Image of the PJM Medal
Banner Text = Fight For the Right to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal

Spot The Medal Comp!

Winners Announced

Competition 5 has now closed. And the winners are ... (obligatory 30 minute pause) ... dada da da ... ostler1 and StanW! Our congratulations to them ... and our thanks to everyone for taking part.

We should add that we decided on two winners in view of the very high number of entries.

In case you have forgotten, the competition was about identifying two medals.

Name the Medals …

Info was given on two medals. Having assessed the info, all you had to do is to identify the names of these two medals. First, compare the basics:

Medal 1

Medal 2

Was the Medal presented by a Commonwealth country?

Yes

Yes

Is the Medal in respect of events more than 5 years ago?

Yes

Yes

Is the Medal a 'Double Medal'?

No

No

Hmmm. So far so good … they do have similar characteristics, don't you think? (The majority of recipients of both medals do not have a British medal for the same service)

But look again - these are 'Honours' issues and all may not be what it appears:

Could the Medal be awarded even if recipients had never had to do anything to ‘earn’ it?

No
Medal 1 had to be earned by men and women, primarily in the armed forces, who placed their lives on the line.

Yes
Medal 2 was not earned at all. In fact most recipients have never been to the offering country except on holiday.

Can the Medal be worn?

No
Medal 1 meets the ‘rules’ as set out above but does not have formal permission to be worn according to the HD Committee and civil servants who run the ‘Honours’ system - because they say it breaks those ‘rules’ which they introduced.

Yes
Medal 2 meets the ‘rules’ as set out above in the same way as Medal 1, but does have formal permission to be worn by the very same HD Committee members and civil servants who ‘manage’ the ‘rules’ under which they say that Medal 1 cannot be worn.

The London Gazette Notice prohibits the wearing of certain Foreign and Commonwealth Awards if the recipient was in Crown Service at the time the award was conferred. In the context of this Royal Notice, can the Medal be worn?

No
Medal 1 recipients, despite not being in Crown Service and therefore eligible under the Notice, are nevertheless denied permission to wear the medal.

Yes
Medal 2 recipients were in Crown Service and therefore ineligible under the Notice, but have still given themselves formal permission to wear the medal.

Now to the question … :

a. Which is the medal that cannot be worn by ordinary men and women of Britain (despite all their Commonwealth ex-comrades in arms being able to do so), nor by dual nationals, nor by Gurkha's, nor by ...?

b. Which is the medal that can be worn by members of the HD Committee ( who made the discriminatory ruling in a. above), and their civil service staff, and a few more privileged people?

You have to get both parts right otherwise we'll send a 'prize' but you won't be allowed to open it! And there's no conferring'!

And the correct answers are:

Medal 1:

Medal 1 is ... ?

 

I don't know. I know I should, but I don't!

 
 

The "Pingat Jasa Malaysia"

Correct
 

The "Antigua & Barbuda 25th Anniversary of Independence"

  
 

 

Medal 2:

Medal 2 is ... ?

 

I don't know. I know I should, but I don't!

 
 

"Pingat Jasa Malaysia"

  
 

"Antigua & Barbuda 25th Anniversary of Independence "

 Correct
 

The winners will receive a miniature PJM (if the entrant is a PJMer) - or a special book, signed by the author, from our PJM Library!