Introduction

Over the past decade we have noticed a rampant increase in the number of people who are wearing their orders, decorations and medals incorrectly. The cadre of people who flagrantly violate the official rules on how you are supposed to wear your medals ranges from the average veteran right up to current and former Governors General. Indeed, there is much evidence to suggest that the higher the rank of the individual the more likely they are to just wear whatever they want, however they want. We like to think of this as “Instant Dictator Syndrome” or self-aggrandizement at its most obvious.

Why do people wear their medals incorrectly? Often it is because they simply do not know any better. If you are one of these people you should consult WEARING ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS which is available from the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall. This guide will help you figure out how you are supposed to wear your officially granted orders, decorations and medals.

When it comes to wearing your medals incorrectly the worst offenders tend to be former Governors General, Lieutenant Governors and retired Generals. When these people – all in authority and all surrounded by staff who know better – wear their medals wrong they are obviously suffering from the dreaded Instant Dictator Syndrome. The attitude accompanied with this most severe condition is “the more medals I wear the more important I will look.”

This simple blog is aimed at revealing the myriad of fellow Canadians who cannot seem to wear their medals correctly.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Veterans Dressing Up their Medal Groups; Sean Bruyea and Ernie Hughes

Thankfully most veterans follow the rules of how to wear their hard earned medals, however there seems to be an increased propensity for some veterans of the First Gulf War to embellish their group with unauthorized medals from foreign lands. Here we have Sean Bruyea wearing his Gulf and Kuwait War Medal and Canadian Forces Decoration along with two totally unauthorized medals for service in the First Gulf War; the Kuwait Medal for service in the war and the Saudi Arabian Medal for serving in the war. So this fellow is wearing three medals for the same conflict. Can you imagine what those who served in the Second World War would have looked like if they dressed up their groups with medals from the various countries they helped to liberate; France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and more than a dozen others. 
Sean Bruyea -- doubled his group with unauthorized medals. 
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and a number of other gulf nations sought to recognize Canadians who served in the conflict and Canadians were permitted to accept these medals as "mementoes" -- with the explicit understanding that they would never be worn Alas, Instant Dictator Syndrome seems to effect even those fighting for veterans' rights. So much for following the rules when it comes to foreign honours.

Next we have a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Mr. Ernie Hughes. Before we go any further it is worth noting that the Royal Canadian Legion has been at the forefront of ensuring that its members do not wear phoney medals, and the Legion has long been and example to other organizations in that it only allows internal awards (ie. the various Royal Canadian Legion Medals and Awards) to be worn on the right side -- not mounted with official national honours. Nevertheless, here we have a conspicuous offender in the form of the El Presidente of the Barrhaven branch of the Legion Ernie Hughes. At the neck Mr. Hughes appears to be wearing the Order of St. George and on the breast he has his mounted set of medals (nicely displayed and properly done) but a breast star -- perhaps as a Knight Grand Templar of the Order of St. George?? Neither of these awards are given out by a recognized government or are they in any way official honours. Again, it is against the rules for wearing Canadian Orders, Decorations and Medals to wear these outlandish insignia along side official national honours.

A note on deportment -- one never wears breast stars while in a sports jacket, blazer or business suit (lounge suit); at the very least Mr. Hughes should be in morning dress if he is going to wear a breast star during the day. Nevertheless here we have Mr. Hughes looking like the dictator of a small less developed European potentate. 

If you are going to become the poster child for a veteran's cause then you had best not go around sporting medals you aren't authorized to wear -- unless you want to haemorrhage credibility and legitimacy. 

El Presidente Ernie Hughes, Supreme Ruler of Barrhaven



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7 comments:

  1. Christophe StevensonMarch 20, 2015 at 10:07 AM

    It would help if medal mounting services followed the rules. I know of one place who promoted the fact that it was okay after a member of the CF retired to wear unofficial medals with their Canadian honours

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    1. UnknownApril 8, 2015 at 10:04 PM

      They offer a service for payment usually, not guidance.

      There have been occasions when the sovereign has authorized the wearing of foreign medals. A set that belonged to an ancestor has in the junior position in a bar if 5 medals a Khedives Sudan Medal (1896) issued by the Khedive of Egypt following British naval participation in a brief recon quest of Sudan.

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    2. UnknownApril 8, 2015 at 10:04 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  2. mariahSeptember 22, 2015 at 6:39 AM

    informative post! more Medal centre is a best medal supplier in London, Buy Discounted and Economy Medal from Medal Centre in North London.

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  3. Christophe StevensonMarch 6, 2016 at 2:28 PM

    When a Commonwealth or Foreign state awards honours to Canadians, the government of that country and/or the Canadian honoured needs permission from the Canadian government to wear these medals. The medals worn by the gentleman in the first photograph have not been approved by the government of Canada as it goes against our policy to be honoured twice for the same action. It would be like if I wished to add my cadet medals with my QDJM ... this would be wrong as cadet medals have not be awarded in the name of the Queen.

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  4. Retired CSMApril 14, 2016 at 2:04 PM

    appears to be wearing his Regimental Blazer crest on the wrong pocket as well. RCL rules say for those entitled to wear one, it is to be worn on the right pocket. I wonder if there is another crest on that pocket we can't see?

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  5. W. P. JonesMay 4, 2020 at 4:11 AM

    This historically problematic passage caught me by surprise: "Can you imagine what those who served in the Second World War would have looked like if they dressed up their groups with medals from the various countries they helped to liberate; France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and more than a dozen others."

    Actually several European countries awarded medals to troops for just that, not least the Benelux countries with the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre being the most rare.

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