[PeterG]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

Ron, would Her majesty's Govt not provide these? It just seems strange that the Govt would not step to help one of its vets obtain his medals!

They are rather mean about this and only replace medals in strict circumstances:

The Medal Office only issue replacement medals to service veterans or, if deceased, the member of the family who now holds the medals, under certain strict conditions where the loss is completely outside the individual’s control in such instances as burglary, street theft or house fire. Only World War II medals and those issued subsequently can be replaced, provided that the criteria described here are met. The Medal Office is unable to replace medals issued before World War II, such as First World War medals, under any circumstances.

Should you wish to claim for replacement medals in these circumstances, you should please provide details of the incident (i.e. burglary, fire etc.) and submit supporting contemporary evidence from the time of loss, by way of a copy of a successful insurance claim, or a Police crime report, either/both of which should include reference to the loss of the medals. A crime reference number alone is not sufficient. A lost property report is also insufficient.

If these criteria are met then the Medal Office can issue replacement medals, but please note that there will still be a charge for the medals. The Medal Office will also check official records to confirm that the medals requested had been awarded to you or your relative.

In all other cases, you may wish to consider purchasing replica medals from a specialist medal company or reputable medal dealer.

See the FAQ here: Ministry of Defence | Defence For... | Veterans | Medals | Medal FAQs

Peter