newbie...please help!

**TommiTank** · 04-19-2011, 09:16 PM

I found these medals and cap badges at a car boot at the weekend and was wondering if someone could elaborate more for me.
the ww1 medals are issued to 'private S.Lane labour corps no.127899'
would the other medals mean he served in ww2 also or perhaps a sons medals?
Im quite new to collecting militaria and these are my first decent find to mention,
problem is now ive found something dont really know where to go from here lol!!
have tried looking online to identify cap badges etc but am having no joy!! any advice on books i could get to help would be much appreciated also!!
in the meantime if anyone can identify cap badges that would be great!!
thanking you all in advance!
a confused virgin!

**Patgore** · 04-19-2011, 10:44 PM

As the medals are cased together with a King's Badge (round) and a Pioneer Corps cap badge (same as Labor Corps), they might well belong to the same man, or could be father and son. It's a nice group either way.

National Archives might be able to provide a medal card as you have the man's number.

CWGC would tell you if he was killed, but the King's Badge was awarded to men invalided out and in receipt of a pension, so he probably wasn't.

The medals are WW1 Victory; British War Medal 1914-20; 1939-45 War Medal; 1939-45 Star for Overseas Service; Africa Star with ribbon reversed (navy blue on left, air force blue on right, but if the case is sealed just leave it as is).We mentioed the "Chunky" cap badge and the King's Badge.

Many infantry battalions in WW1 were transferred en masse to the Labor Corps. You may find in your research that your man started out in some other unit.

As far as the other items are concerned. the double-headed eagle was used by several countries (google heraldry, eagles). The little silver guy is a Royal Signals collar dog (it's Mercury/Hermes, messenger of the Gods). Can't help much with the last item,

Nice collection. Good hunting.

Pat

**Patgore** · 04-20-2011, 02:49 AM

Hi, Tommi:

The double-headed eagle badge is 1st King's Dragoon Guards. I should've spotted it but don't know much about the Cav. Never got on well with the ponies.

I still can't identify the maltese cross, but not British (Belgian ?) and I can't see enough of the very small badge to guess at. Bigger pic would help, if poss.

BTW, Pioneer Corps formed 1939/40, so the badge is WW2. I'd guess WW1 Labour Corps veterans may have signed up.

Cheers,

Pat

**Adrian Stevenson** · 04-20-2011, 08:13 AM

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Re the Medal card index for your Soldier: I have access to it. He was Private Samuel Lane, Labour Corps. WW2 records are not yet fully open so I cannot comment on possible later service.

I might be able to add more later tonight, but work beckons!

Cheers, Ade.

**TommiTank** · 04-20-2011, 04:43 PM

thanks for comments guys will try put some better pics up tomorrow!!
I think i have another couple of other cap badges also!
thanks again look forward to hearing more from you!!

**Adrian Stevenson** · 04-20-2011, 09:18 PM

Here is the medal card index for your man. As you can see, he was only awarded these two medals in WW1, so you now know you have the whole group.

Cheers, Ade.

**TommiTank** · 04-20-2011, 11:09 PM

wow! cheers guys!
great site!
Actually brought it to life for me there Ade, just gazed at the screen for a minute! keep keeping alive what these guys actually done for us!!
T

**Adrian Stevenson** · 04-21-2011, 09:43 AM

This is a real beauty of collecting WW1 medals. The possiblity of researching the man.

Have another look at the medal index card I posted for you. You will see a number against each medal. This is the actual entry number within the medal roll itself: this is the full master list which will give the date the medals were awarded and more importantly, the number of his Battalion. You can request a copy of this roll entry online (there is a charge)

From there it would be possible to visit the National Archives and view the War Diary of his actual unit. This would give a day to day account of their activities and where they served. Doubtful he would be mentioned personally in it. But it would then be possible to follow his service on the map or even trace his footsteps in person with a trip to the Western Front (if he served there of course).

I have looked up the file for you in the Archive at Kew in London. You need file: WO 329/1785.

Cheers, Ade.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 04-21-2011, 10:20 AM

I have just requested copies of my Grandad's medal roll entry. I will let you know how much this costs once the estimate comes through, it takes about 10 working days. All of this can be done online.

Cheers, Ade.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 04-21-2011, 10:35 AM

Also please give me the details of the number of the Silver War Badge. No mention is made of it on his medal card index which I posted. It should be numbered on the reverse of the badge.

1st issue: September 1916 - March 1918. Serial Nos 1 - 360,000 (with horizontal pin). Serial numbers 360,001 - 450,000 (with vertical pin)

2nd issue: August 1918 - December 1919. Serial Nos B 1 - B 350,000.

3rd issue: December 1919 - April 1920. Serial Nos O 1 - O 5,000

4th issue: December 1919 - June 1922. Serial Nos 450,001 - 525,50

I do wonder if the WW2 medal are his if he was invalided out in WW1? As already mentioned by yourself and Pat, it could be a father and son group.

Cheers, Ade.

PS: Looking at this again, I am not sure that it is a silver war badge? These are usually peirced out? The one shown is solid. I don't know if solid ones were issued? Modern copies are certainly solid.