Medal Card Abbreviation help

[Phil Eyden]

I have consulted the Long Long Trail before coming here to ask for help, but unfortunately cannot find the answers I am looking for so I would appreciate your expert help.

I am researching the life of Guy Coburn Robson, a British Museum naturalist who during the 20s and early 30s wrote pioneering monographs on octopus and squid biology, systematics and taxonomy.   During the war he was commissioned as 2/Lt in the 2/1 Essex & Suffolk RGA and spent several months at Shoeburyness in 1917 before being hospitalised with neurasthenia in early 1918. I do not believe he ever went abroad as he was not in the best of health throughout his year or so of service - I have what survives of his service records from the NA and a paragraph states 'Not eligible for King's Certificate' dating to December 1918.

However, I do have these two medal cards and I am unclear if he was entitled after all as one card states 'Eligible' and the other has the Codes NW and EF. I would really appreciate your help here. 

Thank you. 

Edited 13 April , 2023 by Phil Eyden
Extra photo

[PRC]

All he appears to be eligible for is the Silver War Badge - see here for general details https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/campaign-medal-records/records-of-the-silver-war-badge/

Looks like he was released from his commission in December 1918.

As an officer he had to apply for any service medal entitlement. From the reverse side of the first card posted it looks like it was only raised in 1920 to help the clerks at the Royal Artillery records office keep track - his name had appeared on a roll of officers who had been commissioned from the ranks that had been received in the office. They obviously failed to spot that a Silver War Badge record card already existed for the same officer. No application for service medals appears to have been received until April 1929, by which point he was giving his contact address as the Zoological Department at the British Museum, (Natural History). The absence of any roll records would imply there was no entitlement.

Cheers,
Peter

[Phil Eyden]

Brilliant Peter. Thank you. 

[TEW]

You may also want to check the below for explanation of the NW3, EF3 & EF9 refs.

https://warrecordsrevealed.com/medal-cards-understanding-the-file-numbers-used-by-medal-branch-in-the-cards-rolls/

Note that he's applying as an ordinary rank. I've not seen the HSB part before or the fact that it was 'sent' but 'no reply'.

Not sure what that means really, the NW3 should be the application sent in by himself. Saying 'no reply' to that makes little sense. Unless his NW3 was sent by the medal office to HSB who didn't reply. No idea who/what HSB was.

It looks like he applied twice for medals, 1920 & again in 1929 which is after a new system was put in place. I think the NW3 application is the 1929 one.

I suspect the EF9 & the 9/arty R/271  were fat files of correspondance which would explain all but are now lost.

TEW

 

[rksimpson]

Hi

If he got his SWB, then the arty reference should be a link to the roll that has his SWB recorded in it.

On Ancestry it is headed -  UK, Silver War Badge Records, 1914-1920, but I cant find it in there?

Looks like his service record is at NA UK -  Lieutenant Guy Coburn ROBSON. Royal Garrison Artillery. | The National Archives

and divorce - Divorce Court File: 7189. Appellant: Guy Coburn Robson. Respondent: Beryl Sinclair... | The National Archives

But you have to go there to view.

regards

Robert

 

[TEW]

There's very few SWB rolls to officers.

It's the norm for officers to be 'eligible' but not actually apply for a SWB. Post-armistice makes it more unlikely I think.

Regarding the 9/arty reference, it's opposite the 'No. Of File' and doesn't look like a SWB reference to me. An officer's reference would be 'OFF' rather than a specific unit. I still say it's a correspondance file.

Both cards were created by the medal office. The discharge card is for him as an officer and the 'normal' MIC was created when he applied in 1920. Although he was commissioned he was applying for his service as an ordinary rank.

Quite easy to see why the medal office didn't connect the two cards, different ranks, units and initials on one card while forenames on the other.

The EF3 reference suggests he was hoping for a 14/15 Star & the pair as #157904 RFA.

It's the later 1929 application (NW3) that complicates matters. Can't think of a reason for him to do so if his 1920 application failed.

TEW

[PRC]

33 minutes ago, TEW said:

and the 'normal' MIC was created when he applied in 1920.

May be missing something but still not seeing any sign that he personally applied in 1920 - no EF9 return or contact address juding from the ink colour and handwriting style. As can be seen on the rear , although difficult to make out all the words, it looks like the MiC was raised in response to a roll being received from the OC RHA and RFA records of ranks later commissioned. Quite understandable that such a roll might list his other ranks service number to avoid a subsequent duplication. For officers, even those who didn't serve in the ranks, such rolls from am O\C, (divisional \ district etc) appear not to be uncommon and I've come across a number over the years where such rolls have been received, a MiC raised, but no subsequent application made.

Images courtesy Ancestry.

Would seem odd that he would apply again in 1929 for medals for either serving in the ranks or as an officer.

Surely if he applied as an officer in 1920 but had no entitlement for that period of his army career it would have prompted a review of why any entitlement generated by his overseas service in the ranks hadn't led to the issue of medals. The straightforward answer would be that any such review revealed he had no service medal entitlement at all. Of course with millions of potential individuals with a medal entitlement some might have dropped down the cracks.

Pure speculation on my part, but if the 1929 application referenced that he was issued with the SWB, or applied for one in 1918 that was never issued, then there may have been internal correspondence in 1929 to try and tie the records up. A possible explanation of the reference to H.S.B., but we will probably never know.

Cheers,
Peter

[TEW]

Well, I do like a complicated MIC!

The OC in charge RFA & RHA submitted a roll of officers etc. in 1920. Not sure why they'd do that other than for a specific enquiry from the medal office following an application. My opinion of course but I don't think the MIC was raised as a result of receiving the roll from the RA, rather that Robson's application raised the card so the medal office made enquiries to the RA who submitted the roll.

Normally for ORs an MIC would be created automatically from the roll. As he wouldn't be on a roll there wouldn't be an MIC unless he tried a claim (EF3).

The EF3/4975 ref must be pre 1928 and is a ORs application by surname.

Those two factors suggest to me a 1920 application.

The EF9 thing makes life difficult as it can mean two things, there is an EF9/3843 ref but I don't think it's an officer's submission form considering he's applying for his OR service.

Which suggests to me the EF9 relates to the eligibility on individual cases and rolls of names submitted by units etc. Again, this seems to be 1920.

I guess we'll never know but an interesting card and case.

TEW

[Phil Eyden]

Thank you TEW, Peter and Robert. I really appreciate your time taken to reply - thank you. 

I have his records from the NA, unfortunately they were weeded in the 60s so some of the material has gone. Having said that, I do have some information. Here is a quick summary:

07/06/1916 Applied for a Commission in the RGA (TF) whilst serving in the Oxford Uni OTC. Application approved by Sidney Harmer, Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum of Natural History. This was approved by Lt. Col Stenning of the OTC on the 14/07/1916. Three days later he was ordered to join the 3rd Reserve Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, (TF), at Exeter on the 21st July. On the 19th he was given a medical examination and passed as B1. Varicose veins were noted.

21/07/1916 Posted to the RHA/RFA No.1 Cadet School in Exeter. (16th Reserve Battery, RFA). For the first two days he was listed as a Private, No. 157904, then a Gunner from the 21st. 

18/08/1916 To RGA No.1 Officer Cadet School at Trowbridge

11/10/1916 Discharged from Trowbridge to a Commission in the 2/1st Essex and Suffolk RGA at Shoeburyness as a 2/Lt. 

08/07/1917 Officer's Hospital at Shoeburyness with Varicose veins. He was barely able to walk. He was then taken to Topsham in Exeter for a further medical examination. 

28/08/1917 Diagnosed with suffering from Neurasthenia and initially admitted to Howard Home in Brighton, treatment later at Palace Green, a dedicated Neurasthenia hospital at Kensington for shell-shocked officers. Treatment lasted 297 days.

(By) 04/09/1917 At the Officer's hospital at 10 Palace Green, Kensington with Neurasthenia. He blamed the winter, overwork, planes and zeppelins. Complained about being moved between hospitals for three months.

04/12/1917 Demobilised due to ill health. 

30/04/1918 Still at Palace Green, he stated in correspondence he was to be sent to a convalescent home. 

22/06/1918 Discharged from treatment at Palace Green.

12/10/1918 British Army Lists of 4th quarter 1918 listed him as ‘Ceased to be effective’ from this date. 

14/11/1918 Medical Board assessment in London. Disability ‘Peripheral Neuritis’. Not eligible for King’s Certificate.

31/12/1918 Relinquished his commission and discharged from active service on account of ill-health. Remained on Army Lists.

27/01/1919 Promoted to Lieutenant with rank backdated to 12/04/1918. This was the date at which he had been due to be promoted had he been on active service.

30/09/1919 British army lists. Listed as a Retired Officer from the Territorial Force.

So he only seemed to be on active service at Home from October 1916 to August 1917 and there is no evidence that he went abroad. The reason for his neurasthenia is unknown - odd to have 'shell shock' if he remained on Home Service. I think it's likely he was caught up in the bombing raid on Southend on the 12th August 1917 but unfortunately is unproveable. 

Guy went on to have a career in the Mollusc section at the British Museum of Natural History until 1936 when he had to medically retire. Amongst his achievements, of which he wrote many papers, was the first anatomical dissection and description of Mesonychoteuthis, the Colossal squid. 

Edited 14 April , 2023 by Phil Eyden