Hi all, I am trying to find out some information about dunkirk medal certificates. My grandad served at arras with the welsh guards as part of the BEF he was evacuated from Bray Dunes as part of Op Dynamo. I have his campaign medals and the Dunkirk medal. I did have the certificate that was issued with it but to my shame i have misplaced it over time. my intent is to get them all framed with some photographs of him in france in 1940. I believe the certificate was named individually, although the medal is not, so clearly it is not just a case of buying a replacement to go in the frame. He was amember of the dunkirk veterans association although this has now disbanded, back in 2000. In short does anyone know who i can approach to get a copy/replacement certificate? my wife has previously found info on her grandfathers citation for his DFC on this forum so i know there is alot of knowledge out there! As i seem to have come to a dead end on this any advice will be greatfully received. Many Thanks, Rory.
Hi Rory - and welcome. The Dunkirk Medal was given to veterans by the town of Dunkirk. I have been doing quite a lot of work there recently for an upcoming BBC programme, and I did ask them about the medal and certificate. My grandfather, who was at Dunkirk, never got one, but was alive at the time they were issued. They told me they no longer have any medals or certificates, sadly. Perhaps someone with an original could scan it for you and you could digitally edit it to make up your own?
Rory, Welcome to the forum. My father too was at Dunkirk and was taken off the beaches between La Panne and Bray Dunes. He was with the 2nd Grenadiers. Which of the certificates below do you mean. I could supply a Hi Res photo of the certificate as ths 1st certificate is too big for my scanner. Cheers Paul
The one on the left is for the Dunkirk Medal issued by the French, the one on the right was for that issued by the Belgians.
Hi Fellas, Many thanks for the quick response, the certificate i remember was the one you attached to the left, that said it was many years ago. You know the really sad thing is that when your young you dont pay attention to these things and give them the respect they deserve, i have looked everywhere for it. The other regret i have is that he is no longer here, i can appreciate now what all these guys went through so much more and would have relished the chance to pick through his memories. Not that he spoke about it much as i recall, but that seems to be pretty common, painful memories i imagine.
Hello from CJB, I only log on to the site spasmodically and have just finished the first draft of a book I have written about my father. He served for 3 years 1928 to 1931 in RRA, then BEF/Dunkirk (Bray Dunes), D-Day, Ardennes Breakthough, Op Varsity. I have his medals which include Dunkirk, Somme 1940 etc. One thing I have difficulty with is campaign medals. I have photos of him (black & White) taken late 1943/early 1944 clearly showing medal ribbon of 1939 - 1945 Star. I have found out that in 1943, they issued a 1939 - 1943 Star but decided to only issue ribbons. The 1939 - 1945 Star presented after the war therefore covers this. Also, I understand these campaigns are covered by the France & Germany Star, Defence Medal etc also presented after the war.
