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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Help with medal card


Guest Puddles

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Top right shows he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Chinese Labour Corps. He was awarded the British War and Allied Victory medals - the numbers show the medal roll reference where you may find more details (available on ancestry). Below that he is shown on the Silver War Badge list (SWB) - look this up (available on ancestry) and you may find more details. His correspondence address is given on the back of the card (second image).

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Many of the officers of the Chinese Labour Corps were men who had worked in China before the war, being commissioned more for their language knowledge, rather than their military experience. A quick google didn't find any definite evidence of this in his case, but does seem to have had an engineering background viz http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US1428129

He was also being pursued by creditors in 1914 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13779/page/129/

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His S.W.B record has the address 6 Palmerston Mansions Queens Club Gardens SW14

the same address given on one of the links provided by David

His M.I.C shows his USA address

It looks like Lieut J W B Balfour may have skipped to the USA to escape his creditors

He died in Fort Worth Texas in 1938

regards Ray

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Thank you all so much for your help! I had found the Gazette entries and seen the U.S. address, but had not been able to use much of the advice on the Long Long Trail. How on earth did you find all that out!? Very clever.

He was clearly a creative individual. He wrote the lyrics to several popular patriotic songs during the war, which my grandfather composed. I suspect they met while recovering from injuries. I want to find his heir as I need his/her permission to get a copy of the sheet music held by the British Library. I can take up the search in Texas then!

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