Why is there no record of a star medal for this man?

[Jervis]

Richard Galvin, 8265 Leinster regiment died in August 1915. Clearly he qualifies for a 1914 or 1915 star.  But I cannot locate one for him nor is there a record of one on his index card. This is not the first MIC I have come across where there is no reference to a star medal when there clearly should be.

 

Any suggestions on what is going on? 

[Gardenerbill]

Hi Jervis

Sometimes there are 2 cards one for VM/BWM and one for the star. The star one may be incorrectly indexed.

[kenf48]

The original Army Instruction noting the grant of the decoration in December 1918 stated that:-

 

7. Officers I/c records will submit in duplicate nominal rolls of British soldiers entitled to the Star and forward them as soon as possible to the War Office.

However it went on,  ‘in the case of deceased officers and other ranks applications from their legatees or next of kin should in the former case be addressed to the Secretary War Office (A.G.10) and, in the latter case to the officer I/c records concerned.”

 

If no application made it seems omissions could easily occur.

 

Ken

[david murdoch]

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) 14/15 Star roll is alphabetical and he is not on it. There is a Pte. Bernard Galvin  9911 pencilled in  - but definitely a different man as he has his own MIC.

[Andrew Upton]

19 hours ago, Jervis said:

Richard Galvin, 8265 Leinster regiment died in August 1915. Clearly he qualifies for a 1914 or 1915 star.  But I cannot locate one for him nor is there a record of one on his index card. This is not the first MIC I have come across where there is no reference to a star medal when there clearly should be.

 

Any suggestions on what is going on? 

 

3 hours ago, david murdoch said:

Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) 14/15 Star roll is alphabetical and he is not on it. There is a Pte. Bernard Galvin  9911 pencilled in  - but definitely a different man as he has his own MIC.

 

Could it be something like a simple transcription error on the CWGC entry, eg the date was actually meant to be 1916 or later?

[ss002d6252]

The effects confirm a date of death of 13 Aug 1915 and that he died of Wounds - I can't see why he wouldn't qualify.

Craig

[Skipman]

Excellent, thanks Craig.

 

Mike

[Jervis]

Thanks all for the responses.

 

21 hours ago, kenf48 said:

The original Army Instruction noting the grant of the decoration in December 1918 stated that:-

 

7. Officers I/c records will submit in duplicate nominal rolls of British soldiers entitled to the Star and forward them as soon as possible to the War Office.

However it went on,  ‘in the case of deceased officers and other ranks applications from their legatees or next of kin should in the former case be addressed to the Secretary War Office (A.G.10) and, in the latter case to the officer I/c records concerned.”

 

If no application made it seems omissions could easily occur.

 

Ken

 

Thats interesting Ken. I was not aware of that. I assumed the star medal was automatically assigned. 

 

Strangely, the man’s MIC shows that a relative based in the United States did actually  apply for his medals in 1923. But alas that did not seem to add the star record to the MIC. I wonder did the relative actually get the correct set of medal’s he was entitled to. 

 

[kenf48]

11 hours ago, Jervis said:

Thanks all for the responses.

 

 

Thats interesting Ken. I was not aware of that. I assumed the star medal was automatically assigned. 

 

Strangely, the man’s MIC shows that a relative based in the United States did actually  apply for his medals in 1923. But alas that did not seem to add the star record to the MIC. I wonder did the relative actually get the correct set of medal’s he was entitled to. 

 

 

This letter appeared in the Daily Herald in August 1939 

 

"After serving four years in the ASC during the war I received m Victory and Service Medals but no 1914-1915 Star, although I was abroad in August 1915.

I wrote to the War Office.  Last Friday, August 18 it arrived by registered post.  So there is still hope, after 20 years, for others with medals due." William Alfred Perkins, Prittlewell.

 

In connection with another, similar issue, in 1935 the Minister for War wrote, "it was not due to any deliberate action on the part of the War Office  but to oversight in the Record Offices concerned which were working at very high pressure at the time when the awards of the 1914-15 Star were being made."  An acknowledgement at the highest level mistakes in the compilation of the Rolls occurred.

 

I think we have to put the fact that some men do not appear to have received the medal to which they were entitled was due to overwork and  simple human error.  In October 1920 it was announced 1.397.455 Stars and over 3 million War Medals had been distributed, when considering individuals it's easy to overlook the scale of the operation to record and distribute millions of medals.  Any error was no doubt compounded by the post war situation in Ireland and a reluctance to claim, though it must be said when the decoration was announced 'British and Irish' soldiers who had volunteered as well as troops from the Empire were specifically mentioned. 

 

I've not checked to see if William Perkins is on the ASC medal Roll, but I doubt it, we don't know why he didn't get his medal until he wrote to the War Office but the fact it was sent promptly when the record was checked would seem to suggest  the relative of Pte Galvin did receive his medals.  The 'war medals' roll, dated 1920, and the MIC give no indication these medals were returned.  The MIC is an Index so if, as appears to be the case he was not entered on the original roll there would be nothing to index or add to the card, but no doubt there was correspondence which as in the case above referred to the 14-15 Star.

 

Ken

Edited 28 June , 2019 by kenf48