Found him in a pow camp but nothing else, + fake medals

[alpinecottage]

I know nothing about medals but I think the ribbons look old but the medals suspiciously bright.  Could your grandad have sold the originals and bought replicas.  Perhaps he fell on hard times.  That would be a story in itself.

Surely you could tell if they are plastic, it feels warmer than metal and lighter.  You may not want to do this, but putting your tongue on them will tell you if they're metal or not.

[Malcolm33]

Surely you could tell if they are plastic, it feels warmer than metal and lighter.  You may not want to do this, but putting your tongue on them will tell you if they're metal or not.

   Or a magnet?

[millymcb]

I think the stars are bronze and I think bronze is NOT magnetic. Silver isn't magnetic either.

They do look very shiny don't they.

Do you have an antique shop or militaria shop near you? if you took them in to someone who deals in militaria they would probably know straight away. (Just don't get conned into selling them!)

Milly

[mmm45]

DCM And MM should have name impressed in rim.
If he was awarded them he should be in gazette. Army record will have the answer.

Ady

[jess5athome]

Hi adzy, I hope you are well,
First things first, Alpinecottage raises a very good point regarding selling the originals and getting copy replacements, this happened a lot for various and personal reasons, always bear this in mind.
Secondly, and this is the crux of the matter, take a look at the images
IMG_2800, I have enlarged it for a better look, you need to be looking at the bottom of the medal, the answer for these two medals may lie there.
Regards,
Frank.

[mosher]

Hi,
a few queries from me!
If he lied about his age, maybe he enlisted under a fake name (an ancestor of my husband's did this).  Maybe the Ronald Edwin Townsend you have found is a different person?  Did he ever mention being a POW?
The man you have found as a POW was in a Scottish regiment (brigade?) - was he from Scotland?
Was he a bit of a scoundrel that may have fake medals?  Or do you think it unlikely?
I hope you find an answer!

[mathsmal]

Hi

Looking at the information on the Royal Leicestershire Regiment website, he transferred to the Black Watch in November 1943. Findmypast shows his regiment to be the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. It is possible he transferred prior to capture.

Regardless, the Leciestershire Regiment participated in the North Africa campaign, and the Black Watch and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were part of the 51st Highland Division which took part in the campaign in Sicily and Italy.

Therefore it is very likely he was entitled to the two campaign stars.

From the photos, they do look like they may be plastic reproductions (I've seen these for sale in museum shops).

If you lose original medals (except in a house fire, burglary, etc) the MOD will not replace them, so you have no choice but to purchase reproductions. The MOD actually recommends that 'you may wish to consider purchasing replica medals from a specialist medal company or reputable medal dealer.'
See https://www.gov.uk/the-ministry-of-defence-medal-office#frequently-asked-questions.

[adzy]

Thanks for the replies, The medals definateley are fake and despite looking nearly everywhere there is no record of any conduct and bravery medals earned. Although I have no doubt he was in the war, I'm guessing he may have added a couple of more for a reason I have no idea of.  One thing now is that he claimed to have went when the war started which would have been the only way he would have earnt the 39-45 star i'm assuming. Guess i'll keep digging>>>>>

[alan o]

The medals are in the incorrect order.  Bravery award go before all campaign stars where as yours appear to be at the extreme right.  If he was entitled to wear them (big if) then you may wish to have them re-ordered.

The MOD have commercialised their WW2 records and you can apply for a copy of his military service for a fee. 

His number would have been the same in the Argylles as well as the Leicesters as by WW2 numbers were unique to the soldier and retained (unless commissioned).