselves down. In the event, this issue was cured by drastically reducing the ammunition loads and using only ball rounds.
The Brigand also had a propensity to shed one propeller blade leading to complete propeller failure, which in turn would lead to the engine being wrenched off the wing, and an inevitable crash. This was found to be caused by corrosion in the propeller locking rings. More frequent maintenance helped alleviate this problem.
Another design flaw concerned the leather bellows used to deploy air brake during dives. In the tropical climate in which the Brigand found itself in Malaya, the leather would rot away, causing the brakes to fail. This led to Brigands losing wings in dives due to excessive airspeed or rotation as only one brake deployed. When this problem was discovered, the air brakes of all Brigands were wired shut, decreasing the aircraft's dive bombing capabilities. Nonetheless, No. 45 Squadron converted to de Havilland Hornets in January 1952, while 84 Squadron was disbanded in February 1953. Soon after this, Brigands - of which about 170 had been manufactured - were grounded and withdrawn from service.
601 (City of London) Squadron - Meteors - and beyond
Norman meets H.M. the Queen Mother at a 601 (City of London) Squadron reunion

Back in the U.K., where he received his D.F.C. at the Queen’s first ever investiture, Norman attended the Central Flying School and qualified in Meteors as an instructor in jet aircraft in March 1953. Posted to No. 600 (City of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, in the following month, and remained similarly employed until December 1954, in which period he amassed many hours in Meteor VIIs and VIIIs, serving variously at the R.A.F. Oldenburg, Germany, Takali, Malta, and Biggin Hill - his C.Os including Wing Commander John Merifield, D.S.O., D.F.C., the famous wartime P.R.U. pilot, while H.R.H. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was the Squadron’s Honorary Air Commodore; the lot is accompanied by some copied extracts from Gentlemen in Blue, in which Norman - and several amusing anecdotes - receive due mention.
In early 1955, Norman joined H.Q., Home Command, at White Waltham in Berkshire and thence, in February 1957, the R.A.F. Staff College at Bracknell, Berkshire, followed by a posting to H.Q., 2nd Tactical Air Force in Germany in the following year, where he served until returning home in October 1960. A Chief Flying Instructor and Varsity Squadron C.O. among other appointments in the interim, he was advanced to Wing Commander in January 1968 and, having held an appointment as an Assistant Air Adviser at the British High Commission in Australia, was finally placed on the Retired List in October 1972.

Sold with a complete run of the recipient’s original Flying Log Books (7), comprising Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book (R.C.A.F. Form R. 95 Type), with entries for the period April 1943 until August 1950, with assorted photographic inserts; R.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book, privately bound in blue leather with gilt titles and name, with entries for the period August 1950 to May 1956, with assorted photographic inserts; R.A.F. (Form 414 Type), with entries for the period May 1956 to September 1961; similar type, with entries for the period September 1961 to May 1962; similar type, with entries for the period June 1962 to February 1970; similar type, with entries for the period April 1970 until September 1972, with inserted Instrument Pilot Rating Cards, photographs and Polar Certificate for reaching the ‘Top of the World’ and circumnavigating the North Geographic Pole, dated 5 August 1972; together with a Department of Civil Aviation, Commonwealth of Australia Pilot’s Flying Book, with a few entries from Norman’s time as an Assistant Air Advisor to the British High Commission.






Tuesday 21 May 2013

Singapore City Fire Brigade, Chief Fire Officer J.G. Shaw, Historical Post War Civil O.B.E. Medal Group

Decided to give myself a short break from blogging to enjoy some quality family time. Now back with renewed vigour as some friends have been asking for more stories about Singapore medals. 

Blogging of this nature is quite time consuming, it can take an hour or up to a day for medal groups with large quantity of research materials. The entire process entails searching for interesting medal to blog among the several hundreds of medals in my collections, gathering relevant materials, online research, taking and editing photographs, thinking of the storyboard, doing the blog, final check for accuracy and coherence, publish the blog and hope someone reads it and find it useful or interesting. 

I was extremely lucky to acquire this historically important medal group from a major British auction house about 10 years ago. Among my collections, this medal group is one of my favourite for many reasons, and I will always take it out from time to time to admire the medals and read the accompanying documents.

Post World War 2 Civil Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) medal group of 4 to J.G. Shaw, Chief Fire Officer, Singapore City Fire Brigade, Merryweather & Sons, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves (R.N.V.R.) and Shanghai Fire Brigade. 

Medal group comprised: O.B.E. (Civil Division), World War 2 Defence Medal, 1953 Coronation Medal and Association of Professional Fire Brigade Officers Long Service Medal with bar (Named: C.F.O: J.G. SHAW. SINGAPORE. 7.3.50.). With miniature medal group (most medal groups do not come with miniature medal group).

Medal Group, Obverse with Miniature Group


Obverse


Reverse


Intricate Details on Obverse of Long Service Medal


Chief Fire Officer, S'pore City Fire Brigade, J.G. Shaw


Brief History




The Merryweather Fire King


The Merryweather Steam Fire Engine was the first fully motorized fire-engine in Singapore. It was imported directly from Britain and was named after the Governor of Singapore at that time, Mr. Broadrick. As it was one of the best fire-engines in the world at that time, it was nicknamed the “fire-king” by the firemen who used to use it.

The boiler always contained hot water that produced steam, which allowed the vehicle to respond to fires immediately. The engine also allowed firemen to have water pumped to them from a water source thus increasing water pressure in their hoses and allowing them to fight fire more efficiently.



Apprentice at Merryweather & Sons, Ltd, May 7th 1915 to May 28th 1918, and
Jan 6th 1919 to Sep 30th 1920


Shanghai Fire Brigade, Oct 15 1922 to Jan 6 1925


Assistant Superintendent, Central Fire Station, Singapore


Appointment Letter as Superintendent, Fire Brigade, Singapore dated 30 Jan 1942

Letterhead with S'pore Municipal Commissioners Crest

S'pore Municipal Commissioners' Watermark on the Appointment Letter

Testimonial for his Retirement by President, City Council, Singapore dated 15 Apr 1955


Letterhead of the City of S'pore

Signature of T.P.F. McNiece, President, City Council, S'pore


Letter of Appreciation by Ag. Secretary for Defence and Internal Security, S'pore
for Assistance in Setting up the Auxiliary Fire Service

Letter Informing J.G. Shaw on his award of the O.B.E. (Civil Division) dated 11 Nov 1946


1953 Coronation Medal's Certificate 


Award of the Fire Brigade Association Long Service Medal with Bar

O.B.E. (Civil Division) Certificate Awarded by King George IV on Jan 1st 1946



The Seal of the O.B.E. on the Certificate


Congratulation Letter Signed by King George IV dated 11 Nov 1946


Comparison of the size of the O.B.E. Certificate


The Straits Times, 2nd Sep 2009. 100th Anniversary of the Hill Street Fire Station
(Former City Fire Brigade)


Present Hill Street Fire Station, former City Fire Brigade (by Day)

Present Hill Street Fire Station, former City Fire Brigade by Night

The rightful place for the this historical medal group

The S'pore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Heritage Gallery
is currently situated at the Hill Street Fire Station

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Commemorative and Unofficial Singapore 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

This is the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.





The Diamond Jubilee medal was instituted to commemorate this special occasion. This is a very well designed and elegant medal (I hope to own one of this someday). It was designed by British professional calligrapher and illuminator Timothy Noad. The medal was awarded to personnel in the Armed Forces, emergency services and prison service, among others.


1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth, aged 26, ascended the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was proclaimed queen by her various privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation was held more than a year after the accession, on 2 June 1953. 




The 1953 Coronation Medal was instituted to commemorated the occasion. Numerous Singaporeans and Malaysians were awarded this medal, some of them (Elizabeth Choy, L/Cpl Guy TurnerDato Thomas Vernon Alexander Brodie QC, Col H.J. Rae) travelled by ship to Britain to attend to Coronation Parade and received their medals.






An unofficial pewter commemorative Coronation Medal was also issued to Singaporeans back in 1953 to celebrate the Coronation of the Queen. When I just started collecting medals, such medals can be easily found in local flea markets and junk shops. These days they are getting hard to find.








This is a simple but historical medal. Hope our museum have a piece of this medal so that our future generations can view it and remember our past.