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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: davieboy on Thursday 15 November 18 15:36 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
Im trying to research Robert Sheridan who died 21st June 1918. I know he was award the Military Medal during WW1. Can anyone tell me what he did to deserve this.
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Helpful to include more detail apart from name and date of death
Lance Corporal
Reg no 37245
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Buried @ Perth Cemetary (China Wall). West Vlaanderen. Belgium
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Helpful to include more detail apart from name and date of death
Lance Corporal
Reg no 37245
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Buried @ Perth Cemetary (China Wall). West Vlaanderen. Belgium
Hi sorry I already checked the medal roll and there’s only 1 Robert Sheridan been awarded the MM in ww1 but couldn’t get access to what he had done to deserve the honour but the casualty mentioned above is the correct one.
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There is no surviving central roll of the citations for MM awards.
His award was gazetted on 10 September 1918. He died on 21 Jun 1918 which is a pointer towards the action for which he was awarded. He was in 1st Battalion Cameronians. The war diary for that time is available to download at the National Archives here:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353827 (it is also on Ancestry if you have a sub)
You might like to look at that to see if, as sometimes happens, he is mentioned. Local newspapers are also worth trying. Try here http://www.sllccameronians.co.uk/ they won't have his record but may have knowledge of medals.
It has to be said that MMs were not exclusively awarded for single acts of bravery but just as often for sustained bravery during one or other action.
My guess is that it was for the action on 8/9 May 1918 when the diary records (on 28 May without names) 5 bars to MMs and 9 MMs. The same London Gazette has 5 bar awards to Cameronians which may just add up.
More in due course.
MaxD
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His Commonwealth War Graves entry notes that he was initially buried in a temporary cemetery near to where he fell and after the armistice, his body was recovered and re-buried where he now lies.
Maps later
MaxD
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His Commonwealth War Graves entry notes that he was initially buried in a temporary cemetery near to where he fell and after the armistice, his body was recovered and re-buried where he now lies.
Maps later
MaxD
Cheers
Its appreciated
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His award was gazetted on 10 September 1918.
That's correct but the newspaper announcement of his death (a family notice in The Scotsman of 12 July 1918) includes the "MM" after his name so the family must have been advised of it at least two months before it was gazetted.
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See my earlier post. Men who were awarded bars to MMs and MMs for the 8/9 May 1918 were notified on 20 May 1918 on a parade before the 2nd Army Commander - my thinking is that he was among these. His comrades who buried him initially also knew he had the MM as it was marked on the cross marking his grave, it was the gazetting that took time.
MaxD
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Link to trench map/present day image:
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.8374&lon=2.9093&layers=101464903&right=BingHyb
The cemetery in which he lies is in square 16, on the present day image look north of Zillebeke where the road is marked Maaldestedestraat. The cemetery is immediately to the east of the letter M. He was originally buried in the top left corner of square 32 on the west bank of the canal on the letter N of the trench map.
Ypres is to the top left of the map.
To add to my earlier post, his comrades had also added the letters MA after his name which presumably was related to his academic accomplishments at Glasgow University.
MaxD
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Link to trench map/present day image:
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=14&lat=50.8374&lon=2.9093&layers=101464903&right=BingHyb
The cemetery in which he lies is in square 16, on the present day image look north of Zillebeke where the road is marked Maaldestedestraat. The cemetery is immediately to the east of the letter M. He was originally buried in the top left corner of square 32 on the west bank of the canal on the letter N of the trench map.
Ypres is to the top left of the map.
To add to my earlier post, his comrades had also added the letters MA after his name which presumably was related to his academic accomplishments at Glasgow University.
MaxD
I saw the "MA" too which was surprising as he was a L/Cpl. I wouldve expected someone with a Masters level degree (Robert Sheridan was a teacher prior to the war) wouldve been given a commission on joining up.
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Who knows, many preferred to be among the men.
Glad to have helped.
MaxD