Author Topic: Italian Medal  (Read 6583 times)

Offline scrimnet

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #9 on: Thursday 19 June 08 07:59 BST (UK) »
There was a commemoration there at the weekend...










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Offline c-side

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #10 on: Thursday 19 June 08 20:02 BST (UK) »
So much information from one medal!  You have inspired me to read up on the battle and also to return to "the box" with all the momentos in.  Sure enough, if you put all the pieces together with a little donated knowledge it makes more sense.

The Christmas card from 1918 reads "Xmas Greetings from the 7th Division 1918 Italy". So that fits.  The Christmas dinner menu card for the same year tells me that he was with B Company, 7th Battalion Machine Gun Corps.

What I still can't figure is how the Sherwood Foresters, whose officers were on horseback, fitted in with machine guns.  I know from photographs that my grandfather had his horse with him - must have been very well trained horses!

Thanks again for all the information.

C

Offline forester

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #11 on: Thursday 19 June 08 20:55 BST (UK) »
Hello C,

Who was your grandfather? Can you point us in the direction of his medal card?
I can't see any connection between the Sherwood Foresters and 7th Division.
The transfer to the MGC would have been a complete move.

Here's a bit more reading for you  :)

Another Rootschat thread on 7th Division, complete with Christmas card from Italy.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,308663.0.html

..........and a brief history of the MGC

http://www.1914-1918.net/mgc.htm

Phil
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

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Offline liverpool annie

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #12 on: Thursday 19 June 08 22:34 BST (UK) »


Here's the memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London !

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20373
Cooper : Muels : Howarth : Every : Price : King

http://web.archive.org/web/20130407030702/http://www.freewebs.com/liverpoolannie

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Be who you are and say what you feel -  because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind ! Dr. Seuss

Erect no gravestone .... let the Rose every year bloom for his sake ! Rilke Sonnets to Orpheus, I


Offline c-side

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #13 on: Thursday 19 June 08 22:56 BST (UK) »
OK, so I'm probably approaching this military research backwards.  The truth is I hadn't even thought of it until I discovered Rootschat a few weeks ago and wondered about the Italian medal.  So I have never even seen a medal card, Phil, or indeed know what one is!

I've looked at the link to the other Christmas cards - I only have 1917 and 1918.  The interesting thing is that the reverse of the 1918 card already posted has PIAVE hand-written under Assiago Plateau and so does mine.  It's written in pencil.  I wonder if they all do.

As to grandfather's identity - his name was Robert Potts Redford and he received his (temporary) commission as a 2nd lieutenant on 7th April 1915 - I have the original document.  He would have been 23 at the time.  I know he was in the Sherwood Foresters because he  called his house Sherwood.  As a child I remember asking why and that was his explanation.  I never heard him talk much of the war but then I was only 18 when he died and probably wasn't interested enough to ask.  He also served in WW11 - RAF that time.

C

Offline forester

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #14 on: Thursday 19 June 08 23:17 BST (UK) »
Hello C,

Here's the notice of his commission to 2nd Lieutenant in the London Gazette as well: Issue Number 30024. Page 3709. I haven't found his promotion to Lieutenant so far.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/03o1/

Phil

PS - PM sent to you
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

Forest Row: War Memorial and Camp WW1
Lewisham War Memorials & WW1 Graves

Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline liverpool annie

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #15 on: Friday 20 June 08 04:03 BST (UK) »


Here's his medal card ... also on A*  !!

Medal card of Redford, Robert Potts

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment  Second Lieutenant
Machine Gun Corps  Lieutenant
Date
1914-1920

http://www.rootschat.com/links/03o3/

Cooper : Muels : Howarth : Every : Price : King

http://web.archive.org/web/20130407030702/http://www.freewebs.com/liverpoolannie

http://web.archive.org/web/20130407191115/http://manchestersoldiers.webs.com

http://web.archive.org/web/20130807102055/http://www.powv.webs.com/
Be who you are and say what you feel -  because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind ! Dr. Seuss

Erect no gravestone .... let the Rose every year bloom for his sake ! Rilke Sonnets to Orpheus, I

Offline c-side

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #16 on: Friday 20 June 08 18:15 BST (UK) »
Thanks to Phil and Annie I am a lot wiser now than a few days ago but I still don't understand how the horse fits into the Machine Gun Corps.

Here is a photo of the man himself (if I can figure out how to do it) which, it says, was taken in Gambellara, N. Italy 1918 and he still has that horse!

Offline forester

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Re: Italian Medal
« Reply #17 on: Friday 20 June 08 18:30 BST (UK) »
Hello Chrissie,

It looks like his service record may be at Kew in WO 339/40284.

I'll post a link later: got to eat  :)

Phil
Sussex: Satcher (Hamsey) and Gatton (East Grinstead)
Leicestershire: Pratt
South Wales: Evans (Neath)
Poland: Gonet, Deren

Forest Row: War Memorial and Camp WW1
Lewisham War Memorials & WW1 Graves

Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk