Newsgroups: soc.roots
Date:         Fri, 21 Aug 1992 18:09:35 SST
Reply-To:     HISCRP@NUSVM.BITNET
From:         HISCRP@NUSVM.BITNET
Subject:      PRO

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(C) CROWN COPYRIGHT, FEBRUARY 1988. THIS MATERIAL MAY BE FREELY
REPRODUCED EXCEPT FOR SALE OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES.
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PRO INFORMATION SHEET 105

FIRST WORLD WAR: INDEXES TO MEDAL ENTITLEMENT

Please note: For the means of reference to the First World War
service medal award rolls (record class WO 329), see PRO
INFORMATION 101.


The Army Medal Office maintained card indexes to individual
recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the Meritorious
Service Medal and Military Medal, and to individuals mentioned in
despatches. Copies of these indexes, on microfiche, are available
for consultation in the microfilm reading room of the PRO at Kew.
There is a separate index for each medal and for the MIDs. The
cards were arranged in alphabetical order of surname, and in most
cases it is easy to find the entry which you are seeking, but
complications sometimes arise with common or hyphenated surnames.
If you have any difficulty, please ask for a copy of INFORMATION
101: section l(c) explains the method of arrangement of the cards
in greater detail.

DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL

The cards show the surname, initials, unit, rank and number of the
individual, and refer by date to the issue of the London Gazette in
which the award was announced. For DCMs awarded among the king's
Birthday Honours, the Gazette gives no more details than the cards,
but for those awarded at other times, the Gazette gives citations
in full. There is, however, nothing on the cards to indicate
whether or not a citation appears in full. No records of citations
are held by the PRO, but some are still held by the Army Medal
Office, Government Office Buildings, Worcester Road, Droitwich,
Worcestershire WR9 8AU.


MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL AND MILITARY MEDAL

The cards (in two separate indexes) show the surname, forename(s)
or initials, unit, rank and number of the individual, and in some
cases the theatre of war in which he was serving when he earned the
medal entitlement. They also refer, either by conventionally
expressed date, or by a number or the term "PEACE GAZETTE" to the
issue of the London Gazette in which the award was announced (see
below, LONDON GAZETTE).

In all but a handful of cases, the Gazette entry gives no more
information than appears on the cards. Very occasionally, a
citation is given in full, e.g. for some nursing sisters who
received the MM. There is nothing on the cards to indicate whether
or not a citation appears in full. No other records of citations
for either of these medals are known to survive.

The cards show the surname, initials, unit, rank and number of the
individual, and refer by date and page number to the issue of the
LONDON GAZETTE in which the mention appeared. No records of
citations are known to survive.

The cards for MIDs were filed (and therefore filmed) in three
separate alphabetical sequences, and it may be necessary for you to
check all three in order to find the entry you are seeking. The
reason for the use of three sequences is not clear.

It is known that in a few cases, those who were mentioned in
despatches were not entered in the index.

The Public Record Office holds a complete set of the LONDON
GAZETTE, in record class ZJ 1. The list is shelved in the main
series of class lists in the Reference Room, where individual
volumes can be ordered, using PRO references, at one of the
computer terminals.




REFERENCE ON CARD                                  DATE OF GAZETTE
59                                    11 February or 13 March 1919
60                      18 or 24 or 30 January or 22 February 1919
61                                                   29 March 1919
62                                                     14 May 1919
63                                                    17 June 1919
64                                                     3 July 1919
65                                                    23 July 1919
66                                                  20 August 1919
67                                                  20 August 1919
68                                               22 September 1919
69                                                 16 October 1919
PEACE GAZETTE                                          3 June 1919



For an entry in an issue numbered '59' or '60', it is necessary to
consult the quarterly index (in the volume for January 1919) to
find the number of the page on which the award appears. Awards are
indexed under 'Meritorious Service Medal' or 'Military Medal', as
appropriate. The division of pages is as follows: January 1919, pp
1-1598; February 1919, pp 1599-2932; March 1919, pp 2933-4177. In
the case of the 'PEACE GAZETTE', the entire issue appears in the
volume for June 1919, but as it is long and complex, you may need
to consult the quarterly index (in the volume for April 1919) to
find the page number for a particular entry.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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