Michael Johnson

I recently bought a Canadian Army Second War discharge certificate, showing entitlement to a 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, and C.V.S.M. and clasp, to F577 Corporal Peter Power, a Nova Scotia enlistment into the R.C.A.M.C. According to the vendor, he was from Newfoundland. He was discharged in 1946, aged 52, and under "Marks and Scars" was noted: Scar left side of head. Scar right shoulder blade. It had the sound of someone with Great War service, and if I was lucky, with the Newfoundland Regiment. In any case, an Army Atlantic Star was rare enough to justify the purchase. Sure enough there was a Corporal Peter Power from Conception Bay who served with the Royal Newfoundland R. He got frostbite at Gallipoli, and was wounded July 1st at Beaumont Hamel (a battlefield my son and I crossed on a tour in 2010). He was invalided. My researcher got the Second War file, and the two are the same man. I'm looking forward to getting the file to see which Hospital Ships he served on 1941-45. I'll never be able to afford medals to a Beaumont Hamel casualty. But I have a discharge to one of them. NOTE: the vendor stated that he had taken flak for "selling Newfoundland's history" to foreigners, and that he would never sell medals to "the Regiment" except to Newfoundland or Newfoundland ex-pats. He can be reassured. My wife's father was from St. John's.

A man I greatly admire. I wrote him, and he sent three autographed postcard-sized photos for me and my sons. Mine is tucked inside my copy of "Shake Hands with the Devil".

Like this? Pelton Fell (http://www.peltonfell.org.uk/pelton_fell_history.php?page_id=3&id=27)

Another story is that they didn't want anything pointy on their heads when they were leaning under the horse to tighten a girth. :speechless1:

A 1914-15 trio. MIC shows theatre as Egypt, and application for Star forwarded by OC 5th Stationary Hospital, 1919. Middle name spelled "Johnston" on card.

And thus almost impossible for anyone not resident in India to get, as they would qualify for the Defence Medal for overseas non-operational service.

Ancestry has a section for Naval Medals.

Canadian Militia orders refer to the new cap as the "naval pattern".

It is "mounted as worn", which in this case is 1897 Jubilee and 1902 Coronation on one bar and the 1911 on its own bar. Presumably he wore the RHSLM on a single bar as well.

If he was Royal Marine Artillery you can probably be fairly sure where he was on the Malaya. The Marines traditionally manned the X and Y turrets (i.e. the ones to towards the stern.) I'm not sure about R.F.R. records, but I would think at most they would show any call-ups for training, but they might show Second War service. He got his R.F.R. L.S. in 1930.

He is a Merchant Seaman: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=8404116&queryType=1&resultcount=1 But he was born in Liverpool in 1898. Ancestry has a number of entries for him in the New York Passenger lists. He's listed as an A.B. (Able-bodied Seaman). Although he was active throughout the Second World War he doesn't appear to have applied for his medals, at least from the U.K. SO I would say he is missing only his Mercantile Marine Medal.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had a fascinating interview with the former head of Scotland Yard's Royals Protection Unit. The upshot was along the lines of "Glad I'm retired."

I remember 1980 all too well. Prices eventually were adjusted to the level of silver content, but thousands of medals were melted. At that time I was able to buy Efficiency Medals for $15.00, now of course they sell way above their melt value.

There is a Victor Watts in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He made Lieutenant, but his MIC shows that 2 Lt. was the rank on his medals. He only got to France Nov. 1, 1918. Byrne is on Ancestry, which confirms the medal and clasps, and states "To Army Reserve". His QSA is under Byrnes, and he has Wittebergen, Cape Colony, Transvaal.

I have a Metropolitan Police trio (1897, 1902 and 1911) named to John Hierons, V Division. From the Scotland Yard website it seems he is missing A Royal Humane Society Medal for diving into the Thames and saving a woman in 1902. His middle name appears to have been William. From Ancestry I have been able to determine that he emigrated to Australia in 1921, and I even have found a picture of his gravestone online. Apart from that I have nothing else. I can't even find him in the censuses. National Archives can't easily locate his record. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you, Michael

If you have a Canadian one, compare thickness - The British cupro-nickle one is thicker. I once had a British/Canadian mixed group, and the Defence and War were Canadian issues. I'm still not sure whether he "upgraded" while in the Canadian Army, or whether he received them from Canada rather than Britain.

That Defence Medal looks awfully shiny; is it a Canadian one?

There is a Tom William H. Jackson shown as born about 1893, son of Septimus and Sarah, Hartshill Warwickshire. Died 1971 Darwen District Lancashire. His MIC contains no other information other than confirming his pair.

A nice one. The Cambridgeshire Regiment was a Territorial regiment, and only one battalion saw action. Jacob Hoepelman was also entitled to a Victory Medal.

Died c. October 1883 at Cairo from cholera. "recently appointed acting military chaplain" From the Franciscan Annals: http://books.google.ca/books?id=TSIQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA320&lpg=PA320&dq=Fr.+%22patrick+duggan+osf%22&source=bl&ots=gWgWRzfmrq&sig=EWh6tTlf318ew7o4GWLtn82qaxk&hl=en&ei=qCKnTeCDCqTj0gGY09X5CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Duggan&f=false Fuller obituary here: http://books.google.ca/books?id=ijkFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA716&lpg=PA716&dq=%22father+patrick+duggan%22&source=bl&ots=oXToBn4Sld&sig=ad4a2PomBCXe3A4eaJzCQbySJ9U&hl=en&ei=PSWnTfTfJsTG0QHw1eT5CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CDcQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22father%20patrick%20duggan%22&f=false Query how long would it take the medals to get out to Cairo?

I'd missed that, Jean-Paul. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Sales of the Victoria Cross grab the headlines, but for my money this Albert Medal was a steal.

Dunno about these days, but certainly they were back in the "battledress days".

A very nice medal, and one I was tempted by myself. During the First War the Royal Marines were divided into Royal Marine Light Infantry and Royal Marine Artillery ("Red Marines" and "Blue Marines", from the colours of their dress uniform).

The 5th and 8th Bns. of the King's landed on D-Day; perhaps he was in a subsequent wave arriving the next day. Since his service began February 1942, I don't think he would have had enough time to qualify for the Defence Medal, unless he had some Civil Defence or Home Guard time. Even then, I think the Defence Medal was authorized at about the same time as the Stars, so its absence may be deliberate. The War Medal was authorized later, and it isn't uncommon to see ribbon bars that end with the Defence Medal.

www.oldbaileyonline.org And see a thread I posted called "Can the Dead Speak?". Which isn't about spiritualism. I should point out that it comes naturally. I read cases for a living.