A 14-15 Star to the post office!

[Terry]

Tucked away in my collection is a solitary 1914-15 Star, named to P.E.DONOVAN, CLERK, ALLAHABAD POST OFFICE.

Might anyone out there suggest why Mr.Donovan would have received this award? I have never seen another one like it, and I have often puzzled why Mr.Donovan was eligible. If he had been seconded to an army unit to assist in postal services would his star not have had the name of the military unit?

Cheers from Canada,

Terry

[Terry]

I am just bumping this thread up to see if over the past year any of the Pals might have come up with suggestions on this fellow's star.

[Paul Reed]

Have you checked him out on the on-line MICs?

[eviltaxman]

There is an entry for a "P E Donovan" in the postal service. His rank is shown as Sub Conductor.

Here's the MIC link (but you'll have to pay to download it) ----

P E Donovan - Sub Conductor

Cheers,

Les

[Terry]

Thanks Paul and Les; I hadn't even thought of looking - I suppose because of his Indian as opposed to British connection.

Dare I ask what a Sub Conductor would do in the postal service?>

[Terry_Reeves]

Terry

I'm fairly sure that your man was part of the pre-war Indian Civil Service. At a guess I would say had had been attached to the Indian Army and given the rank of Sub-Conductor to give him some authority.

Go to the British Library website - Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections and look under Family History Sources. There you will find a list of occupations which include the military, and embraces the rank of Conductor and Sub-Conductor. There is also a guide to information about the Post Office in India. You will find this under the sub-heading Unconventional Civil Service and Special Civil Service.

Terry Reeves

[Terry]

Thanks, Terry. I will see what I can track down about my fellow.

[Terry]

Finally, I have downloaded the MIC for P.E.Donovan as per the suggestions of

Paul and Les a few months ago! Three and a half quid well spent!

A nice surprise awaited me. Sub-Conductor Donovan of the Postal Service was mentioned in despatches (LG 30 June,1916; page 6565). Now I suppose there could have been two P.E.Donovans in the postal service but I rather think this is my man.

The only frustration came in trying to access the London Gazette entry. What an annoying, convoluted disaster that site is. Not exactly user friendly. After twenty minutes or so I gave up!

If by chance any of the Pals know what theatre of operations the Gazette entry of that date covered (I am guessing Mesopotamia or somewhere else in the Middle East) I would be grateful for any information.

Cheers,

Terry

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

  A nice surprise awaited me. Sub-Conductor Donovan of the Postal Service was mentioned in despatches (LG 30 June,1916; page 6565).    The only frustration came in trying to access the London Gazette entry. What an annoying, convoluted disaster that site is. Not exactly user friendly.   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you search the Gazette by using the date option [ie just the month & a day or so either side of his Promulgation] & his surname[eg:26th~30th June 1916 & Donovan]you may find your search easier[the Gazette Supplement was published a day or so either side of the given date]

[Terry]

I tried that and all it gave me was 253 entries involving the name Donovan starting in 1919. Even though I specified the 25-30 June 1916 time frame it didn't appear to register, and gave all LG entries from 1919.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

I tried that and all it gave me was 253 entries involving the name Donovan starting in 1919. Even though I specified the 25-30 June 1916 time frame it didn't appear to register, and gave all LG entries from 1919.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You have to click on the white dot till you get a small black one there,by the date selector,it works honest!

I have just tried that & got one hit,but it was an Army Officer Donovan,27th June 1916,however by entering the page number 6565 in the name section & the date 29th June To 1st July 1916,your Man comes up only hit...Indian Postal Service*,strangely he doesn't show up with a Donovan search?

*@ bottom of page.

[Terry]

Wow! Many, many thanks. An MID for East Africa, from old Jan Smuts. Very nice bonus.

From a technically-challenged luddite my sincere appreciation.

Cheers,

Terry

[Sushil Talwar]

I have logged on to this forum after many years. http://archive.org/details/cu31924012679548 This is Indian Post Office in The Great War. Page 310 lists PE Donovan and his MiD which was recommended by no other than Gen. Smutts.

As ever,

Sushil