Welcome to the Birmingham Medal Society
Sponsored by Worcestershire Medal Service
Sponsored by Worcestershire Medal Service
Latest News: 14th August 2024
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Next Meeting: Thursday 5th September 2024 - The Holiday Inn, Kidderminster Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 9AB. Sea Gallantry Medal to Men of the 9th Bn Royal Warwickshire Reiment - Dave Seeney.
Speaker programme for 2024-25 now available.
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The extensive Society Library is now available to view by CLICKING HERE. Any member wishing to borrow a book please use the Contact Us link .
10% discount on medal mounting service through this web site CLICK HERE
BMS now has a Whats App group, feel free to apply if you are member of the Society.
Take advantage of the Missing Medals & Medals Sought Page. £1.00 for BMS members. £5.00 for non members.
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A Brief History of the Birmingham Medal Society
Welcome to the Birmingham Medal Society (BMS) web site, please feel free to look in at any time as it will be updated on a regular basis. Are you interested in history? If so the BMS may be the organisation for you as it exists to further the cause of medallic and military history, to perpetuate the memories of those recipients of medals who we now possess and to acquire and exchange research for the benefit of future generations.
The BMS was formed in May 1964, when a Mutiny Medal could be bought for £1.00 and a Waterloo for £6.00! Medal collectors in the Birmingham area got together to share their hobby and used to meet on Saturdays in a coin and medal shop owned by Michael Forman who suggested that a numismatic society be formed locally for coin & medal collectors.
The collectors present wanted separate societies as the hobbies were so different and one for each was subsequently formed; the BMS coming into existence. Meetings of the BMS were initially held at Forman’s shop after closing, and as the society grew and the shop became too small, various members allowed their houses to be used. At these early meetings members would give brief accounts and talk about their collecting interests, and later visiting speakers were invited to give presentations on specific military campaigns that would have been of interest to the collectors.
Back in 1964 research was difficult because on the limited availability of rolls and publications, no internet, National Archives or Ancestry.com. Needless to say that most collectors possessed those early ‘Bibles’ - Battles & Medals by Major Gordon, Ribbons & Medals by Taprell Dorling, and of course in 1968 Alec Purves book, Collecting Medals & Decorations. All still used today as an extension of the research facility.
A lot of the BMS Members also joined the Orders & Medals Research Society (OMRS) that had been formed in 1942, and often trips were organised to the Duke of York’s HQ in London to attend their meetings.
The first BMS ‘convention’ was held in 1966 at a hotel in the City and was attended by a number of luminaries from the OMRS including very well known authorities in the medal world such as Judge Henry Pownall, Alec Purves, G Lundberg, John Tamplin and Norman Gooding. As numbers increased over the years it became necessary to find larger premises and the Society met in the Department of Metallurgy & Materials at Birmingham University for a number of years providing very modern visual equipment & refreshment facilities.
In 1975 a former Patron Doctor Llewellyn Lloyd joined the society, having only recently become interested in collecting medals following talk he had heard at an antique collectors society by one of the BMS members. Dr Lloyd was a close friend of Lt Gen Sir Alex Drummond KBE CB KStJ and had served under him as a young Captain in the RAMC during the Malayan campaign. In 1980 Lt Gen Drummond was invited to give to talk to the BMS on his own collection of early medals to members of the medical profession. Lt Gen Drummond became the Society’s first patron and each year the BMS holds the annual Drummond Lecture in his honour and memory.
Many famous names including, Air Cdre H Couzens (the CO of the first Sqn to have Spitfires No 19 Sqn), Capt Douglas Morris RN and Rose Coombes have graced the BMS with their presence, the most recent and 38th speaker was Phil McDermott who talked about The Elizabeth Cross.
The BMS still meets on the first Thursday of each month from 7.00pm for 7.30pm at The Holiday Inn, Kidderminster Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 9AB and is not restricted to Birmingham residents as members travel from as far as Hereford, Leamington Spa and Coventry to be there. A range of speakers give talks on a variety of subjects relating to medals and history. There are evenings where members are encouraged to participate, swap stories, show off their latest acquistions and militaria bring and buys, click here to see the latest programme. Some members are happy to be fully involved, others are content to sit and listen, all are welcome and it is the fact that everyone shares the medallic interest that is of importance.
The unofficial name for collectors of Orders, Decorations and Medals is Ordecomedologists, and everyone involved in the hobby is united in the fact that the interest goes further than just collecting medals, it is a tangible way of perpetuating men and women’s lives beyond the grave, and providing a record of their lives and deeds for posterity, no matter how famous, or not they may have been.
If you are interested in joining the Birmingham Medal Society please click here and we look forward to seeing you at a meeting in due course.
Paul Handford MBE
President
Birmingham Medal Society
The BMS was formed in May 1964, when a Mutiny Medal could be bought for £1.00 and a Waterloo for £6.00! Medal collectors in the Birmingham area got together to share their hobby and used to meet on Saturdays in a coin and medal shop owned by Michael Forman who suggested that a numismatic society be formed locally for coin & medal collectors.
The collectors present wanted separate societies as the hobbies were so different and one for each was subsequently formed; the BMS coming into existence. Meetings of the BMS were initially held at Forman’s shop after closing, and as the society grew and the shop became too small, various members allowed their houses to be used. At these early meetings members would give brief accounts and talk about their collecting interests, and later visiting speakers were invited to give presentations on specific military campaigns that would have been of interest to the collectors.
Back in 1964 research was difficult because on the limited availability of rolls and publications, no internet, National Archives or Ancestry.com. Needless to say that most collectors possessed those early ‘Bibles’ - Battles & Medals by Major Gordon, Ribbons & Medals by Taprell Dorling, and of course in 1968 Alec Purves book, Collecting Medals & Decorations. All still used today as an extension of the research facility.
A lot of the BMS Members also joined the Orders & Medals Research Society (OMRS) that had been formed in 1942, and often trips were organised to the Duke of York’s HQ in London to attend their meetings.
The first BMS ‘convention’ was held in 1966 at a hotel in the City and was attended by a number of luminaries from the OMRS including very well known authorities in the medal world such as Judge Henry Pownall, Alec Purves, G Lundberg, John Tamplin and Norman Gooding. As numbers increased over the years it became necessary to find larger premises and the Society met in the Department of Metallurgy & Materials at Birmingham University for a number of years providing very modern visual equipment & refreshment facilities.
In 1975 a former Patron Doctor Llewellyn Lloyd joined the society, having only recently become interested in collecting medals following talk he had heard at an antique collectors society by one of the BMS members. Dr Lloyd was a close friend of Lt Gen Sir Alex Drummond KBE CB KStJ and had served under him as a young Captain in the RAMC during the Malayan campaign. In 1980 Lt Gen Drummond was invited to give to talk to the BMS on his own collection of early medals to members of the medical profession. Lt Gen Drummond became the Society’s first patron and each year the BMS holds the annual Drummond Lecture in his honour and memory.
Many famous names including, Air Cdre H Couzens (the CO of the first Sqn to have Spitfires No 19 Sqn), Capt Douglas Morris RN and Rose Coombes have graced the BMS with their presence, the most recent and 38th speaker was Phil McDermott who talked about The Elizabeth Cross.
The BMS still meets on the first Thursday of each month from 7.00pm for 7.30pm at The Holiday Inn, Kidderminster Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 9AB and is not restricted to Birmingham residents as members travel from as far as Hereford, Leamington Spa and Coventry to be there. A range of speakers give talks on a variety of subjects relating to medals and history. There are evenings where members are encouraged to participate, swap stories, show off their latest acquistions and militaria bring and buys, click here to see the latest programme. Some members are happy to be fully involved, others are content to sit and listen, all are welcome and it is the fact that everyone shares the medallic interest that is of importance.
The unofficial name for collectors of Orders, Decorations and Medals is Ordecomedologists, and everyone involved in the hobby is united in the fact that the interest goes further than just collecting medals, it is a tangible way of perpetuating men and women’s lives beyond the grave, and providing a record of their lives and deeds for posterity, no matter how famous, or not they may have been.
If you are interested in joining the Birmingham Medal Society please click here and we look forward to seeing you at a meeting in due course.
Paul Handford MBE
President
Birmingham Medal Society