Guest gswhipp Posted 11 December , 2003 Share Posted 11 December , 2003 Please can someone tell me what medal(s) would of been awarded to my g-granddad who was a Private of the 8th Battalion, The Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment who was killed in action, France & Flanders in 1917. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff Floyd Posted 11 December , 2003 Share Posted 11 December , 2003 If he was with the 8th from when it landed in France (31 August 1915), he should have received the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. If he joined them after the start of 1916, then just the War and Victory Medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gswhipp Posted 11 December , 2003 Share Posted 11 December , 2003 Thanks Jeff, But I'm not sure on answer. It is only one medal that we are aware of that was awarded and that was given to his wife after he had died. The medal was then burried with his brother so we do not have any details on it. Would the medals that you have mentioned been given to all soldiers that served in war or was there only certain ones that were given out when I soldier died in service? All very new to me so forgive if come across dim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff Floyd Posted 12 December , 2003 Share Posted 12 December , 2003 The 1914-15 Star was for service within a theater of war in 1914/1915. The British War Medal was for general service during the war. The Victory Medal went to those who served with a unit in a theater of war. So, the 1914-15 Star was the first issued. The War and Victory Medals coming along later (authorized in 1919 and distributed after that). If your family only received one medal, it was probably the 1914-15 Star. The other would certainly have been issued as a pair, not individually. His Medal Index Card (MIC) should indicate what medals were awarded. Someone here on the forum can fill you in about getting a copy of the MIC. Jeff Floyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 12 December , 2003 Share Posted 12 December , 2003 or was there only certain ones that were given out when I soldier died in service? Could it have been the Memorial Plaque that had been buried? I have heard it incorrectly referred to as a medal by some people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeff Floyd Posted 12 December , 2003 Share Posted 12 December , 2003 The Memorial Plaque didn't come along until 1919 and was distributed at about the same time as the War and Victory Medals. For a man killed in 1917, there would be almost available for him to be buried with. The exception would be a Military Medal or Distinguished Conduct Medal awarded prior to his death. If it were a military burial, he would not have been buried with his medals. Those would have remained with whatever other personal effects he had and returned to the family. If he were reinterred later, then the possibilities open up, depending upon date. Jeff Floyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gswhipp Posted 15 December , 2003 Share Posted 15 December , 2003 Hi everybody & thank you for all your feedback. The medal was not his memorial medal as we still have that but unfortunately it gives little detail. The medal in question was awarded to his wife after he died in service and it is this medal that was later buried with the soldiers brother. Thanks for you help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Tulloch-Marshall Posted 21 December , 2003 Share Posted 21 December , 2003 The 1914-15 Star was for service within a theater of war in 1914/1915. The British War Medal was for general service during the war. The Victory Medal went to those who served with a unit in a theater of war. If your family only received one medal, it was probably the 1914-15 Star. The other would certainly have been issued as a pair, not individually. His Medal Index Card (MIC) should indicate what medals were awarded. Someone here on the forum can fill you in about getting a copy of the MIC. Jeff Floyd Service in France and Belgium 5/8/14 till midnight 22-23/11/14 qualified for the 1914 Star, and service in the same theatres between the same dates but actually under enemy fire qualified additionally for the "Aug~Nov" Bar. My understanding is that the only exception to that were personnel who's service was at sea, such as RND Men, Marines, etc, who did not actually go ashore - they got the '14-15 Star. The 1914-15 Star was awarded to all who served in (except "passed through" only) any theatre of war against Germany or any of her allies between 5/8/14 and 31/12/15, except those who were qualified for the 1914 Star. (That's Army only, I'm ignoring Naval criteria etc as not relevant in this case). The British War Medal was awarded to personnel who entered a theatre of war on duty or had approved service overseas other than the waters dividing parts of the UK between 5/4/14 and 11/11/18 (later extended to cover North & South Russia, etc, during 1919-20, + some naval service). It was not possible to qualify for the 1914 or 1914-15 Star without also qualifying for the BW & V Medals, nor was it possible to qualify for the Victory Medal without qualifying for the British War Medal, though it was possible to qualify for the BW Medal without qualifying for the Victory Medal ........... dont ask me why, I've never really understood the reasoning behind this, but apparently there were about 3/4 million fewer Victory Medals issued than BW Medals. Regards - Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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