help find grandads records wilfred smith

[MaxD]

To expand on KGarrad's earlier posts, and to illustrate the task if one has no service number and/or regiment:

There are a little over 100 Wilfred Smith's Medal Index Cards.  However, it was not always the case that a gallantry award was recorded on them and, except in the most rare cases, there is no family information on them either so a trawl through those may result in a loss of the will to live!

There are about 50 service records for Wilfred Smiths born about 1896 plus/minus a bit, none have an address that looks right but you could trawl through them to see if anything rings a bell.  Similar number of pension records.

Gallantry awards would be published in the London Gazette but include no citation or personal information (sometimes there is a town).  There are quite a number of Pte W Smiths (I didn't look for higher ranks) from various regiments, none positively identifiable.

A trawl of the newspapers available on FindMyPast finds no report of a gallantry medal to a W Smith from the Durham area (but that doesn't mean no medal!).

There is a Fred Smith (Jamjar's idea) born to Frederick and Elizabeth Smith, registered Hartlepool reg district Q4 1896 Father is a retired policeman and shipyard labourer in 1911 so you could repeat the exercises above with Fred if you thought he was a possibility.

I am sorry if this sounds negative but it really is a needle in a haystack with a minimal chance of success.

maxD

[oldhippyone]

thanks anyway mine was definatly a wilfred and not a fred

[oldhippyone]

update on wilfred ... my sister said he marched through south hetton into easington lane with all of his company so does this mean he was in the durham company ? also she recalls seeing the medal it was on a multy coloured ribbon and for some reson but cant be sure thought it was a star  but she was only 15yr , re the march through hetton her gran told her this as this was the first time she seen her husband to be [ wilfred ] she was at that time working in a cake shop , i doubt if any of this will help but i thought it was worth a try .there is a artical in newcastle journal mon 8 jan local men who have won the military medal along with other name there is a W SHITH private durham light infantry attached trench mortar battery .. my wilfred won a medal for saving men from machine gun , would he have been in this division ?

[MaxD]

There are seven medal cards for Wilfred Smiths of the Durham Light Infantry.  None have a Military Medal (although this was not always noted on the card).  Only one has a 1915 Star, the other two Great War medals were round, as was the Military Medal.  Howver, as said before, medal cards don't have personal information on them anyway.  Once again, I find no London Gazette MM entry for a DLI Wilfred Smith.

You don't say which year the Newcastle Journal article was published in and are there any details such as "xxx battalion DLI" or "XXXX Trench Mortar Battery"?  And when was the march through South Hetton when your sister was 15?

[oldhippyone]

this is the artical mon 8 jan 1917 newcastle journal

[oldhippyone]

my sister thinks it was at the end of the war but can not be possative on this when they march through south hetton into easington because his wife to be was working in a cake shop at the time in hetton and went out to see all the soldiers marching , and this was the first time she had seen her furure husband

[oldhippyone]

maxD can you tell me more on the 1915 star meddal , as i was told there wasnt such a meddal ,

[KGarrad]

Did you not search on the internet?

The 1914-1915 Star was awarded to those who served in a theatre of war during 1914 and 1915.
Not to be confused with the 1914 Star!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1914%E2%80%9315_Star

[oldhippyone]

thank you i have read the link and i dont know what the theatre of war is but i have saved a picture of the medal and going to send my sister it to see if it jogs her memory