Please can you identify the medal this bloke is wearing? A mate of mine who has served reckons it is Gulf War. Also that he hasn't positioned it correctly and that the poppy should be worn on the right as well.

Is he a Walt?

https://www.clactonandfrintongazette.co.uk/news/north_essex_news/18034105.election-candidate-change-name-mr-clacton-brexit/?fbclid=IwAR1tvSyNiY-hlnkGjbwXyZ-xzdNPyr2Lr2Jmvx8L1-1piVTtQnjhWtLVMEY

Can't really see the medal ribbon but as I understand it (ex forces Army) the medals and or ribbons you are entitled to wear yourself are on your left breast and you can wear the same on the right if they are your son's, dad's or grand dad's. The ribbon would suggest a conflict since N Ireland - maybe Kosovo Afghanistan Gulf but not sure.

It's not the Gulf war medal (shouldn't be worn with a rosette although one may be worn on the ribbon bar) or the other piece of shit issued by Kuwait. It's none of the three Yugoslavia medals. It's not either of the Afghan or Iraq runners up medals. Its certainly not the South Atlantic Medal, Northern Ireland GSM or even the Rhodesia medal going back a bit.

What it actually is; is a bling medal bought off the internet and worn in a slightly embarrassing way. Nothing of that order has ever been officially issued so its a buy and wear. It's bling in a slightly less way than jubilee medals which are almost as worthless.

I do have some sympathy with some soldier in the 'serving in Germany era. Many of them did 22 years and never got a sniff of a medal unless they did NI tours or got lucky with a posting to Cyprus in which case they were issued the 'Ambre Solaire UN Medal'

To answer your question 'is he a walt' is tricky. If for example someone wears the bling 'BAOR Medal' which was never issued but can be purchased but he served in Germany, does that make him a Walt? It's not an official medal but then he's not claiming to be anything other than what he is. It's not like he's awarded himself a VC.

My view is that if it wasn't issued to you then you shouldn't be pinning it on but that isn't that straightforward with there being a plethora of foreign medals worn. A friend of mine who died last year was issued a medal by the Argentine Government along with the British Falklands medal. No one accusing him of walting.

Cheers. Someone I know who is ex-navy navy went apeshit when he saw it, said he was wearing it wrong.

If it is the Gulf medal - and it doesn't look like it although the picture is poor then the rosette is the daft bit. The only rosette in living memory is the South Atlantic medal - with for those in the combat zone, without for those involvement but not in the line of fire.

MrI. You shouldn’t so readily dismiss the Jubilee medals. I have two and am proud to have them. They were presented to members of all of HM Services which include those services that wouldn’t receive campaign medals. To dismiss them like you have is to disrespect their service along with being disrespectful of the manner and my whom they were given.

I was in the RAF until August 1977, and the Jubilee Medals were awarded earlier that year. One of my colleagues at the time, a telephonist, was awarded the medal, and I remember her being very excited about receiving it, and I'm sure if she is still with us she will still be very proud to have been chosen to receive one.

I’ve got one myself which is in a drawer somewhere. It’s about as valuable to me as my cycling proficiency badge.

I haven't even got a cycling proficiency badge.

You can be a real cock MrI. If only we’d all been Cockleshell Heroes !!!!

My thought on your military ‘career’ are well known to you. Comments as above only reinforce them.

Then we'll have to disagree again won't we.

I've got a chipper badge so yous can all feck off.

I think medals are a personal thing. I never scoff at people who want as many of them as possible and are proud to receive them (legitimately of course). My own opinion is that they should only be given for something exceptional, not just doing your job.

Me too

Having read the article I reckon medal wearing protocol is the least of his problems.