Medals

[Guest matrix10genealogy]

My greatgrandfather died in 1917 in Ypres. I have a map of the battlefield and an extract from a war diary from the Lt Colonel, 8th Battalion Black Watch. what I need to know is where did his medals go to. I know that alot of WW1 documents were lost in the bombing of WW2, but does anyone have any ideas as to where I can get this information from, especially as family have no idea.

[Chris_Baker]

The medals would originally have been posted to the next of kin.

Details of his medal entitlement will be in the medal rolls at the Public Record Office. Click here for more info about this.

His service papers may or may not exist, because as you say some were destroyed. Click here for more info. If they do exist, and if the right bits of paper are in the file, it will give you the next of kin and address where the medals were sent.

If the family once had them and they are no longer around. 1. Ask around the family...you never know, they might be lurking in some long-lost aunt's knitting bag. 2. If still no luck, you can try the never-ending trawl through medal dealers. If you search around on this forum, you'll find a great deal of discussion about this.

Good luck, and welcome!

[Guest Hill 60]

Ask around the family...you never know, they might be lurking in some long-lost aunt's knitting bag.

I can vouch for that! After many years of looking for the medals & plaques to two of my great uncles, who both were killed in WWI, I finally located them at a relative's house!

They had been placed in a recess on a coffee table and then covered in glass in the early 1930's, and I have had coffee at that very table without ever noticing them