Tag: King George VI

RNPS: Seaman Arthur James Gibson [1911-1997] (NO: JX381363) – HMS BEAUMARIS CASTLE (Minesweeper) – [North Atlantic] Commemorative Service Medal Award [1939-1945]! (7.9.2023)

I am told that during WWII – the RNPS lost around 250 ships protecting the UK coasts from Nazi German aggression! My grandfather assisted in the ongoing process of keeping the sea-lanes ‘free’ of Nazi German sea-mines that did so much damage to Allied shipping! Linked above is the article recording his official MOD Medals issued in 1950 for his Military Service – but this article is about a special RNPS Commemorative Medal which we had to apply for (and finance) separately – which honours the fight the men of the RNPS put-up to secure the freedom we enjoy today! Furthermore, my family in the UK are proud that our grandfather assisted the hundreds of ships that formed the Russian Arctic Convoys which carried much needed aid to our Allies in the Soviet Union! Long Live the Royal Navy Patrol Service!

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USSR: When England’s King George VI Commissioned the “1943” Stalingrad Sword of Honour! (17.6.20219)

The Stalingrad Sword of Honour is a gem-encrusted ceremonial sword commissioned by King George VI of England, intended as a symbol of the British people’s respect – paying tribute to the defenders of the key Soviet city during the Battle of Stalingrad. During the Tehran Conference on November 29th, 1943, in the presence of President Franklin Roosevelt and the Soviet Honour Guard, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill handed the Sword of Stalingrad to Marshal Joseph Stalin in an afternoon ceremony. The original sword was displayed in the Battle of Stalingrad Museum in Volgograd. During the Cold War it temporarily returned to the UK for at least three exhibitions.

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