1914 Star Trio to 1023 Pte R GARDNER 1st Bn Rifle Brigade

[leigh kitchen]

I just collected this from the post office, saw it on a dealer's site bought it a few days ago.

Unusually for a dealer nowadays, there was no detail about the recipient other than:

"1st Bn Rifle Brigade 1914 Star Group of Three

Awarded to 1023 Pte R.A. Gardner Rif Brig. Comprising: 1914 Star (Pte 1/Rif Brig), British War Medal, War Medal. Mounted as originally worn GC."

You'd expect a reference to his Medal Index Card, a mention of his service or pension records, that sort of thng, all easy to find as a rule, if they've survved the Bltz of WWII - but not even the Medal Index Card is mentioned.

Before buying the trio, I checked for the MIC & found it, although it took a little bit of time as it had been "misfiled" on "Ancestry" - the unit being given as "Ret? Bde" I think it was, rather than "Rif Bde", but searching on his army number "1023" should have found the MIC fairly quickly.

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The MIC shows that Ralph A Gardner served in a number of units:

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It also shows that his clasp & emblems for the 1914 Star were issued to him, but were returned, so presumably he never received them, although f he wanted to he could buy copies to wear easily enough.

I think that the Royal Signals were formed as a seperate Corps in 1922, so he would still have been in the army in 1922 when they were issued & easy enough to track down for delivery, presumably.

There's also an entry "LS & GCM.....1926", so he's qualified for the Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal & presumably still in the army in 1926.

The reverese of the MIC bears an entry "O/C London District submits claims LS & GCM (of?)23.7.26".

[leigh kitchen]

So, I've knowingly bought what appears to be a broken group because I like 1914 Stars & because I find the MIC interesting, with the variety of units served in, but is the group actually missing the LSGC, was it actually issued rather than just qualiified for?

The trio are described as "Mounted as originally worn GC", but in the circumstances, you take that claim with a large pinch of salt.

The medals are in good condition with little in the way of contact marks, although the point of the Star next to the BWM shows some blunting. I wonder if, although mounted, they were ever worn?

The ribbons are "originals", old ones.

So what do you reckon, has Gardner been issued just the trio (the MIC shows a reason for not having the clasp & emblems)or the trio & the LSGC?

Is the mounting "original" to the trio, which have then not been worn much if at all, or has somebody somewhere along the line mounted them to make the broken group of 4 appear to be an original trio only & therefore more attractive to collectors who don't like broken groups?

Especially if the provision of basic information from a MIC is'nt provided & the purchaser does'nt have access to online records n order to find the MIC - then again, was the MIC "missed" because of the unit being recorded as "Ret? Bde"?

Edited October 8, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[censlenov]

Hmm. quite the mystery. It looks like the LSGC was issued in Army order 368 of 1926 (according to the card) with a corresponding index number to the right. But.... perhaps he foreited it late on.. although i would have thought that would be on his MIC. The group to my eyes looks like it was mounted for display not wear so it was probably done by someone other than the recipient.

Cheers

Chris

[leigh kitchen]

Mounted on a bar which appears to have seen a bit of use, if the pin's anything to go by.

An untidy job, perhaps mounted by the recipient as he got old & nostalgic, or mounted more recently by someone who may have checked the MIC & done a deliberately untidy job to make it appear a genuine old & complete mounting without that inconveniently missing LSGC.

Be nice to know what the story is behnd the "missing LSGC.

Perhaps the clasp & emblems had to be returned as it was found that Gardner was'nt entitled to them?

By the time he received them, if he did, he would have been out of 1st Bn Rifle Brigade & in one of the other units, where presumably other personnel would'nt have served with him in August - November 1914 & be aware that he may not have qualfied. Unless it was picked up within the unit from his records - hospitalised, serving at a Base or whatever during that period.

It would be interesting to know his rank later in service too, he would'nt have remaned an Acting Corporal for a dozen years or so, whether he was promoted or demoted.

If his service or pension records ever turn up they may shed some light.