The National Archives, Kew; recommendations for gallantry medals

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by dbf, Apr 28, 2008.

  1. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Recommendations for Honours and Awards (Army)

    If any of your relatives were awarded one of these look them up here:

    eg. MM, MC, DSO etc.

    http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=22&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1


    Link for V.C.s:

    The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Refine Browse Criteria


    WWII Seamen's Medals

    The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Refine Browse Criteria


    Payment is online and each document currently costs £3.50

    Medal index cards for WWII Medals, unlike those for WWI are not yet available online.
    Also although War Diaries for WWI are available, those for WWII are not on documents online either.
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Cheers Diane,

    I've just done a search for some DCM's. I'm guessing those files are not online?

    Andy

    Update:

    Leave the Royal out of Royal Signals when searching....Obviously this search facility was compiled by a Civie ! :lol:
     
    Ken P likes this.
  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Andy as you say sometimes it's better to be vague and enter Signals only to see what that brings up, and then try and narrow down the fields if the results are too many to be manageable.

    I think the problem is that there was no set list of correct titles used to enter regiments.

    Sometimes, recipients don't have a first name only an initial.

    As with LG, it can be helpful when looking for one individual to enter their Regtl no only and hope for the best.

    D
     
    Recce_Mitch likes this.
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Dammmm you Miss D...I've just spent a fortune !
     
  5. AndyBaldEagle

    AndyBaldEagle Very Senior Member

    Dammmm you Miss D...I've just spent a fortune !


    Drew
    I appreciate that you are a bit of a way away to visit but to get them in person is a damn sight cheaper! something like 20p if I recall correctly, using a prepaid card! unless of course they have put the price up by some zillion per cent!. There is NO WAY I would have been able to get most of the Airborne citations paying £3.50 a throw! :DAs it is I'm very skint!

    I must get down there sometime and get the rest.:lol::lol:

    Andy
     
  6. idler

    idler GeneralList

    I'm sure i picked this little gem up from a thread here somewhere so apologies if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs but:

    PDF copies of WO 373 microfilms are available free of charge

    elsewhere on DocumentsOnline. They are big and not particularly well referenced but they are free (did I mention that?). Folio numbers are included that tie in with the PROCAT records; not sure if the DocumentsOnline search shows these and can't check at the moment.
     
  7. AndyBaldEagle

    AndyBaldEagle Very Senior Member

    Idler
    To look up and find them is free, but if you want a copy of the citation, that will be £3.50 please!
    Like I say cheaper, I hope , to get them in person! I could never have afforded all my Airborne chaps citations otherwise!
    Regards

    Andy
     
  8. idler

    idler GeneralList

    6GB on my desktop says not! And that's not all of them by any stretch of the imagination.

    Plucking one at random: Dauncey's DSO is in WO 373/98 so should be in here.

    I admit that they're a pain to find. This is the link to the WO 373 files - hit 'See details' - 'Add to shopping' then 'Checkout' etc. Do that a few hundred times and save a few bob...
     
  9. roodymiller

    roodymiller Senior Member

    Great find!!
     
  10. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Credit where credit's due: it was bamboo43 who tipped me off.
     
  11. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Attaching 3 tables that I worked out for helping me find all the recommendations I am interested in transcribing.

    Cat. nos. which are useful for anyone's research, can be gleaned using the usual search here:
    The National Archives | DocumentsOnline | Refine Browse Criteria

    Thought I'd share it in case it is of use for others as the TNA list of WO 373 cat. no.s is a little difficult to navigate.

    So, the attachment has 3 pages:
    One in order of cat no.,
    Another in a rough date order going by the descriptive field in TNA, and
    the third one is a simple copy of the list in the TNA link giving pages all together.

    Whichever way it's viewed there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to the numbering system used.

    If anyone does find it useful, please let me know of any errors that might show up. By PM please so we don't clutter up the thread.
    D

    EDIT See post 32 for update
     

    Attached Files:

  12. AndyBaldEagle

    AndyBaldEagle Very Senior Member

    Diane
    Has a quick look at your spreadsheet! Seems you have them all sorted, so as I go through the many documents I downloaded I dont think I will need to record all the Guards as well as my AB chaps!

    Regards
    Andy
     
  13. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Thanks for the thought Andy, happy hunting for yours.

    For anyone trawling through methodically for specific units, it's also worth looking at other units in support in the same Gazette dates for any mention of them. Sometimes you find refs to the main unit in Signals and RAMC for example. I found one recommendation this way for RAMC Doctor which had location map refs not given in WD. I would imagine this is as close as I will get to that feeling some of you get in Kew when a little gem is discovered.
     
  14. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    As I am working my way through the files, I have been updating the spreadsheet in post 11 to include Theatre/Circumstances.
    Only have a few entries so far, and they will only appear in the first numerical order list.
    Hope that will prove to be useful for someone.
     
  15. beeza

    beeza Senior Member

    Does that include Aussie awards çause I could't find my uncle on it.
    David
     
  16. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    David what Branch was he in? The recommendations are for Army, with a smattering of RAAF for example, which (as far as I can tell) were not for air operations.
     
  17. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    So far today I've found 91 Royal Signals citations including 15 that the museum is not aware of.....You saved me £318.50p today !

    Cheers Diane.
     
  18. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Andy,
    Bamboo brought this to the forum's attention, credit where it's due.:)
     
  19. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I know Di, but if it wasn't for yesterday I would have spent another £100 on citations - I think it was you moaning at me telling me to have patience that did it :lol:

    Cheers Everyone :D
     
  20. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi All,

    Glad to see you all enjoying the Kew freebies. I collected just about every 1943 Chindit award recorded for that operation. So I am happy!

    Diane, that is a fantastic piece of work you have created, a brilliant effort for sure.

    Bamboo.
     
    Drew5233 likes this.

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