WWI medallion for the dead

[pettsy]

The ones for sale on eBay are now up to £1,022.99

That is obscene - I don't think they should be allowed to sell them, they should be returned to next of kin/family or kept in local museums or something..

how awful 

I agree but then again, if I found one for sale for one of my family, I would buy.

[Lones]

Thanks Anne

I will know now for future reference.  I do agree with Pettsy, it is horrible, but had Great Uncle Williams ended up on ebay, I would have to buy it too, just so it stayed in the family. 
I have already made my two daughters swear that when I am gone, if they don't want it, they must find someone in the family who does and give it to them.  It is not a sellable commodity, ever, period!!  I shall come back and haunt them if they do, they know me well enough to think that I might ( very stubborn, me).

It's great to know that there are people out there who still have enough respect to cherish these wonderful items.

Until last weekend I only had a name for my uncle and that he died on the way to war, nothing else.  When I was given the medallion,  I did some research on the internet and found out about the scroll and letters and I read the copy of the scroll on the internet.  The last sentence states "Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten".  That really got to me, and I thought "Well it's all down to me then, isn't it".  So I went on the archives site (thanks to aghadowey) and downloaded his record and now I have two large closely packed pages on him.  Wow, I am so pleased now that he is not just a name anymore. 

I wish everyone could be so lucky with their war ancestors

Cheers

Lones

[manmack]

a lot of medals were sold by the soldiers themselves,for their silver value [war medal].
bills ref to seeing his name on the war memorial reminded me of the unveiling of a memorial in dukinfield in 1917,six soldiers who were there at the unveiling were later killed in 1918,they ended up having their names added to it,mack

[Lones]

Hi again

Just an update on Great Uncle William, I found a book on the 13th battalion or the devil's own, called 'My Corp Cavilary' by Doug Hunter and Uncle William is mentioned in it as having died at sea, it also shows an extract from his Captains diary mentioning his death.  Doug refers to him as Trooper WH Smith, but in Captain Mitchells diary he writes, "went to see Pte Smith bad with pneumonia".  I gather trooper and private are the same for the light hores, like Gunner and private for the artillery, is that right, does anyone know?  I would have cut and pasted the whole entry for you to see (It's only five lines), but not sure of copyright so just thought I would let you know he did get recognition in a way.

So you can see I am still busy restoring Uncle William Henry to life.  I still haven't managed to find a picture, but I hope to one day.

Mack, that is sad, about those soldiers, we never really do know the future do we?  I also understand soldiers selling their medals, some would have came back to very little after the was and if that was the only way to keep the wolf from the door, then more power to them.  I just have a problem with grave robbing for financial gain, it gets my goat.

Cheers

Lones

[harribobs]

The ones for sale on eBay are now up to £1,022.99

That is obscene - I don't think they should be allowed to sell them, they should be returned to next of kin/family or kept in local museums or something..

how awful 

Let's get this is proportion, these plaques were most likely sold or thrown away by the families in the first place, regimental museums are full of these plaques. stashed away in dusty drawers

collectors will research the soldier, document his life and death and preserve his memory