Help with WW1 Medal Card

[djsides]

The medal card of "Cyril John Smith" lists his Corps (Linc R) Rank (Pte) and regiment number (1845)

No medals are awarded, and above the Theatre of War it says

SWB/LIST/E/A/1645       followed by

Name erased therefrom
WG letter sent              (at least I think it's a "G")

any interpretation would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave

[djsides]

If it helps here is a clickable link to an image of the card:

 

[Swampy]

Hi Dave,

The reference to SWB relates to the Silver War Badge, sometimes called the Silver Wound Badge. It was awarded to all of those military personnel who were discharged as a result of sickness or wounds contracted or received during the war, either at home or overseas.

It would appear that the badge may have been issued in error, and that the man's name was subsequently removed from the award roll. Could the 'WG' in fact be 'WO' - as in War Office letter sent explaining the circumstances to the recipient?

Regards,
Swampy

[manmack]

your spot on swampy,i have seen MICs with what looks like a G,mack

[djsides]

Thanks, I understand what you are saying, but would the removal imply some form of dishonourable discharge?

Dave

[Swampy]

It does not necessarily imply a dishonourable discharge. A self inflicted wound does not have to mean shooting yourself in the foot to avoid front line service. Let me give you an example; a soldier is posted somewhere hot, and stupidly ignores standing orders by not wearing the proper headgear. This results in a severe case of heatstroke, which permanently affects the man's eyesight, rendering him unfit for further military service. This could be classified as a self inflicted wound, and the man might even be charged with damaging government property, namely his own body. But if he were discharged under such circumstances, it would probably not be classified as dishonourable.

It could also be that your man was injured in training, or possibly developed an illness which the Army decided was the result of a pre-existing condition. If that were the case, they might feel justified in revoking his entitlement to the SWB. The options are probably endless, but not necessarily anything sinister!

Swampy

[manmack]

other reasons are he was discharged through illness that wasnt caused by war.
it was issued to him by mistake.
or they got him mixed up with another man,he was awarded his war medals so he cant have done anything seriously wrong,a self inflicted wound would usually mean a forfeit of his medals,it was probably issued by mistake,mack

[manmack]

dave,try the lads on the great war forum,theres a couple of them who know what those dept references mean,mack

[Swampy]

Since the SWB was awarded to persons discharged through sickness, it doesn't make sense that he would forfeit the badge for simply being ill. There has to be another factor involved, which is why I suggested reasons for its forfeiture could include a pre-existing medical condition, or a self inflicted wound.

There are doubtless many other potential explanations, and his lack of campaign medals is probably due to the fact that he simply didn't meet the qualifying criteria before his discharge.

The serial SWB/LIST/E/A/1645 is just a reference to his entry on the roll, which may be inspected at Kew.

Swampy