David Cameron takes action over Bulletin campaign

Feeling hurt and disgusted by the way he has been treated by the medals office, the former bomber navigator and POW contacted the paper as a final resort.

In turn, the Bulletin contacted the Conservative MP for North Thanet, Sir Roger Gale, who takes such matters extremely seriously, and Sir Roger, wrote directly to the Prime Minister, who earlier this year championed the clasp on the grounds that Bomber Command,deserved greater recognition.

However, the clasp issue has developed into a farce.
Numerous veterans have joined a campaign to boycott the clasp, claiming it is a disgrace and that they should be awarded medals while many others, like Philip Green, have applied and are being denied. The Daily Telegraph, which has been closely, following the now controversial issue, has also picked up on Green's plight after being informed by the Bulletin.

Green is not alone
And, Green is not alone, numerous others have been denied their clasp with the MoD apparently, constantly, moving the goal posts for its “eligibility criteria” as Green, has found out through months of correspondence with the MoD's medal department.

Sir Roger, opened his letter to David Cameron, by stating “The accompanying article in the Majorca Daily Bulletin and letters sent by the MoD to my former constituent Mr Philip Green, now resident in Majorca, are self-explanatory.” Sir Roger, concludes by asking the PM is he would “be kind enough to ask appropriate officials or Ministers to look into the matter further.” Downing Street, has since responded, much to Green's delight, although he is not declaring victory yet, by stating; “I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister, to thank you for your letter of 6 June, on behalf of Mr Philip Green. “The Prime Minister, has asked me to arrange for a Minister, in the Ministry of Defence, to reply to you directly.” Bomber Command suffered the highest casualty rate of the British Armed Forces in the Second World War, losing 55'573 of the 125'000 who served.
Yet, from the moment the conflict ended, veterans have complained that they have been officially overlooked, blaming government disquiet at the cost in German civilian lives caused by their raids.

In his V-E Day speech, Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, pointedly omitted to mention the contribution made by Bomber Command.
The clasp was introduced in February, in a bid to end this long-standing resentment felt by veterans.
However, the award itself has led to further controversy, with many campaigners arguing that a full medal should have been issued.
Dambusters
On the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters Raid last month, Mary Stopes Roe, the daughter of Barnes Wallis, the scientist behind the “bouncing” bomb used on that mission, described the offering of only a clasp as “cheese-paringly” mean.

Green, told the Bulletin; “Being snubbed in thismanner makes it feel like all the sorties we carried out, risking our lives, were for nothing, were useless and a waste of time - it's a disgrace.”