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Remembered Today:

MC or MM for WOs?


Muerrisch

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Good question i believe i asked a similar question on WO getting a DCM or a MC what decides ,I have never had a group with MM to WO 1 or 2 so will be very interesting as to the replies

MC

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The warrant for the MC introduced in 1914 specifies it is for Captains to Warrant Officer, it was amended when Warrant Officers were divided into Class I and II.

The warrant for the MM introduced in 1916 specifies it is for non-commissioned officers and men. Warrant Officers do not appear to be the upper limit.

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The warrant for the MC introduced in 1914 specifies it is for Captains to Warrant Officer, it was amended when Warrant Officers were divided into Class I and II.

The warrant for the MM introduced in 1916 specifies it is for non-commissioned officers and men. Warrant Officers do not appear to be the upper limit.

In your last line i assume you mean... Warrant Officers do not appear to be.. IN.. the upper limit ie the word in for included in available to be awarded the MM.

MC

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so a WO could get an MC up to intro of MM and then only an MM? So how were subsequent bars awarded?

heh heh!

Very difficult! I dont have sight of the respective Royal Warrants for issue.

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Royal Warrant for the Military Cross:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29024/supplements/7

Royal Warrant clarifying that the Military Cross was open to Warrant Officers Class I and II

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29618/pages/5736

Royal Warrant for the Military Medal:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/295...upplements/3647

As the Royal Warrant extending the MC to Warrant Officer Class II came after the institution of the MM it would seem that the MC continued to be awarded to WOs.

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All part of the service. I think it would be a brave officer who recommended a WO for the MM in the interim of the 2 Warrants!

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There were three MCs awarded to Warrant Officers of the 9th King's Liverpool Regt. gazetted July 1916, January 1917 and November 1917.

The one gazetted in July 1916 was preceded by an MID for the same action. The incident occurred in Sept./Oct. 1915.

Warrant Officers of the battalion were awarded the MM with Gazette dates of Oct. 1917 and Jan. 1918 (x2).

Other than date of award, could the MM/MC decision be based upon the act for which the award was granted? Perhaps the MC was considered the appropriate award for acts which included significant elements of leadership compared to pure bravery/gallantry which may have been thought of as more suitable for the award of an MM. I offer this as a point for discussion rather than an opinion.

Ken

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There were three MCs awarded to Warrant Officers of the 9th King's Liverpool Regt. gazetted July 1916, January 1917 and November 1917.

The one gazetted in July 1916 was preceded by an MID for the same action. The incident occurred in Sept./Oct. 1915.

Warrant Officers of the battalion were awarded the MM with Gazette dates of Oct. 1917 and Jan. 1918 (x2).

Other than date of award, could the MM/MC decision be based upon the act for which the award was granted? Perhaps the MC was considered the appropriate award for acts which included significant elements of leadership compared to pure bravery/gallantry which may have been thought of as more suitable for the award of an MM. I offer this as a point for discussion rather than an opinion.

Ken

Hi Ken

I was under the impression that the DCM had to have some element of LEADERSHIP, I may be wrong.

Both the MC & MM are level three awards & the DCM a level two, yet if a Warrant Officer was awarded both DCM & MC, the precedent would be MC then DCM.

Peter

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This is all new to me. Are we sure WOs were awarded the MM for actions that happened after they reached that rank, or could it be the actions happened while they were below that rank, the awards being made to them after promotion? Just trying to get this right in my head! Cheers, Paul.

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...Are we sure WOs were awarded the MM for actions that happened after they reached that rank, or could it be the actions happened while they were below that rank, the awards being made to them after promotion? ...

I have an example: A Company Sgt Major who was Mentioned in Despatches for an action in Sept.1916 (MID gazetted May 1917 when his citation describes him as CQMS). This was followed by his award of the MM for action in July 1917 (MM gazetted Oct. 1917 when he was shown as CQMS & A/CSM).

The other two mentioned in my earlier posts were both Acting WOII.

Ken

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I'm not sure on this and will need grumpy to confirm but I think at that time a Colour Sergeant would have been a CQMS, so he was an acting CSM, (acting WOII) so it looks like only substantive WOs could be awarded the MC. I'm ready to be shot down/corrected! Cheers, Paul. PS-Anyone know of examples of an MM being awarded to a substantive WOII?

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fascinating! up to mid1915 [away from my library] a soldier with rank of substantive CSgt would be badged as such, and could occupy at least one of three appointments wearing same badge:

CSM with a small extra pay

CQMS

CSgt Instr Musketry

After creation rank WO II, Csgts in CSM posts were promoted to substantive WO II, badged as such, leaving tne others behind.

All this is infantry of course.

And yes, we need a substantive WO II awarded Either MM or MC for actions IN THAT RANK

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Hi

A number of DLI WO's fall into the subject

Those awarded the Military Cross

13769 CSM James Donnelly DCM MM 20/DLI awarded MC LG 3 Jun 1919

15084 CSM a/RSM Patrick McEvoy 11/DLI awarded MC LG 3 Jun 1918

21600 CSM Richard Richardson 13/DLI awarded MC LG 1 Jan 1917

6876 CSM a/RSM Matthew A Smith DLI att 8/DCLI awarded MC LG 3 Jun 1918

1106 later 325032 CSM A/RSM Thomas Sordy 6/DLI awarded MC LG 4 Jun 1917 Bar to MC LG 16 Sep 1918

22504 CSM Joseph Summerville 15/DLI awarded MC LG 11 Dec 1916

24258 CSM Charle Wakeham MM 10/DLI awarded MC LG 14 Nov 1916

6402 RSM Joseph Watson 2/DLI awarded MC LG 1 Jan 1918

Those awarded the Military Medal

5825 RQMS E Black 2/DLI 10 May 1919

4844 BQMS a/RSM J Farrell RMLI att 13/DLI 11 Oct 1916

18067 CSM T S Hammond MM 13/DLI bar to MM 20 Aug 1919

1375 CSM H Langford 1/7/DLI MM 27 Oct 1916

200194 CSM W McGee 1/5/DLI MM 13 Mar 1919

277699 CSM F Neesam DCM 2/7/DLI MM 22 Jan 1920 North Russia

26524 CSM J Ramsden 15/DLI MM 28 Sep 1917

20/142 CSM J W Sherriff DCM 20/DLI MM 23 Jul 1919

24258 CSM C Wakeham 10/DLI MM 11/Nov 1916

53205 CSM A J Whetter 9/DLI MM 11 Feb 1919

I have omitted all Sergeants Acting CSM of which there are quite a number

regards

John

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In the Tyneside Irish Brigade

27/270 RSM John Thompson was awarded the MC 1/1/18

24/987 CSM George Coleby MM

John

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In the Tyneside Irish Brigade

27/270 RSM John Thompson was awarded the MC 1/1/18

24/987 CSM George Coleby MM

John

thanks; can't see rhyme or reason here!

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Hi,

of those awaded the MC all but three are Birthday or New Years honours,

The three with citations,

RSM Sordy Bar to the MC in 1918,

CSM Wakeham and CSM Summerville all took command after all the officers were gone, reorganised the coy etc.

I have found only one MM citation that of CSM Coleby 24/NF.

I think this points to the MC being awarded for Leadership or very good work over a long period.

regards

John

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John My chap at head of my signature was the same deal with about the same citation ,so in a small way it confirms MC for leadership taking over the company etc

MC

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thanks; can't see rhyme or reason here!

It could be that the people at the time were caught by the ambiguity of the MM being for non commissioned officers.

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Another possibility is that the MC originally had a meritous service element, not solely bravery in battle.

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  • 2 months later...

No, as it seems that both were awarded to WOs during WWI.

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  • 4 years later...

I am bumping this one up after a long interval, being inspired by my new purchase of Abbot and Tamplin "British gallantry medals".

The essential unsolved problem may be summarised :

given that the MM was instituted 4 April 1916 for non-commissioned officers and men, almost a year after warrant officers class II were added to class I, how is it that so many warrant officers [officially specifically not NCOs] were awarded MMs? And, given that warrant officers were eligible for the MC, what criteria, other than serendipity, decided which of MM or MC they received?

The thread above is full of wisdom and good references, but many memebers have joined in the past five years, and much research has been added.

Any advance?

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