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Remembered Today:

Medal card, how can I be sure.


annette edwards

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I have found only one medal card in the name of my Taid, Price Hughes, b 1892 Broughton.Wrexham.

How do I know that it is the right peson. ?

I have no other information on his army career apart that he was transferred to the Manchester Regiment, this is second hand information passed on to me.

Can I find more from the details on the card.

Thank you .

post-37152-092762100 1282808215.jpg

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Not from the MIC itself but visit Ancestry to look for his service papers [if they still exist] to confirm perhaps an address/dob/parents etc

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There are 9 'Price Hughes' listed on Ancestry - some with additional names, only one from the Manchester Regiment:

Arthur Price Hughes Inns of Court OTC, 17 Royal Welsh Fusiliers 5585, 5585

John Price Hughes 23rd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 30153

John Bernard Price Hughes Royal Engineers (TA)

John Price Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers 12441

Price Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Machine Gun Corps 5823, 139958

Price G Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 265062, 94655

Price Owen Hughes Royal Field Artillery 213120

Robert Price Hughes 31/Can Inf Bn Imp Army 80032

William Price Hughes Manchester Regiment, South Wales Borderers 34939, 34939

Do you know if he survived?

There are pension records for William Price Hughes (the one from the Manchester Regiment!) on Ancestry.

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The short answer is that from online records you can't be 100% certain, in fact you can only really go to 'the balance of probability' without corroboration. However, the medal index card does tell you a number of things if you combine it with what you already know.

The soldier on the card had to be born before 1896 to be eligible for overseas service in 1915 - so that's one tick. (I know soldiers lied about their age sometimes, but let's stay in the mainstream).

The number for the RWF probably originates in South Wales and may even be a reserve or Territorial Force number, this suggests local recruitment, possibly in Wrexham and predates conscription (1916) by which time local affiliations mean little. So that's another tick.

I would, for now, ignore the reference to the Manchester Regiment as it is not on the card, he may have enlisted later as a regular soldier. If he served past 1921 then his records may be available from the MoD but that's another subject.

The Machine Gun Corps was disbanded in 1922.

There are a number of notes on the card i.e. the medals were sent out and returned but not disposed of. This suggests he moved after the war, and was living at a different address.

I'm not sure but that looks like 'Russia' which means he may have gone there after the Armistice and remained there until 1920. There is also the rather puzzling 'identical?' to who?

If he did enlist early in the War local newspapers often published lists of those who volunteered for local Battalions.

You could also try the Absent Voter list for Wrexham

see http://www.1914-1918...grandad/avl.htm

The medal rolls at TNA will tell you which Battalion and that may help.

The 1911 Census will tell you where he was living immediately before the war.

Personally, 'on the balance of probability' I'd say it's more likely him than not and worth following up to corroborate further if you can.

Ken

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Do you know when he died? there is some activity on that card conderably later than just post war.

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Thanks for your help.

In 1911 he is living in Moss, he is a collier.

I have just been sent his marriage certificate. 22 Sept 1915 , he was a collier. living in Moss , Wrexham which is where he was born.

My Mum was the eldest child b August 1916, then no more born that I know of until 1920.

He died when he was quite old.

I`m wondering now if it is the same one , but his brother was definately in the army.

Annette

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I have just been sent his marriage certificate. 22 Sept 1915 , he was a collier. living in Moss , Wrexham which is where he was born.

My Mum was the eldest child b August 1916, then no more born that I know of until 1920.

He died when he was quite old.

Annette

If you look at the bottom of the Medal Card "Date of entry therein 3/5/15", this was the date this particular Price Hughes landed in France, if he is listed as a Collier on his Marriage Cert 4 months after this date then this is with 100% certainty not your Taid, for the simple reason his profession would be listed as Soldier, also he'd almost certainly still be serving in France.

A route for you to pursue is to look at your Mums birth Cert to see if it shows your Taid's Profession, if it is still "Collier" then he is still a civilian and didn't enlist till after this date.

Finally all the "Price Hughes'" in Pighills' post #3 have an additional forename to "Price", are there any middle names on the Marriage Cert? this may help narrow him down.

Sam

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Have to agree with the above, it's like a jigsaw with each new piece of evidence helping to build a picture, so much for the balance of probability.

As a collier he would have been able to claim exemption from conscription (which was introduced in 1916). A large number of miners (including my grandad), enlisted in the first wave of volunteers but after that it slowed down and there was already concern before conscription about the effect on the war effort - that South Wales coal was good steam coal for the Navy!

The miners and the war is a fascinating piece of social history in its own right.

Ken

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Have actually got his birth cert. I see your ref on FreeBMD. Is he just "Price" on that or is there another name. Is there anything odd about the BC like no father being named.

I cannot find him in 1901 census or 1911 census, which is odd. He has to be there and you need to try all combinations to get him out of the data. I assume you have found him in 1911 in Moss, under what name? I cannot get him on findmypast data.

Does his marriage cert have just "Price Hughes"

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I'm not sure but that looks like 'Russia' which means he may have gone there after the Armistice and remained there until 1920. There is also the rather puzzling 'identical?' to who?

I think that is "reissued" not "Russia"

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I think that is "reissued" not "Russia"

I guess they never dreamed we'd be poring over them on the 'wireless web thingy' nearly a century on, but sometimes...wacko.gif

you're right of course and that makes sense with the date, which might just be 21/10/37

Ken

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He was only named Price, nothing suspicious about his birth. This is turning out to be a bit difficult now .

His brother John joined up , I have been sent his papers but again I can`t find any of his records on Ancestry. I`ll have to ask on another post about him.

1911 RG 14 Piece 34035 all born Cerney

18/19 Bryn Road , Cerney, Moss, Broughton

William Hughes 46 Collier

Hannah Jane 55

John 20

Price 18

William 13

1901 No 1 Bryn Coed Rd Broughton

William Hughes head 36 collier hewer b Broughton c 1865

Hannah J Hughes wife 40 houseworker b Broughton

John Hughes son 10 scholar b Broughton

Price Hughes son 8 scholar

Hannah J Hughes dau 6 “

Mary E Hughes dau 4 “

William Hughes son 2 “

post-37152-021705200 1282841066.jpg

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Further to my earlier post, more information on each of them:

Arthur Price Hughes Inns of Court OTC, 17 Royal Welsh Fusiliers 5585, 5585 - DIED

John Price Hughes 23rd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 30153 - AN OFFICER, LIVED IN HALIFAX

John Bernard Price Hughes Royal Engineers (TA) - AN OFFICER, LIVED IN BARRY, SOUTH WALES

John Price Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers 12441 - SURVIVED, DATE OF ENTRY: 26TH JUNE 1915, DEMOBBED 23RD MARCH 1919

Price Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Machine Gun Corps 5823, 139958 - AS ON ORIGINAL POSTER’S THREAD

Price G Hughes Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 265062, 94655 - NO DATE OF ENTRY AND HE SURVIVED

Price Owen Hughes Royal Field Artillery 213120 - SURVIVED, NO OTHER INFORMATION.

Robert Price Hughes 31/Can Inf Bn Imp Army 80032 - AN OFFICER, LIVED IN SHEFFIELD.

William Price Hughes Manchester Regiment, South Wales Borderers 34939, 34939 - DIED. AN OFFICER. MOTHER: MRS W MIDDLETON LIVED IN MANCHESTER

Of course, there could be another/more cards which are not showing up on Ancestry but ARE on TNA - some cross referencing needs doing!

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Cross referencing with TNA:

Hughes, Price, Army Service Corps, T4/088250, Rank: Driver - NO MATCH

Hughes, John Bernard Price, Royal Engineers, Rank: Lieutenant - matched

Hughes, John Price, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 12441, Rank: Lance Corporal - matched

Hughes, John Price, Northumberland Fusiliers, Rank: Second Lieutenant - matched

Hughes, Arthur Price, Inns of Court Officer Training Corps, 5585, Rank: Private - matched

Hughes, Evan Price, Royal Welsh Fusiliers Regiment, 25346, Rank: Private - NO MATCH

Hughes, Price, Royal Welsh Fusiliers Regiment, 5823, Rank: Private - matched

Hughes, Price Owen, Royal Field Artillery Regiment, 213120, Rank: Gunner - matched

Hughes, William Price, Manchester Regiment , 34939, Rank: Lance Corporal - mathced

Hughes, Price G, Royal Welsh Fusiliers Regiment, 265062, Rank: Serjeant - matched

We can see there are two who there is no match for and one listed on Ancestry for who TNA do not have a match for (Robert Price Hughes, Can Inf).

So, there are still possibilities there!

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If Price is his only forename

That is what I was trying to get at with my earlier (impertinent) questions. You have found nothing in your research to indicate that he ever used any other Christian name than "plain" Price (one could accept that it could have been spelt "Pryce" on army forms)

You have his birth, marriage and death, and census info, and nowhere is there a sniff of any other name

My view would be to stick to narrowing down the plain Price or Pryce that you can find in army records

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What is his residence on the certificate? can't quite read.

Ken

He is living in Moss, his bride in Gwersyllt., they then moved to Gwersyllt , and later to Bradley and remained there till they died.

All the family stayed in the area.

I have now got quite a lot of detail now on his brother John, but there is a question to as where he may have served.

I`ll have to post another thread sometime later about him.

Thanks again.

Annette.

PS, enjoy the last of the summer Bank holidays this year

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