Description
Naval General Service Medal, GVI, bar Yangtze 1949, C/JX 350922 L.A. Cullingford, Able Seaman, Royal Navy.
Officially impressed: “C/JX 350922 L.A. Cullingford A.B. R.N.”
Toned and in excellent condition, naming all original as stamped, without any corrections.
This rare clasp earned for the famous “Amethyst Incident” aka Yangtze Incident between 20th April and 30th July 1949 in the Chinese Yangtze (Changjiang) River.
Only about 1400 clasps would be issued in total to the Crews of the 4 Royal Navy Ships present, HMS Amethyst, HMS Black Swan, HMS Consort and HMS London, alongside a small number to RAF and Army men present.
The event is widely celebrated by the current ruling Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China, as the event took part in the Chinese Civil War which ended with a victory to Mao Zedong’s Chinese Communist Party taking over the control of the country from the Kuomingtang and Republic of China Forces of Chiang Kai-Shek.
On the world stage it showed that China was no longer to messed with by foreigners, Peng Dehuai later remarking: “The Era where Imperialists takoe over a piece of Asia by simply stacking a few guns, is over and never to return!”
Meanwhile for the British, it was an embarrasing defeat that they made light of and the survivors became celebrated heroes at home, even though technically defeated, a number of gallantry awards were given out, including the Dickin Medal to Simon the Cat on board HMS Amethyst during the fighting.
