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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Great Grandads Medals


EmmNic

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Welcome to the forum. In haste as I’m off out to my local war memorial very soon, but you have medals  from both wars. 
The top photo medals explained here. 

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/campaign-medal-records/the-british-campaign-medals-for-the-great-war/

WW2 is outside of our remit, but ww2talk.com will be the place to visit.

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Great Grandfather's WW1 medals are the 1914 Star with clasp and rosette, the British War Medal (silver) and the Victory Medal.  To have the clasp on his Star he must have been a pre-war regular.   I am not an expert but the fourth medal appears to be RAOB (Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes).

BillyH.

Edited by BillyH
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26 minutes ago, PhilB said:

Interesting that he’s described as a bomber, a rôle normally seen in infantry?

He’s actually a Bombardier not a bomber. 
 

A3E35A42-382B-4216-8825-A985EB307BF5.jpeg.da473e4f414d9e3630f0ae4250d4deac.jpeg

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Good to see the Mons Bar on his 1914 Star as confirmed by his Medal Index Card - entered theatre early on, on 15.08.1914.

 

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Looking at the WW2 Group the 3rd Queens were indeed part of the 8th Army in North Africa.

This was a Tank Unit that fought in the breakthrough at El Alamein in 1942. These events left it so short of men that it was transferred to Syria and Lebanon until April 1944, when it joined the Italian campaign.

It may have been at that point when he joined the Irish Hussars. 

The 8th Irish was also an armoured unit that fought in North Africa before it returned to Britain to prepare for the invasion of Europe. It landed with its Cromwell tanks two days after D-Day (June 1944), fighting throughout the North West Europe campaign before ending the war near Hamburg. It then joined the occupation forces. (Hence his France and Germany Star).

 

 

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6 hours ago, EmmNic said:

love hearing the history of my Grandads

Ernest Nichols will have originally joined the Royal Horse Artillery in 1905 (actually joining at Woolwich in March/April 1905), volunteering to serve 3 years with "the Colours" (ie full time) followed by 9 years in the Reserve,( during which time he could be recalled in the case of an emergency). 

So at the very least he will have been recalled, 'mobilised' on 5th August 1914 when war was declared. Within 10 days he had landed in France! 

It is possible that he extended his original Colour Service and was still actively serving in 1914? 

If you could give us his date and place of birth we could try and see if he appears on the 1911 census- unless you already have this, perhaps for the military?

Because his service record seems to have been destroyed in WW2 we cannot be sure where and when he served, nor his battery. But maybe we can make a couple of further deductions. 

Charlie

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As the Medal index card and the medal roll show, he was part of 3rd Brigade Royal Horse Artillery. This comprised D and E Batteries, and presumably an ammunition column. It was E battery that fired the first round of the British Artillery in the war, wasn't it?** 

**Yes, D sub.

Edited by charlie962
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Wow that's amazing 

10 hours ago, Kitchener's Bugle said:

Looking at the WW2 Group the 3rd Queens were indeed part of the 8th Army in North Africa.

 

This was a Tank Unit that fought in the breakthrough at El Alamein in 1942. These events left it so short of men that it was transferred to Syria and Lebanon until April 1944, when it joined the Italian campaign.

 

It may have been at that point when he joined the Irish Hussars. 

 

The 8th Irish was also an armoured unit that fought in North Africa before it returned to Britain to prepare for the invasion of Europe. It landed with its Cromwell tanks two days after D-Day (June 1944), fighting throughout the North West Europe campaign before ending the war near Hamburg. It then joined the occupation forces. (Hence his France and Germany Star).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, Ivor Anderson said:

date of entry to war theatre as 15 Aug 1914

This was actually the date they embarked at Dublin, sailing for Le Havre where they landed 17/8.

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On 11/11/2022 at 10:08, BillyH said:

I am not an expert but the fourth medal appears to be RAOB (Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes).

Agreed -- several available to buy on well known web sites including Etsy. 

GLE medal on Etsy.jpg

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In addition to the need to swop 2 WW2 medal ribbons already mentioned the WW2 Medals are in the wrong order.

They ought to be rearranged in the same order as shown in the WW2 medal ribbons.

 

Steve

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