17 replies to this topic

[taylov]

Can forum members please guide me to any books or other published works on WW1 awards of the Military Medal (MM) ?   I am interested in Army recipients of the MM.

many thanks,

Tony

[jasmor58]

As a Medal Collector I know of no definitave work on the MM of the Great War. Wish there was one!

Jasmor58

[Phil_B]

If it`s a particular man, Tony, you`d be better posting what you know about him and seeing if anyone can help.

[Nigel Marshall]

I'm almost certain that there was a book out about MMs with a bar or bars. The numbers for those without bars are staggering and it would be a brave writer/researcher who tackled a project of this enormity.

Cheers,

Nigel

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Member "Stebie" has; or is completing, compiling lists of all WW1 MMs & Clasps from LG,few however have citations officially published,most have just the promulgation in the London Gazette {ie a list of Dates of "Gazetting" of award,Names/Regiments/numbers,etc;} One can sometimes find citations {or what are in fact contemporary "press releases"} in old local newspapers & rarely mention of details in some War Diaries.
All UK/Commonwealth MM awards should be promulgated in the LG.

A member of the OMRS did publish a list of MM & Bars in the 1980s

[taylov]

I'm almost certain that there was a book out about MMs with a bar or bars. The numbers for those without bars are staggering and it would be a brave writer/researcher who tackled a project of this enormity.  Cheers,  Nigel

The Medal Yearbook states over 115,600 MMs in WW1; 5796 bars; 180 second bars and one third bar. I wasn't expecting a comprehensive study, but did wonder if there hadn't been somthing published on MMs for individual regiments.   I don't have any particular individual soldier or regiment in mind, but given the popularity of MMs amongst collectors I was surprised to find nothing.

Tony

[Phil_B]

I don`t suppose there`s much to put in a book about MMs, in the absence of citations?

[nthornton19179]

My interest is the Cheshire Regiment. Here are the MM awards for the Cheshires in WW1

dcm & MM Combination = 4
MM = 774
MM + Bar = 22

Thanks
Neil

[per ardua per mare per terram]

I don`t suppose there`s much to put in a book about MMs, in the absence of citations?

Just a list of the gazettes they appeared in.

[David Faulder]

The Medal Yearbook states over 115,600 MMs in WW1; 5796 bars; 180 second bars and one third bar. I wasn't expecting a comprehensive study, but did wonder if there hadn't been somthing published on MMs for individual regiments.   I don't have any particular individual soldier or regiment in mind, but given the popularity of MMs amongst collectors I was surprised to find nothing.

Tony

Some Regimental histories have details of awards:

The Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps (Ed. Eddington) has an extensive appendix (II Records of Rank and File) listing all officers who went through the corps listing their awards.  It's not without error: My Grandfather who was mentioned twice in despatches should have had M(2) after his name - this got transcribed as MC - with quite a different meaning!  Two MMs are recorded - presumably to trainees who did not get commissioned (or possibly awarded whilst with the Corps) - I think about 10% did not "make the grade".

Barnsley Pals (Cooksey) lists medals awarded to the 13th and 14th York and Lancs - a quick count looks like 78 (name rank & number, and date).

The 1'4th (Hallamshire) Battalion York and Lancaster Regt (Grant) has an appendix which lists names and ranks and decoration (92 MMs and 4 bars at a quick count)

These are the only three histories I have: from this sample I might surmise that other histories will also contain some details.

David

[Nigel Marshall]

David is right, I had a look at some of the battalion and divisional histories I have and the majority of them have an appendix listing of the honours and awards granted to their officers and men. Many of them even give gazette dates.

Cheers,
Nigel

[kevin]

Nigel is there not a copout sentence in these histories stating this is not a complete list? I myself can name a few that have omissions in, its like pals have said, itis one large Task, just to try and get all of a Battalions Medals listed, not just a Regiments. Now that would give me a Headache.


Regards Kevin

[Nigel Marshall]

Yes Kevin you're right. Many of the books do carry a caveat, and while some explicitly inform the reader that the list is not claimed to be complete, some just allow you make that assumption in the absence of the rider. None that I can think of claim to absolutely right, but i have only seen a small proportion of what is out there.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Tom Lang]

This is an interesting topic, and for what it's worth, I'd like to mention my great, great uncle who was awarded the Military Medal.

L/Cpl 8669 Richard Telfer, 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders

Supplement to the London Gazette of 11 November, 1916, page 10931.
The supplement begins on page 10917.

Kindest Regards,

Tom Lang.

[Ken Lees]

Phil_B, on 23 January 2009 - 06:05 PM, said:

I don`t suppose there`s much to put in a book about MMs, in the absence of citations?

Standby to be very, very surprised, as there is such a book currently in progress. Howard Williamson is compiling a mammoth work which will have much more detail than anyone would probably expect. I think publication is anticipated in 2014.

Ken

[Stebie9173]

I'm sure there is a good reason for all that detail that no one else has access to...



Steve.

[Ken Lees]

I think it's more a case of how much time, effort and money someone is prepared to invest in such a project...

[allen h]

The book by HOWARD WILLIAMSON is probably the one book that all medal enthusiast are ticking off the days on a
calendar for.If this latest publication is as good as previous books by the author it should be a most interesting read.

ALLEN. I