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MEDAL COLLECTORS LEAD THE FIELD

Recent discoveries from the richest source of new cases for the CWGC

By far the greatest number of cases which come to our notice originate from the thriving medal collectors market. E-Bay, by virtue of its huge monopoly in daily medal sales, has become the most important source. Other sources are identified below:-

E-BAY 2005 (1)

8669 Acting Corporal Joseph Crawley
2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regt.
Presumed Dead 1st July 1916

We were contacted recently by a gentleman who had purchased on E-Bay a 1914 Star, Victory medal & Bronze Memorial Plaque to 8669 A/Cpl. Joseph Crawley. He could find no trace of this man on the Commission's database. On further investigation, it transpires that this man was killed (missing & presumed dead) on the blackest day of the First World War, 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The medal index card (above) confirms his death as "Pres. Dead 1/7/16".
In addition to his absence from the Commission's database, he is not listed in the "GRO War Deaths Army Other Ranks 1914-1921", nor in "Soldiers Died in the Great War". At present, the only evidence of this man's existence & death are the Medal Index Card (above) & the 1914 Star & Memorial Plaque (below). A search of the WO/363 Army service papers has been unsuccessful.

E-BAY 2005 (2)

23839 Private Alexander Jeffrey
5th Battalion The Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Killed in action 9th April 1917

Photo from sale on E-Bay

We spied this lot whilst browsing on E-Bay. This man's details are confirmed in "Soldiers Died in the Great War", but the seller could not find him on the CWGC website. His medal index card (below) confirms his death in service.

Medal Index Card for Alexander Jeffrey.

Medal collectors will note that an error has been made in the naming of these medals. The 1914-15 Star should bear the details of his first service in France as 4471 Pte. Army Cyclist Corps, & his later unit "23839 Pte. Ox. & Bucks." should appear on the British War & Victory medals. Some confusion in the medal issue is evident, as a duplicate star appears to have been requested, then cancelled.

E-BAY 2005 (3)

PO/15058 Private Richard William Joseph Mortimore Bone RMLI
2nd Royal Marine Battalion
Died after Discharge (paraplegic) 13/9/18

Private Bone's 1914-15 Star & Victory medal appeared for sale on E-Bay quite recently. His case was presented to the CWGC about 5 years ago & he was finally commemorated in 2003.
(Enlisted Gosport 7/10/1907 ; HMS "Cochrane" 4/4/1911-25/6/1915 ; HMS Victory (RM Brigade) 26/9/15-31/3/16 ; 16/11/15 Wounded by enemy rifle bullet which entered his left side one inch above the Iliac crest & four inches from mid-line causing paralysis of both legs. Discharged Invalided 1/4/16.)

Bone's grave in St. John the Baptist Churchyard, Purbrook, Hants.

Plaque on the left side of the Lych gate of St. John the Baptist Parish Church, Purbrook.

E-BAY 2005 (4)

Tyneside Z/1075 Able Seaman Edward Graham RNVR
Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Killed in action 19th July 1915

Edward Graham's Bronze Memorial Plaque & Memorial Scroll appeared for sale on E-Bay quite recently. His case was presented to the CWGC 5 years ago but his name was only added to the Helles Memorial Addenda in 2005 (see the Helles Memorial Addenda article on the Home Page).

Great War Medals List 2005 (1)

409647 Private Christopher Paynter
37th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
Died 19th January 1916 in No.1 Brigade Hospital, Bramshott Camp, Bramshott U.D., from (1) Myocarditis 2 months (2) Influenza 12 hours.

This plaque was sold as "not found on CWGC", but came with a UK GRO death certificate reference from the former owner. The certificate confirmed the death of this Canadian soldier with all the details listed here. The Informant on the certificate was "H.L. Pavey Major, S.M.O., OC 60th Bn. C.E.F., Bramshott Camp, Bramshott."

THIS MAN WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND ON THE CWGC SITE AS "POINTER".
HIS CWGC RECORD HAS NOW BEEN CORRECTED.

Great War Medals List 2005 (2)

283817 AM2 David Samuel Witton RAF
Died 2nd January 1919 in Durham Buildings, Third Southern General Hospital, St. Peter-in-the-East, Oxford, from (1) Influenza (2) Pneumonia, age 45.
of 16 Rattray Rd., Brixton, London (Piano forte Tuner).

THIS MAN WAS FOUND ON THE CWGC SITE AS "WILTON".
The error in RAF records had been duplicated by the CWGC.
This error has now been corrected.

This plaque was sold as "not found on CWGC", but came with a UK GRO death certificate reference from the former owner. The certificate confirmed the death of this Airman with all the details listed here. The Informant on the certificate was "J.C. Symonds, Captain & Quartermaster, Third Southern General Hospital, St. Peter-in-the-East.

ALDERSHOT MEDAL FAIR 2005 (1)

3527 Private Richard Parrington
3rd/5th Battalion, East Lancs. Regt.
Died 13th June 1915 in the Victoria Hospital, Burnley, from (1) Appendix Abscess. (2) General Peritonitis,

This plaque was bought without service details & was not listed by the CWGC. A search of the UK deaths revealed the details of the soldier listed above. He was age 45, a Cotton Weaver of 37 Mytton St., Padiham, Burnley. Widow, E. Parrington, present at death, of 37 Mytton St., Padiham.

PARRINGTON HAS NOW BEEN ACCEPTED FOR COMMEMORATION BY THE CWGC

ALDERSHOT MEDAL FAIR 2005 (2)

Walter John Joseph Bowles
Service details unknown

The plaque shown below was bought without service details & cannot be found on the CWGC website. Very little has been discovered about this man, but his birth certificate has been traced which states the following:- born 23 Woodfield Place, St. Mary's, Paddington 29th October 1900. Son of Walter Henry & Louise Henrietta Bowles (formerly Lawrence).
If the birth certificate is correct, this boy would not have been old enough to serve overseas in 1918. It is believed that he may have enlisted under-age with an alias & that alias is not listed/cross-referenced in the CWGC Registers. Help is required with this one.

ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTOR 2005 (1)

21314 Lance Corporal Frank Hill
8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regt.
Killed in action 5th April 1918

Local Newspaper Report of Frank Hill's Death

Frank Hill's sister's grave with inscription commemorating his sacrifice

Medal Index Card for Frank Hill. No mention of his death is made (common with late war deaths)

British War & Victory Medal Roll for Frank Hill. No mention is made of his death, but nor are the other three on this page who were killed (Elvin KIA 6/8/16, Green KIA 26/3/18 & Shepherd KIA 21/3/18).