Reasons for award of MM, August 1917, 1/5 Battalion Royal Warwicks

[Hyacinth1326]

Hello.  I am new to this part of the Forum so please bear with me.  I am trying to discover why a soldier was awarded the MM.  The medal rolls do not provide the reason why this award was issued.  The award was gazetted on 18.10.17.  The man concerned was J Sorrell of the 1/5 Battalion Royal Warwicks, reg No 200235.  The battalion diary combined with family lore, suggests the award relates to an attack made by B coy on Hillock Farm, 3rd Ypres.  Can anyone suggest where I go from here ?   

Edited 13 June , 2019 by Hyacinth1326

[sotonmate]

LG only has a generic citation at the beginning of the 18 Oct 1917 Supplement for MM awards, "for Bravery in the Field".

This soldier was discharged to wounds on 27 Feb 1918 and received a Silver War Badge (No 321794), having enlisted on 7 Mar 1913.

There are several entries for him in Forces War Records which I have no access to.

[Hyacinth1326]

Many thanks for your help in any case.  you have given me a source I can explore.  You are a little star Sotonmate. Bless !

[brianmorris547]

The WD for the Adjutant and Quarter-Master General, 48 Div, has a list of Honours and Awards attached to each month. Look under Browse - Divisional HQ - 48 Div. 200235 is named on the list attached to August 1917. (Ancestry p 272/324). You may find that some of the other five men from 1/5 R Warwicks who are mentioned have service records which might give more information. It would have been for action within that month. Other than that your best bet for more detail would be the local newspapers. The LG records that his NOK were from Birmingham. 

Brian

[Hyacinth1326]

Thank you for your advice Mr Morris.  I will follow it to the letter.  Kind regards.

[Mark1959]

the forces war record entries for John Sorrell refer

1. To his medal index card - no detail

2. Gazette for MM

3. His appearance on a War Office wounded list on 3/12/1917. NoK address is given as Birmingham. Implies wounded sometime in November 1917. Probably the wound that caused his discharge in early 1918

WFA Pension Card shows discharged due to a GSW right buttock and abdomen. 

Cannot find a ref to the MM in the British Newspaper Archive except a list of men in Birmingham Daily Gazette 20 October 1917 and in Birmingham Daily Post 19 October 1917

Edited 14 June , 2019 by Mark1959

[MaxD]

If indeed his award was for his part in the action in the latter part of August 1917, it is nice to know that as reward and acknowledgement of the battalions' efforts in the fighting in August, on 2 September at a brigade parade, the battalions were congratulated by the Brigade Commander and "10 motor lorries were provided for taking parties of men to the sea-side" (143 Bde diary).  Hopefully he and the other recipients were given places!

 

Max

[brianmorris547]

6 hours ago, Hyacinth1326 said:

Thank you for your advice Mr Morris.  

Hyacinth

Please call me Brian

[Hyacinth1326]

I will do Brian.  I followed up your advice and downloaded the WO95 2747.2 file and there the list was !   Very many thanks

[Hyacinth1326]

"10 motor lorries were provided for taking parties of men to the sea-side" (143 Bde diary).  Hopefully he and the other recipients were given places!

 

Lovely stuff.

 

Thanks for your help too Mark

 

  Very many thanks to you all

 

Edited 15 June , 2019 by Hyacinth1326