Campaign for posthumous medals!

[Kath]

The following are links to articles I have found.

They discuss the entitlement to medals for some of the men lost when the troopship Royal Edward was torpedoed 13 August 1915.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/campaign-to-recognise-drowned-soldiers.25508316

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/20-000-48-bold-Cornishmen-know-reason/story-23054353-detail/story.html

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/campaign-to-honour-hundreds-who-died-in-troop-ship-sinking-1-6342107

Kath.

[Kitchener's Bugle]

Many thanks for the updates Kath.

[Chasemuseum]

I wish them great success. I understand the original ruling that the men were only eligible for the BWM. The issue of medals has frequently been very bureaucratic. The Australian military in WW2 achieved premium world class ranking in mindless stupidity. One of the 2^nd AIF battalions which served in the Syrian campaign, when returning to Australia had half the battalion board the troopship one day and the other half board the same ship the next day. As a result half the battalion was not eligible for the Africa Star. The stupidity did not stop there, there were lots of other problems. Some have since been sorted and others are still being argued.

Cheers from Sydney

Ross

[Coldstreamer]

you have to draw the line some where - if you let someone claim for 1 day over then the person who is 2 days will want the same, then 3 days and so on

[John_Hartley]

I'd generally agree about the drawing of lines.

However, and this may be a significant however, two of the linked articles suggest that around 200 men who died did receive the full medal entitlement while 600 did not. If this is accurate, then I think there may be a "fairness" case to be made for the 600. Of course, it may not be accurate, or those men might have previously entered a theatre - it'd be relatively easy, if tedious, to crosscheck the deaths against the MICs.

[butler]

Of the Hampshire Regiment casualties I have come across I have only found one who received more than the BWM. He is LCpl William HURLOCK 6422 who had previously served with 1 Bn in France. He has 2 MICs, one shows that he was deceased, the other gives his surname as HORLOCK and specifically shows him as 'drowned'. None of the other MICs I have seen show the subject as having died and show the only entitlement as the BWM.

[rflory]

The British War Medal only required one to leave their place of residence while the 1914-15 Star and Victory Medal required service in a theatre of war. If those who only received the BWM had not previously served in a theatre of war then that is the only medal to which they were entitled.