Daniel DUFOUR Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 I’m looking for Sergeant Louis LESSARD military medal. He was member of the 7th Bn. CRT. His war records does mention he won a MM. His service number is 1102223. I searched the LAC website and found nothing. Could someone help me out? I would like to know in what circumstances he won this medal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterboy Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 7 minutes ago, Daniel DUFOUR said: I’m looking for Sergeant Louis LESSARD military medal. He was member of the 7th Bn. CRT. His war records does mention he won a MM. His service number is 1102223. I searched the LAC website and found nothing. Could someone help me out? I would like to know in what circumstances he won this medal... Please give what other details you have and explain what CRT and LAC This is forum that deals with WW1 only Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel DUFOUR Posted 13 November , 2022 Author Share Posted 13 November , 2022 Sure! CRT stands for “Canadian Railway Troops” and LAC is “Library and Archives Canada”. This is LAC’s medals search portal: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/military-medals-1812-1969/Pages/search.aspx Since Canadian Railway Troops were under British command, and since medals won by Canadians during WW1 were British medals, I guess there might be a UK website where I could find the information I’m looking for… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 Daniel No trace in the London Gazette under that surname or that number. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_history_buff Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 CEF citations for the MM situated at Ottawa did not go up in smoke, unlike their counterparts held by the British Army in London in 1940. The citations were completed on the forms up until March 1918, and can be accessed via Ancestry if you are a subscriber. Direct requests on the forum for lookups of documents behind paywalls are not permitted. https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/2471/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 (edited) Attested 27 Jan 1917, so his MM must have been for late 1917 or 1918: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=52667 Like Keith, I cannot see any record of him and a MM in the London Gazette or the National Archives. Do you have his MM, or are you related to him? Where was his MM mentioned? Edited 13 November , 2022 by Ivor Anderson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 (edited) Canadian MMs were listed in the London Gazette and MM cards were imaged on TNA - for example - George Jacob Lutz 690106, 52nd Bn. Manitoba R: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30743/supplement/7017 Edited 13 November , 2022 by Ivor Anderson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 His service docs do mention the MM twice on discharge docs but not on those that show his movements whilst in UK and Europe. I would have thought if valid it would be in those. https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B5597-S005 As above no sign in Canadians or UK records of the MM. Clerical error? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel DUFOUR Posted 13 November , 2022 Author Share Posted 13 November , 2022 Maybe there is an error. The battalion commandant Martin wrote his memoirs “The War and the 7th Bn CRT”, where he mentions that Sgt Lessard won a MM, but it doesn’t say more… I’ll try TNA… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 A mystery indeed, That it is in his docs and in a memoir. Despite declaring he had no previous service on his attestation page 29 of his docs shows an orginal enlistment of 27/11/14. Overseas March 1915, Wounded in 1916 and invalided to Canada Nov 1916. re-enlisted Jan 1917 which these docs seem to refer to. All very strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 (edited) Would he have won the MM with another unit under a different service number, e.g. in 1916? However, can't see him in the LG! Edited 13 November , 2022 by Ivor Anderson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 Does not seem to be another set of relevant docs under the same name. So I think I will do a bit of genealogy to see if that gives any clues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1943 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 From what I have encountered on similar threads of hard-to-locate servicemen, the advice has been to search newspapers of the time (presumably the birth place or the hometown newspaper) for articles. Also, did the 7th Bn CRT have a war diary? Regards, JMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 (edited) War diary https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2004965&q=9-52 war diaries railway Louis Paul Lessard appears to be his true name. Married with several children https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/208777834/louis-paul-lessard?_gl=1*cwmu5x*_ga*MjM0ODMyNzA5LjE2MTc2OTEzMjE.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY2ODM2MDcyNC4yODkuMS4xNjY4MzYxODk3LjU5LjAuMA.. A quick whizz through the diary revealed several awards but not one to Lessard. But could have missed it. page 88 of his docs has a history which says something like Enlisted with 7th ??? .. then the date above of 27/11/14/ Then I think 16 months overseas. Invalided to Canada with GSW to Head. Re-enlisted.... Thy get his age wrong regularly often saying 39 when he was 28-29. Edited 13 November , 2022 by Mark1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 13 November , 2022 Share Posted 13 November , 2022 (edited) According to an Ancestry tree this is the man. Married 1911 2 of their sons took part in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. Edited 13 November , 2022 by Mark1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel DUFOUR Posted 13 November , 2022 Author Share Posted 13 November , 2022 Oh wow! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbecker Posted 14 November , 2022 Share Posted 14 November , 2022 Mate, I have run into this with a number of Aussie documents, where the soldier claims an award, because he was told had been awarded, this gets mentioned in his service files, but still no confirmation through offical channels. In the end he may have been informed and mention is some documents, but was never officaly awarded, this may be for any number of reasons, most often we colonials were only allowed so many awards from our British masters, and had to limit how they were awarded While I did not find this so much in the Great war, all other wars we had that problem. Like why no VC was awarded to the ALH in Egypt - Palestine, when any number were awarded to the British and later Indian Infantry and cavalry? But that's only one possible idea why he has no award? S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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