Silver War Badge Numbering

[Glyn1959]

Hi, my Grandfather (Thomas Evans RAMC 60131) was awarded the SWB No. 453109. He was discharged (sickness) on 27.11.19.

However according to "wiki" the numbers were issued as follows:

• Between September 1916 and March 1918, they were issued with just a number and were better quality than most stampings. Around 335,000 of these were issued.
• Between March 1918 and September 1918, these were the second series. This took the number of badges issued up to 450,000.
• Between September 1918 and December 1919, they had a 'B' prefix before the number. Around 450,000 of these were issued.
• Between December 1919 and January 1920, they had a 'O' prefix, around 5,000 of these were issued.
• Between January 1920 and March 1992, they went back to ordinary numbers again. Around 70,000 badges were issued.

The dates do not agree. Can anyone please advise me why and when he was issued with the badge?

Many thanks

 

[Derek Black]

I'd say your grandfathers badge was in the fifth and last category you list.

Date of discharge and dates of issue are not the same.
A man discharged in late 1914 may not apply for his SWB until 1918 and be in that number block.
 

It would make sense for his papers to be processed in the January 1920 to march 1922 window seeing as he was only discharged a month before the end of 1919.

 

Cheers
Derek.

[charlie962]

I don't see the problem. The dates above are issue dates not discharge dates. The page on the SWB Roll which he appears on is stamped by the Medal Branch as 27/2/20. given that 'ordinary numbers' last ended at 450000.

 

Charlie

[Glyn1959]

Hi, Derek/Charlie thanks for the information guys. I guess I assumed the discharge and issue date would match.

Charlie, any chance you could take a picture of the page with his entry on for my family tree collection please? If this is allowed?

Many thanks

[charlie962]

4 hours ago, Glyn1959 said:

If this is allowed?

No

[TEW]

There are also lots of individual oddities. There are entries that imply a swb was issued to two different men. On odd occasions swbs were returned or reclaimed by order and issued to a new recipient thereby recycling the badge, possibly out of the normal sequence.

TEW

[Terry_Reeves]

I would also add that there are SWBs which are annotated on medal index cards but do not show on the SWB rolls. 

 

TR

[Derek Black]

11 hours ago, Glyn1959 said:

Hi, Derek/Charlie thanks for the information guys. I guess I assumed the discharge and issue date would match.

Charlie, any chance you could take a picture of the page with his entry on for my family tree collection please? If this is allowed?

Many thanks

A visit to your local library to view Ancestry should get you a copy.

[Derek Black]

4 hours ago, Terry_Reeves said:

I would also add that there are SWBs which are annotated on medal index cards but do not show on the SWB rolls. 

 

TR

Have you an example or two to hand?

 

Cheers,
Derek.

[Terry_Reeves]

 I am afraid I don't Derek. They are annotated SWB but with no King's Regulation details as to which section the discharge is. When the roll is checked the name is not there. I suspect they are simply clerical errors.

 

TR

Edited 31 October , 2018 by Terry_Reeves

[TEW]

Evans' SWB is on a list (RAMC 1855) which runs in sequence from 453107 to 453118. The previous list runs from B261181 to B261192 with Issue Voucher dated 19/1/1920, therefore according to Wiki these should have an 'O' prefix. RAMC list 1856 is in the 454008-454016 range.

 

His discharge comes under AO 29 of 1919, SICK. Not sure of exact wording of AO29/1919 but the criteria for an SWB changed in Feb 1919 allowing more men to claim one. Whether he fits that category isn't clear, he may have been entitled to one anyway.

TEW