jeannie Posted 15 June , 2010 Share Posted 15 June , 2010 Hi Me again, I think my head has been in the shed for to long. I have my grandfathers medal record but I want to find more information. I believe it was the 5th batt Durham Light Infantry/Private / Machine Gun Corps 23550 Sarjent is this one of the same. The only picture I have is of him with a cane so I would think he had been wounded and looks like a brown type jacket with sargent stripes on. Can anyone point me in the right direction to gather this information(battles etc). Regards. Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 15 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 15 June , 2010 Hi Me again, I think my head has been in the shed for to long. I have my grandfathers medal record but I want to find more information. I believe it was the 5th batt Durham Light Infantry/Private / Machine Gun Corps 23550 Sarjent is this one of the same. The only picture I have is of him with a cane so I would think he had been wounded and looks like a brown type jacket with sargent stripes on. Can anyone point me in the right direction to gather this information(battles etc). Regards. Jeannie I must be right in the shed as I forgot to put on Grandads name which is Harry Fields. Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 15 June , 2010 Share Posted 15 June , 2010 Do you know where the info you have comes from. 5th DLI and MGC are effectively different units - he may well have transfered into the MGC (formed during the war) and the transfer could have encompassed a wounding, though it could have been a straight transfer. The long long trail (link above) should help you with info about the 5th DLI and the organisation of the (vast) MGC. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 His MIC lists him as DLI then MGC also has a silver war badge under the MGC roll, therefore he was wounded as Jeannie thought. Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 16 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 16 June , 2010 His MIC lists him as DLI then MGC also has a silver war badge under the MGC roll, therefore he was wounded as Jeannie thought. Ralph. Hi Ralph What was a silver war badge for? Grandad used to go to the reunion dinners and I have a few of his menu's that has the 5th DLI on the front of them. Regards Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 16 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 16 June , 2010 Do you know where the info you have comes from. 5th DLI and MGC are effectively different units - he may well have transfered into the MGC (formed during the war) and the transfer could have encompassed a wounding, though it could have been a straight transfer. The long long trail (link above) should help you with info about the 5th DLI and the organisation of the (vast) MGC. Martin Hi Martin I had and have looked at the long long trail but all I seem to do is go round and round and get no where fast. Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphjd Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 Jeannie. Generally speaking the SWB was issued to ex-servicemen who had left the service through being disabled by wounds or sickness and by old age. The award was instituted so that men,not in uniform, could demonstrate that they were not avoiding service but had made a contribution and, due to disability or retirement,were no longer able to do so. Approx 1,150,000 badges were issued between 1916-1920. Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 Jeannie, Try (for 1/5th DLI) DLI And for MGC MGC links at the page bottom go into various units within the MGC Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 Jeannie Harry Fields' Medal Index Card (available on Ancestry) shows service as Private #123 Durham Light Infantry and then as Serjeant #23550 Machine Gun Corps. It shows he went to a Theatre of War (1) France & Flanders on 17th April 1915 and was thus entitled to three medals, the 1914-15 Star (ref. MGC/7 C5 Page C/462) plus the British War and Victory Medals (ref. MGC/101 B17 Page 1778). Additionally, as Ralph has already pointed out it shows he was also awarded a Silver War Badge (ref. MGC/1190). This link http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/medals.htm will give you some background detail on what the references relate to. The references I've quoted can be translated into a National Archives reference which relate to the actual Medal Rolls that Harry Fields' entries are in and which can give additional details as to his service. These cannot be viewed online and require someone to visit Kew to look at them; MGC/7 C5 Page C/462 = WO 329/2827 (Machine Gun Corps other ranks: medal rolls. MGC/7C2-7C5; MGC/8C-8C2. Pages 301C-650C. 1914-15 Star 1914-1920) MGC/101 B17 Page 1778 = WO 329/1739 (Machine Gun Corps other ranks; Medal Rolls MGC/101B14; MGC/101B15; MGC/101B16; MGC/101B17; Pages 1517-1812. British War Medal and Victory Medal. [1914-1920]) MGC/1190 = WO 329/3182 (Machine Gun Corps (London) list MGC 1001-1246. Silver War Badge 1914-1920) Interestingly there are two Medal Index Cards available on the National Archives website, the link to them is...... http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...mp;mediaarray=* The card with the reference WO372/7 is the one also available on Ancestry and contains the details I've quoted above. The second card, with the WO372/24 reference, is for either a Mention in Despatches, Meritorious Service Medal or Territorial Force Efficiency Medal. As he had a low number #123 with the Durham Light Infantry, and you've mentioned 5th Battalion, I suspect it's for the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal but it will need downloading (costs £2.00) to confirm. His date of entry into theatre 17th April 1915 is consistant with the entry of the Durham Territorials in the 50th (Northumbrian) Division. Hope this helps as a start. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 The only picture I have is of him with a cane so I would think he had been wounded and looks like a brown type jacket with sargent stripes on. Jeannie Parhaps you could post the photo - you never know what the eagle eyed might see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 16 June , 2010 Admin Share Posted 16 June , 2010 The 1901 Census has him living in Stockton on Tees, which is where the 5th Bn DLI was raised see http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk/regiments/...ham_tabatts.htm but you probably knew that. He was 19 in 1908 which was exactly the right age to enlist in the Territorial Force formed that year and with the number 123 he was probably one of the first. His MGC number suggests a transfer to the Corps around March 1916 He may have remained with the 50th Division, but there is no certainty in that without checking the Rolls referred to above. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 16 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 16 June , 2010 QUOTE (Phil_B @ Jun 16 2010, 04:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Parhaps you could post the photo - you never know what the eagle eyed might see! I will try to post the picture for you I hope it has worked and do you know what was the battle song of the 5thDLI. Jeannie img052.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 16 June , 2010 Share Posted 16 June , 2010 Silver War Badge details attached. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Sadly the .pdf picture tells us nothing, as it is clearly a post war picture in civilian clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Also, don't necessarily assume the photo of him with a cane refers to wounds: a lot of blokes had photos taken with a cane, very often a photographer's prop. Made you look a bit of a knut, you know! Can you post that picture, rather than the one you have posted? (Thinking about it, in your first post you said the only photo you had of him was as a sergeant - so who's the chap in the photo you posted?). As for a Battle Song for the 5th DLI - no idea. Was there one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 17 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Also, don't necessarily assume the photo of him with a cane refers to wounds: a lot of blokes had photos taken with a cane, very often a photographer's prop. Made you look a bit of a knut, you know! Can you post that picture, rather than the one you have posted? (Thinking about it, in your first post you said the only photo you had of him was as a sergeant - so who's the chap in the photo you posted?). As for a Battle Song for the 5th DLI - no idea. Was there one? The photo is of my grandad and itwas taken out side of his mothers house, in Stockton I just cropped her off. I thought there was 3 stripes on his jacket.!!! Jeannie Silver War Badge details attached. Steve Thanks Steve that was good of you to do that. Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 17 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2010 I will try to post the picture for you I hope it has worked and do you know what was the battle song of the 5thDLI. Jeannie Sorry that was the wrong picture will try again. Jeannie Sorry that was the wrong picture will try again. Jeannie OMG it is a lot bigger than I thought. Sorry Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 He's in hospital blues - blue jacket and trousers, white shirt, red tie. Explains the SWB perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headgardener Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Ok, he's a sergeant in the MGC, he's in 'hospital blues', which is to say that he's wearing a light blue uniform as worn by men in hospital or a convalescent home. The way he's standing and the way that he's holding the stick suggests to me that he's hurt his left leg/knee/hip in some way. I'd say the cane is serving a purpose rather than simply being for show. It's not a very 'swanky' cane, in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannie Posted 17 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Ok, he's a sergeant in the MGC, he's in 'hospital blues', which is to say that he's wearing a light blue uniform as worn by men in hospital or a convalescent home. The way he's standing and the way that he's holding the stick suggests to me that he's hurt his left leg/knee/hip in some way. I'd say the cane is serving a purpose rather than simply being for show. It's not a very 'swanky' cane, in any case. Thank you, I didn't know the colour and it's nice to know as I will beable to write it all on his scrapbook page. Jeannie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 It's not a very 'swanky' cane, in any case. Indeed. I'd even call it a walking stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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