Thanks for the help Patrick, I'm about to order the book you recommended. It's not available through local libraries so it must be quite rare. So that's what the '4c' represents! I have found two Medal Index Cards of Granddad's and I've wondered what the shorthand references mean. Do you know where I'd find a full explanation on how to interpret those cards? Yes, he had quite a colourful career; South Africa, Bermuda, Malta, Mauritius, West Africa and of course France. For much of this time he was an NCO. On top of that, when enlisting he changed his name and age so I'm having a huge job tracing him. Until recently, today as it happens, I had an account with Ancestry and it was there that I found a great deal of information including his army pension records. I'd love to see the records you've saved from Ancestry, there maybe something I've missed. Cheers, Kevin