Whipped Silk Medal Ribbon Bar 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe & Defence Medal.

[leigh kitchen]

Not so much a what is it but a where's it from query.
A ribbon bar of 1939-45 Star, an Air Crew Europe Star (with silver rose emblem for the later award of Atlantic or France and Germany Star) and Defence Medal ribbons.
The ribbons aren't ribbons proper, they're fashioned from whipped silk, different coloured threads wrapped around and around the bar to look like ribbons.
I've never come across this before, there's the possibility that a wife, mother or whoever of the recipient may have made the bar but I suspect that it was produced by a tailor out east somewhere like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya?
Does anybody know if this was a common way of "making" ribbon bars out that aways, perhaps because it was a bit Gucchi or just because the ribbons proper weren't available?

(Apologies for images being upside down, I can't correct them).

[dragon166]

This method of creating ribbon bars is quite common in the Middle East and Far East. I have attached some examples of Syria and Thailand to demonstrate the manufacture. In your case it was most probably because the ribbons were not available.
Dave

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks, I suspected that was the case but wasn't sure.
I've worked with personnel from various Far and Middle Eastern countries but they've all worn "normal" ribbons, I've never seen whipped silk ones before.

[Peter Brydon]

There was a thread on this type of ribbon some time ago ( which I cannot find ), I had a Defence Medal ribbon made by this method and was told they were made by tailors and wives and girlfriends before the actual ribbons were available.

P.B.

[leigh kitchen]

I'll have a search too - ta.

[tuckerf]

I have several US ribbon bars like this that are Japanese made.

[leigh kitchen]

Interesting, thanks.

[Postwarden]

Another example.

Jon

[leigh kitchen]

Attractive little items, I just can't remember having come across any before.

[tuckerf]

Just checked my database and I have 11 sets of US ribbon bars that were silk embroided in Japan. 5 bars show only WW2 ribbons, 2 have WW2 and Korean service and 4 only have Korean service ribbons. From the above time periods of the ribbons, if I was to take a wild guess at your ribbon bar I would say it was done in Japan for someone serving in the BCOF.

[leigh kitchen]

Thanks for that.