Period between wounding and issuing of SWB

[stephenh]

I am presently researching a Pte William Haughton of the 1st R.I.Rifles and was lucky enough to find a pic of him in my local paper which states that he was wounded in action on 13th Oct 1915 where he lost a leg. I have susequently received his SWB list details which mentions that he was indeed discharged from the army on 14th July 1916 caused by a gunshot wound to the leg. Why so long in being discharged, surely he did'nt remain active in the army fo 9 months or so with only one leg? I would be interested to hear your views on this one. Very puzzling!!

Stephen

[Guest granty]

Excuse my ignorance but what does SWB stand for?

[shaymen]

Silver War Badge

http://www.1914-1918.net/silver_badge.htm

Glyn

[sandyford]

Stephen

Presumably he would have had a long period in hospital, perhaps even 9 mths, when he was being treated.

A board would have been convened to decide on his official date of discharge perhaps that date was when he was discharged from hospital or convalescence.

Kate

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Also he would have had to apply for the Badge,they were not issued automatically,9 months in all reality is not long,many men with serious Wounds,etc were not deemed discharged until all treatment by the Military Medical forces was complete{or as complete as it could be}& effectively all that could be done for them had been done{prosthetics,etc;}& then returned to Civilian life.

Not forgetting that the SWB wasn't authorised until September 1916,& would have been issued retrospectively.

Edited 15 December , 2005 by HarryBettsMCDCM

[jim_davies]

Hi Stephen,

This has been a question that I've been meaning to ask on the forum for a while-but kept forgetting to

I've come across a number of 4th Lincs men wounded on the same day as Haughton, who start appearing on the SWBrolls in March & April 1915, continuing into July 1915.

I think that with some wounds (maybe something like the lost of a limb) it would be fairly obvious that the soldier wouldn't be returning to service, so a badge would be issued quicker, then a man who had to recover and then go before a medical board.

I would be very interested if anyone has come across the boards that Kate mentions. My g-g-uncle's service papers refer to an "Occupational Index Board" in 1917 after his third wound, and I've often wondered what exactly it related to.

Jim

[stephenh]

Thaks Pals

Never thought about being in hospital which I'm sure he was for that length of time. Interesting that he had to go through all the procedures involved, and that it did indeed take so long for discharge! Appreciate your help on this.

Stephen

[squirrel]

One of the soldiers on my sig. was wounded in late 1917 and finally discharged as medically unfit in 1921. I have his SWB with his medals.

[barrieduncan]

Harry, you mention that the SWB had to be applied for. Would the award be noted on the MiC regardless if the soldier had applied for the badge or not?

I'm also curious, how much information is contained on the SWB roll? Does it give any details as to type of wound and when they were wounded etc?

Thanks,

Barrie

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

The SWB had to be applied for. Would the award be noted on the MiC regardless if the soldier had applied for the badge or not?

How much information is contained on the SWB roll? Does it give any details as to type of wound and when they were wounded etc?

Unfortunately it doesnt give any date of Wounding{Contemporary local {to Him} papers are the best sources of this as they carried Times Casualty lists [& often Letters giving details],days after they were published in London}

In the comparative few cases I have come across where Men were discharged without applying for the SWB,then all the MiC states is "Disch"{etc;} perhaps with a date but no Roll reference details.No Claim then I suspect no Roll details,however as it was expedient for men to claim it as it had employment & social benefits as well as avoiding the White Feather,as Companies were encouraged to employ discharged service persons,so many thousands did.

The information contained on the War Badge Roll page varies;sometimes just the Code{KRs392[xvi} etc is used but on other pages details of the Wound/Illness is given[A recent WB accquisition page lists G.S.W Rt Thigh/Incontinence of Urine/G.S.W Temple/Broken Rt Femur/Debility/G.S.W.Chest/etc as the various causes of discharge for the various servicemen on it{usually around 10~12 per page}].As well as this it lists date of enlistment,Name,Service Number,Date of Discharge,Unit Discharged from,Age{if you are lucky}If they served Overseas,Badge & Certificate Number{a Numbered Named Card was issued with the Badge}& King's Regulation code for cause of discharge {if actual cause isn't given}NB:a list of these is posted in the "Long Long Trail" above @ the head of this Forum,These Rolls are an excellent source of reference,far more information is included than on most Medal Index Cards,& if no service Papers are available they often are the most productive source of official information you may find.

Edited 15 December , 2005 by HarryBettsMCDCM

[barrieduncan]

Thanks very much for the heads up

I'v been researching a man from the East Surrey Regiment whose medals I have, and his MiC gives a reference for the SWB, guess that will be my next port of call for info. I just got my Surrey Recruitment Registers CD today, got some good info from that. The man is slowly but surely coming to life. Just a shame I dont have his SWB

Cheers,

Barrie