Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Hi, I'm very new to this so please be gentle! I'm trying to locate any information about my great great grandfather, all I know is that he served in the Buffs, Bantam division during WWI his name was Valentine Smith, he left the army after the war, and although I have been told he gained service medals I don't know where he served of what he did.....Does anyone know where I might go from here? Thanks Tessa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Have you tried searching for his Medal Index Card at the National Archives online? That might give you some more information with regards to his unit and will tell you what medals he would have been entitled to. Have a read at the Long Long Trail mother site (link at top of this page) it will give you good pointers. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Thanks Barrie, I'll go and have a look now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A McCluskey Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Tess, The link below takes you the medal index cards of all of the Valentine Smiths (registered with this facility) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...Spec=score+desc The 1st entry is Valentine Reginal Smith - East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Here is the link to his medal index card that you can download for £3.50 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...&resultcount=21 The medal index card will look similar to this: Hope this helps and your research goes well Tom McC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 I think this could be his medal card, although there are a few. Do you know if he had a middle name, this man is Valentine Reginald Smith, the only one from the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) that I can see. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...&resultcount=21 Barrie Tom - we obviously have too much time on our hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 THanks Guys, I'm sure I've down loaded this before (just looking through a mountain of paper) its the "reginald" that throws me, nobody can remember him having a middle name? I'm going to down load again now anyway, and see if it helps................. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Hi Tess, It may well be that he had a middle name and never used it. I had a look under V Smith in the Buffs, and V R Smith was the closest hit Have you tried for his birth certificate? That could clear up the middle name issue for you. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Ok Got it !! (was actually stored away safely in my PC so didn't have to pay again ) he was awarded Victory and star medals (theres a numbher 15 infront of the star and a X after the vistory) and It looks like ditto marks under the victory medal for the british medal................ it also gives his date of discharge as 27 mar 1919 does it show his unit number anywhere so that it will confirm hes 'my' man? Tessa ps, birth cert is a dodgy one!! he was a gypsy so as yet, no birth or marriage cert has been found, I do have his death cert but thats not really much help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Does it give a date of entry into the theatre of war, and if so, which theatre? If so you could hopefully check and see what battalion of the Buffs (assuming that was the regiment he originally shipped out with) landed nearest that time. Not 100% concrete but will give you a good idea. Can you post a copy of it up, you will need to shrink it down to 100kb or less. Cheers, Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Tess, To my knowledge no battalions of the Buffs were attached to either 35th or 40th (Bantam) Divisions. A possibility is he may have served in two different regiments, the Buffs and another bantam battalion. Or your family history has lost some of it's accuracy in the re-telling. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Can't get the blooming thing to copy so I'll I'll have a go at transcribing it Smith - Valentine Reginald E Kent R L cprl L8926 ---"----- sgnt L8926 D.C.M Medals Victory X E/2/102 B13 102 Discharge 392 XVI 27/3/19 British -----d--- ---d---- 15 star E/2/2B5 413 *signature* 2069(0)/2 theatre of war (1) france date of entry 17/1/15 so what does this tell me?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Well it tells you that he won the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for a start You may be able to find info on this on the London Gazette. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, BWM and Victory medal, the numbers after these entries are references to the Medal Rolls, which can be accessed at the NA (not online i'm afraid). I'm not sure if you get much extra info on the medal rolls. It also tells you that he landed in France on 17th January 1915, this could help identify which battalion he was in. Hopefully a Buffs expert will be able to tell you this from what you have here. He also reached the rank of Sergeant. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Tess, I'll leave the MIC translation to others who are more qualified than I but DCM stands for Distinguished Conduct Medal. The 2nd battalion East Kent Regiment arrived in France on the date shown. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 By the way, to copy from a pdf file you use the Camera function to select what you want to copy. Click the small camera icon in the tool bar, then simply drag a box around the entry as usual. It should flash to indicate it has 'copied' it successfully, then you can paste it into paint as normal and save it as a .jpg. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Well done Barrie great teamwork. roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Tess, look here click for Buffs info. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Wow! I've been poking around abit, and I'm still very unsure whether or not this valentine is mine!! I've found a birth record for a Valentine R born in Maidstone in 1889, mine was born in 1884 to the best of my knowledge in Sidcup, I'm going to refuel the brain cells now and try attacking from another angle thank you tons for all your help Tess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Agreed Roger, well done Assuming it is the right man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 17 February , 2006 Share Posted 17 February , 2006 Your welcome, good luck. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 18 February , 2006 Share Posted 18 February , 2006 Firstly, the Buffs had no Bantam Battalions. The 1914/15 Star medal roll confirms what it says on the MIC; he went to France as a Lance Corporal on 17/1/1915. Smith was a pre war regular soldier. His Battalion had been brought back from India on the outbreak of war The BWM/VM roll states that he only served with the 2nd Battalion. He was awarded silver war badge number B321507 because he was discharged with sickness on 27/3/1919. He had enlisted in the Buffs on 4/9/1908. His DCM was gazetted as follows; 8926 Serjeant V.R. Smith, 2nd Bn., E Kent R. (LG 30 June 1915). For conspicuous gallantry displayed near Ypres on night of 15th-16th February, 1915, during the re-capture of a trench. Also on 13th April, 1915, for advancing single-handed along a sap, and bombing a German barricade. Does this help? Mick Mills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger Posted 19 February , 2006 Share Posted 19 February , 2006 Good work Mick. I'm sure Tess will be pleased. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 19 February , 2006 Share Posted 19 February , 2006 Michael, Thanks for that, I'm even more inclined now to think that this isn't my man, I think I need to speak to the family a little more, but thery're very reluctant to talk about him for some reason. It was his grandson who told me he was in the Bantams, as he was only 5 feet 2 inches tall.......... but he also says that he was in the East Kent Regiment, I think I'll try and track down his medals (they're in the family somewhere). Will there be an inscription on the back that might help me? Tessa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrieduncan Posted 19 February , 2006 Share Posted 19 February , 2006 If you can get his medals that will explain it all. His name, rank, number and regiment should be on the back of the star and around the rim of the war and victory medals. Let us know how you get on with it. Barrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tess Posted 19 February , 2006 Share Posted 19 February , 2006 I will do, thanks! One question though......... which regiments did have bantams attatched to them? I've just spoken to my Dad, who has suggested the WEst Kent Regiment, clutching at straws............... waiting for a phone call from an older family member at the moment!! Tess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 19 February , 2006 Share Posted 19 February , 2006 Tess No Bantams in the West Kents either. We're all 6 footers in the South East ! Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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