Captain Tom.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Also this Sunday is the day if the 2.6 challenge. I'm taking part in Aid of the RNLI.For those that don't know about it.It has been set up to help feel the funding gap due to the London  marathon being postponed. I am a little  disappointed at the lack of publicity of this event.Many charities have seen donations to  them dropped off.Hopefully this event with help.

I am sure Captain  Tom  and Michael Balls record will hit number one.

Just visit the 2.6 challenge link, if anyone would like to support me or indeed help other charities. Its via Just giving. Used by Captain Tom. Money goes direct to your choice of charity 

[Meantime]

The tide is turning!! The BBC raised 27 million pounds for it's three hour BBC1 televised Big Night In raising money for charities staring literally hundreds of pointless, meaningless celebrities and wannabees. Meanwhile a nearly 100 year old man no one had heard of before, until a few weeks ago, has now raised over 28.5 million pound for walking his back garden. Well done Captain Tom Moore.

[FairTmiddlin]

54 minutes ago, EastCoastIPA said:

 Meanwhile a nearly 100 year old man no one had heard of before, until a few weeks ago, has now raised over 28.5 million pound for walking his back garden. Well done Captain Tom Moore.

Plus I think 4.5million in gift aid on top of that

[Chelsea14Ian]

I fully agree,but I am a little disappointed with the lack of publicity regarding the 2.6 challenge on Sunday.This is intended to support  many charities. 

[Meantime]

1 minute ago, FairTmiddlin said:

Plus I think 4.5million in gift aid on top of that

Yes, was slightly miffed that the government has matched the big night in 27 million. Not because they did, but because they should have done for Captain Tom Moore as well.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Not so sure they could.Toms walk was and is for NHS charities. There may be a legal reason why they didn't. 

[Poppy]

4 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Not so sure they could.Toms walk was and is for NHS charities. There may be a legal reason why they didn't. 

https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/age-uk-crisis-and-mind-among-charities-to-receive-big-night-in-funds.html

Can be no reason at all IMO !

[MauriceMynah]

22 hours ago, EastCoastIPA said:

Yes, was slightly miffed that the government has matched the big night in 27 million. Not because they did, but because they should have done for Captain Tom Moore as well.

I once heard a very convincing argument against the government donating money to charity

The government has no money of it's own. It needs money to run the country, and it obtains that money by way of tax, direct or indirect.

Cutting the story short, what is being hinted at would mean that if one gives £1 to charity, either that person is taxed an extra £1 which the government then gives to that charity, or that everybody should be taxed £1 between them to be given to that charity, which is one that people might not otherwise support.

It follows therefore that it is for the individual to give to which ever charity that person supports. The government should not donate money to charity, it is not theirs to donate.

[Smoggy]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

It follows therefore that it is for the individual to give to which ever charity that person supports. The government should not donate money to charity, it is not theirs to donate.

I work by that theory too, I stopped ticking the gift aid box a long time ago for that reason.

[Poppy]

30 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

I work by that theory too, I stopped ticking the gift aid box a long time ago for that reason.

I like Giftaid.  I've given the money to the Government (Giftaid is only for taxpayers) and therefore I am glad to dictate how a small part of it is spent !

[Chelsea14Ian]

Happy 100th Birthday, now Colonel Captain  Tom Moore.You are a shining light in all this Darkness.Have a great day.Best wishes from me, and I'm sure by many in this country and sm sure from many across the world. 

Ian

[Vaughan]

I am watching BBC at the moment and have just seen the flypast by a Hurricane and Spitfire. The Colonel's comment was that now, they are flying in peace but he is one of the few people left who has seen them flying in anger.

It is a very significant gesture that the Queen has awarded him the wartime Defence Medal.  The colours on the ribbon are green, for "Our green and pleasant land", orange for the flames of the blitz and the two black stripes represent the blackout.

His wartime service was abroad, so he did not qualify for "Defence of the Homeland".

He certainly does now!

[Vaughan]

His campaign service medal appears to be the Burma Star but that does not necessarily mean he was a prisoner of war.

I have looked up his regiment's battle honours and they include North Arakan in 1944. If that was where he served, then he was on the same campaign as my father.

[Chelsea14Ian]

It is perhaps you will agree,its a small World.

[BroadAmbition]

Proper emotional this morning seeing Colonel Tom, Spitfire and Hurricane giving him a flypast over his garden

Well deserved.  Happy Birthday and much respect

Griff 

[vanessan]

37 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

His campaign service medal appears to be the Burma Star but that does not necessarily mean he was a prisoner of war.

I have looked up his regiment's battle honours and they include North Arakan in 1944. If that was where he served, then he was on the same campaign as my father.

And my father too. He was a commando and he returned to the Arakan on two occasions during the 90s along with a couple of mates (one of whom was Sylvia Syms brother). They are all gone now.........

[ExSurveyor]

My old Dad was in the Royal Marines, he joined at 14 and served around the world for 26 years.

Atlantic, Burma, Palastine, to name a few.

Not that he ever talked about it.

Happy birthday Captain Tom.

 

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, psychicsurveyor said:

 

My old Dad was in the Royal Marines, he joined at 14 and served around the world for 26 years.

Atlantic, Burma, Palastine, to name a few.

Not that he ever talked about it.

Happy birthday Captain Tom.

 

 

Thank you for sharing these. I notice you have not attempted to clean or refurbish them, so they remain as they were when your father last wore them.  I have been advised that this is what we should do, with collectable medals.

The first one is the 1939-45 Star and the colours of the ribbon are dark blue for the Navy, red for the Army and light blue for the Air Force.  The Navy on the right as they are the "Senior Service".

The diffused colours of the Atlantic Star represent the rough weather of the north Atlantic.  This medal included service in the Channel, and in the North Sea.

The Pacific Star has two red stripes as well as the dark and light blue, as the Army had a greater role there than the other services.  The other colours are green for the jungles and pale yellow for the beaches on which they landed.  The "Burma" clasp means that he also qualified for the Burma Star but the rules said that you could not win both medals, and the Pacific Star was the one he got first. 

The Palestine Medal reminds us that service in the Middle East went on for quite a while after the War ended.

 

[ExSurveyor]

Thank you so much for that Vaughan, that is more information than the my Dad ever revealed.

I have printed it off and put it with his medals for future generations to know.

[Chelsea14Ian]

My father died in service with the RAF,when I was 18 months old.Sadly I never knew him.During the war zI wanted to join the RAF.At the time he was a miner,like he's father.Therefore he worked down the mines in County Durham.After the War he joined the RAF.

My mother worked in the Woolwich  Arsenal during the war.

[Vaughan]

15 hours ago, Vaughan said:

The Palestine Medal reminds us that service in the Middle East went on for quite a while after the War ended.

It has occurred to me that it very probably means that your father was involved in the creation of the State of Israel.

[NeilB]

2 hours ago, Vaughan said:

It has occurred to me that it very probably means that your father was involved in the creation of the State of Israel.

My dad was out there in 1946/7.  Despite going through Normandy, Holland and Germany in 1944/5 he said it was worse as they were being shot at by both sides !!! 

Ok, his unit was bombed by the yanks but that was a one off, and they missed !

[Timbo]

I'm remembering my friend Bill. He was in his early nineties when I first met him. A little bloke not much over five foot tall, can't have been more than six stone wet through. A couple of years after we met he asked me to help him move some furniture in his living room. On his wall were framed medals and photographs.
"Are these yours Bill?" I asked.
"Those were my fathers. He was at Scarpa Flow, those are my brothers he was with the Gurkha Rifles in Burma, these are mine."
Framed there on the wall was the VC.
Bill would never say what his VC was for but he did tell me he was one of the crew of HMS Amethyst during the Yangtze Incident in 1949. I asked Bill if he was in the film they made about it but he said he wasn't. I asked him why not?
"Because John Wayne couldn't do a Lincolnshire accent!" was his reply.

[Chelsea14Ian]

A piece just on BBC breakfast. A 97 year old lady in Russia, has been inspired by Captain Tom.She is unable to copy Tom,having broken her hip.Instead she is telling stories of her time in the war,posting on line.She war a war hero.She is raising money for Doctors and nurses in Russia. Another great lady helping others at this very hard time.Good on her.

Colonel Captain Tom  is on BBC1 tonight at 7.30PM. 

We all need good news stories at the moment. 

[ExSurveyor]

On 01/05/2020 at 05:35, Vaughan said:

It has occurred to me that it very probably means that your father was involved in the creation of the State of Israel.

I believe you are correct vaughan. He lost his best friend Charlie in that campaign, killed by a sniper shot when he was next to him, the only time he ever mentioned his service and the pal he would remember with silent tears on Remembrance Sunday.