Medals

[king ranger]

Hi i found my wife's Grandfathers Medal Index Card and was shocked that after being in for 4 years he had no medals recorded. A bit of research on his regiment the 3rd Cameronians showed me they were a Training Regiment and never left Scotland, so apart from his Silver War badge i take it the reason for no other medals was that he was never overseas.?

                                                 Colin.

[MaxD]

On the face of it you are right.  Illness was one of the reasons for a SWB so perhaps his state of health was such that he was retained at home and this later became the reason for discharge. 

MaxD

[king ranger]

Thanks MaxD, He came out of army in 1920 and passed away in 1930.

[Gwil]

Although in most instances where a man has campaign medal entitlement and a SWB one the SWB entitlement is marked on an 'campaign' Medal Index Card (MIC) there are cases where it is marked on it's own card AND a different MIC was produced the for the campaign ones.

If you haven't already done so have you checked the National Archives database to see how many entries he has.

(Providing his details would possibly elicit a  more detailed reply)

[king ranger]

Hi Gwil i never posted his details as i thought it was just a case of him not serving abroad,but he is Pte George Palfreman 34812, 3rd Scottish Rifles.The case of having two Medal Index cards never crossed my mind.Thanks.
                                   Colin.

[Gwil]

I see Ancstry have mis indexed his actual SWB Roll (as Gatheman). This confirms no overseas service so only one MIC then.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2456/wo329_3036-00023?pid=224966&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3Djxh7%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26indiv%3D1%26db%3DSilverWarBadgeMedals%26gss%3Dangs-d%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26MS_AdvCB%3D1%26_F8007A65%3D34812%26_F8007A65_x%3D1%26MSAV%3D2%26uidh%3Da63%26pcat%3D39%26fh%3D0%26h%3D224966%26recoff%3D39%252040%26ml_rpos%3D1&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=jxh7&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

His service is shown as 6 12 1915 to 4 9 1919. A Nov/Dec 1915 start date is to be treated with caution. It might be the date he attested under the Derby Scheme (link below). Men were attested and then placed in Army Reserve until called up. Some records show the attestation dates, some the subsequent call up dates. Note, on his SWB Roll linked above, that 34808 and 34829 are shown as enlisted 23 3 1917

You'd have to study records that have survived for the men around his number to determine when the number was actually allocated.

His service was wholly within the UK but not necessarily with 3rd Bn Scottish Rifles throughout. He may very well have served in any number of the other 'home based' battalions (including, from a point in 1917, the Territorial ones). He might even have transferred in from another Regiment. All we can draw from the available info is that he was discharged from 3rd Bn and this might even have been an administrative posting i.e on paper only if he was long term ill in hospital for instance.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/cameronians-scottish-rifles/

Sorry to complicate things but what I'm saying is that it is not as simple as 'served 3rd Bn Cameronians from date (1) to date (2)'   The lack of papers is frustrating to say the least.


Derby Scheme = http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-group-scheme-derby-scheme/

[king ranger]

That is great thanks so very much for posting i will let my wife have a read of it.Right get your point he might not have spent all the years in the Cameronians, and not spent the 4 years at Nigg or Invergordon.You might have a very good point there, as my wife and her cousin were both convinced their Grandfather was in the HLI, maybe he was moved into them for a spell. Thank you so much.

                                                               Colin.