William Crockson Suffolk / Middlesex Regiments

[Gillian Crockson]

I’ve been left my Grandads medals from WW1 I really have no information apart from he has a Territorial Force Efficiency Medal with a Certificate; a medal from South Africa with 5 “bars” and 3 other medals which I think everyone got. On the rims of the medals it says he was in the 57th Suffolk Regiment and  then the Middlesex Reg. He was born and raised in Suffolk, Sudbury I’m really looking for any help where I can find out more. Thank you all in advance. 

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum. At the very least we need his name. 

[Matlock1418]

Welcome to GWF,

What a lovely memento of your GF - You are really honoured [and many would likely say very lucky] to be the custodian of his great set of medals.

As has been suggested, his names would help us to help you more [we have a fantastic wealth of research and interpretative experience & knowledge here on GWF] ... but if you want all the thrill of the chase then I suggest you have first visited "Researching a soldier" at The Long, Long Trail website - plenty of ideas on sources there.

Or, of course, you can mix & match after you have tried further research.

Wishing you all the best/good luck.

M

Edited 10 February by Matlock1418
typo

[Gillian Crockson]

35 minutes ago, Gillian Crockson said:

I’ve been left my Grandads medals from WW1 I really have no information apart from he has a Territorial Force Efficiency Medal with a Certificate; a medal from South Africa with 5 “bars” and 3 other medals which I think everyone got. On the rims of the medals it says he was in the 57th Suffolk Regiment and  then the Middlesex Reg. He was born and raised in Suffolk, Sudbury I’m really looking for any help where I can find out more. Thank you all in advance. 

Thank you for your replies and the information. Apologies, very new to all this. His name was William CROCKSON b. 1897 in Sudbury. He was a Private in D Company, 2nd VB Suffolk Regiment. He was awarded Honorary Freedom of Sudbury for volunteering for active service in South Africa. The certificate was dated 2/10/1902. 
On 3 of the medals it has the inscription G-1103 Middlesex Regiment and on the other 2 it says Suffolk Regiment. 
Again any help would be appreciated. 
 

[Gillian Crockson]

[RussT]

22 minutes ago, Gillian Crockson said:

His name was William CROCKSON b. 1897 in Sudbury

Are you sure? Can you re-check the date of birth as you are saying he was in the Boer War only a few years later?

Do you have any evidence he was in WW1?

Can you provide images of the medals with the Middlesex Regiment on them or at least describe what they look like etc

Regards

Russ

[RussT]

OK, found him now - correct 3 medals - the 1914/1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal - here is his Medal Index Card

[RussT]

His Medal Roll tells you he served his whole time on the Western Front with the 4th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment, first going overseas on 11/01/1915

You can access the 4th Bn MR War Diary for free from the National Archives to read about his exploits

Regards

Russ

[RussT]

Use this Search to scroll down to see the 4/Bn MR War Diary which is split into a few date periods - you can download them all for free.

Search results: 4 middlesex | The National Archives

[Gillian Crockson]

Thank you so much for all the information. I’ve taken photos of the other two medals and what’s printed on the sides. Again any info would be appreciated and I’m very grateful to you. 

[FROGSMILE]

4 hours ago, Gillian Crockson said:

Thank you for your replies and the information. Apologies, very new to all this. His name was William CROCKSON b. 1897 in Sudbury. He was a Private in D Company, 2nd VB Suffolk Regiment. He was awarded Honorary Freedom of Sudbury for volunteering for active service in South Africa. The certificate was dated 2/10/1902. 
On 3 of the medals it has the inscription G-1103 Middlesex Regiment and on the other 2 it says Suffolk Regiment. 
Again any help would be appreciated. 
 

The 2nd Volunteer Battalion (VB) of the Suffolk Regiment** were an auxiliary part-time unit of the discrete Volunteer Force (VF), which before the late 1880s had comprised of an organisation of city Borough, town and village based Rifle Volunteer units of various sizes and styles of uniform.  They were one of three separate armed organisations providing auxiliary support to the regular army, but specifically intended for home defence.  The three were the Militia, who after basic training trained only once annually.  The VF, who trained weekly for a few hours in an evening, and also at weekends.  Finally, there was the Yeomanry, who trained similarly to the VF, but provided a cavalry rather than infantry force.

The first real test of these organisations on a scale of national importance was the 2nd Anglo/Boer War between 1899 and 1902, when Britain found itself wrong footed by a cunning, well motivated and trained irregular mounted force of Boer Farmers, manoeuvring over the vast tracts of the South African veldt.  Britain simply didn’t have enough regular soldiers to cope both there, and continue manning its many garrison commitments overseas, so to backfill and augment the regulars, in order that they could deploy more fully, the home defence VF were for the first time asked to serve overseas.

The vast majority of the VB responded with one, or two ‘Service Companies’ (each usually of 116 men and officers) formed from volunteers who agreed to leave their homes and contribute overseas.  Your grandfather was one of these volunteers and received army pay plus an annuity of £5 on discharge.  Individual volunteers were provided from the eight companies each of the 1st and 2nd VB Suffolk Regiment, and together these men formed a composite Service Company that was then attached to and served with the 1st Regular Battalion during its service in South Africa (the Militia also provided a full unit in support of the war).  You can read a lot about the activity of all these elements here: https://www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/the-suffolk-regiment-during-the-boer-war/

The Middlesex Regiment was one of several with large recruiting areas that led to them being ordered to sustain four regular battalions rather than the more usual two.  Ergo it seems that the previous war service of your grandfather led to him being assigned during WW1 to a regular battalion, the 4th, as opposed to one of the Territorial Force battalions that replaced the VF in 1908.  A large part of the rationale for replacing the VF is because the governments quest for volunteers to serve overseas in South Africa had not gone so well as they had perhaps naively anticipated and there had been much criticism subsequently in the Houses of Parliament.

**whose full dress uniform was grey with red collar and cuffs.

 

 

 

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE

[Gillian Crockson]

Thank you RussT and Frogsmile for so much information, I have an awful lot of reading to do and appreciate your help. No doubt I’ll be back with more questions. 

Best wishes 

Gillian Crockson

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Gillian Crockson said:

Thank you RussT and Frogsmile for so much information, I have an awful lot of reading to do and appreciate your help. No doubt I’ll be back with more questions. 

Best wishes 

Gillian Crockson

The 2nd VB of the Suffolk Regiment was formed in 1887 (it took that long to convert some units from (Rifle Volunteers) and had its HQ in Bury St Edmunds from 1899.  In 1908, further major reform that created the Territorial Force led to the unit being re-titled as 5th (TF) Battalion the Suffolk Regiment.

The eight companies of the 2nd VB were located as follows in 1900:

A - Stowmarket.

B - Eye.

C - Eye.

D - Sudbury.

E - Bury St Edmunds.

F - Bury St Edmunds.

G - Hadleigh.

H - Newmarket.

I hope this is useful in helping you trace your grandfather’s service.  The type of collar badge he wore is below.

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE

[Gillian Crockson]

7 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

The 2nd VB of the Suffolk Regiment was formed in 1887 (it took that long to convert some units from VRC) and had its HQ in Bury St Edmunds from 1899.  In 1908, further major reform that created the Territorial Force led to the unit being re-titled as 5th (TF) Battalion the Suffolk Regiment.

The eight companies of the 2nd VB were located as follows in 1900:

A - Stowmarket.

B - Eye.

C - Eye.

D - Sudbury.

E - Bury St Edmunds.

F - Bury St Edmunds.

G - Hadleigh.

H - Newmarket.

I hope this is useful in helping you trace your grandfather’s service.  The type of collar badge he wore is below.

It’s all incredibly helpful thank you. So even as a Private would he have worn the type of uniform that’s pictured? 
 

 

[FROGSMILE]

6 hours ago, Gillian Crockson said:

It’s all incredibly helpful thank you. So even as a Private would he have worn the type of uniform that’s pictured? 
 

 

Yes the uppermost black and white photo of a single soldier shows a private.  This was the best uniform known as full dress and used for more formal occasions.  Note the grey helmet that was worn with it.

In South Africa a different, more utilitarian khaki ‘service’ uniform and helmet, or later on hat, was worn.

The lowermost photo shows four soldiers from D Company, 2nd Volunteer Battalion Suffolk Regiment.  The helmets are of the Boer War period, suggesting that this photo was taken either before the Volunteers went out to South Africa or actually during their service there.  From the backdrop and their pose I think that the former scenario is more likely.

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE

[Allan1892]

@Gillian Crockson -- his service record for his first period of service with the Suffolk Regiment is available on Find My Past (a subscription site). He attested on the 26th March 1900 declaring that he was 20 years and 4 months old. He is described as being 5 feet 4.5 inches tall with a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. His religion is recorded as 'other Protestant' Link below to Find My Past if you have access. (Images courtesy of Find My Past)

British Army Service Records 1760-1915 Image | findmypast.co.uk

[Allan1892]

@Gillian Crockson -- once again, you are lucky -- his WW1 service has also survived and can be found on Find My Past. He attested at Stratford on the 5th September 1914 and was placed into 'A' Company of the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. (image courtesy of Find My Past)

His actual service is recorded as:

BEF (France) -- 11/01/1915 to 19/03/1918

Home (i.e. UK) -- 20/03/1918 to 03/04/1918

BEF -- 04/04/1918 to 25/01/1919

Home -- 26/01/1919 to 31/03/1920

Link to his record as follows:

British Army Service Records 1914-1920 Image | findmypast.co.uk

[Gillian Crockson]

1 hour ago, FROGSMILE said:

Yes the uppermost black and white photo of a single soldier shows a private.  This was the best uniform known as full dress and used for more formal occasions.  Note the grey helmet that was worn with it.

In South Africa a different, more utilitarian khaki uniform and helmet, or later on hat, was worn.

The lowermost photo shows four soldiers from D Company, 2nd Volunteer Battalion Suffolk Regiment.  The helmets are of the Boer War period, suggesting that this photo was taken either before the Volunteers went out to South Africa or actually during their service there.  From the backdrop and their pose I think that the former scenario is more likely.

 

[RussT]

So we just need to fit in his TF service - his TFEM is numbered 73.

Perhaps Gillian can let us know what else it says around the rim of that medal.

Russ

[Gillian Crockson]

Once again thank you both so much. So much information in such a short time I’m very grateful.

I feel incredibly lucky to have such a complete picture of his war history. 
 

On his TFE medal it says ….73 pte W Crockson 57 Suffolk Reg but nothing else
 

regards

 

Edited 10 February by Gillian Crockson

[FROGSMILE]

26 minutes ago, Gillian Crockson said:

Once again thank you both so much. So much information in such a short time I’m very grateful.

I feel incredibly lucky to have such a complete picture of his war history. 
 

On his TFE medal it says ….73 pte W Crockson 57 Suffolk Reg but nothing else
 

regards

 

As Russ says can you tell us what it says around the rim (edge) of his Territorial Force Efficiency Medal - with the green and yellow ribbon.  That is the only part of his service to clarify and it suggests a further engagement as an auxiliary soldier either just pre, or post WW1. The TF was not formed until 1908.  Disbanded at the end of the war it was re-raised as the Territorial Army in 1921.  He must have served in one of them.

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE

[Gillian Crockson]

I’ve looked under a magnifying glass in the hope it might say more but it doesn’t, just 73 Pte W Crockson 57 Suffolk Reg. I’ve checked and the ribbons were changed to dark green with yellow edges in Dec 1919, so my Grandads was issued before then.

Gillian

[FROGSMILE]

33 minutes ago, Gillian Crockson said:

I’ve looked under a magnifying glass in the hope it might say more but it doesn’t, just 73 Pte W Crockson 57 Suffolk Reg. I’ve checked and the ribbons were changed to dark green with yellow edges in Dec 1919, so my Grandads was issued before then.

Gillian

That’s a big help Gillian.  The Dec 1919 ribbon clearly then doesn’t apply to him, so it shows us that he was in the prewar Territorial Force (TF).  As I mentioned earlier in the thread the VF had been discredited from a political viewpoint (arguably unfairly) following the 2nd Boer War and after a Defence Reform proposal by Lord Haldane (a Scot) the VF was stood down one night in 1908 and the next morning the TF was born to replace it.

Those VF members who refused the new terms and conditions stood down and if served long enough received the Volunteer Service medal with its plain green ribbon.  Those men who agreed the new terms became a part of the TF, at the same locations, using the same equipment, but usually with a view to having a new uniform and revised insignia (some retained their old uniforms but insignia invariably was modified).

Clearly your grandfather was among the latter.  The 2nd VB of the Suffolk Regiment became the 5th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment (Territorial Force)** because for the first time all categories of battalion were to be numbered continually in one chronological sequence.

Its clear then that, given the medal, your grandfather continued serving until he had served long enough as an auxiliary soldier to receive the TFEM (i.e. the aggregated service with VF and TF combined). 

**the old 1st VB became the 4th TF Battalion.

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE

[RussT]

He is the MIC for his TFEM.

What Gillian thinks she sees as "57th" on the rim I think should be simply "5th" - perhaps Gillian can post an image of that part of the rim to see if it has been incorrectly impressed.

Russ

 

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, RussT said:

He is the MIC for his TFEM.

What Gillian thinks she sees as "57th" on the rim I think should be simply "5th" - perhaps Gillian can post an image of that part of the rim to see if it has been incorrectly impressed.

Russ

 

Yes I agree that 57 must be an error of some kind.  Perhaps the 7 is a poorly rendered th.  I don’t think they’re usually shown, rd, th, etc. but am unfamiliar with TFEF medals.

Edited 10 February by FROGSMILE