Medal Enquiry

[Guest]

All,

 

Allow me to aplogise in advance. I’ve never been in the armed services and have very little knowledge of WW1. 

 

My grandma died in 2012 and following her death I located a tin with four medals within. Sadly, I don’t know who these medal belong to, and my Internet enquiries have drawn a blank. Furthermore my grandparents are TAYLOR’s and MUCKLE’s not JOHNSON so this is just the beginning of how these medals have come into my possession. 

 

Two of the medals are dated from WW1 have the follow inscription around the edge:

 

4366T S            A JOHNSON TR RNR

 

From my googling I believe that JOHNSON was a trimmer but I can’t find out anything else out about them. I assume that 3466T is a service number but this isn’t bring anything back. 

 

There are also medals for the coronation George VI from 1937 so I’m confident they survived the Great War. 

 

Are you able to offer any advice as to how i can find out further information?

[rksimpson]

Hi

 

His medal roll is listed on Ancestry, his first name was Albert, service number was 4366TS, rank Tr and he was issued with the three medals, so he survived the war.

Ancestry also has under Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, an entry -

Name:	Albert Johnson
Gender:	Male
Rank:	Royal Naval Reserve
Military Service Region:	North West, England
Service Number:	288991
Regiment:	R E
Title:	Pension Record Cards
Description:	Pension Record Ledger
Reference Number:	3/MJ/No.2605     I have no Idea if that is him or not and the actual page is on Fold 3, which I don't have access to. Find My Past does have this - Johnson First Name Albert  Born1895 Died— Event— Record set British Royal Naval Reserve 1899-1930 Location Great Britain, it may be him, but I do not have access.   With such a common name I don't know if you will find more on him.   regards Robert

[DavidOwen]

I can add that he was born in North Shields on 16th June 1883.

Address  51 Thrift Street, North Shields. He was enrolled on 13th October 1915.

His service record is available for a small fee from TNA here http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8572602

Regards

David

[Guest]

Gents,

 

Thanks ever so much for both of your posts. 

 

Both my dad and his parents were born and raised in North Shields so sounds like the right man to me.

 

Time to have another look at that family tree. 

 

Sean

[sotonmate]

Sean

 

I am assuming that the second medal for WW1 is a silver one,the British War Medal - you show the Victory Medal and these often go together, but not always. Your subject seems to have enlisted in late 1915 and then was invalided out with a wrist problem in early 1916. I wonder if your tin also contained an RN Armlet ? I had not heard of this before and take it to be some sort of physical display item to show that a person had served the nation and had been discharged unfit etc. The papers referred to by DavidOwen show that the armlet was applied for,and issued as there is a number shown. I know that other servicemen were issued with a Silver War Badge on discharge but am wondering about the Armlet's true purpose. Maybe someone here knows about that !

[sotonmate]

I see that this sailor also got the 1914-15 Star according to the RN Medal Rolls.

I also see that Naval Armlets were applied for and there is a register in file BT167/85 (1916-17) at the National Archives. No nearer to seeing why though as there was no description of the process.

 

1911 Census. Albert (27 and a seaman fireman) lived with his widowed mother (Elizabeth,60), three brothers Robert(39),George (35) and William (16), and two sisters Dorothy (20) and Ethel (15), at 132 Howdon Road,North Shields.

Edited 8 January , 2019 by sotonmate
1911 Census details

[MerchantOldSalt]

Sean

Further information is that there is a CR1 Merchant Service identity card for A Johnson available on Find My Past, it is clearly the same man as his identifying tattoo is mentioned on both his RNR record and CR1.

On 25.4. 1914 he was a fireman and trimmer on the SS Anglo Patagonia owned by the Nitrate Producers' Steamship Co of London and from 4 Feb 1915 to 16 April 1915 he was on the SS Glenspean owned by the Indian Steamship Co. of Glasgow.

 

Across his CR1 is written Deceased 8.10.1929 and the death of an Albert Johnson was recorded in Dec 1929 in Tynemouth age 46.

His Pension Card shows he served post discharge from RNR 1916 in the Royal Engineers, many Merchant Seamen enlisted in the Inland Water Transport section of that Regiment and that is a possibility but I can't find a service record at present to prove it.

Tony