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Remembered Today:

Help to ID a Major


Noor

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20210504_160315.jpg.2fba6f52d00205080a99e5ce85425166.jpg

20210504_160504.jpg.d3ed97e4e3a2c591b535aa35a0bd02ba.jpgHi all,

 

Slightly different puzzle here now.

I bought a random Victory Medal from eBay and the naming is partially rubbed out.

I think this medal was named to MAJOR M.A.GROSS or CROSS but unfortunately I can't see his MIC. Perhaps promoted in home or Canadian or Aus/NZ officer. Back of the medal is not for SA anyway.

 

Any ideas who this officer was?

 

Many thanks

 

 

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Having a stab - How about:

Maurice A CROSS, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment?

:-) M

 

Edit:

CWGC have https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/549105/MAURICE ASSHETON CROSS - as a Captain.

LG has him temporarily holding the rank of Major but relinquishing it.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29096/supplement/2481

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29590/supplement/5054

???

That filing of the rim does look rather 'off'

Edited by Matlock1418
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Thanks. I saw him too but 

Captain Maurice Assheton

CROSS

Killed in action on the 18th August 1916 - Age 26

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13 minutes ago, Noor said:

Captain Maurice Assheton CROSS

Service papers at the National Archives as:

Maurice Asheton CROSS http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1061385 

Those spellings of second forename puzzled me as neither variant came up on LG

However a Geoffrey J ASSHETON-CROSS did come up in LG so perhaps a family link. Edit: that's looking elsewhere like Geoffrey John Assheton CROSS, RN.

???

:-) M

Edited by Matlock1418
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9 minutes ago, Noor said:

Thanks. Now, Medal is named to MAJOR, so it can't be him.

Would pukka embossing not have been just the abbreviated version of: Maj.

???

:-) M

Edited by Matlock1418
punctuation
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If he was a Major (Temp) at the time (date) the award was made then that’s what should be on his medal.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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2 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

If he was a Major (Temp) at the time (date) the award was made then that’s what should be on his medal.

Reverting to what I should have done earlier - but other things on my plate, metaphorically and meanwhile literally!

Have gone back to the Medal Rolls [on Ancestry] for M. A. CROSS.

1914-15 Star as Captain - entering France 11-7-15

BWM & VM as Major

Highest rank in overseas theatre I believe for BWM & VM - and we do know he did hold the temp rank of Major as late as 27 Apr. 1916.

And then looked at the MIC http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D2020517 at the National Archives in b/w and on Ancestry in colour - always better in colour!] - MIC looks at first glance like Capt & Capt [in red ink] - but on further inspection there is a further annotation below these which rather suspiciously looks like "Mjr" [in blue ink].

Think Maurice Assheton CROSS is probably back in play!

:-) M

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Thanks for checking. I absolutely agree - checked him out on ancestry too and it confirms MJR for BWM/VM. Looks like this news didn't got back in home in time. He is still commemorated as Captain...

 

Reference: medal index card (at the moment free source) downloaded from www.ancestry.co.uk attached below

30850_A000393-02820.jpg.2493ede1dc0533f436a3cbd789726f65.jpg

IMG_0894.jpg.baa39d5839490d6f8c4835e1d4f044ca.jpg

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Noor said:

Looks like this news didn't got back in home in time. He is still commemorated as Captain...

Don't forget he had apparently relinquished his Majority by the time of his death, and I can't see another later LG entry for regaining it, so I/CWGC and the memorial plaque probably have it right as Captain.

:-) M

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Thanks. All makes sense now.

 

He was a cousin of Viscount Cross...

20210504_211218.jpg

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1 hour ago, Matlock1418 said:so I/CWGC and the memorial plaque probably have it right as Captain.

:-) M

Yes that’s correct.  It’s just the medals that he earned as a Major that would be inscribed accordingly.

Edited by FROGSMILE
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