Your favourite medal!

[M.E.E.]

I ma going to agree its kinda like picking your favourite child but I am going to go with my 1854 Crimean with Sebastopol clasp. Issued to James Pattie on the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Royal Regiment of Foot. He was a Scotsman from St Vigeans in Arbroath, before joining the army in 1842 he had made his living as a Cotton Weaver. During his service he spent 2 years in the West Indies, 2 years in Cephalonia, 1 year in Crimea, 11 months in Malta & 1 year in Gibraltar.

He was quite the rebel during his service, sentenced to Court Martial 11 times! (sentences varying from 7 days up to 42 days confinement) He was also mentioned in the regimental defaulter's book 15 times, he was badly wounded in the trenches at Sebastopol to his hand and shoulder from a shell splinter. After serving for 21 years he was finally discharged at the age of 40.

To break the rules I will have to include my Grandfathers service medals (it would have been number one if it had been favourite medal bar). Lancaster tail gunner, survived 2 plane crashes and lived until a week after his 93rd birthday.

[thecyclist64]

Not strictly a medal, but my favourite is this Deutsches Reiterabzeichen in gold, which I bought two week before the lockdown. Only awarded 210 times, most famous recipient was Hermann Fegelein for organising the 1936 olympic equestrian events. I was then able to complete the set with a silver one post lockdown.