Two MICs for the one man-Worcester Rgt?

[Duncan]

Can anyone held me with this. I have just bought a British War Medal to a Pte 16364 W. Garrington, Worcestershire Regiment. I looked up his MIC on the National Archives website and there appear to be two:

L/Cpl 16364 W. Garrington, Worcestershire Regiment.

Pte 16364 William Garrington, 3rd Worcestershire Regiment.

Checking on the London Gazette website there is a 16364 L/C W. Garrington, Worc R., awarded the Military Medal 10/08/1916.

Is it safe to assume that the two MICs are for the same man, the one who won the MM? What’s confusing me is that I thought the highest rank was engraved on the BWM/Victory, which would be L/Cpl. However, it is Private that is engraved.

The only scenario that would fit would be that he was taken POW or killed after the gazette date, which I believe meant that a man lost his L/Cpl status. However, a check on the CGWC website shows he was not killed.

Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Many thanks,

Duncan.

[Stebie9173]

The one in the WO 362/23 reference is for the Military Medal. They nearly always seem to just show initials rather than forenames. It also covers DCMs but it is reasonably safe to assume that the card is for a MM. The card itself will say when the Medal was gazetted.

Could the Rank on the Campaign Medal card be the rank he held when he qualified for the medals?

My (long lost) great-uncle had two similar cards one for his Campaign Medals and one for the MM.

Hope I've answered the right question?

Steve.

[Duncan]

Thanks for the info, it's loads of help.

The rank on the BWM/Victory was the highest attained during overseas service, the rank on the 1914 or 1914/15 Star the rank help when first overseas. So you could have Private on the 1914 Star and Sergeant on the pair. If you were a L/Cpl and died or were taken prisoner you reverted to Private, so could have L/Cpl on the 1914 Star and Private on the pair. Very confusing!

Thanks for the help.

Duncan.

[Steven Broomfield]

Duncan

Stacke's History of the Worcesters has 16364 L/Cpl C W Garrington being awarded the MM, gazette date 10/8/16, which confirms what you already know, but no mention of his death

He might not have been the only man to lose a stripe after a heavy night out!!!!!

Steven