Pte George Stanley Elcock and the Obilic medal

[Tim Hill]

Hi All

I posted some time ago about my Grandad (Charlie Elcock, 113 and 22 Coys MGC) and thanks largely to pointers given to me on the forum I have managed to find out almost the complete story of 'his war' down to the day (against the odds - records which seems to have suffered a great deal of loss generally all seemed to have survived where they relate to him!) - I regard myself as very fortunate of course for this. I am now looking at his extended family, and his brother is causing me some confusion though, due I suspect to a lack of knowledge on my part.........

His brother was No 1916 Pte George Stanley Elcock RAMC, and unlike Charlie his records seem to be largely lost. I HAVE found his medal card which seems to indicate that he served mainly in India (it shows his First Theatre of War as 5G which I understand is India, starting 29-8-15, an it ends with the code IND.GS.ARGN NWFF1919 - the ARGN might be ARKN, but I guess this code is talking about the North West Frontier Force).

The confusion comes from the fact that he is separately recorded as having received the Karageorge Gold Medal and the Obilic Gold Medal which I understand to be Serbian - the gazette page for both is 1617 and they are dated two days apart (13th and 15 Feb 1917) for these - not sure of they are one and the same thing.

I'm assuming that he wouldn't have got what seems to be a Serbian gallantry medal for serving in India (unless it was a medal that 'came up with the rations' - from researching the medal it doesn't SOUND like one that would have been issued this way) so maybe there was a break in service in India that I don't know about. It is probably my inexperience but following the National Archive notes on decoding medal awards I can't immediately see anything on his medal card that indicates involvement anywhere other than India - I wouldn't expect foreign medals to show on the British medal card, but would we not have shown his involvement in other countries there?

Can anyone shed any light on this medal or medals, and how come someone who seems to have served in India seems to have received it/them?

Kind regards

Tim Hill

[Andrew Upton]

...and it ends with the code IND.GS.ARGN NWFF1919 - the ARGN might be ARKN, but I guess this code is talking about the North West Frontier Force)...

It'll be AFGN - it's the code referring to the "India General Service Medal" with the bar for "Afghanistan North West Frontier 1919", a la:

http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/india_general_service_1908_ob2.JPG

[Sepoy]

Tim

I have had a quick look for your Great Uncle and have come up with the following which I hope helps:-

1916 Private George Stanley Elcock, Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force).

Enlisted on 5th August, 1914.

Entered the Frontier regions of India on 29th August, 1915.

Awarded the Serbian Gold Obilich Medal (London Gazette 15th February, 1917) whilst attached to the Somerset Light Infantry.

457176 Private G S Elcock, Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force) served at Peshawar, North West Frontier, India and was awarded the Indian General Service Medal with Afghanistan NWF 1919 clasp.

Discharged on 15th December, 1919 due to Paragraph 392 (XV1a) King's Regulations - aged 28 years 4 months. (XV1a - Surplus to military requirements (having suffered impairment since entry into the service). Awarded the Silver War Badge numbered 522973.

Ellcock, 457176 Private (Acting Lance Corporal) G.S. - Royal Army Medical Corps (London Gazette 12th January, 1920) Mentioned in Despatches for distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty with the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force.

Medal rolls show date of discharge as 31st March, 1920.

I could not find that George was awarded a Karageorge, but these are shown on the same London Gazette page as the Gold Medals (Obilich Medals) which may have caused some confusion. Unfortunately, the London Gazette heading for this award does not show the Theatre of Operations but it is probably for Mesopotamia.

I have added scans of the Gold Obilich Medal which was awarded to Rifleman Bahadur Pun, Gurkha Rifles and shown on the same London Gazette page as Elcock.

Additional sources to the Medal Issue Card
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29945/supplements/1617

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31728/supplements/517

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1686/31794_221580-00196/592966?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3frank%3d0%26gsfn%3d%26gsln%3d%26sx%3d%26rg_f12__date%3d%26rs_f12__date%3d0%26f17%3d%26f11%3d%26f19%3d%26f20%3d457176%26gskw%3d%26prox%3d1%26db%3dcampaignmedalrolls%26ti%3d5538%26ti.si%3d0%26gl%3d%26gss%3drfs%26gst%3d%26so%3d3&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1686/31794_221580-00650/598385?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3frank%3d0%26gsfn%3d%26gsln%3d%26sx%3d%26rg_f12__date%3d%26rs_f12__date%3d0%26f17%3d%26f11%3d%26f19%3d%26f20%3d457176%26gskw%3d%26prox%3d1%26db%3dcampaignmedalrolls%26ti%3d5538%26ti.si%3d0%26gl%3d%26gss%3drfs%26gst%3d%26so%3d3&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2456/wo329_3237-00246/842799?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3findiv%3d1%26rank%3d0%26gsfn%3dgeorge%26gsln%3delcock%26sx%3d%26f11%3d%26f17%3d%26gskw%3d%26prox%3d1%26db%3dsilverwarbadgemedals%26ti%3d5538%26ti.si%3d0%26gss%3dangs-d%26pcat%3d39%26fh%3d1%26h%3d842799%26recoff%3d%26ml_rpos%3d2&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

[Tim Hill]

Thanks both for you input on this - I greatly appreciate your help. I am still very much a novice at researching some of these things - everything I've done up to now has been 'routine' (if there is such a thing.....) research on the Western Front and I've been very lucky at how much has survived which has made it easy! I still have a lot to learn......

Andrew - you are quite right - it is AFGN. The card has been heavily over-written and having blown the copy right up on the screen it is a mark from the handwritten text that makes the F look like an R!

Kind regards

Tim