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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: jumeirah9290 on Friday 25 April 14 07:16 BST (UK)
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I have just discovered a First World War service medal for a Ptivate George William Crawley service number M121385
Any clues?
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his medal card will tell you which medals he was awarded.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D1997878
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the medal card can be seen for free if you have a subscription to Ancestry...you ask for any clues? what do you mean? are you unsure which medal you have? if you google "pip ,squeak and wilfred",,you will see the 3 main service medals awarded in WW1.
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Thanks- did that - still can't find him - it is a general service medal
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His service docs. are fortunately amongst those that survived WW2 & can be viewed on Ancestry if you have a sub/credits.
He was in the Army Service Corps.
He attested 21/9/1915 & was a lorry driver which is what he did in the Army as he's with the 604 Motor Transport Coy. caterpillar sect.
Was home until 24/7/1916 then embarked to Boulogne ( Invicta ) 25/7/1916 to the 126th. Seige Battery part of the 15 Corps. Heavy Artillery ( R.G.A. ).
The 126th. embarked for France 25/7/1916 so he was attached prior to embarkation.
Unfortunately died of gunshot wounds to the left side & leg 31/10/1916 3 days after being wounded.
Place of death was 38 Casualty Clearing Station France. Located: Heilly May 16 - Jun 17; Bray sur Somme about 10Km. N.E. of Amiens. A bit about clearing stations:
http://www.1914-1918.net/ccs.htm
He's buried at the Heilly Station Cemetery:
http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/27100/HEILLY%20STATION%20CEMETERY,%20MERICOURT-L'ABBE
He received the British War & Victory Medals.
The Battery war diary covering this period is at Kew but to date hasn't been digitalised:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details/redirect/?CATLN=7&CATID=-2239300
You might be interested in this old post:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=587816.0
This is what he did.
Caterpillar drawing an 8" howitzer of the 126th Siege Battery, past Bernafay Wood, Montauban-Longueval road. September 1916.
The wood was about 5Km. East of Albert. This would have been taken after the wood was captured from the Germans during the Battle of the Somme.
2nd. photo: 38 C.C.S. June 1916
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Thanks- did that - still can't find him - it is a general service medal
The General Service Medal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Service_Medal_(1918)) was introduced in 1918 and awarded to men who served in small campaigns after WW1 for which no specific medal was created - if the chap died in 1916 he didn't get one of these.
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hi medal card shows him being issued with a British War Medal and a Victory Medal
As per Jims comments, medal card shows him dieing of wounds
What you have will be one of these two - link so you can find out which attached
http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/themedals.html (http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/themedals.html)