RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: PaulJC on Wednesday 19 July 17 15:44 BST (UK)
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Hi,
Is there a searchable database of all the Military Medals awarded in the First World War?
Regards,
Paul
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If you mean recipients of WW1 medals then Ancestry has the index cards & medal rolls.
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As Jim says, the fact of the award is recorded on the man's medal card, there is no one database where you simply punch in a name and up come the details. See http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/gallantry.html
I wonder whether you are hoping to find a citation for a particular award? You'll see from the reference that the awards were published in the London Gazette, sometimes well after the event and in a small number of cases, the citations can be found there also. Local newspapers often had reports of the award and the unit war diary may also hold relevant information.
You might like to give details of the man if you arelooking for someone specific.
maxD
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Thanks All,
I am checking to see if a story about a fairly distant relative is actually true. He was supposed to have been awarded the MM in WW1 and the medal was then donated to a regimental museum where it was stolen. His name was Thomas Bowler born 1894 in Ashton or Stalybridge but I dont know his regiment although the medal was supposedly stolen from somewhere in Bury, Lancashire.
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The CWGC site has MM awards. But you have to know that the person won the MM before finding him. This soldier won MM and Bar. (Won it twice). My evidence keeping was lacking years ago so cannot find the evidence of the Bar.
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/827533/THOMPSON,%20JAMES%20E
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His records are on Findmypast, so should also be on Ancestry. M.M 6 August 1818.
44748 Sgt Machine Gun Corps.
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Thank you Jebber. Collectively RootsChatters are brilliant. Unbeatable!
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From Halybridge (it says?) no citation, London Gazette 8 August 1918
maxD
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Glad to help.
If you have a sub, the records are clearest on Ancestry.
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Originally 116 Coy. MGC became 39 Batt. 1918.
The closest action to the 8th. Aug. 1918 was 28-30th. June 1918 at Rombly France (NW of Lillers).
This according to their diary. After this date for at least the following month the were in training, also for several weeks prior.
One interesting aspect from the diary is that cameramen turned up & made a film about them.
So is he immortalised on celluloid somewhere.
looking at the diary map ref. they were NW of Merville. Same region but more N of Lillers.
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From Halybridge (it says?) no citation, London Gazette 8 August 1918
Publication date 2 August 1918
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30830/supplement/9234/data.pdf
Medal Card
Thomas Bowler Regt. Machine Gun Corps Regt. No. 44748 Rank Corporal
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D1425949
Soldiers in 1918
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/TamesideMBC/media/museums/Soldiersin1918.pdf
Cpl Tom Bowler Machine Gun Battalion says Date in newspaper 01 June page 6
Don't know if this link might be helpful some history on MGC
http://www.machineguncorps.co.uk/history.html
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Thanks All,
So the story is correct after all.
Thanks again.
Paul
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Thanks All,
So the story is correct after all.
Thanks again.
for info.
Not sure if you have access to Anc*y
if not, Free access to Military Records this weekend
Thomas Bowler
Enlistment Age: 21
Document Year: 1915
Residence Place: 34 Croft St, Staleybridge
Regimental Number: 44748
Regiment Name: Machine Gun Corps
Number of Images: 5
Form Title: Short Service Attestation
next of kin George Bowler (Brother)
This Thomas Bowler married 10/11/17 Ada
Dec Qtr. 1917 Ashton (FreeBMD)
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Thanks,
This is the man and I will check the records this weekend.