10/9/09
WORLD WAR TWO SAILOR RECEIVES MEDAL ON 87TH BIRTHDAY
Former Royal Australian Navy Sub Lieutenant Donald Reed will become the reluctant centre of attention today when he is awarded a prestigious overseas service medal from World War II.
As a young officer, Don Reed was assigned to the Netherlands minesweeper Abraham Crijnssen. His job was to act as Royal Navy liaison officer, as the small vessel escorted shipping across waters patrolled by German U-Boats.
Sub Lieutenant Reed spent 10 months on board, unable to actually speak the language of those around him. When his time on board was coming to an end, his commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander K.G. Tiel, RNN, recommended Don for a Netherlands War Cross with Bar.
The award was never actually handed to Mr. Reed, who eventually settled back into civilian life after the war. 65 years later, Don’s case was brought to the attention of the Netherlands Government, which was quick to investigate.
Today is Don’s 87th Birthday.
Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane AM, CSM, RAN, said Mr Reed is one of countless Australians who helped protect this country and her allies, and build on Australia’s strong naval heritage.
“I congratulate Mr. Reed on this public recognition of his service,” Vice Admiral Crane said.
http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=9458
I am so mad to read this. I can’t believe it took this long. Someone in the Army should be fired for this. It is unacceptable to deny a person a medal, who served in the war, because they overlooked it or forgot. This is a shame. Better late than never I agree but if it were mme, I would be a little upset that I didn’t get it sooner!
I imagine that the Dutch and Australian navies would agree with this. 
Mr Reed was serving in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at the time, acting as the Royal Navy (RN) liason offr.
As the RAN was part of the Imperial forces at the time, I believe it acted under the same regulations as the RN in regard to medals, awards and decorations. I can’t be arsed to look it up but the wording is along the lines of, ‘Crown Servants in uniform may not wear any medal or decoration the wear of which has not been authorized by The Sovereign.’
It stems from the reign of good Queen Bess who, on noticing that one of her courtiers recently returned from europe was wearing an ostentatious award from King Philip of Spain, is purported to have exclaimed, “my dogs shall wear no chains but mine,” and promptly forbade the wearing of such.
Probably not Herman.
To the majority of soldiers gongs mean very little apart from something else to polish and more expense getting them mounted. The individual and his mates know what he has done and that’s all that matters.
Lieutenant Commander K.G. Tiel, RNN, recommended Don for a Netherlands War Cross with Bar.
The crucial term is “recommended”. This does not mean that he was actually awarded the medal at that time. Only after investigation and approval by higher authority can the process of recommendation to approval to award be completed.
Many troops, during WW2, were recommended for awards by their officers but who were then not awarded them after investigation, or were down-graded to a lower award or a MiD. I know of a number of RAF ones like this.
The fact that the present day government has awarded him the medal is interesting because the specific criteria and reasons for the award are not given.
I don’t know what your talking about. Here is a picture of him getting the award. He wasn’t recommended for the award, HE GOT THE AWARD. Simple as that.
Did you actually read my post? I said This does not mean that he was actually awarded the medal at that time. The article that RS posted clearly stated that he was recommended for Netherlands War Cross with Bar by Lieutenant Commander K.G. Tiel, RNN, after 10 months duty. So the recommendation was during WW2. The award has been given in the present.
Do past and present tenses escape your comprehension?
I just can’t believe that a medal for a dog was sold for over $13,000 and I wonder why it takes so long to award medals to our brave soldiers like the women medals after 50 yrs.!
• A bill was introduced in Congress this spring that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to 300 surviving members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, as they were known during World War II. The legislation, which was cosponsored by all of the female senators, would recognize the “exceptional service” of the more than 1,100 women who served as military pilots during the war, ferrying aircraft and training other pilots.
• A medal awarded to a dog named Rip for locating more than 100 air raid victims in the rubble of the London Blitz was auctioned off this April in London. Rip, along with 53 other animals including a cat and several dozen pigeons, received the Dickin Medal during World War II for serving with “conspicuous gallantry.” The mixed-breed dog died in 1948; the exact sale price of the medal, which Rip wore on his collar until his death, is not known at press time, but the last Dickin Medal the auction house sold went for approximately $13,500.