Sgt, Herbert Stanley Cole 29954 RGA Medals

[Redroger]

 Sadly my cousin gave her father's medals to her husband on their marriage in the mid 1960s. Unfortunately the marriage resulted in divorce during the next decade. The medals were not returned and were lost to my cousin. They refer to my Uncle's career in the Royal Artilery and service in Malaya and India pre WW1. If at all possible my cousin would like them returned to her. She is now aged 92, and I thought it worthwhile trying on this site. Can anyone help please? I realise it is probably the longest short of all.

[Andy J2022]

Sadly I doubt if there is much chance of getting the originals back if they were gifted to the husband and he or his family have already declined to give them back. It might be worth doing a search on the popular medal auction sites just in case the family have offered them for sale in the recent past.

However it is possible to get replica medals. For example the National Archives shop sells what I imagine are good quality replicas. Since her father received all three of the standard WW1 medals (Pip, Squeak and Wilfred as they were known) the cost would be £45. There are two significant drawbacks with this option. First, the replicas won't be engraved or stamped around the edge with the man's number and regiment, and perhaps more significantly they won't have the clasp and roses that he was awarded (see the medal index card below). Someone with access to Ancestry would need to look up the RGA medal rolls to see which clasp and roses were actually awarded. I don't know if these additional items are also available in replica form, although Empire Medals appear to offer an engraving service for clasps. The roses (or rosettes as they are usually termed today) were not engraved.

Another thing to consider is that the replica medals will be unmounted, that is to say they won't be joined together on a bar with a separate pin, which the real medals may well have been. The replicas can be mounted at additional cost - see the Empire Medals link above for instance. 

[AllanUK]

Today, AndyJ2022 said:

Someone with access to Ancestry would need to look up the RGA medal rolls to see which clasp and roses were actually awarded.

Snippet image of his entry in the 1914 Star Medal Rolls attached, I'll leave it to someone that knows what the remark means with regard to the clasp awarded.

[Andy J2022]

Thank you Allan.

As far as I can tell there was only one clasp issued for the 1914 Star. Its description here is taken from Wikipedia

A "5th Aug–22nd Nov 1914" clasp was instituted in 1919, as published in Army Order no. 361 of 16 October 1919. The clasp, together with two small silver roses, was awarded to those who had served under fire or who had operated within range of enemy mobile artillery in France or Belgium during the period between 5 August and 22 November 1914. An order for 350,000 clasps to be manufactured was placed by the War Office. Approximately 145,000 to 150,000 clasps were issued, although the exact number is unknown since the clasp had to be claimed personally by the recipients, of whom a large number had either been demobilised from the army in early 1919 so were not receiving army orders and thus neglected to apply or had died in the intervening period. Those Army units and formations that were eligible were listed in the appendix to Army Order no. 361 of 16 October 1919.
_{(Citations omitted)}

[Redroger]

Thanks for responses so far.

[BumbleB]

I obtained bought a replacement medal for my grandfather who died in WW1, and it is engraved.

www.worcmedals.com - Worcestershire Medals.