How do I contact you?
The easiest way is by email. The adress is below.
Where is the museum?
The museum is the personal collection of the owner, based in Kent, England, and is online only. It was created in order to share the stories of the men behind the medals.
Can I view the collection?
The collection is catalogued, photographed and securely stored. The viewing of the collection is online-only.
I would like to donate my family member’s medal/s, will you take it?
If the medal/s is/are relevant to the theme of the collection, I would of course be delighted to accept it and add the story to the collection.
Shouldn’t I donate this man’s medal/s to a proper regimental museum?
Most museums have hundreds, if not thousands of medals getting dusty in drawer units. Unless these medals are special in their groupings, they will NEVER see the light of day. Donating to a regimental museum is actually one of the worst things you can do, unless the group is particularly unique, such as a high gallantry award, or a notable historical person. Single medals will never get displayed in most museums, unless it is a Victoria/George Cross, and in that case it should be sent to a specialist auction house, not donated to a museum. If a museum wants it, they will happily bid for it.
There has been numerous cases of items “going missing” from even very well-known museums over the years, often not discovered until much later. The final thing to know is that many museums sell off their excess items, particularly if the mueum closes and you will have no claim over the previously donated item.
Shouldn’t you return/sell this man’s medal/s to his family?
Whilst I would consider selling the medal/s back to the family, many medals that have ended up in the collection are from men with no surviving family. Many that do, were sold by someone within the family in the first place. Often the family see no real value in the medals themselves or aren’t interested.
Medals in the collection get researched and made public for all to enjoy, and do proper honour to their memory rather than merely hanging on a wall or in a drawer, never being researched properly.
Bearing in mind we are often looking back 4-5 generations now, who in the family would consider themselves entitled to the medal/s? Based on each person in a family tree having only two children, there would be thirty-four direct descendents, not including great-nephews, etc. Also, many people, especially in years gone by had many more than two children each!
For many of the men who died in the service of their country, I have visited their final resting place and personally photographed their grave or their relevant memorial. In some cases, perhaps being the only person to ever do so. You can rest assured, their memory is in safe hands, by someone who is dedicated in preserving their story.
Finally, if the medals were not in this collection, their story would never have been told, and remain available for others researching their family members.
You have used my image without permission, will you remove it?
The law allows for – “fair use” …”for the sole purpose of illustration for instruction,” as long as it is for non-commercial activites. The “museum” is just a private collection hoping to teach and preserrve the stories of the soldiers behind the medals. I believe many of the images are invaluable, and are credited wherever possible, and any watermarking is left intact. If you believe a credit is missing, I will happily add it (along with a link to the source if required). If you’d rather your image is taken off, please just ask and I will remove it.