MGC

[john gregory]

Hi, would a person who served in the MGC be entitled to have 4 overseas chevrons on his sleeve. Thanks

[squirrel]

If he served only in the MGC then no but possibly yes if he had served in another unit prior to being transferred to the MGC.

[jay dubaya]

Hi John,

I'm looking at a photo of George Coppard (author 'With a MG to Cambrai) the photo is dated March 1918 and he is wearing 3 overseas stripes. He went out to France with the 2nd Queens in 1915. I think perhaps the answer is yes, but I'm not sure as to when the overseas stripe for 1918 was issued,

cheers, Jon

[john gregory]

Hi John,

I'm looking at a photo of George Coppard (author 'With a MG to Cambrai) the photo is dated March 1918 and he is wearing 3 overseas stripes. He went out to France with the 2nd Queens in 1915. I think perhaps the answer is yes, but I'm not sure as to when the overseas stripe for 1918 was issued,

cheers, Jon

Thanks, John

[Joe Sweeney]

Overseas Stripes were not issued for specific year (although 1914 can be argued) i.e. 1916, 1917 1918 etc.

For British soldiers they were entitled to their first stripe the day they set foot in an active theatre and one for every qualified 12 month period after that.

The way it worked is if some-one arrived in France on 1 Jan 1916 and served the entire time in France (e.g. the next 24 months were qualified months.) until 1 Jan 1918 he would have received three blue stripes (when available.)

For a hypothetical example; if Coppard went to France with the Queens in March 1915 and the next 36 months were qualified months he could have been wearing a fourth stripe by March 1918.

Joe Sweeney