Did Dame Haig Present Medals?

[leemeetee]

Good evening,

I am messing around with stories about men from our town in Ireland who fought in and survived WW1. Independently, two people have said that, at some time in the 1920s, their ancestors were presented with their 'war medals', by Dame Haig...one man received his in person while, according to family lore, the other refused to take his, in protest at how ex-servicemen were being treated - so his mother collected them!

To date, nothing has been found to prove this.......

However, Lady Haig did visit the British Legion Hall in our town in 1929 and while there is a long account of speeches made and gifts given....there is nothing in the account of her presenting medals.

So three questions arise

1) Did Earl & Dame Haig present medals as they toured Legion Halls?

2)If so,  did she continue after he died?

2) Would 1929 have been too late to be receiving medals more than a decade after the conflict ceased?

TIA

[Andy J2022]

Nothing to do with your question but the wife of an earl has the title of countess. Before her marriage to Douglas Haig as he then was, she was the Honourable Dorothy Maud Vivian, because her father was the 3rd Baron Vivian. After her husband's elevation to the Earldom, she would have been referred to as the Right Honourable the Countess Haig, and addressed as My Lady.

[jim1]

Depends on which medals you're referring to.
Medal ribbons (for bravery) were handed out by senior Officers up to & including
the King "in the field".
Campaign Medals & the bravery Medals themselves were sent to the recipients post war
ie. early 20's.

[Andy J2022]

King's Regulations 1914 do not stipulate any special procedure for presenting medals for active operations (see extract below). Therefore while it is perfectly possible that Countess Haig re-presented medals, the soldiers concerned would actually have received them by post several years before. I would have thought that 10 years after the end of the war was a little too long. Also remember that this would have been just 8 years after Ireland became a separate state, and anti-British feeling was still common, so those who fought for Britain might have wished to keep a low profile.

As Jim indicates, medals awarded for conspicuous gallantry such as the Victoria or George Crosses for example were awarded by the Sovereign and so would only have been presented at a formal ceremony by a representative of the King.

[leemeetee]

Andy and Jim,
Many thanks to both of you for taking the time to answer this oddity.
It is very much appreciated.
LT