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Croix de Guerre Help required


jeanburton

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I have found a medal amongst my fathers possessions, After looking online I have discovered that it is the Croix De Guerre. I am trying to find who it was awarded to, I have a few family members who served in WW1 but would it have been awarded to English soldiers ?

How would I find out.

Thanks

Jean

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Hi Jean,

Search the London/Edinburgh Gazette. Have you names and numbers for your family members?

John

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I have found a medal amongst my fathers possessions, After looking online I have discovered that it is the Croix De Guerre. I am trying to find who it was awarded to, I have a few family members who served in WW1 but would it have been awarded to English soldiers ?

How would I find out.

Thanks

Jean

Hi Jean

CdeG was created near start of WWI by the French & awarded to both French & allied soldiers for acts of gallantry. Good luck with your search!

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I have found a medal amongst my fathers possessions, After looking online I have discovered that it is the Croix De Guerre. I am trying to find who it was awarded to, I have a few family members who served in WW1 but would it have been awarded to English soldiers ?

How would I find out.

Thanks

Jean

I have found a medal amongst my fathers possessions, After looking online I have discovered that it is the Croix De Guerre. I am trying to find who it was awarded to, I have a few family members who served in WW1 but would it have been awarded to English soldiers ?

How would I find out.

Thanks

Jean

Hi Jean,

If you post as many details of your father or other possible family recipients of the Croix de Guerre, such as full name and if possible service numbers, ranks and regiments served in, then I am sure that someone will be able to find some information for you.

Robert

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CdeG was created near start of WWI by the French & awarded to both French & allied soldiers for acts of gallantry. Good luck with your search!

It was even awarded to non-soldiers. A few conscientious objectors received it as members of the Friends' Ambulance Unit.

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Thanks everyone. The family members I know who fought in the Great War are as follows:

John Edward Bannister DOB 05 Feb 1889 b and lived in Derby

Notts and Derbys 43396

Royal Irish Rifles 43040

Machine Gun Corps 148321

Silver war and Victory Badge Number 279286

Enlisted 1st Dec 1915

Discharged 9th May 1919

He was wounded in France I think in 1917

Private

George Allen DOB 1886 Belper Derbyshire

Missing presumed dead 25 Sept 1915

12th Battalion of Northumberland Fusiliers 7467

Commemorated on the Loos memorial

Private

Arthur Blackham

Called up 9th July 1917

DOB 3rd May 1898 Heage Derbyshire

Royal Garrison Artillery Newcastle

Sherwood Forrester

LCCO Labour Corp ( Anyone know what these initials are?) 702732

He was a gunner but I think he only served two days in France and was sent home with a leg ulcer so I doubt it was him

William Allen DOB 1890 Belper

6th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment and Royal Artillary

He was already a reserve when war broke out

Albert Henry Kent

DOB 1895 Chesterfield

Notts and Derbys joined 16 March 1916

Leicester Regiment 14362

Machine Gun Corps 19656

Buried in Hem Farm Cemetery.

William Blackham

DOB 13 Nov 1877

York and Lancaster Regiment 5th Batallion 240004

In services since 1899 corporal then sargent

Royal Field Artillery 5th Battery Gunner 90582

Died of wounds on Friday 4th December 1917 aged 40, caused by a shell burst while leaving the guns for a rest period.
He is buried in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery Belgium.
Herbert Blackam DOB 27 Sep 1889 Belper Derbshire
12th battalion of Sherwood Foresters (pioneers) Corporal
Thanks in advance for any help
Jean
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National Archives has records of foriegn awards (including the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre) in WO 338 (Discover Our Collections -> Search Our Records) - these include those not announced in the London Gazette, which mainly mentioned officers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes Croix de Guerre medals were awarded to British troops, it would be listed on the medal card for the soldier.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello all.

Can anybody help me find out whether or not the following individual was awarded the croix de guerre, and why?

Sgt

Cecil Leonard Owen

471035

2/12th London's The Rangers.

Many thanks.

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Langdon,

Thanks for the hint re: WO 338. Didn't know it existed. One of my chaps claims to have received both the French and Belgian CdeG but I have not yet found any proof of this.

All the best,

Gary

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Langdon,

Thanks for the hint re: WO 338. Didn't know it existed. One of my chaps claims to have received both the French and Belgian CdeG but I have not yet found any no proof of this.

All the best,

Gary

I had a very distant relative who claimed the VC. Easily verifiable.

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Yes Croix de Guerre medals were awarded to British troops, it would be listed on the medal card for the soldier.

I was beginning to doubt that they appeared on medal cards but by NOT putting in a name on Ancestry search and putting CdeG as Keyword Samuel Brain DCM and CdeC appeared. And a lot of soldiers containg the word De ...!

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I was beginning to doubt that they appeared on medal cards but by NOT putting in a name on Ancestry search and putting CdeG as Keyword Samuel Brain DCM and CdeC appeared. And a lot of soldiers containg the word De ...!

True, apart from de names (De Courcey, De Molyns etc) names that begin with De - Decker, Deptford etc.

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  • 1 month later...

Gunner 90582

William Blackham Royal Field Artillery 5th Battery. 45th Brigade. Died of wounds on Friday 4th December 1917 aged 40, caused by a shell burst while leaving the guns for a rest period.

He is buried in Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery Belgium.

For much of the First World War, Vlamertinghe (now Vlamertinge) was just outside the normal range of German shell fire and the village was used both by artillery units and field ambulances.

William was the third son of Edward Blackham a Gardener and Maria Blackham, of 9, The Scotches, Belper.

William had been a regular soldier joining the RGA at the age of 17 in 1894 and had served in India for twelve years. As a boy, before enlisting at 17, he had worked for Mr W S Bowler a chemist and the late Mr Bacon, locally known as the ’Cow Doctor’.

He had two brother’s who served, Joseph and Herbert who both survived the war.

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Arthur Blackham, William Blackham and William Allen were not gazetted with the Croix de Guerre while serving with the Royal Artillery.

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National Archives has records of foriegn awards (including the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre) in WO 338 (Discover Our Collections -> Search Our Records) - these include those not announced in the London Gazette, which mainly mentioned officers.

I've just been looking at the National Archives Discovery search and I think the reference should in fact be WO 388: War Office: Military Secretary's Honours and Awards Branch: Exchange of Army Decorations between Britain and the Allies RegistersWar Office: Military Secretary's Honours and Awards Branch: Exchange of Army Decorations between Britain and the Allies Registers

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/browse/C14592?v=r

A number of the records in the subcategories are available as a free download.

Cheers

Maureen

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Apologies for the typo! It's hard enough etc. etc...

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