Pte. Raoul Edwards ASC

[NigelS]

Came across this in The Times of Jan 21st, 1924:

A dispatch received by mail says that on December 17, at the British Legation in Santiago de Chile, Don Raoul Edwards, a member of a distinguished Chilean family of British origin, and brother of Don Agustin Edwards, Chilean Minister in Great Britain, received the 1914 Star from Mr. Arthur Grant Duff, British Minister in Chile. He is the only Chilean to whom this medal has been given. Three Chilean generals and members of the British colony were present at the ceremony.

Both his MIC and his service record (or part thereof) have survived but, although the MIC gives medal roll details for a '14 Star and Clasp & Roses, there is no clear evidence as to how he qualified for them as he didn't actually join the ASC until March '17; His MIC gives his BWM and Victory medals as being on 'RASC' rolls, but the '14 Star is given as being on the 'Civilian' Roll and its award (and that of the Clasp & Roses) are, apparently authorised by a reference to 'WS/1/10638' (NB two incidences of this reference have pencilled annotations against them which appears to me to read 'Weeded'). The Theatre of Entry is given as 'France' and the date as 'prior to 22.11.14'; there is a remark on the MIC which might read: 'In eligible for '14 Star Auth. WS/1/10638', but the 'In' isn't clear and might not be 'In', and, as it's in a different shade of blue ink and doesn't appear to flow into 'eligible', looks as if, although possibly in the same hand, not to have been written at the same time. The reverse of the MIC give 'British Legation, Santiago, applies on behalf of Mr R Edwards for Medals 15.1.20. Claims to '15 Star submitted Comdt Remote Depot Shuchampton' (definitely not Southampton) with an address of: 'Don Raoul Edward, C/O Major Camberbatch, m 1.2(A)'

His service record doesn't include anything on the medals awarded, and gives a 'No' against any previous service. In Summary:

Joined Grove Park, Attested Central London Recruiting Depot,White hall, 20th March 1917

Address: 71A Duke Street, Grosvenor Square

Occupation: Financier

British Subject

aged 33

Single

No previous military service

N-o-K: Mrs Maclure Edwards (mother) C/O Edwards & Co Bank, Valpairiso, Chile, South America

Service

Home 20.3.17 to 20.3.17

France (spares?) 21.3.17 to 21.8.18 (embarked Folkestone; disembarked Boulougne)

21.5.17 awarded 21 days FP No 1 for 1.Drunkeness; 2. absent from billet

10.1.18 awarded 28 days FP No 2 for 1.absent from billet 2.refusing to give name to MPs

27.1.18 Ordered to England as candidate for commission;subsequently Cancelled (NB letter on file dated 14th December '18 asking for two entries - those above - on form B122 relating to misconduct to be transferred to his Regimental Conduct sheet (AF B120)

5/2/18 to 22/8/18 with Canadian reptve (representative?). & Canadian Section G.H.Q; Sobriety - good; reliable - yes; intelligent - yes

4-1-17 to 5-2-18 GHQ Troops MT Coy ASC Rolls Royce car driver - good

5-2-18 to 22-5-18 Canadian Section GHQ Rolls Royce car driver - good

Overseas to 4.9.18 Home 5.9.18; Struck of strength BEF, Sick in England 5.9.18

Transferred to class Z, Army Reserve on demob, A1, 30th Jan 1919, Woolwich dockyard

It looks as if his opportunity for a commission might have been scuppered by his badly timed second misdemeanour; It also seems odd that a man who had two black marks - one recent - against his name would shortly afterwards have been selected for a nice GHQ job driving a Rolls Royce in preference to other drivers with spotless records (I'm assuming, possibly wrongly, that as 'Rolls royce' is specifically given, and he's working at GHQ, that this would have been a staff car rather than a 'Roller' that had been converted for other purposes)

I may be putting two and two together, but could it be that Raoul received more favourable treatment during his service because of family connections, with the possibility that the award of a '14 Star (and the fact it warranted reporting in the press) made for similar reasons; It's possible, of course, that he may have served in France in a civilian capacity in the early months of the war, but unlike the '14-15 Star which allowed award to a far greater range of Civilian working in a war zone - to qualify, wasn't that of the '14 Star restricted to those specifically engaged in Hospital work? (it's possible, but it's difficult to see a financier suddenly switching to hospital work). Although I would imagine it was possible for a civilian worker to have been within range of the enemy's mobile artillery etc., would they have qualified for the Clasp and Roses anyway: I may be mistaken, but I only recall seeing mention of this award being for members of the forces.

The answer to this conundrum is obviously to be found in 'WS/1/10638', but, as details of this aren't contained in the Service Record, I doubt it's possible to track the information down elsewhere unless some details are given in the medal rolls. Has anyone got any knowledge of these for Civilian '14 Stars, and Clasp & Roses (the MIC gives:- 14 Star Roll: Civilians/1 page 4 } I.V.451/Sa/23-10.23WS/1/10638 & Clasp & Roses: iv/1713/B d/-21.2.24 Enc. to WS/1/10638 (X m.1.2(A)) see min 18. WS/1/10638)

Just noticed that the m.1.2 (A) given against the Clasp & Roses is also given against the C/O address.

Any thoughts and ideas on this gratefully received

NigelS

[IPT]

It's Shiremount Remount Depot.

Oddly, Raoul seems to have been given his 1914 star by the Prince of Wales, during his tour of South America in 1925...

[NigelS]

It's Shiremount Remount Depot.

It's getting late! - Shirehampton, Bristol ?

Thanks IPT, that looks more like it

NigelS

[IPT]

Oops yes.

Don Raul Edwards Maclure was president of the Aero Club of Chile by 1926. He may have died in 1927 according to Wikipedia.

Brother, Agustin Edwards Maclure was the Chilean ambassador to Britain 1919-1924

"The Edwards family of Chile is of English and Welsh origin with Scottish ancestry, and they became financially and politically influential

during the 19th century. It has played and still plays a significant role in Chilean politics, especially as owners of its most influential newspaper chain,

El Mercurio S.A.P.."

It's all a bit fishy, isn't it?

[IPT]

Dodgy translation;

Parliamentary biography

Raúl Edwards Mac-Clure

Son of Augustine Edwards and Mary Louise Ross Mac Clure.married Josephine de Valdes, with 4 children. He studied at Colegio San Ignacio in the years 1899 to 1900.

He also studied in Switzerland and France. Was a farmer and Director Banco de A. Edwards & Co., vice president of the Printing and lithograph Universe in 1923.

Mayor of Viña del Mar. In 1920 the company became part of El Mercurio. When the Great War broke out, he moved to England, the homeland of his ancestors, and enrolled as

simple, and soldier in the British army. He found himself in several battles and the British government later awarded him the insignia of the heroes of Mons, which was delivered by

Minister of England in Chile in December 1923. In 1919 he was rehabilitated from his Chilean citizenship rights have served had lost to a foreign country without prior permission.

Deputy for San Fernando for the period 1906 to 1909. He joined the Charity Commission and Worship. National party member. He died in Santiago on July 15, 1927.

[NigelS]

Even fishier: if what I took as being M.1.2(A) is actually M.I.2A, from Wikipedia Click

MI2, the British Military Intelligence Section 2 (now defunct), was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office. It was originally set up to handle geographic information. MI2a handled the Americas (excluding Canada), Spain, Portugal, Italy, Liberia Tangier and the Balkans. MI2b handled the Ottoman Empire, Trans-Caucasus, Arabia, Sinai, Abyssinia, North Africa excluding French and Spanish possessions, Egypt and The Sudan.

So might it be possible that there is far more to Raul Edwards than meets the eye? Wikipedia also has this on the Chilean Edwards Family Click

According to one website Click there's footage of Raoul receiving his Star from the Prince of Wales in Santiago during the 1925 Tour in the official film record.

NigelS

[Paulsinover]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but the last question that there may be 'far more to Raoul Edwards than meets the eye?' Will probably involve me going to Kew...... My Grandfather, Eric Leigh Douglas Forster was a Major with 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and is mentioned elsewhere on GWF. He divorced his first wife Albina Forster (nee Thomas, daughter of Maj-Gen Charles Frederick Thomas) in 1921. 

J77/1861/8116 Divorce Court File: 8116. Appellant: Eric Leigh Douglas Forster. Respondent: Albina Mathilde Forster. Co-respondent: Raonl Edwards. Type: Husband's petition for divorce

I have never been able to find 'Raonl', but now suspect the National Archives have a typo.

 

Your Raoul Edwards is such a good fit for this! His home address is the same area that Albina frequented and his character is suitably 'non-conformist', yet well connected.

 

Albina went on to marry well and spent a considerable part of her life aboard luxury liners - apart from a spell in a Californian Internment Camp due to her (by then) being married to an Austrian Count. By all accounts, my Grandfather's taste usually exceeded his budget. We can assume that Raoul Edwards would have had a very large budget! Ahem, ahem.

 

I'll report back after Kew.

Edited 8 November , 2019 by Paulsinover
New info

[Phil Tomaselli]

There is a Foreign Office file from 1922 which explains this.  He was in Paris buying a Rolls Royce in August 1914 and, even though a Chilean citizen, he was, as the surname suggests, of British descent.  He volunteered at the Paris Embassy to assist the army in any way he could and was sent first to Army HQ, then to 2nd Cav Div and finally to 2 Cav Div RE Signals Section who promptly sent him back to Paris to acquire as many motor bikes as would fit in a Rolls as all theirs were broken down. This he did and was sent back to Paris for petrol.  He then served with the RE and was given a Sergeant's uniform and documents to stop him being shot as a spy while he drove the retreat picking up casualties and stragglers and generally making himself useful.  He served with the British (according to the FO) until 1916 when he transferred to the Canadians!

 

The War Office initially refused him the 14 Star until pointed to the Signals War Diary where he does indeed appear.  They also pointed out that Raoul was (a) one of the richest men in Chile; (b) a Chilean Senator and very useful to have on side and (c) owner of three of the most pro-British newspapers in Chile.  He was also a personal friend of Allenby and Brig Gen Sadleir-Jackson.  That seems to have done the trick.

 

I know people who know the Edwards family in Chile, which remains very wealthy, pro-British and still sends their children to the English Public School in Santiago.

Edited 27 November , 2019 by Phil Tomaselli