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Remembered Today:

Medal Card - interpretation please


Dr.Dan

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My interpretation

Enoch Johnston enlisted in the Royal Irish Rifles as Private 3/8027

jumping to the bottom of the card he went to France with them and entered theatre on 2 December 1915 thus qualifying for the 14-15 Star and the 'war medals' [The date of landing is that of the 7th Battalion, though it's not safe to assume that was his Battalion]

The 14 -15 Star was issued around the end of 1918 when he was apparently serving in the RAF so there is a note on the card Duplicate Submitted probably by the officer i/c records RAF(or in fact RFC/13/1878) this entry was in the RFC Rolls and the entry on that Roll was deleted as a result of Enclosure 3I0 (an admin reference now lost) and the award is listed in the Roll reference B/4B page 395 (probably the RIR Roll but I don't know you would need to inspect the Roll at TNA Kew to confirm).

He was Discharged and was given a Silver War Badge but again this was duplicated on the RAF Rolls which means he was discharged after the formation of the RAF on 1/4/1918. It looks like on this occasion the RAF entry stood as I can't find him on the Army rolls.

Around 1921- 3 the British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent by his last unit i.e. the RAF, to his last address but were returned under the terms of King's Regulations 992 1923 which said if the medals were unclaimed they were to be retained for ten years and then ''broken up' 8632/adt is the usual reference that follows this entry and has no meaning that is known today. You will see it's duplicated at the bottom of the card, like the admin reference 14S/B/2404 it obviously was important in the Medals Office at the time but the meaning has since been lost.

Ancestry also copied the back of the card but there is no further information on this one. If he asked for his medals usually an address is shown but there is nothing on the back of this card so my guess is he didn't receive the BWM and VM. Although there is a note at the top of the card that suggests someone made a query later i.e. 'REPL 27/10/66' I read as a reply was sent on that date either to Johnston or a relative but that's just speculation all associated correspondence regarding the cards is, afaik lost.

Ken

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Is this him

AIR 79/2219/246425

No I am afraid not, that man was ex RNAS F46425. Our man, 341582, does not have an entry in the Air79s. He was discharged from the Royal Irish Rifles due to a Wound and Synovitis on 27th February 1918 and was issued War Badge number 336261. His entries in the RFC 1914/15 Star Roll and RAF War & Victory Roll were just duplicate entries and the medals were not issued by the RAF. His RAF number would seem to indicate that he joined the RAF after the War in about September 1919

Steve

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Thanks so much for the input!

Enoch was reputed to have won the Military Medal at Messines in 1917 but I see no record of it here.

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He is on a wounded List 10 November 1916. His next of Kin was from Dublin.

Yes he won the MM. He is listed in the Irish Times on the 4th August 1917.

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Silver war badge entry - Enock Johnston served 21-7-15 -- 27-2-18 dis wound and synovitis served abroad.

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