Mimosa, anyone? (This one's non-alcoholic...)

Earlier today I was preparing and cleaning my medals and badges for next weekend's Armed Forces Day celebrations, when this little gem turned up.

Presented to members of the Society of Archers, of which I am one, in 2008 to commemorate the 300th recorded occasion of the 'Scorton Silver Arrow', this solid silver badge is one of only 300 in the world and, as the die from which it was struck was destroyed immediately after production, the likelihood of obtaining another is so remote as to be impossible.

The rose in the centre is a representation of the White Rose of Yorkshire; it was in the small village of Scorton in the county that the Silver Arrow competition took place in 1673. The Society of Archers, the holders of this unique event, claim that the 'Scorton Silver Arrow' is the oldest recorded organised sporting event in the world.

Thanks for the history, sisterseagull!
Have you added the silver arrow to your other accomplishments?

An interesting looking cafe in Fulham

Emperor John II Comnenus, Madonna and Child, and Empress Eirene mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

It's neither of those things. I have been scratching my head over what it was for ages and then I fell over one in my garden yesterday. I would have ripped it out because over here they're regarded as weeds but bees and hoverflies love them so I left it where it is. Anyway, I remembered the name... it's a knapweed, a black knapweed, Latin name Centaurea nigra.

Repairing a surveillance camera in Putney

Thanks, flopsy!

Here's a fresco from St. Minas cathedral in Irakleon, Crete.

These are the medals that I'm in the process of cleaning for my partner ready for next weekend's Armed Forces Day celebrations. They were awarded to her great, great uncle Cpl Harry Weeks, R.E. for service during the Great War.

On the left is the 1914 Star, also known as the 'Mons Star' which was issued for service at the very beginning of the war; this particular award shows that Harry Weeks was an 'Old Contemptible' being one of the first British soldiers to see service on the Western Front. The 1914 Star (and the later 1914-15 Star) were never awarded in isolation but always with the British War Medal (the medal to the right of the star) and the Victory Medal, the award on the far right of this group. The award with the red, white and green ribbon is the Mercantile Marine War Medal which was awarded to members of the Merchant Navy for service during the Great War. Cpl Weeks, as a member of the Royal Engineers was eligible for this award as the majority of his service was spent aboard small ships operating between the UK and northern France transporting war materiel all the way to the troops in the front lines. The Mercantile Marine War Medal was instituted by the Board of Trade and authorised by HM King George V in 1919.

Nice! Which one is which?

I hope Flopsymopsy doesn't mind, but as I was posting my partners Great War medals, I thought I might post this image of those that I was awarded during my service.

On the left is the familiar GSM 1962, the General Service Medal with the 'Northern Ireland' clasp, that was awarded for operational service in the province during the period known as 'The Troubles'. I completed a total of 8 tours in the province over a period of 15 years with my own regiments, the Devon and Dorsets (3) and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (1), and as an attached member of the Black Watch, the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, the Staffordshire Regiment and the Light Infantry (1 with each) which then qualified me a number of years later for the award seen on the right.

The medal on the right is the ACSM, the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, which was awarded for long campaign service. My award was instituted in 1994 (after I had left the services) and differs from the later version by having the single orange stripe on the ribbon; the later 2011 award has two orange stripes and differing qualifying criteria.

The badge underneath is the official Armed Forces Veteran's Badge which was awarded to all veterans by the Secretary of State for Defence.

Heh, I shall have to speak to you, Sisterseagull. Tsk! Consider it done.

I wish I could take a photo of my dad's medals, given that he served throughout WWI (Gallipoli, Jutland, to name two biggies), then he was at Archangel, Palestine... Apart from the usual WWI Navy medals, he also had the Meritorious Service Medal, awarded for gallantry when the British rescued some White Russians during the Revolution.

Sadly, after Dad died, my brother put on his pompous "I'm the only manchild" act and his "I was in the Navy too" act and took Dad's medals away with him. And naturally as my mother's favourite (only) son, he got away with it. After my brother died, I asked his widow what had happened to Dad's medals. Turned out that shortly after my brother "rescued" them from the rest of us, their house was burgled and the medals disappeared. Naturally he didn't bother to tell us or try to get replacements. Gah!

That's a shame Flopsy...There are some real thieving scoundrels (for the want of a better word) around.

There is nothing preventing you from getting replacements though; providing you can give the powers-that-be certain information about your dad which I believe is his name and service number and his approx dates of service, then they should be able to provide original replacements (for a fee though, sadly).

Why not contact the MoD and see what they can do. A number of records were lost during WW2 when the Glasgow Manning and Records Offices were destroyed in a Luftwaffe air raid but they still may be able to help.

I may do... but the other problem is that my father's service record, full version in oilskin wrapping, was with the medals...

I'm sure they'd find him, he was the senior Fleet Chief (when we had more than one fleet) and there weren't too many of them, but somehow replacements wouldn't be the same.

I know what you mean regarding the medals being replacements, Flopsy. At least they'd be genuine replacements and not these reproductions that are everywhere these days (and purchased by Walter Mitty's!)

My grandfather was in the army in WWI - but I know nothing about his service. We don't have any decorations to show for it, though. (We did have an empty grenade and a gas mask. Both of which probably got lost when my parents retired.)

Modern blocks by the Thames in Battersea.

The mosaic over the entrance to the Paleokastritsa monastery, Corfu

Another rose from our garden:

An imposing block in the centre of Wolverhampton

This is the pre-1950s version of the school sign, with the flame of knowledge. It's built into the wall of an old school in Sussex so I'm hoping it's an original and not added later as an ornament.

Sunset highlighting a front coming in.

An anvil cloud, seen from 30,000+ feet above "Tornado Alley" in Nebraska.

Amazing sunset!

The waterslide at Stourbridge leisure centre.

Thank you, satguru.
CmdrK, I much prefer being above that cloud than below it...