World War 1

[Rowlf]

I cannot understand how anyone can part with family medals but I know some people do not have relatives to leave them too or if they do have no interest in them. I had 3 great uncles in WW1 two of which were killed. One of them won a Military Medal but his wife of 12 months emigrated to New Zealand and I have no idea whether she received his medals.
I located her new family last year and they did not even know she had been married before so obviously they do not know about his medals. How can I find out if they were issued Walter? My own fathers and father in laws medals we have and will be passed to our son and grandson. I wear my dads every year for Remembrance Sunday with pride.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Margaret. There are places for medals that are no longer wanted by relatives, who can no longer pass them down, Fulwood Museum has 1000's in display cases, all researched and diligently mounted with ladels, by a fellow volunteer at the Museum called Doug, when ever I turned up Doug would have been there for hours, Accrington Libray has a collection of medals and death pennies, when people give them to me they end up in the library. You'd be surprised at how many old folks who have told me, you take these, there is no one else interested, but what gets me, they have thanked me.

I did not know that there was such a collection...or that it was run by volunteers(but then I guess it would have to be someone dedicated to do such painstaking work).
I am pleased that there is such a facility as I do not think medals should ever be sold on for financial gain.
The boys who won these medals thought nothing of giving their lives or their health for the country.

I can understand why people thanked you Retlaw, they knew that you would make sure that the medals were treated with the respect that they deserved.

[Canuck]

Every serviceman , woman has a medal index card MIC which records medals issued .
These are located at the national archives .
I hope that this helps .

Regards

Canuck

British Army medal index cards 1914-1920 - The National Archives

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Canuck

Every serviceman , woman has a medal index card MIC which records medals issued .
These are located at the national archives .
I hope that this helps .

Regards

Canuck

British Army medal index cards 1914-1920 - The National Archives

Thanks Canuk.
I already know about medal cards, and the military records.
For the 11th East Lancs (Accrington Pals) I've collected 4167 Cards, there are some missing on Ancestry, so I'm making one for those, I've also acquired 1026 sets of their service records, I've downloaded all the service records which have survived the blitz of WW2. of my Accrington Heroes, 2629 sets, altogether over 30,000 sheets of paper, I waded thro for info. Then when I've finished prettying up the Pals Cards, for John in the library, my next quest is the medal cards for the Heroes, some 12 1/2 thousand of em, had a slight mux up recently, finished up seeing a specialist at Burnley, I think I were in better health than him. Hopefully, I'll have all their cards before I clock it.

[Canuck]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Thanks Canuk.
I already know about medal cards, and the military records.
For the 11th East Lancs (Accrington Pals) I've collected 4167 Cards, there are some missing on Ancestry, so I'm making one for those, I've also acquired 1026 sets of their service records, I've downloaded all the service records which have survived the blitz of WW2. of my Accrington Heroes, 2629 sets, altogether over 30,000 sheets of paper, I waded thro for info. Then when I've finished prettying up the Pals Cards, for John in the library, my next quest is the medal cards for the Heroes, some 12 1/2 thousand of em, had a slight mux up recently, finished up seeing a specialist at Burnley, I think I were in better health than him. Hopefully, I'll have all their cards before I clock it.

That is a wonderful achievement . When researching medals I have of course downloaded a number MICs but not anywhere near your numbers . My father was a WW1 infantry man in France with the Black Watch . Unfortunately his records did not survive the Blitz ,not even in the burnt records . I was able to obtain the sections of his unit war diary 1/7th Black Watch that related to the various actions in which he participated , including the day that he was wounded ,July 1918.

I have also researched two brothers in the 1/9th Argyll and sutherland Highlanders , a unit that was virtually wiped out at 2nd Ypres in April1915 . I have managed to obtain the CWWG records of all of those KIA, most are commemorated on the Menin Gate . I had the privilege of visiting that Memorial a couple of years ago .

Regards

Canuck

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Canuck

That is a wonderful achievement . When researching medals I have of course downloaded a number MICs but not anywhere near your numbers . My father was a WW1 infantry man in France with the Black Watch . Unfortunately his records did not survive the Blitz ,not even in the burnt records . I was able to obtain the sections of his unit war diary 1/7th Black Watch that related to the various actions in which he participated , including the day that he was wounded ,July 1918.

I have also researched two brothers in the 1/9th Argyll and sutherland Highlanders , a unit that was virtually wiped out at 2nd Ypres in April1915 . I have managed to obtain the CWWG records of all of those KIA, most are commemorated on the Menin Gate . I had the privilege of visiting that Memorial a couple of years ago .

Regards

Canuck

Hi Canuck
I've attached a couple of pictures I hope, in July 2007, my friend Bill Turner (Accrington Pals) lay on his death bed in hospital, he was thanking me for all the research I'd done for him, when he said how many were really casualties at the Somme, Bill had always wondered as the war diaries never gave true figures, I said Ok Bill
I'll be back. spent 24 hours going thro the files, collecting names adding a mans picture where I could, printed it all out, I was just getting ready to take it to show Bill, when his daughter rang to say he'd just died July 5th 2007, almost to the time the Pals were relieved from the trenches after the slaughter of July 1st, I put it away until 2014, when I asked my daughter about commemorations for the Pals, asked her if she could arrange something in France for July 1st 2016, I then spent some time checking and rechecking, then having every thing bound in leather with presentation boxes, and the rest is history, the Mayor of Bapaume was so taken up that they had been remembered, that he presented my grandson with an inscribed medal, granting me the freedom of Bapaume, Even tho Bill had been dead 9 years his name is in those books as co author. Bill and his books on the Pals put Accrington on the world map.

[Mark2009]

I am trying to find info on a relative who served in the East Lancs reg in WW1. His name was Herbert Jenkinson and he lived at 10 Havelock St Ossy his service no was 27843. He is on the absent voters list for 1918. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
thanks, Mark

[Emma Lewis]

My Grandma's Grandad Pte William Bury, enlisted Jan 1914 and was injured Apr 1916 in Serre before the battle of the Somme. There was an article that she found in the Accrington Observer &Times I think, but the photocopy she has is poor quality. My daughter is in Yr 2 at school and has been learning about WW1 and asking lots of questions. I thought it would be nice for her to take a copy of the newspaper article into school for show and tell. If you know where I can find a copy or how I can look for it or any further information that would be great. I think his number was 17995 and he was 38, which was a little older to enlist but my grandma reckons the cotton industry was poor and he was likely working part time.

[SALONIKA]

Hi. Looking for any information on Cpl 16731 Alexander Radcliffe 11 Worcestershire Regiment. He was from Huncoat and was a WW1 Military medal winner. I have found out that he won his MM in Salonika on the night of April 24-25 during the first battle of Doiran when covered the withdrawal of the battalion with his Lewis gun. His award appeared in the London Gazette 14.1.1918. Thank you

[SarahB]

Hello, I have just started to revisit research on My Great Grandad Ernest Percy Brown. He was a Soldier in the 158th Howitzer Bridage Accrington, kind of part of the PALS brigades that were set up at the time. I followed some clues given by Retlaw about his name appearing on the St Mary Magdalen ROH and they said they haven't got his name on there. I was just wondering if i had the wrong ROH? Could anyone advise how i might get a picture of the ROH Retlaw is refering to, or advise me who to contact, as i have already contacted St Mary Magdalen Church in Accrington but they sent a picture back proving there is no Ernest Brown on their ROH. I also thought you could only be added to a ROH if you had died in conflict, which he did not. so am i looking for something that doesn't exist? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[AccyVicar]

Originally Posted by SarahB

Hello, I have just started to revisit research on My Great Grandad Ernest Percy Brown. He was a Soldier in the 158th Howitzer Bridage Accrington, kind of part of the PALS brigades that were set up at the time. I followed some clues given by Retlaw about his name appearing on the St Mary Magdalen ROH and they said they haven't got his name on there. I was just wondering if i had the wrong ROH? Could anyone advise how i might get a picture of the ROH Retlaw is refering to, or advise me who to contact, as i have already contacted St Mary Magdalen Church in Accrington but they sent a picture back proving there is no Ernest Brown on their ROH. I also thought you could only be added to a ROH if you had died in conflict, which he did not. so am i looking for something that doesn't exist? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, I am no longer in Accrington so cannot check on this particular one - but I do know that many churches have a Roll of Honour which includes (or is exclusively for) those who served in and survived the war. It is the War Memorials that only have the names of those who died (memorials will often say "In Memoriam" or include the quote "Greater love hath no man than this" or simply say "Those who died in the Great War"). So your great grandad's name could well be on a Roll of Honour. Hope this helps.

[Andrew Jackson]

Hi Sarah. I guess Retlaw was referring to the St. Mary Magdalen's Roll of Honour that was published in the Observer of 10th April 1915: "In the possession of the Vicar of St. Mary Magdalen's (the Rev. G. A. Deakin) is a list of those for whom the prayers of the congregation have been asked. Following are the names:-" Amongst them is "Pte. Ernest Brown, A. and B. Howitzers."