I have just come across this petition for the award of a Campaign Medal to Bomber Command crew. The petition is on the PM's site

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BomberCommand/

Please sign, and encourage your friends, relatives etc etc to sign this petition.

Although now not "politically correct", this honor is already 60 years overdue.

Robin www.156Squadron.com

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I agree Robin, this campaign should indeed be recognized. I'm pinning this thread for greater visibility.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

I was going to sign it but saw you had to be a British subject. I guess distant relatives from the 1800's don't count.

The present day RAF should get behind this and get more than the present amount of signers !

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I need a bailout of only $500,000

Too bad you cannot sign if you´re a foreigner....

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Robin

More power to your elbow.

As someone who lost a brother in 166 Squadron I have always considered the award of a campaign medal long overdue.

Best wishes

Ron

I saw the nationality restricion when I first visited the petition. I can't sign, but every British Subject on the Forums should sign immediately.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Bah, should indeed allow foreigners to sign such a petition. The men of Bomber Command took both their losses and post-war scorn in support of international freedom, after all.

Be that as it may, I have forwarded the link to our single British citizen here at work.

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"Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go..."
- Iron Maiden, "Paschendale"

If the PM were to perhaps be directed to this site he may know how strongly we feel about it. Quite unfair really, I do live in a Commonwealth country after all...

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"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

I must say I am quite disappointed with the responses to this post.

Otto most generously promoted this and applied his "sticky" label, yet there seems to be a distinct lack of interest or support from the forum members?

Come on guys, make a commitment. We have only a few weeks left to promote this cause. The current 1850 signatories to this petition is not sufficient to influence anyone.

Does anyone have any Press contacts that they can pursue? Even if not in the UK? These things can spread quickly if given the impetus.

Look forward to your help

Robin www.156Squadron.com

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The only excuse I can offer is sloth....

Duly admonished, and duly done, Robin.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

This is worth looking at again.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Just the usual response from a government more concerned with pedalling knighthoods to the rich than recognising why they are here to start with.

VERY disappointing.

If you can be bothered to read it:
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You recently signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "Recognise the
courage and sacrifice of the men of RAF Bomber Command by instituting a
Campaign Medal."

The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can
view it here:

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11982.asp

Prime Minister's Office

Petition information - http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BomberCommand/

---------------------------------------------------------------------

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A typical off the shelf stock answer.

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Im so disappointed I came accross this petition too late.

I read the "the present HD Committee cannot put itself in the place of the committee which made the original decision" with the "because we're a) Brainwashed b) Apathetic c) Not interested in old news d) Not touching that one with a barge pole mate (circle all that apply)" left unsaid.

Sick making.

To deviate a little - I like roaming round the old airfields of Bomber Command, and have visited quite a few. The nearest PFF stations to me are Warboys and Upwood (about 15miles up the road). I just wondered if you were in the area 156Squadron, or if these places are of interest to you? I've quite a few photos of them as they are today.

Regards,

H.

Has there been any update news on this one?

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Richard

I am afraid we have to place this in the list of lost causes.

There may ba a "right time" to raise the issue again in the future, but as usual this will be down the vagaries of our political masters.

With an election due in the UK shortly perhaps one side or the other might decide they might be able to scramble a few extra votes and make a campaign promise which they will promptly forget after the election.

The only truly effective way I see forward is to start the campaign in Canada, Australia and NZ, who provided a large chunk of the crews, and get some govt to govt pressure going. These countries seem to have more understanding of the sacrifices made. (Maybe a bit of my OZ bias here?)

Come to think of it there is an election in OZ shortly so now might be a good time. Think I will dash off a letter to "Johnnie" (John Howard, current PM)


Robin 156 Squadron = Pathfinder Force

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Well, pardon my heresy here, but for what does Bomber Command deserve a campaign medal for exactly? The slaughter of hundreds of thousands of German civilians?

It should be indicted for war-crimes and genocide, not rewarded with a gong.
The "Blitz"? Don't even start. Throughout the entire war there were around sixty thousand British civilian fatalities. The fire-bombing of Hamburg alone caused at least seventy thousand.
And then there is Dresden; the greatest single mass murder in all recorded history. And all thanks to bomber command and its American and Canadian allies.
Hang your heads in shame.

Hengest

I am the last remaining member of five serving brothers, one of whom who was a volunteer in Bomber Command and who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the 15th of March 1945.

I shall certainly not be hanging my head in shame for his having played a small part in the destruction of the Third Reich and it ill behoves you to speak of "mass murder" which was the very ethos on which Hitler and his party came to power.

My own profile gives my background, is it asking too much that you reciprocate so that we may know from which direction you are coming ?

Ron Goldstein

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During the period October 1942 to January 1947 my wartime "Cook's Tour" took me to the following places:
North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria, Egypt & Germany.
My units were the: 49th Light Ack Ack Rgt.RA and
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars.

It is hardly worth replying to someone who is as ignorant of the facts as Hengfest.

Why do you not do some research on the achievments of Bomber Command and their contribution to the defeat of Germany before endowing us with your ill informed ideas.

Start your research on Hamburg and in particular the vital industries that were maintained there. Continue on to Dresden with particular reference as to the date of the raid and the deployments of Russian and German troops at that time.

I doubt you would bother.

As for the "greatest single mass murder in all recorded history" perhaps you have not heard of a nearby town called Auschwitz.

I see this is your first post. Hopefully it will be your last.

It will certainly be the last of yours that I will respond to.

You are not worth the effort.


Robin 156 Squadron = Pathfinder Force

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I'm sorry, but I can't.

This thread is not the right place for such a discussion as I'm sure this first-time-poster well knows. The proposed Campaign medal honours the 55,000 dead of Bomber Command who were not entrusted with decisions over the politics, morality or strategy of 20th Century warfare.

This Forum doesn't wish to stifle discussion of serious issues but strategic bombing has been argued here before many times. Use of the 'search' facility would be appropriate.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I guess that posting could be cut away from here....

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it should be Kai the lame-brain is gone thank goodness, we will always have deniers amongst us throwing out their verbal swill due to un-education and non-acceptance of the facts

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Rip it up !

I would have deleted Hengest's asinine post, but these responses are worth reading, so I left them all here.

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Phear der PanzerPenguin!
HellFish love teh

A question, because I honestly don't know. Did the USAAF award any sort of campaign medal to crews, beside the ETO medal? Aside from personal bravery medals of course.

I am NOT comparing Bomber Command and 8th AF, just curious.

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"I love deadlines. I love the 'Whooshing' noise they make when they go by." - Doug Adams

New Member here. My Great Uncle James "Jimmie" McGee, AG/Pilot Officer - RCAF, was on his 25th mission under Bomber Command when his PB678 collided mid-air with PB683. He volunteered for a bombing run to Koln, December 23, 1944, when he was due to go home.
Interestingly enough, I have always wondered about a campaign medal for Bomber Command. I understand that no matter what your nationality is, if you served under Bomber Command during the war, or you are proven blood-relation, you can purchase for nominal fee. I just can't remember the site or to which organization the funds go to.
Anybody know?