sutton-in-craven Posted 18 March , 2014 Share Posted 18 March , 2014 15241 Pte Smith Hardaker (or Hardacre) Duke of Wellington Regiment http://www.cpgw.org.uk/viewDetail.cfm?sID=132-03 Hi, according to a local newspaper article from 23 June 1916, the above soldier: "had seen considerable fighting, and was a bomber in the trenches, having been trained at a bombing school in France. At the battle of Loos he went into the German trenches with bombs, and for his work in this engagement he won a medal and bar" http://www.cpgw.org.uk/craven_herald_articles.cfm?sID=132-03 I can only assume this means he won the Military Medal 'for bravery in the field' TWICE, or the Distinguished Conduct Medal TWICE, but I've searched the London Gazette, CWGC and other sources and can find no reference to these awards. Is anyone able to offer an alternative suggestion? Any help would be very much appreciated. Many thanks, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rksimpson Posted 18 March , 2014 Share Posted 18 March , 2014 Hi Nothing on His MIC which would indicate any gallantry award, only a trio. KIA 13.6.16. There is a S Hardacre who was in 1st Cavalry Bde HQ Army Service Corps, 4th Lanc Fus Regimental Number:SS/871, 67699 and the card is just for the 14 star with a comment transferred?? No one else fits, I would suggest a story by the family. regards Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eairicbloodaxe Posted 18 March , 2014 Share Posted 18 March , 2014 "I would suggest a story by the family." Except the original poster's source was a local newspaper article? Regards Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rksimpson Posted 18 March , 2014 Share Posted 18 March , 2014 as told to the newspaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Owl Posted 18 March , 2014 Share Posted 18 March , 2014 Hi Andrew, Just spotted this but unfortunately cannot really help. The only thought is that it could be a Foreign Award of some sort, but nothing is recorded in the Craven Roll, however I am not sure that all such awards were gazetted. It cannot be a 1914 Star and Bar(or clasp) because these would not have been known at the time he was killed--so a bit of a mystery!! Hopefully someone with more knowledge of foreign awards will be along soon with an answer. Regards, Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 19 March , 2014 Share Posted 19 March , 2014 A medal and bar in one action? I would doubt it even for a foreign award. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutton-in-craven Posted 29 April , 2014 Author Share Posted 29 April , 2014 Thanks very much fella's for your thoughts. It seems that the question pertaining to my inquiry will remain somewhat of a mystery, at least for the time being! Perhaps some new information may surface somewhere down the track - hopefully! Regards, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medaler Posted 29 April , 2014 Share Posted 29 April , 2014 Croix de Guerre and Palm perhaps? - easy to see that being reported as a bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 29 April , 2014 Share Posted 29 April , 2014 Last week I completed work on a soldier where there was a convincing-sounding local newspaper article announcing that he had been awarded the DCM. He hadn't. No DCM, MM, mention, foreign award, anything. Word of mouth? Wishful thinking? A promise unfulfilled? Who knows. It just shows that you cannot take single-source information for granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 29 April , 2014 Share Posted 29 April , 2014 Our local newspaper relied entirely on the families to offer up news of their loved ones activities. Local newspapers are not the fount of all true knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstreamer Posted 30 April , 2014 Share Posted 30 April , 2014 Did to ask this on the bmf too ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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