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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: anglostark on Tuesday 28 August 12 11:30 BST (UK)
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Can anyone tell me how long a soldier would have to serve to be granted the Long Service & Good Conduct Medal ?
and
He was granted the King George V's Silver Jubilee Medal also (which was 1935 I believe) is this a military medal
Cheers
Steven
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Steven - the details for the Long Service & Good Conduct Medal are on the MOD website - it used to be 18 years (now less but guessing from your dates it would have been the 18 year)
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Veterans/Medals/Lsandgcmarmy.htm
There's also a wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Service_and_Good_Conduct_Medal
The Jubilee medal was awarded to those in public service (ie others beside forces):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_George_V_Silver_Jubilee_Medal
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Thats great info, thanks.
I was trying to work out how long he spent in the army as his 1st medal was the Queens South Africa Medal with a clasp for Cape Colony (which was 1899). So using that as a starting point he started his army career certainly no later than 1899.
He then had the Kings S A Medal, British War Medal (1914-18), The long Service Medal, George V silver Jubilee and then the Defence Medal (WW2)
So to hypothesise : Army career 1899 - 1918 giving him the 18 years to qualify for the long service medal.
He was a custom officer in Ceylon for x amount of time. Would this make him eligible for the George V silver Jubilee Medal ?
Then can we presume that he was in the home guard to be granted the Defence Medal.
Should have maybe mentioned that he was born in 1880.
How does that look or am I talking total nonsense LoL
Cheers
Steven
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How does that look or am I talking total nonsense LoL
That looks like a reasonable, coherent hypothesis! :)
BWM alone for WW1 implies he served abroad during those years but not in a direct theatre of war. Somewhere like Ceylon would fit the bill.
The Defence Medal has detailed qualification criteria, there could be many possibilities there.
http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/hmso/campaign_stars_defence.htm
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Ah the BWM......I just automatically thought that he would have served in say France during the 1st world war.
His name was John Sutherland and on his medal it has "c sgt" 6846 Royal Highlanders.
Q1 "c sgt" is this for colour sergeant or something else ?
Q2 Does anyone know where he would have been serving during WW1 if not in a direct theatre of war. His children were certainly born in Ceylon between the years 1914 -24.
Cheers
Steven
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Ah the BWM......I just automatically thought that he would have served in say France during the 1st world war.
Well, two possibilities really.
- He did serve in France or another theatre, in which case at least one medal is missing (Victory Medal)
- The medal entitlement is complete, which definitely infers abroad but not a theatre of war.
His medal card should offer enlightenment on that point.
C-Sgt you have correctly surmised.
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Thanks again Neil
The record card just lists the British War Medal so it looks like he was abroad and not in a theatre of war.
A pretty good guess would be that he was in Ceylon during this time as the children were born there. He had to still be in the army surely as it states his rank and regiment on the medal.
So does anyone have an idea about what a colour sergeant in the Royal Highlanders would be doing in probably Ceylon during WW1.
Cheers
Steven
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Steven
He MAY have been employed as an instructor for the Ceylon Defence Force or was lucky enough to have got a job looking after stores etc at a military base over there CSgts were usually Company Quartermaster Sergeants in a regular battalion.
I think your man is down as been wounded with 2nd Batt Black watch Dec 11th 1899 in South Africa.
Ady
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I was trying to work out how long he spent in the army as his 1st medal was the Queens South Africa Medal with a clasp for Cape Colony (which was 1899). So using that as a starting point he started his army career certainly no later than 1899.
His name was John Sutherland and on his medal it has "c sgt" 6846 Royal Highlanders.
Double checking the QSA medal roll, 6846 L-Cpl J.Sutherland is entitled to 3 clasps on his medal: Cape Colony, Paardeburg & Driefontein. Are you saying it only has one clasp?
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Good evening,
There's a short description of the criteria for the BWM on here; http://www.petergh.f2s.com/medals.htm
John915
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mmm45 - thats right he was wounded at Magersofntein on the 11th Dec 1899. And thanks for the suggestion of what he may have been doing during WW1. I have looked on FindMyPast. com for his service record but they dont seem to have it. Any ideas on where else I may be able to find a record of where he served ?
Neil - Sorry for the confusion, I was just mentioning that clasp(Cape Colony) as it had the earliest date associated with it(1899) of all his clasps.
Can you please check for me the QSA medal roll again as our medal also has the clasp for Transvaal on it along side the 3 you have quoted.
Cheers
Steven
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I do know that John served in India as I have seen in the past, masonic lodge(Im not sure what you would call them) certificates. For different lodges in India that he was I presume a member of.
I would presume that these would be from after the Boer war to before the 1st world war. I'll have to get a hold of them again to see the dates and any other info that they may hold.
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Hi Steven
The medal roll does not include the entitlement for the Transvaal clasps. However he was also awarded the Kings South Africa medal, so he was in South Africa until 1902, and it is hard to believe that he did not go into the Transvaal like most of his regment. So maybe he awarded himself the clasp, or there is an amendment to the rolls that has not survived.
The QSA roll has his rank as Lance Corporal, and the KSA has it as Corporal. Does this match the medal(s) you have?
If he was still serving after 1920 his record will be with the MOD - http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/army.html
Ken
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Hi Ken,
thanks for the link to the service records site, we will certainly give them a try and hopefully find his service records.
On the QSA Medal his rank is Pte (private) and on the KSA Medal it is the same as you have, Corporal.
Seems strange that his rank would be different on the QSA Medal roll from what is on the actual medal. Or is this not so strange ?