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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Gray Ranger on Saturday 06 April 13 13:01 BST (UK)
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Could anyone tell me if a soldier was awarded the MM, how would it have been given to him?
Was it just sent out at the end of the war along with his other medals, or would it have been presented at another specific time?
The man I am researching was awarded one, and it was Gazetted in a supplement dated 14th Dec 1916.
Thanks in advance,
Chris.
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Hi, The wifes grandfather was awarded one while serving with the MGC and I have seen a letter which he had to sign saying he wanted it sent to him and not awarded publicly, this was in 1919 so I would assume they were given the choice of a presentation after the war.
I may be wrong but other more informed members will know for sure.
Frank.
Just to add that his MM was for actions in the closing weeks of the war.
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Thanks for your reply Frank.
I am trying to find out if my man would have come back to England for presentation or not, as I would like to know when he may have been in England. He was with the Battalion Headquarters in France,between Nov 1915 and Jan 1917, so I wondered if he may have got leave during this period.
Chris.
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Hi chris, do you have his service record? it may possibly tell you on that, they are Ancestry if you have access.
However well over half of the service records were destroyed due to bombing during the blitz in the second world war.
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Chris
Ribbons were usually awarded in the field by Senior Officer medal would come through at later stage.Your man wouldnt be sent home especially to recieve it
Unsure when he would get overseas leave as opposed to local leave in france.
A lot of lads had MM presented at home when on a leave at civic functions.
Thats why local papers are pretty good on researching MMs
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From Williamsons book on Great War Medals
Majority of MMs werent issued until 1919 ribbons were issued though.
The recipient had 3 choices
Recieve by post
Collect in person from army record office or have it publicly presented when oppertunity arose
Ady
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Hi Ady, thanks for that bit of information, that clears something up for me also, my mans was sent to him in 1919.
Frank.
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Thank you Frank and Ady.
Frank, I don't have his service records, only his medal cards. His must have been one of the many that didn't survive.
Ady, thanks, you have cleared that one up for me. No more headscratching on that question!
Chris.
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Unsure when he would get overseas leave as opposed to local leave in france.
Though I know little of my father's early life, I have proof that soldiers did in fact get home leave. After the death of his CO late in 1918 he was interviewed by the local paper in Wisbech Cambs about the circumstances. So that was in September 1918, and in November 1918 he was with his unit in Bonsecours Belgium? when the armistice took place.
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RedRoger,
Thanks, thats interesting. Ithought this might happen as I've read through some of the war diaries for his regiment, and there is very often mention of some officers going "off strength" to leave in England, and then coming back to the unit. My man was a C/Sjt, so its possible I suppose that he did get home at some point.
Chris.
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My father was a 15 year old volunteer in the Cambridgeshire regiment, and though there is some evidence he was promoted to Lance Corporal while at signal school in 1918 this is not confirmed and his service record is one of the 2/3 that were lost in the blitz.
The death of Lt. Col Saint in 1918 which my father must have witnessed was an extremely traumatic event even for WW1 and I wonder if the home leave he was granted afterwards had a compassionate element about it. He never talked about his experiences in the war, not even to my mother, so I have extremely little to go on other than an extensively annotated copy of the Regimental History, and a photo (now most likely lost) of the HQ dugout where Saint died.
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Yes, we can only hazard a guess as to what those men went through.
It's no wonder they didn't talk much about what happened, and we have only so much to go on in trying to find out now about their service.