Help needed to decipher WW1 Medal card (pls!)

[pinks]

Hello - my neighbour's father was in the first world war and I've manged to find the medal card for him. However we don't understand what the notations mean for the medals. Could kind soul shed any light on what they could possibly mean please?
Many thanks in advance.

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[ainslie]

Having served in the ranks with the Royal Engineers as Sapper and Second Corporal, and qualified for the 1915 Star, your man was commissioned into the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, 4th Battalion, on 30 Oct 1917 and his commissioned service qualified him for the Victory and British War Medals.[ Had he stayed with the RE he would probably have got these anyway].
Officers had to apply for their medals, as shown on the lower part of the image.
Most of the other annotations are clerical entries relating to the Medal Rolls which are held at the National Archives, not online, which may or may not have anything of interest, but usually not.
Other ranks' medals were impressed with name, number etc, but officers' were not.

[corisande]

This link gives a good explanation of reading a MIC

Your card also says that he entered the "war zone" on 19 Jan 1915 and it was 1a (France & Belgium)

List of war zone codes on this link

[corisande]

In addition, as he was an officer, you should be able to get his service record from NA - available on line for a fee. Go to National Archives web site and root around.

[mmm45]

You may be able to find him in the London Gazette also now you have commissioning date.

Ady

[pinks]

Brilliant! that's really helpful everyone, and this means a lot to my neioghbour who never knew much about his father's activities in WW1.

one other question, if you don't mind: Don (the neighbour) believes his father was a pow and he's got a letter from King george in 1918 basically thanking him for his service and his fortitude during his incarceration. It was hand written but I'm assuming this type of letter was a common letter sent to officers at the end of the war??? and any ideas how I might find where he was held prisoner?

Many thanks again all.

[corisande]

If he was a prisoner, you would get it from his service record.

One assumes from what you have, that he was taken prisoner (if indeed he was) between Nov 1917 and Nov 1918.

You can get the War diaries of the KSLI, once you have the battalion he was in, and they are written daily, and would in all probability record officers taken prisoner or missing, which would give you a day it happened.

The London Gazette commission record ought to give you the battalion in KSLI. If you search the NA site, many of the war diaries are available for purchase online for a modest sum.

[pinks]

Thanks Corisande - I looked in the london Gazette but couldn't find the record for Richard Francis' commision which was a shame. And there doesn't seem to be much on NA in terms of service records for him either but it also says a lot of the records were lost in ww2 so that might be the reason. but we'll keep trying so thanks for your comments and suggestions. much appreciated.

[mmm45]

Pinks
Theres a couple of KSLI Buffs on Great War Forum that may be able to help you.

Ady