army veterinary corps medal find - advice sought

[Ashleigh]

Hello

Firstly it is very difficult to say veterinary - even with all my own teeth - so I will shorten it to vet!

I was in Pickering a few weeks ago for the ww2 re-enactment at the railway station and decided to wander through the shops. I found a victory medal in a collectibles shop and bought it. I thought at the time that it was on a whim but now see from reading some entries from other GWF members that this not so strange.

I have been relativley successful in finding some information about its original owner. I did have this notion that I could research the history and return it to his family, but may find that it was they who gave it away.

Anyway. Here goes.

The medal is to a Lawrence W Best of the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC).

The assigned number is se/25127

The medal has no ribbon and is badly 'inked' with a resin type blackness so it is difficult to read the information.

The 'SE' apparently indicates that he was attached to the 9th Section of the corps. I have done some very brief research and find that he may have been in France.

I have also looked at his Medal Index Card (MIC) and find some code there.

I have tried to look to find any other information but find that there is none that will distinquish him. I cannot find him in the usual places such as censuses and birth mariages and deaths and so far have not ventured far into the war memorial options. I did find two births of a Lawrence W Best for the Pickering area in the mid 1920's and wonder if these may be nephews of this man.

I doubt then that this forgotten war momento has travelled far but would be interested in finding out more about the chap.

Yours ASHleigh

Northumberland.

[Esskay]

Hi Ashleigh

I think your guess might be right - there is a birth registered in the Pickering district (that includes Kirby Misperton) for a LaUrence Wilfred Best - June qtr of 1894 (vol 9b page 455)

Looking at the census

1901 -

BEST, William Head Married M 54 1847 Cattle Dealer Pickering Yorkshire

BEST, Mary Wife Married F 46 1855 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Alfred Son Single M 21 1880 Pig Dealer Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Agnes Daughter Single F 18 1883 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Earnest Son M 15 1886 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Olive Daughter F 12 1889 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Charlotte Daughter F 10 1891 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Lawrence Son M 6 1895 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Edwin Son M 3 1898 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

Address:

The Hill Farm, Kirkby Misperton, Kirby Misperton

In 1911 he was still in Kirby Misperton - working as a groom

BEST, Laurence Wilfrid Servant Single M 16 1895 Groom Yorks Kirkby Misperton

Cheers

Sue

[Esskay]

There is a transcription of the names on the 1914-1919 Memorial Plaque in the church at Kirby Misperton here - http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/...ispertonWM.html that includes men who served and survived but Lawrence doesn't look to be included

Cheers

Sue

[Northern Soul]

The "SE" prefix to his number stands for Special Enlistment, believed to denote those who were enlisted into the AVC for the duration of the war. It is also thought that they were enlisted specifically to look after and manage horses (perhaps having come from an agricultural or equine-handling background) and although their formal rank was Private I have the papers of one who has the informal(?) rank of "Horse Handler."

I don't think it can be stated that he was in the 9th Company (or whatever), simply on the basis of his Service Number.

Best wishes.

Andy.

[Ashleigh]

Hi Ashleigh

I think your guess might be right - there is a birth registered in the Pickering district (that includes Kirby Misperton) for a LaUrence Wilfred Best - June qtr of 1894 (vol 9b page 455)

Looking at the census

1901 -

BEST, William Head Married M 54 1847 Cattle Dealer Pickering Yorkshire

BEST, Mary Wife Married F 46 1855 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Alfred Son Single M 21 1880 Pig Dealer Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Agnes Daughter Single F 18 1883 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Earnest Son M 15 1886 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Olive Daughter F 12 1889 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Charlotte Daughter F 10 1891 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Lawrence Son M 6 1895 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

BEST, Edwin Son M 3 1898 Kirby Misperton Yorkshire

Address:

The Hill Farm, Kirkby Misperton, Kirby Misperton

In 1911 he was still in Kirby Misperton - working as a groom

BEST, Laurence Wilfrid Servant Single M 16 1895 Groom Yorks Kirkby Misperton

Cheers

Sue

Hello Sue.

Thank you so much and congratulations on finding the census information - I tried several options but was not successful.

I had to smile when I read that this Lawrence/Laurence was a groom and that his father was a cattle dealer. My grandfather's own father was a cattle dealer who moved from Dumfries to Northumberland. My grandmother's father was a groom and worked on the farms. I think that there is a strong possibility that as an AVC recruit and working with horses he would have been working with others like my grandfather in the ASC. It's a small world.

I think the youngest, Edwin, may be the connection with the 1920's child

ASHleigh

[Ashleigh]

The "SE" prefix to his number stands for Special Enlistment, believed to denote those who were enlisted into the AVC for the duration of the war. It is also thought that they were enlisted specifically to look after and manage horses (perhaps having come from an agricultural or equine-handling background) and although their formal rank was Private I have the papers of one who has the informal(?) rank of "Horse Handler."

I don't think it can be stated that he was in the 9th Company (or whatever), simply on the basis of his Service Number.

Best wishes.

Andy.

Hello Andy.

Thank you also for your reply.

As I was struggling to find any informatin I thought I'd side track and look at the AVC information. There is a memorial webpage to a member of the AVC who died - I think - and it is on this page that the author stated that the SE meant that it was the 9th Section. I presume that he would have done his research before posting the information so took it as likely that the information was correct.

ASHleigh

[Northern Soul]

I did a quick search on the NA website and there are Medal Cards to 21576 men in the AVC with an "SE" prefix to their number. Somehow, I don't think they all served in the 9th Section.

It is possible he has additional information on the service of his relative from other sources and perhaps he has mixed the two things together.

Best wishes.

Andy.

[Ashleigh]

I did a quick search on the NA website and there are Medal Cards to 21576 men in the AVC with an "SE" prefix to their number. Somehow, I don't think they all served in the 9th Section.

It is possible he has additional information on the service of his relative from other sources and perhaps he has mixed the two things together.

Best wishes.

Andy.

Hi Andy

Thank you for that information.

ASHleigh