Medal roll mystery

[greenhow]

I have a photo of my grandfather in what I think is  the Middlesex Regiment uniform but on the medal
roll there is no mention of this with only the Machine Gun Corps ( reg. no.55909) and Labour Corps (418498) listed.

[tonepad]

Welcome to RootsChat!

"The Medal Rolls list individuals by the military unit they were serving with at the time of their entitlement."

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/medals/british-ww1-medal-records.htm


This implies that if your grandfather was in the Middlesex Regiment, this did not include service overseas and so was not entitled to a medal whilst in that regiment.

[greenhow]

Thank you Tonepad
It was only recently that we discovered that his cap badge was that of the Middlesex Regiment. I remember him telling us once that when he went to join up there were no central recruiting offices and he walked from town to town from the Wirral until he found a regiment that would take him but we thought it was the Machine Gun corps as when asked what he did, he said he was a machine gunner. We know that he was at Ypres ( he called it 'Wipes' ) and he went from sergeant to private for drinking too much vin 'rosie'.
I have a carved wooden keepsake box that was made by a  German POW in return for extra food when my grandfather was in the Labour corps.
Do the regimental numbers give any clues?
 

[jim1]

His MGC number indicates (from memory) joining mid-late 1916.
Labour Corps numbers were issued in blocks on it's formation (1917) but these went to Batts. transferring into it.
Your man wouldn't have gone from the MGC to the LC as a natural course of events & was probably wounded or had some issue that prompted him being re-classified B1.

[MaxD]

Adding a little to jim1's post.  The fact that the MGC is the first overseas regiment for him means that he was not one of the machine gun company men already in France who transferred to the MGC when it was formed but rather that most likely he joined in UK.  In all likelihood, and given the date suggested by jim1, probably one of the companies formed in Grantham in the first half of 1916, going to France with them subsequently.

I have a dim memory (no sniggering please) of some sort of Middlesex regiment connection with the MGC at Grantham but can't recall it just now - Jim??  Ignore.

MaxD

[jim1]

I would agree he trained at Belton Park but never come across a link to the Mddx. Regt.

[MaxD]

My earlier post amended, I'm sure you are right Jim.

MaxD

[greenhow]

Thank you tonepad Max D and Jim 1 for your replies to my question.They have helped sort a couple of
 things out.I have just been reading an account of a young fellow who enlisted and was transferred from unit to unit and eventually was transferred to the MGC and sent to Grantham  for 10 weeks training so perhaps that is what happened to my  grandfather.

[jim1]

There's no evidence he was moved around.
He may have volunteered or been put forward by his C.O.
The MGC needed men with the ability to work unsupervised as they would have been responsible for the repair & maintenance of their guns while in the field. They would have needed to be capable of secreting themselves in good firing positions when outside of the trenches & remain undetected for long periods.
Not a job for the faint-hearted as they were called the suicide club by the Infantry.