David B Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Was listening to the local TV news tonight (15th March) when it was reported that at a local second hand book sale a medal (A 14-15 star) was found in he pages of a book for sale. The name inscribed on the rim was W illiam Henry Clarence Banks.I have had a quick look at possible Australians with that name with no luck. Has any other pal got any further info in the owner of this medal. I assume it is a 14-15 star as few Aussies received the 14 star, but either option could be viable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 A quick trawl pulls up this: Description Medal card of Banks, William H C Corps Regiment No Rank Wiltshire Regiment 36399 Private Date 1914-1920 Catalogue reference WO 372/1 Dept Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies Series War Office: Service Medal and Award Rolls Index, First World War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 15 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Phil, Fancy a medal turning up out here, I am guessing that it was in the possession of family who migrated. Will try and follow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Wonder if his BWM & Victory medal might turn up in other volumes (and possibly his plaque in weightier tome - Sorry ) NigelS Edit: wonder what the book title was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 15 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Makes you wonder whether it is worth a follow up. I rang the local TV station tonight and was informed that the news section had closed down for the night. Bl**dy local country TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanhemmings Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 BANKS, WILLIAM HENRY COLIN Initials: W H C Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Private Regiment/Service: Wiltshire Regiment Unit Text: 7th Bn. Age: 19 Date of Death: between 16/10/1918 and 18/10/1918 Service No: 35399 Additional information: Foster son of Minnie Hanson, of 4, Aire St., Middlesbrough. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: III. F. 10. Cemetery: HIGHLAND CEMETERY, LE CATEAU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Porter Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 From Ancestry family trees: William Henry Clarence BANKS Birth 16 JAN 1879 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Death 15 SEP 1950 in Eltham North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia MIC found is not the same person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59165 Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Was listening to the local TV news tonight (15th March) when it was reported that at a local second hand book sale a medal (A 14-15 star) was found in he pages of a book for sale. The name inscribed on the rim was W illiam Henry Clarence Banks.I have had a quick look at possible Australians with that name with no luck. Has any other pal got any further info in the owner of this medal. I assume it is a 14-15 star as few Aussies received the 14 star, but either option could be viable. Hiya,David. Just to be a pain,was there a photo?The stars didn't have rims,they were (as you know) stamped (usually badly) on the back in tiny letters & I doubt almost 100% that they put all his names on so,are the 3 Christian names correct? Any way to find out? Ta,Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 Could it possibly be a family connection? Same regiment, same initials (i.e. family tradition); one dead, one not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Porter Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 19 pages of Service Records at the NAA, including this: Receipts for BW and Victory Medals also there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59165 Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 See what I mean? So how did they know all his names? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 I would imagine that somebody had already done some research on this before the story appeared: would his full name have appeared on the star? (IIRC it's the rear of the star that's marked as - if they can be said to have one - it's not actually possible on the rim) NigelS Edit: you beat me to it 59165! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanhemmings Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 1931 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanhemmings Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 There are four family trees on Ancestry for William Henry Clarence Banks According to the one I looked at he died 15th September 1950 aged 71 Eltham North, Melbourne, Victoria. The contributor may well have access to up to date relatives and can be contacted via the messaging system within Ancestry if you wish the Star to go back to the family. I would be happy to contact them if you wish, or maybe someone else with Ancestry access would like to do this. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Porter Posted 15 March , 2011 Share Posted 15 March , 2011 So how did they know all his names? Written in the front of the secondhand book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 15 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 15 March , 2011 I will ask our dozy channel news room for any further info about his service number when they deign to arrive for work. Sorry about the placement of his service number, totally unforgivable of me to forget, nothing like a bottle of Pinot Noir for supper to dull the memory. I would suggest that the medal has been used as a bookmark by the previous user and forgot that it was still in the book. Cheers David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 16 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 16 March , 2011 Needless to say I haven't had an answer from the news section of a local TV station. This doesn't surprise me of course, to them it is probably trivia (not to us though), so don't think there is anything more I can do. Susan. I was struck with one of the name of your voters list (no 7) It is the identical name of my aunt, only problem she was still living in the C.I. and hadn't come to Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanhemmings Posted 16 March , 2011 Share Posted 16 March , 2011 Susan. I was struck with one of the name of your voters list (no 7) It is the identical name of my aunt, only problem she was still living in the C.I. and hadn't come to Oz. That is odd. That was not the address she ended up at was it? Maybe the date of publication (1919) is wrong. Still I expect there are hundreds of thousands of people in the world with the same name(s). It just freaks you out when you see "the very one" you are looking for or are related to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 16 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 16 March , 2011 No a different one Susan, my rel didn't arrive until a few years later, but as you say it really stuck out when I first looked at the roll. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 17 March , 2011 Share Posted 17 March , 2011 William Henry Clarence BANKS and his descendants are in my family tree on ancestry.com. Earlier this year I had been contacted by someone who is married to a Banks. But finding a direct living descendant apart from his wife and an aunt of hers who is an ex-service person WWII, is proving difficult. WHC BANKS and his four children's families lived in the suburbs around me in Greensborough, Victoria but they are so distantly related to my grandmother I don't know any of them. The local paper may be the way to go. Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 17 March , 2011 Author Share Posted 17 March , 2011 Frances, Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately the local paper did not run this story so am not sure whether they had any of the details. Was hoping that the AWM may have got in the act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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