poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Hi.. I'm trying to find out about my relative. I have got some way but have now hit a wall. In particular I am trying to find out why he was awarded the Military Medal, but any other info would be great and advice on where to find out more would help. So far I know that he was first in the Middlesex Regiment where his number was 27818. It was while here that he won his medal. He subsequently joined the Queen's Royal West Surrey regiment where his number was G/21181. He was born and raised in Headcorn in Kent, enlisted at Ashford, died on Aug 28th and is buried in Maricourt (Somme). He must have been a brave man and I would really like to know more about him but just cant find anything more. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeClarke Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Hi His London Gazette entry is here https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30389/supplement/11969/data.pdf 'Rule of thumb' is the award was published about 3 months after the deed. You will not find a citation unless one was published in the local newspapers, Commemorated here http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Kent/Headcorn.html Regards, Graeme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 It looks like he may have been trained with the Middlesex Regiment (15th Battalion seems likely from the records of G/21198 Henry Odell Reynolds) and then transferred to the 7th Queen's upon arrival in France (Reynolds went to France & Flanders on 27-8-1916 and officially transferred to 7th Queen's was on 10-9-1916). Many men were transferred in groups and renumbered as a batch at this time. Both Edwin Martin and Henry Reynolds look likely to have been in the same group). Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Thanks Graeme - that's a big help. I hadn't seen the Gazette entry and I hadn't thought to try the local papers. I'll give it a go. Fingers crossed. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 And thanks Steve.Edwin seems to have been in several different regiments according to his medal card, but the different entries aren't dated so it's hard to know what order things happened for him. Also one of them says he is in the GGDS - which I can't find at all. Anyway, what you've said helps to clear it up a bit. Also there's no mention of his Military medal on the medal cards at all.. is that odd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 See West Surrey's War Diaries - 23rd September 1917 here Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 And here's August for the attack on Inverness Copse on the 10th Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Mike, I honestly don't know how to thank you. Those are amazing documents. I feel shocked and humbled by reading them. Those poor men! Thank you for finding them for me. Could I ask one more thing? Edwin was killed (or died) on August 28th 1918 - would you also have access to the diary that covered that time? I think from my attempts on wikipedia that the battle his unit was involved in, was actually some days before that - around the 19th August. Don't worry if you cant help with this... just thank you again for the other links. Amazing! I am SO grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Actually it's thanks to Surrey County Council and the Royal Surrey Regiment Association. Hopefully there'll be more instances of war diaries being made available free of charge before long. They are essential reading. Here's August 1918 and Appendices. But you can access the whole lot at www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk. HNY, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Well, it's thanks to you that I'm seeing them..and I'm so pleased to have done so. Thanks for taking the trouble. Happy New Year to you too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 There is only one Regiment {The Queen's (Royal West Surrey)} and number {G/21181} on his medal card. I think you have fallen into the age old trap (which we have all fallen in!) of downloading 6 cards from the National Archives site and trying to use all six. They are six different men with the same name - the organisation of 6 together was just a means of digitising them more efficiently. And costing time for us who then explain the ensuing and inevitable confusion! GGds is Grenadier Guards, by the way - but nothing to do with your Edwin Martin. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Oh yes... You're right, Steve. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I couldn't work out how my Edwin had been in so many different regiments. You've probably saved me days of pointless research! Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 You might like to see where Inverness Copse was - here. By moving the "Change transparency of overlay" you can see both the trench map as well as present day Google image. The Google map coordinates are approx. 50.84177, 2.96820. And here's a contemporary map.. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 AMAZING!!! Thank you SO much! Truly fascinating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stebie9173 Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 There is an memorial to 18th Division (to which the 7th Queen's belonged) at "Clapham Junction" just behind Inverness Copse (there is also one at Thiepval near the main Memorial to the Missing and one at Trones Wood, both on the Somme) Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy1667 Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Thanks Steve, I think I'll try and arrange a visit to see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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