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Extract
from an attachment to: Minutes of the September 2002 General meeting of The British
Ex-Services Association ( The Extract
from an article entitled Yesterday in Parliament, and reported in the ( “The
day also brought some encouraging news about The
Emergency happened 50 years ago and for the past four decades veterans have
implored the Honours and Decorations Committee to consider giving them a
service gong. Bob
Blizzard (Lab. Waveney) put the soldiers case in a morning debate, with
covering fire laid down by Andrew Bennett (Lab. Denton and Reddish), Bill
Cash (Cons. Stone) and Paul Tyler (Lib. Dem. Nth Cornwall). The
Establishment’s case was put by Dan Norris, a generally blameless youth who
is one of the Government’s least experienced ministers. He
seemed uncertain of his ground and it looked bad that so young a man had been
chosen to discuss matters of honour with old warriors. But then, in his last
sentence, Mr Norris hinted that Tony Blair has made noises to the shadowy
committee to put right this long running injustice. There
is just a chance they might have some metalwork to adorn their proud chests
when they march past the Cenotaph next Remembrance Sunday.” The following account by Quentin Letts was
published in the Daily Mail on Suez Medal ‘on way’ “Veterans of the ‘forgotten’ The Government
yesterday indicated that it would award a medal to servicemen who fought to
keep the canal open. The
emergency in Now
the case is to be re-opened with a strong likelihood that veterans will have
the General Service Medal to wear by the time they march in this year’s
Remembrance Day parade. In a
Commons written answer Defence Minister Lewis Mooney accepted that there were
‘exceptional circumstances’ which meant the medal could be awarded
retrospectively to General
Lord Guthrie, former Chief of Defence Staff, is expected to recommend in a
report that the nation correct a long standing injustice to thousands of now
elderly men who risked slit throats, sniper fire and deadly disease to keep
the canal open. As
many as 100,000 British men and women served in the zone between 1951 and
1956, many of them National Service troops. More than 300 died. Inexplicably,
veterans were never given even the most routine of medals. Yesterday’s
decision comes after pressure from MPs and the press – not least the Daily
Mail. The
veteran’s campaign has been supported by Field Marshall Lord Bramail, who
himself served in the canal zone.” Report published in the Newsletter of The
British Ex-Services Association ( Issue 4, Volume 1, December 2003 For
those who don’t know, there is good news for all the veterans of Applications
on behalf of those who died will require some proof of relationship. As this probably
involves completing a form, applicants should await instructions from the
Medal Office and should not send any relevant certificates until asked for
them. Applications
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