Medals Reunited New Zealand©

Reuniting Found Medals with Families

MEDAL TECH

Medal Tech

Useful Links

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The  links below will allow you to access useful information to research your family’s military service and medal entitlements.  


Also included are links to websites of related interest.

 

 

You are welcome to link our website to yours – we prefer that you use the following format:

  • Title:  Medals Reunited New Zealand© 
  • Description:  We believe the rightful place for any medal that is found, is with family – we can help you make this happen.
  • URL:  https://www.medalsreunitednz.co.nz

NZ Defence Force – Medals

Personnel Archives & Medals (PAM), Trentham Upper Hutt is responsible for the acquisition, storage and issue of operational, non-operational, special, meritorious and long service medals awarded to serving New Zealand military personnel.  PAM also archives the personal service files of all former military personnel of each of the three armed services.  PAM can advise (within the limits of the Privacy Act) service members, veterans and the families of former military personnel, on requests for information from personal records, medal entitlements, medals that have been issued, lost and replacement medals.  NZDF PAM does not provide replacement medals for personnel who are no longer serving.

Personnel Archives & Medals (PAM) Section – Trentham Military Camp

            NZDF Personnel Archives & Medals
            Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force
            Private Bag 905
            UPPER HUTT 5140

Additional information you should include (if known): 

  • Service Number, Rank and Arm of Service (Army / Navy / Air Force)
  • Ship / Unit / Squadron  / Base
  • Period of Service (from > to)
  • Next of Kin, Address and Occupation at the time of enlistment

Don’t forget to include your current postal address, phone number and e-mail address. 

Website links by Country

NEW ZEALAND

Researching Military Personnel

  • Researching WW1 Soldiers – https://www.archives.govt.nz/find-a-record/world-war-one-service-records   
  • New Zealand’s WW1 Centenary Commemoration – general historical information & stories – http://ww100.govt.nz/
  • Aircrew Remembered – http://www.aircrewremembered.com/– an outstanding website that records the deaths of every wartime allied military aviator (pre-WW1 to the present) .. and much, much more …
  • NZ Army Nursing Service (NZANS) Association – history and nominal rolls of the NZANS – http://www.nzans.org/
  • New Zealand Engineers Tunneling Company (WW1) – http://www.nzetc.co.nz/
  • Vietnam War – http://vietnamwar.govt.nz/ – N Z government site that provides a complete overview on all aspects of the war including participating units, complete nominal roll, honours & awards, etc – http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/resources/veterans-roll

Military Records On-line

  • Archives New Zealand (WW1) – what the collection contains – Archives New Zealand
  • Archives NZ – Archway – access to all NZers military & personal records (digitized files of all Boer War & WW1 soldiers and nurses; additional files may be found here that are not on AWMM Cenotaph below – http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/
  • Auckland War Memorial Museum (AWMM) Cenotaph website – digitized files of all Boer War & WW1 soldiers and nurses  (incomplete) – http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search
  • Maori in the Great War – http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowMaor-t1-body-d1.html
  • NZ (Maori) Pioneer Battalion (WW1) – https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/maori-pioneer-battalion
  • 28 Maori Battalion (WW2) – https://28maoribattalion.org.nz/roll
  • Personal Diaries & Other Written Accounts of WW1 – http://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/off-at-last-the goodbye-would-have-been-to-awful
  • Internal Affairs – Birth, Death, Marriage searches; printouts and certificates cost .. $ Pay per view – https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home/
  • Ancestry.com – $ Pay to view site – https://www.ancestry.com.au/

Digital NZ Military History

War Graves and Memorials

Forums &  Societies

Military Museums in NZ

General Information – uniforms, badges, rank, equipment, etc

AUSTRALIA

CANADA

UNITED KINGDOM – General

Correspondence  

>>  For email inquiries re – UK MEDALS: [email protected]

  • The Ministry of Defence Medal Office can confirm if an individual is eligible to receive Second World War or post 1945 medals and issue those previously unclaimed to veterans or their next of kin.
  • Gallantry medals are awarded for an especially heroic deed or action.  Announcements are listed in the official journal The London Gazette. 
  • Telephone enquiries are handled by the Joint Personnel Administration Centre (JPAC).

          **  Freephone (UK only): 0800-085-3600

          **  Telephone (International calls): 0044-141-224-3600

>>  For written inquiries re – PERSONNEL RECORDS

  • Army Personnel Centre
    Disclosure 2, Mail Point 515
    Kentigern House
    65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G2 8EX
  • SCOTLAND
  • Tel: UK – 0845-600-9663

>>  For written inquiries re – UK MEDALS

  •  MOD Medal Office 
     Room G36 
     Innsworth House 
     Imjin Barracks 
     Gloucester 
     GL3 1HW
  •  UNITED KINGDOM 

ROYAL NAVY (RN, RNR, RNVR) – Post 1939> Personnel Records & Medal Entitlements   

  • Ministry of Defence
  • Directorate of Personnel Support (Navy)     
    Navy Search
    TNT Archive Services
    Tetron Point
    William Nadin Way
    Swadlincote
    Derbyshire DE11 0BB
  • UNITED KINGDOM
  • Tel: (+44) 01283-227913
  • Email: [email protected]  

This office controls all service records for the years approximately 1920 to at least 1939 which have not yet been passed to The National Archives (excluding Royal Marines).  Please note that information can only be given to Next of Kin.

  1.  RN officers over 60
  2.  RN ratings enlisting 1924–1939
  3.  RNR officers 1920–1950
  4.  RNVR officers up to 1950
  5.  WRNS ratings enlisting 1939–1955
  6.  QARNNS 1923–1955
  • Ministry of Defence
    NPP (Acs) AFPAA
    Centurion Building
    Grange Road
    Gosport
    PO13 9XA
  • UNITED KINGDOM

This office controls service records as listed below for the period after 1940.  Please note that information can only be supplied to Next of Kin.

  1.  RN ratings after 1939
  2.  ‘Hostilities only’ records post-1939 (i.e. WWII and Korean War)
  3.  FAA after 1939
  4.  RNR ratings after 1945
  5.  RNVR ratings after 1945
  6.  WRNS after 1956
  7.  QARNNS after 1956                                                                                       
  • Royal Marines Historical Records
    DPS(N)
    Building 1/151
    Victory View
    PP65
    HM Naval Base
    Portsmouth
    PO1 3LS
  • UNITED KINGDOM
  • Tel: 023 9272 7531 / 3114 / 6063

Personal records of Royal Marines who enlisted into the service during or after approximately 1930. Records prior to 1930 are held at The National Archives (details above).

  • Royal Fleet Auxiliary
    Human Resources Bureau
    Fleet HQ
    West Battery
    Whale Island
    Portsmouth
    PO2 8BY
  • UNITED KINGDOM

MERCHANT MARINE (WW1) & MERCHANT NAVY (WW2>)

This collection of records, BT 395, lists the medals awarded to merchant seamen for their service in the Second World War (1939-1945), with the exception of the Arctic Star. For details of the Arctic Star see our guide to Merchant seaman’s medals and honours.

The medals were claimed and issued from 1946 to 2002. Medals were not automatically issued, but had to be claimed by the merchant seaman. You can find out whether a medal was issued by looking at the markings on the records.

ROYAL AIR FORCE – Post 1939> Personnel Records & Medal Entitlements 

The National Archives (TNA) holds the service records for men who served up to 1922. Their service, rank and dates determine which set of records you need.

  • RFC airmen who died or were discharged before 1 April 1918 – British Army service records (see our Tracing Army Family History guide) Find My Past, Ancestry (WO363)/Ancestry (WO364)($)
  • RNAS ratings including those who served in the Royal Navy before July 1914 – Register of Seamen’s Services (ADM 188) on The National Archives, Find My Past, Ancestry ($)
  • RAF airmen (service numbers 1 to 562875) including RFC airmen and RNAS ratings who transferred to the RAF on 1 April 1918 – RAF airmen’s service records (AIR 79) on Find My Past ($)
  • All non-officer members of the RAF on 1 April 1918 – listed in the Royal Air Force Muster Roll in numerical order – on RAF Museum (free) and on Find My Past ($)
  • RFC officers who served between 1914 and March 1918 – RAF officers service records (AIR 76) on The National Archives and Find My Past ($)
  • RNAS officers who served before 1918 – RNAS officers’ service records (ADM 273) on The National Archives ($)
  • RAF Officers, including those who transferred from the RFC and RNAS on 1 April 1918 and served up to 1922 (most had been discharged by 1919) – RAF officers service records (AIR 76) on The National Archives and Find My Past ($)
  • Men from the USA and Dominions who served with the British Air Forces are included in the Roll in AIR 2/219 – at The National Archives. Some nominal rolls for individual units are in AIR1 – at TNA.

Officers’ commissions and promotions are listed in the regular official publications. IWM holds an extensive set of these publications. The Gazette also lists commissions and promotions up to the present day.

  • RFC officers – the Army List
  • RNAS officers – the Navy List – Ancestry ($)
  • RAF officers (from 1918) – the Air Force List

Individuals who qualified as a pilot 1910-1950 – Aviators’ Certificates, some with photo, issued by the Royal Aero Club on Ancestry ($)

Service Records, 1922 >

RAF personnel who served after 1922 and those who served during the Second World War – service records are held by the RAF 3rd Party Disclosure Team. Full records will be released to proven next of kin. Only very basic information about deceased service personnel will be released to other enquirers, with slightly more detail made available 25 years after the date of death. The fee is currently £30 and there may be a lengthy wait for this service. Download the application forms 

RAF Medals

Eligibility for campaign and service medals is based on set criteria, usually being present in a particular theatre of war within given dates or carrying out a set number of operational sorties/operations.

First World War personnel may have qualified for the 1914 Star or 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal and/or if they were discharged due to wounds or sickness, the Silver War Badge. The name, rank and number of the individual will appear on the medal. The Ministry of Defence is not able to issue or replace First World War medals under any circumstances. 

  • RFC officers and airmen who served overseas before 1916 – medals were issued by the War Office. Details are on the First World War Medal Index Cards (WO 372) in The National Archives ($).  Also available on Ancestry – the Medal Index Cards (free) and Rolls ($).
  • RNAS personnel awarded campaign and long service and good conduct medals – Naval Medal Rolls (ADM 171) for officers only on Find My Past and for officers and ratings Ancestry ($). Digital microfilm copies of all these rolls can be downloaded from The National Archives for free.
  • RFC personnel who first served overseas in 1916 or later or who joined after the formation of the RAF in April 1918 – there are no records for campaign medals issued by the Air Ministry.  The only place you will find details about a medal entitlement will be on a service record.

Second World War RAF personnel may have qualified for the War Medal 1939 to 1945, 1939 to 1945 Star, Air Crew Europe, Africa, Atlantic, Burma, France and Germany, Italy and Pacific Stars and/or the Defence Medal: 1939 to 1945.  Second World War medals are  not named.

SCOTLAND

NZDF plaque

 

 

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