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Remembered Today:

MIC – 'Remarks' & 'Comments'


Crumbly Hunter

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The attached cards I believe are for the same soldier – Charles George Millican – who'd enlisted in 1916 as a Gunner with the Royal Field Artillery. In 1917 he was a cadet at an RE OCB and was gazetted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers a few months later.
I've looked at 'How to interpret a campaign medal index card', but can someone help me with the following queries please?
Why are there two MICs for this soldier – or is the first card not an MIC?
On the first card:
  • what is the meaning of the dates '5/6/20' at the top and 'Eligible 31.12.19' at the bottom?
  • what is the meaning of 'No. of File 196878/3'?
On the second (pink) card:
  • I believe that 'comm 15/12/17' means that he was commissioned on 15/12/17, but what does the rest of the information in the 'Remaks' box mean?
  • what is the interpretation of the information in the 'Correspondence' section?
Many thanks.

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Your first card is a Silver War Badge card the next card is his Medal card,if you go to The Long Long Trail top left under Great War Forum and look for how to interpret medal cards.

Gary

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Some remarks on mic would appear to be nothing more than administration notes

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Re. MIC Remarks - the LLT fifth example down of card:

"The other codes on the card have no useful meaning."

Kath.

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He was first a private soldier in the Royal Artillery, with a Regimental/Service Number 159888. No doubt someone can link that with an issue date as to when he enlisted.

(Officers did not have a Number, often named in War Diaries whereas the rank and file were not).

He was subsequently an officer cadet and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Royal Engineers on 15 December 1917 and then posted to France on 16 April 1918.

At some point he was severely wounded or suffered illness or disease so as to be awarded a Silver War Badge by a Medical Board. Often they show enlistment and discharge dates and cause, Sickness or Wounds. By that time he had been promoted to Lieutenant (perhaps an "Acting" or Temporary rank. He was judged eligible for the Silver War Badge as of 31 December 1919 and may have been discharged as No longer physically fit for Active Service in June 1920, at which time he was living in Penrith.

His Medal Index Card (pink) shows entitlement to the British War and Victory medals, on the Officers Roll for the Royal Engineers (that reference is to the actual Rolls in the National Archives which may detail the unit he served with. The edge of the medal should show 2/Lt R E. There are internal references to Expeditionary Force files. It notes date of commission and Entry into Theatre.

There was then a reactivation, presumably as a result of an enquiry for his medals in 1926. The Officer in charge of the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery records responded by forwarding the Nominal Roll of Commissioned men in September 1926, and ultimately located on an Appendix in 1928.

A reply in March 1929 is noted on the front. At that time he had moved to Carlisle.

That's about all I can suck out of the two cards, hope it helps!

Is that him with a beehive on Ancestry?

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He was first a private soldier in the Royal Artillery, with a Regimental/Service Number 159888. No doubt someone can link that with an issue date as to when he enlisted.

(Officers did not have a Number, often named in War Diaries whereas the rank and file were not).

He was subsequently an officer cadet and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Royal Engineers on 15 December 1917 and then posted to France on 16 April 1918.

At some point he was severely wounded or suffered illness or disease so as to be awarded a Silver War Badge by a Medical Board. Often they show enlistment and discharge dates and cause, Sickness or Wounds. By that time he had been promoted to Lieutenant (perhaps an "Acting" or Temporary rank. He was judged eligible for the Silver War Badge as of 31 December 1919 and may have been discharged as No longer physically fit for Active Service in June 1920, at which time he was living in Penrith.

His Medal Index Card (pink) shows entitlement to the British War and Victory medals, on the Officers Roll for the Royal Engineers (that reference is to the actual Rolls in the National Archives which may detail the unit he served with. The edge of the medal should show 2/Lt R E. There are internal references to Expeditionary Force files. It notes date of commission and Entry into Theatre.

There was then a reactivation, presumably as a result of an enquiry for his medals in 1926. The Officer in charge of the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery records responded by forwarding the Nominal Roll of Commissioned men in September 1926, and ultimately located on an Appendix in 1928.

A reply in March 1929 is noted on the front. At that time he had moved to Carlisle.

That's about all I can suck out of the two cards, hope it helps!

Is that him with a beehive on Ancestry?

Hi Kevin

Excellent work and many thanks for such a prompt and comprehensive reply – you've answered everything I was after!

You're right, there is a picture of him on Ancestry tending a bee-hive – the family tree is that of his cousin.

Crumbly Hunter

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Ah! Sorry, I should have said "bee hive" as I don't think it was his hairstyle!! :w00t:

It's a Private Tree so couldn't see it, but the caption gave me enough of a clue to post about it!

Hopefully you'll be encouraged (as I was, when I was a starter) to post more information, or to ask questions.

We tend to be a friendly bunch, with quite a bit of banter which takes a time to understand the niceties of!

I'm a little intrigued as to what were the circumstances for the award of a Silver War Badge at what was apparently a post WW1 time.

Do you know the how, where and when for example?

Starting as a lowly Gunner, he rapidly rose to a commission, what was the reason for that, public school, family connections or simply good material being recognised?

No need to answer, just curious!

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Ah! Sorry, I should have said "bee hive" as I don't think it was his hairstyle!! :w00t:

It's a Private Tree so couldn't see it, but the caption gave me enough of a clue to post about it!

Hopefully you'll be encouraged (as I was, when I was a starter) to post more information, or to ask questions.

We tend to be a friendly bunch, with quite a bit of banter which takes a time to understand the niceties of!

I'm a little intrigued as to what were the circumstances for the award of a Silver War Badge at what was apparently a post WW1 time.

Do you know the how, where and when for example?

Starting as a lowly Gunner, he rapidly rose to a commission, what was the reason for that, public school, family connections or simply good material being recognised?

No need to answer, just curious!

Hi Kevin
It was only today that I realised that he'd been awarded the SWB. It does seem odd that he'd been awarded it after the war ended, especially as, in another forum, I learned that exactly 6 months beforehand, on 6 January 1920, he'd relinquished his commission 'on account of ill-health caused by wounds'. This is the only information I've got, but at least I know that he got the SWB because of injury and not illness. A trawl of War Diaries and the local newspaper might give more detail – another day perhaps!
As for the reason for his commission, I think it was most likely the latter reason you give. He'd had a good education and was a qualified Civil Engineer, so had a good understanding of engineering and mathematics – the sort of aptitude required in the RE. I see in the article 'Training to be an officer' on the LLT that Officer Cadets 'would have to be aged over 18 and a half, and to have served as a ranker or to have been with an OTC'. This was Charles' route to his commission.
Still some loose end to investigate, but must are now 'tied-off'. :)
Crumbly Hunter
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