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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Medal receipts


PGL

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Apologies if this has been asked before.

Does anyone know what the procedure was for receipt of medals by next-of-kin? Were the receipts, as I suspect, signed at point of delivery (ie on the doorstep)? Or were the receipts attached to covering letters within the package used? Does anyone have a photo of such a covering letter or the original package used? I assume the Post Office handled all the deliveries and returns, can anyone confirm or clarify this?

As always, I'd be very grateful for any information.

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Only the package was signed for on reciept;as they were sent "Registered Post" by the GPO;[exactly as today for Insured Packets or Recorded Deliveries] Inside the package there was a War Office covering printed letter with detachable strip that was signed by the recipient/NoK & was meant to be returned to the issuing Office,& I have also seen a typed copied slip being a reciept to be returned{obviously not so sent!}

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Occasionally the returned receipts turn up in service records:

post-5512-1250112103.jpg

post-5512-1250112127.jpg

This one has the comment 'post without fastening' rubber stamped on to it, so I'm wondering whether the reverse might have been printed with the return address & OHMS 'postage paid' with the intention that it could be posted back without an envelope (unlike today, in those days the Post Office was far more tolerant of what it would accept for delivery)

post-5512-1250112164.jpg

NigelS

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NigelS,

Thanks for these three, really interesting, examples.

I've seen receipts included with Service Records before (which prompted the question in the first place) but I haven't come across any quite like these three though. All the ones I've seen so far are slight variations of the "Brush Script" variety (the third example you give) and the blanks have been filled in by hand. I've never come across the rubber stamped name of the regiment or that intriguing "post without fastening" comment. In the examples I've seen, occasionally the reverse has been copied and, so far, has always been blank. Your suggestion of a "postage paid" return address on the reverse would make much more sense.

These were obviously standard forms with Army Form numbers included in the first two examples you give. With at least two variations each of two different types, I wonder how the form evolved over time?

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