7TH DRAGOON GUARDS MILITARY MOUNTED POLICE

[PONY]

My Grandfather was in the above unit 1914 1920 period trying to find out  any information of the mounted unit his number was 6434 P/5407 cannot find any information at all I have his medal index card and would like to find out what the medals are as well any help would be appreciated.His name was GEORGE HUBERT COOMBES Born1883 died1957

[ainslie]

His name would help.

[PONY]

Evening apoligies his name was GEORGE HUBERT COOMBES Born 1883 died 1957 lived in Canterbury.

[Jebber]

Victory Medal
British War Medal
1914 Star
Roses Clasp

His records would appear to be among the nearly 70% lost in a fire during WW2, unless he remained in the army after 1920, in which case they will still be with the MOD.


https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterans-uk

[MaxD]

There is some information to be squeezed out of his medal records which, as Jebber says, appear to be the only ones that survive.

First of all he was in two regiments, 7th Dragoon  Guards and later the Military Mounted Police.

He served overseas from 10 September 1914 (date on his medal card) until 11 November 1918 (medal roll).  He transferred from 7 DG to the MMP on 1 October 1916 (medal roll) (men transferred were almost exclusively cavalrymen for obvious reasons).

I am not sure what he was doing from his date of arrival in France as 7 DG didn't arrive in France itself until mid October from India where it was stationed.  Need to do more work on that. 

There is a war diary for the 7 DG covering August 1914 to Dec 1916 (by which time he had left) which you can download for £3.50 from the National Archives:
 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7351758


Deleted - see next post

His time with the MMP will be difficult if not impossible to follow as we don't know what unit he was posted to.

More if I (or others) find it.

MaxD

[MaxD]

Bit more work suggests a slightly different story.

His 7 DG number indicates he joined in 1900, probably on a 12 year engagement that was later extended.  He would have been recalled from his reserve commitment at the outbreak of war and, comparing his dates with other 7DG men who went to the MMP, he was attached to them from the beginning, the 1 October 1916 transfer made the move permanent.

Unfortunately that makes it even more difficult to find out where he was as we still don't know what MMP unit he went to.

MaxD

[PONY]

Many thanks for all information supplied it has been most informative ,I have looked up the various medals and clasp and roses very interesting I wonder if anyone can advise of the uniforms that he would have worn both in the 7th Dragoon guards and MMP units. Thanks again.

[Regorian]

Here is 7th Dragoon Guards.

https://www.google.com/search?q=7th+Dragoon+Guards+1900+to+1914&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDva-ujo3dAhUCBsAKHXmaBScQ_AUICigB&biw=800&bih=498#imgrc=8PLd57uReb3uOM:.

Top Left, first image.

[MaxD]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=YlJAjN8w&id=BB5F46C9C5C5D91B1C5D617C4F94E8676C23EC6B&thid=OIP.YlJAjN8wEIoaDAzdq5RxsgHaFf&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bygones.org.uk%2Fimages%2Fuploaded%2Fscaled%2F4469_Sgt_Harry_Coverdale%2C_Royal_Military_Mounted_Police_on_mare_Vidy1.jpg&exph=437&expw=590&q=mounted+military+police+ww1&simid=608023790897661658&ajaxhist=0

He was in a very select band of men.  There were only just over 100 at the start of the war and about 3500 at the end of the war.  There are no war diaries for what were very small detachments of men commanded by the Provost Marshal's branch at Corps and Divisional Headquarters.

I've sent a PM.

MaxD