In the House of Commons on Tuesday the Home Secretary
announced that the near relations of men who had died in the War would be permitted after all to wear the dead men's medals on Armistice Day. Originally the relations were informed that it was the King's express wish that they should honour the memory of those who had died by wearing the medals. The Home Secretary explained that all that had been intended this year was that the invitation to relations to wear the medals should be omitted. There was no idea of a definite prohibition. The reason for not continuing the invitation indefinitely is quite intelligible. The wearing of medals by unauthorized persons leads to abuses. If there is an official sanction of irregularity it is difficult to check the abuses. All might have been well if explanations had not been issued 'by the Home Office which were, to say the least of it, not very tactful. It was suggested that the time had come to let common sense take the place-of sentiment, since the feeling aroused by Armistice Day was not quite so intense as it used to be. No bereaved person whose feelings were as deep as ever could be expected 'to appreciate that. However, in the House of Commons the Home Secretary smoothed away the sense of injury. * *
Previous page
