Article about: Here's a rather interesting medal which was given to me by a family friend who lives in Eccles, Manchester. The medal is to Pte James Taylor of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Apologies
Here's a rather interesting medal which was given to me by a family friend who lives in Eccles, Manchester. The medal is to Pte James Taylor of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Apologies for not checking before posting, but I seem to recall that he was aged 43 at the time of his death - having originally joined the regulars around the 1890's. it was last year when I originally looked him up.
My friend found the medal underneath some clothes at the bottom of a drawer at her house. It has no family connection, it didn't belong to her late husband - he didn't collect such things. And she has never seen it before.
The Loyal North Lancashires took part in the retreat to the Marne. On September 10th, the battalion fought alongside the 2nd Royal Sussex at Priez. On September 13th, they advanced towards the Chemin des Dames - and the following day they launched an attack at Troyon. Their casualties were quite severe with nine officers killed and five wounded, and more than 500 other ranks killed and wounded. On September 19th the survivors were relieved by the 1st East Yorks Regt, but remained on the Aisne until late October when they transferred to the Flanders sector.
I have some thoughts about this Jerry. I don't know the criteria they had at the time for the issuing of medals, but in my day you had to be in a theatre of war for (I think) around 21 days to qualify for a General Service medal. I do know that the Accrington Pals never got the 14-15 star either. They left for Egypt on board the SS Ionic on the 19th December 1915. While at Malta on 28th December 1915, they saw survivors of the Ville De la Ciotat being landed (sunk by U34 - Claus Rucker). On 31st December 1915 a torpedo was fired at their own ship - the SS Ionic.
Winston Churchill stopped them receiving the 14-15 star - claiming that they were not serving in a theatre of war at the time. This caused a great deal of ill-feeling amongst the 11th Battalion, as the medal was their only way of showing that they were 1914 volunteers and not conscripts.
I know there are various stipulations as to who qualified for the various medals and the Mons 1914 star in particular, but as he was KIA within the period in France I would expect that he would automatically have gotten it.
From the national archives;
The 1914 Star was instituted in 1917 for service ashore in France and Flanders between 5 August and 22 November 1914. In 1919 a clasp bearing the above dates was authorised and given to personnel who had actually been under fire between the prescribed dates.
Also to add that those who served outside France & Flanders in 1914, in Egypt for instance did not get the Mons Star, it only went to those in F&F.
In the case you mention, they did not get to the field of combat before the end of 1915 so did not qualify, though of course that does seem a bit tight.
I know it seems a bit mean - and again I would stress that I am not sure of this, but Taylor disembarked on September 3rd and was killed on September 23rd. This means he was only in that theatre of war for 20 days. And if the stipulation was indeed 21 days or more to qualify, there is no way the military would budge on this. The military are very rigid in their application of the rules. There is no-one as tight as the British when it comes to dishing out medals!
I know it seems a bit mean - and again I would stress that I am not sure of this, but Taylor disembarked on September 3rd and was killed on September 23rd. This means he was only in that theatre of war for 20 days. And if the stipulation was indeed 21 days or more to qualify, there is no way the military would budge on this. The military are very rigid in their application of the rules. There is no-one as tight as the British when it comes to dishing out medals!
The qualifying criteria was as I posted above with no limit of minimum number of days as used on WWII campaign medals, no 21 date limit or similar.
I looked on Ancestry and he has a medal roll index for the 1914 Star as well as for the BWM & VM, so he did qualify for the star but for some reason it is not shown on his MIC.
I have an example of this award found in my Grandmother's garden in Rockhamption, Australia more than 20 years ago. It is in storage these days and I cannot recall the engraving on it but I do recall it was to a member of the AIF (Australian Imperial Force)
Interesting 1914-18 war medal
.
its just an opinion.
by HARRY THE MOLE
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