Medal Rolls Index Card

[Evelina]

My grand uncle died in WW1 and I see a note on his Medal Index Card and award rolls which says:-

BM & VM / Retd (992KR1923) 8426/Adt.

Can you tell me does this mean his medals were returned?  If so can they be claimed now?

Thanks

[ScouseBoy]

The note I n brackets may refer to Kings Regulations of 1923.  Paragraph. Or clause 992. 

That may explain the reason?

[Evelina]

Thanks ScouseBoy, I googled it and looks like if it was for an adjustment then they would have been returned to his wife. Cheers Evelina

[km1971]

If it was returned to his widow, due say to a naming problem you would expect the card to have the IV - Issue Voucher number and date.

Ret'd usually means returned to the Medal Office as undeliverable. They would keep it for 10 years when it would be recycled. You can no longer claim WW1 medals.

Ken

[Evelina]

Thanks Ken.  His wife had re-married by 1923 if that is a date in the ref no. so probably returned them as she was starting a new life and they had no children to pass them on to. Cheers Evelina

[RRTB]

Just to confirm Scouseboy's thoughts, I came across this on another forum:

Kings Regulations 1923 Para 992 (a.) An officer receiving medals for issue will arrange for their safe custody.

(b.) When medals are presented to individual’s receipts will be obtained from the recipients.

992. Medals which, at the end of one year, still remain unclaimed, will be sent to the Secretary, The War Office."

If Medals were undeliverable, they were sent Registered Postage by the General Post Office, as was; after repeated attempts at Delivery and if no notification of a change of address had been given by the Recipient to the War Office /Records Offices & or the GPO then they would have been returned to the Record Office concerned and after a period of Ten Years "Broken Up" to use their terminology.

Medals that were however returned by Recipients for "Adjustment" on a number of occasions which usually meant for alterations to the wording and numbering, in which case they would be Amended & then returned to the recipient.

[Evelina]

Thanks RRTB