Found my grandad's medal from world war 1.

[charlietangoteakettlebarbeque]

Hello

we found his medal from world war 1. It says the following:

4870
Pte d white
R. Muns. Fusi

he was from Ireland. I know that Fusi is short for fusilier (I think)

I've Googled everything that's on the medal but nothing is coming up

I told my irish family I would investigate, find out what it was he did in the war etc. He did survive, albeit less one eye, but that's all I know.

I'm at a loss as to where to go from here!

Can anyone shed any light or help at all? Here are pics

Does anyone know where I can find out for sure whether his other medals are still knocking about? I know a pp said it's likely they were melted down for scrap but I just want to double check. It makes me really sad at the thought of them being melted :(

I would take what it says on the medal card as what Surely said to be honest. I would imagine that they were unfortunately scrapped. I think it may be easier to find out whether this was typical of Irish soliders at the time, as I suspect it wasn't uncommon and was down to the politics of the era. I think a more general explanation is liable to be the best you will be able to find if I'm honest.

Such a shame, red. Seems like such a waste.

It seems like the rules at the time were to do so after 10 years unclaimed.

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/05/irish-soldiers-who-fought-for-britain This article from the Guardian is an interesting background read. As is this www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16287211 though it relates to WWII.

Just reading through the guardian article and something clicked. I'll copy the text here. It explains way denis became donat:

*His attestation papers are a reminder of an Ireland that no longer exists. Ahandwritten "Yes" is placed beside the question, "Are you a British subject?"

Sylvester did not know it then, but Ireland was on the cusp of the 1916 Easter Rising, which would come to define the nationalist narrative of post-independentIreland. "I, Silvester James Cummins, swear by Almighty God that Iwill be faithful and bear true Allegiance to His Majesty King George the Fifth, His Heirs, and Successors so help me god

But he did not sign it. Sylvester spelt his name with a Y, not an I. A glance at other attestation papers of Irish recruits reveals blanks in the oath, or a signature different to that elsewhere.

It is a small thing, but I noticed it, and 100 years later that dormant nationalism still matters somehow. There is no logic inmaking this distinction. He wore aBritish army uniform.*

Thought that paragraph might catch your attention.

Thank you for those articles, red. It makes for very sad reading.

I can't stop thinking about it all, and I've decided I want to create a full family tree, and write a short book on my whole family, get it bound, make it pretty, and send copies out to my aunts and uncle.

I never thought I'd be interested in this stuff!

I wonder whether it would be possible to trace back through my Egyptian side of the family? I doubt they have the same records or archives as we do. It'd be fascinating though!

That's a lovely idea, charlie.

I think some of the family tree software packages may include "make a book" options, although how good they are as opposed to just making your own text document and interspersing family tree printouts, I don't know.

Egyptian side? Wow. Lots of good luck with that. It's entirely possible they kept excellent records, but these may not be fully digitised and searchable online. It's also a country where there's been a lot of fighting over the years, one way or another, so you just have to hope they've escaped the sort of tragedy afflicting Irish historians, in the loss of the Four Courts archives during the 1922 Battle of Dublin.

Have found another relative on ancestry.co.uk!

He is the son of my mum's cousin. We have met before, in passing, at family gatherings. BUt its still wonderful to be in touch. He has been researching the family tree for a few years and has a wealth of knowledge, but he wouldn't know about Denis/Donat White. I told him what I knew about his service, and he was shocked to learn that someone on our Irish side would fight for "the other side"

So now I am finding out about my grandfather's brother's family.

He has a photo of my mum's half brother Tommy, which he is going to send me. Its something I can add to my book. Unfortunately he doesn't know where Tommy is or what became of him. I have to keep digging! Have no idea where to start though. I only have his name (Tommy Quinn) probably born in Tipperary, father Thomas Quinn, mother unknow. DOB unknown. I don't even know if he is still alive. Ancestry.co.uk is not throwing anything up about him. Not sure where to go from here really...am I flogging a dead horse?

I did have a quick google regarding my father's Egyptian side but I don't think anything will happen with that to be honest.

Hi. Have read this thread with interest. Can anyone advise me. I have my GG Uncle's Discharge paper from WW1. I also have evidence that he received two medals but i sadly dont have them.
How would i go about asking for copies of his medals please?

The MOD do not issue replacement WWI medals.

The British Legion suggest getting a replica one from a specialist dealer.

www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/how-the-nation-remembers/medals/medal-faqs#replacement

They have three mentioned on the page above.

Charlie, if you write a book, I can recommend blurb.co.uk as a good way of doing it. They are good for anything which is bigger than about 20 pages (most photobook type companies aren't really set up for text based books of a good length). They have a format which they call 'trade books' which is really suited to this type of thing - they are like paper back books, which they do in a number of sizes. They do them in black & white or colour either with photos or without. (To give you a rough idea, a 50page b&w book starts at £4.51 whilst a colour version would be £6.39 though postage can be a touch pricey - its better to order in quantity rather than one at a time).

They have their own software which can be a touch difficult to get to grips with initially, but is very powerful once you can get the hang of it. They have lots of templates for you to use too.

I've used them a few times and have results which I am extremely pleased with (I've worked at a printers previously for a number of years so I don't say it lightly). Their service is generally very good.

As for Tommy... I just had a quick search - there doesn't seem to be any births for a Tom/Thomas/Tommy Quinn registered in Tipperary on the Civil registration records unfortunately.

I'm so pleased someone else has caught the bug for this! Its a wonderful journey and there always seems to be something new to find which adds something to the story.

As for the Egyptian side of your family, I think you will struggle. The records in the UK are much easier to get hold of and searchable. I would suspect the easiest way to do any foreign records beyond UK and Ireland would generally be to employ a local researcher as they will have better access to records or simply know where to look. Of course this isn't cheap. 'Who do you think you are?' make foreign research look very easy, but the reality is pretty different.

Lottie, if you use eBay, you can save an Advanced Search that emails you if an item comes up. It's a long shot, but our family stuff has appeared on eBay.

I'd suggest quite a broad search: "[Uncle's surname] medal" or "[Uncle's surname] [rank]"

Also, you have a blog, don't you? If you put his name, rank and number on the blog, then if someone has the medal (eg a collector) and is trying to find out more about the name inscribed on it, google should find you.

Lottie - good luck with your investigating. It really does get addictive. Its all I've thought about since posting on here on Thursday evening.

I honest to god didn't think anyone would post back. I am still astounded at the response and the outcome from posting on here.

Red - thank you for the heads up on the book making. I am going to check out blurb.co.uk once I have gathered most of my info and feel confident enough to start writing it all out.

A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.

oh and yes, the elusive Tommy. Its like he doesn't want to be found!!

Can I come here for a bit of a cry?

I sodding hate this. They die and they die and they die.

Christmas Day. Christmas Day 1918. And what does she get? A fucking picture in the local paper of her son who died days before the Armistice. In Russia (WTF?) of pneumonia, after he volunteered again after he was gassed. He was eighteen and a half.

Sorry, tango, I'm dribbling snot over a corner of your thread. This is the sixth I've found of my gt-grannie's cousins who died. They were a big family before the bloody war.

Oh Surely, cry away.

It is so utterly sad. And depressingly pointless. Such a waste of life.

Six men in the same family is an awful lot, how terrible it must have been.

here are some and for you.

My Uncle was Harold W Rodwell. I would love to find out what the "W" is. It would be lovely if it was Wilfred. His brother was William so i doubt it would be that!

Lottie, you said you had a discharge paper for your uncle.

Does it have any address on it by any chance? Or a wifes name. Or any idea when he died?

I am coming up with a couple of records of a Harold William Rodwells but nothing else. Just trying to see if I can match it up somehow.

Its entirely possible that his middle name was William despite his brother's name. I have seen this more often than you think.

Red He lived in Saxtead Road Tannington and wasnt married! Was hoping it wasnt William but am not surprised!

I have a Harold William Rodwell whose birth parish is Tannington. Just trying to go through the records as there looks like there is a lot of information as his service record still exists and its pretty comprehensive.

Red this is so exciting! I know he was buried in Saxtead church and not in Tannington! My Aunt and I were looking in the records office a couple of years ago for something else and looked at the last minute.
The reason we were there was because my cousin wanted to put up a gravestone for a Polish freedom fighter who worked for my Grandad and Uncle. My cousin didnt like him to have an unmarked grave. He died in 1981 but we couldnt remember when. He now has a gravestone!

Ok, this is the information I have which I think related to your Uncle. I hope something matches up with the information you have and is the right solider.

Harold William Rodwell was born in the parish of Tannington 1882/3 (no DOB given) to William Rodwell.

Prior to the outbreak of war, he was a horseman.

He enlisted on 4th Feb 1916 to the Royal Horse & Field Artillery (service number 21606) before being transferred to the reserve battalion, the 3rd Battalion Northampton Regiment in 1917 which was an infantry unit. His new service number was 47732.

His height is recorded as 5' 9 1/2" (which is quite tall for the time) with a chester measurement of 38 inches with a range of expansion of 2 1/2 inches. He was classified as an A1 quality solider.

He was then reassigned to the 1/4th Battalion Northampton Regiment and embarked at Southampton on the 25/7/1917 bound for Alexandria. He arrived there on 20/8/1917 but didn't join his unit until 3/9/1917.

However, he reported sick on 14/11/1917 and didn't rejoined his unit until 3/2/1918.

He was wounded on 19/9/1918. He sustained a bullet wound to his right arm whilst in action in Palestine. He was transferred to 88th General Hospital. From here he went to Cairo on 30/11/1918 to await transfer back to the UK. He was repatriated on board HMS Trent on 3/12/18 (which looks to have gone back to Southampton from Alexandria via Gibraltar.

He was discharged from service on 8/3/19 being deemed as no longer physically fit for war service due to his wound which had left him unable to flex the fingers on his right hand. He was issued with a war pension for 52 weeks of 16 shillings and 6 pence as his degree of disability was classified as 60%.

He was awarded the service war badge (no B174487 issued 21/3/19), the British War Medal and the Victory Medal (His address at this time is recorded as Red House, Tannington).

Unfortunately the war diary for the 1/4th Battalion Northampton Regiment does not look to have been released online by the National Archives yet, but I think there is a lot there to go on so far without it.

Thankyou SO much! That is fascinating!!

www.flickr.com/photos/northampton_museum/sets/72157624265863193 Though most of these photos look earlier than 1917.

(The 1/4th Battalion was also sometimes referred to the 4th Battalion)

www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-people/research-family-story/250-fath-war-in.html Personalised account from another member of the 1/4th (includes details of battles in 1917)