Medal Award Timings

[gmyles]

I am most interested in how long it generally took for a recommendation for a gallantry award to be submitted, approved, annotated into a War Diary and finally awarded to the individual?

My grandfather, Pte James Myles (267806), was awarded the Military Medal whilst serving in the 6th (TF) Btn Black Watch (RH). He was gassed and shell-shocked. His award is recorded in the Btn war diary for Aug 1918. I believe there are only two possible battles involving his Btn; Tardenios (15-31 July) from which the Btn was awarded the Croix de Guerre, and Scarpe (26-28 Aug).

James survived the war only to die from stomach cancer in 1948.

Anything which would help to establish within which battle my grandfather fought to receive his medal would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Gus

[Stebie9173]

I have seen MM awards shown in a war diary within about 10 days of being won. If it was in the "August 1918 war diary as honours and award in this month" I would edge towards the July battle rather than at the Scarpe.

His M.M. was in the London Gazette of 11-12-1918.

267806 Pte. Myles, J. .(Forfar). 1/6th Bn. (T.F.).

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...;selHonourType=

An award for the end of August 1918 would have been unusally quickly Gazetted in December 1918. However, I wouldn't completely rule it out.

Steve.

[Ken Lees]

I may be stating the obvious, but you didn't have to be fighting in a 'battle' to display, and be rewarded for, gallantry.

[marksimner]

The timescales for the award of an MM varied during the war. However there was a rough average of 2 to 3 months from the act for which it was awarded to an entry in the London Gazette. When the soldier actualy received the medal in his hands is another story!

Some were awarded faster while some took longer.

Mark

[gmyles]

I may be stating the obvious, but you didn't have to be fighting in a 'battle' to display, and be rewarded for, gallantry.

Accepted Ken.

However I would not expect my grandfather to have been gassed and shell shocked whilst travelling by train, routine training or a quiet day in the trenches which, according to the war diary, accounts for nearly 28 days of August. The Battle of the Scarpe was over the first three of the last 100 days of the war and accounts for the remaining diary entries.

I realise that without a citation which were never written for Military Medals (MM), nor a detailed press report I may never know exactly what was my grandfathers heroic deed.

I can only hedge my bets on my grandfather receiving his MM as a result from some form of engagement. I merely wish to know if the timescale between a MM recomendation to be processed and annotated in the Btn war diary is measured in days, weeks or months. That way I can work back from August and narrow my search for the right battle.

The war diary for July seems the correct next step. (Thanks Steve).

Gus

[marksimner]

Accepted Ken.

However I would not expect my grandfather to have been gassed and shell shocked whilst travelling by train, routine training or a quiet day in the trenches which, according to the war diary, accounts for nearly 28 days of August. The Battle of the Scarpe was over the first three of the last 100 days of the war and accounts for the remaining diary entries.

I realise that without a citation which were never written for Military Medals (MM), nor a detailed press report I may never know exactly what was my grandfathers heroic deed.

I can only hedge my bets on my grandfather receiving his MM as a result from some form of engagement. I merely wish to know if the timescale between a MM recomendation to be processed and annotated in the Btn war diary is measured in days, weeks or months. That way I can work back from August and narrow my search for the right battle.

The war diary for July seems the correct next step. (Thanks Steve).

Gus

He may not have been in a battle and if you assume he was you might blind yourself when doing research.

Maybe there was a an artillery attack and he reacted bravely saving others. Maybe he went out into nomand land on a fact finding mission and returned with a prisoner.

The possibilities are endless and of course he could have been in a large scale battle.

I would look through the previous 3 months before the LG entry.

Oh and, sadly, not all MMs are mentioned in unit war diaries - its a real pain researching them sometimes

Mark

[gmyles]

The timescales for the award of an MM varied during the war. However there was a rough average of 2 to 3 months from the act for which it was awarded to an entry in the London Gazette. When the soldier actualy received the medal in his hands is another story!

Some were awarded faster while some took longer.

Mark

Thanks Mark

As Streve rightly pointed out, Pte Myles entry in the London Gazette was in 10 Dec 1918.

His awarding of the MM is mentioned in Appendix E of the Btn war diary for August 1918 and an extract from “Forfar & District In The War 1914-1919” published in 1921 has him receiving it in August 1918.

As Steve has rightly pointed out however, it seems very quick for an medal recommendation for an engagement in late August to be annotated into Augusts war diary.

Or does it? Just how far into the following month were the previous months diary entries written?

[Ken Lees]

I realise that without a citation which were never written for Military Medals (MM), nor a detailed press report I may never know exactly what was my grandfathers heroic deed.

Citations for Military Medals were written. They were in exactly the same form as recommendations for any award, from Mention in Dispatches to VC. The difference is that they weren't published in the London Gazette and rarely survive.

Good luck in your search

Ken

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Darwen Sing Negi, action night of 23/24 November 1914, Victoria Cross Gazetted 7 December 1914.

O'Moore Creagh & Humphris say that he received the award from the King shortly after and that Darwen Sing was sen to India January 1915 for recruiting. No idea what the war diary says though.

[gmyles]

Citations for Military Medals were written. They were in exactly the same form as recommendations for any award, from Mention in Dispatches to VC. The difference is that they weren't published in the London Gazette and rarely survive.

Good luck in your search

Ken

Thanks again Ken, I was unaware of that fact.

Is it likely to be in with his personal record at Kew? (if it survived the fires). Can a personal record be requested through the NA document copying service? (As with the war diaries). What format is a personal record? I've never seen one from WW1.

A year ago, I knew very little about my Grandfather's expolits in France apart from being the proud owner of his medals. I feel that I am getting to know a little bit more about him every day.

Thanks again to all who have contributed thus far.