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    Bronze BWM collection


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    Congratulations on your find.  I opened this thread at the beginning - 2012!  I had an interest in bronze medals because of a life long passion for the old British Indian Army. 

    Even back in 2012, however, someone was expressing concerns over the naming on a bronze BWM, which I brushed aside.  He went on to say that the bronze medals were being reproduced / faked / 'improved' with added naming.  It is ironic in the extreme that the 'lesser awards' are now more desirable to some because of rarity value.  My reaction to the bronze awards to Labour Corps and so on has always been 'The all bled red'.  Glad to see others share an interest in the 'also served' units and individuals.

     

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    • 2 months later...

    I tried for a number of years this century to have the authorities post 1994 rectify the previous non-issue of the Bronze BWM to the Union of S.Africa members of the SANLC or their  descendants . Unfortunately no result

    Numis

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    • 2 years later...
    On 16‏/5‏/2010 at 6:30 AM, oamotme said:

    Brian,

     

    I suspect the replacement suspension is no more than an opportune attempt to make the disc more saleable. I have come across a number of GSM discs without suspension and indeed the occasional loose suspensions with or without clasps - as this issue of the GSM was only awarded to local units with the clasp "Arabian Peninusla" at least I have been able to repair a few medals. However I digress from the BWM in bronze. I detail below from my records the named ranked recipients of the medal to the Aden Labour Corps.

     

    Number Rank Name

    1374 Jemadar Abdullah Hassan Abdul Hadi

    2 Havildar Syed Mohamed Bedhani

    173 / Othman Muqbil Hamadi

    201 / Abdurab Saad

    314 / Gharulla Mohamed Amari

    317 / Noman Aninam Areqi

    419 / Mohamed Ali Mohamed

    420 / Bulghet Suleman

    224 Acting Havildar Ahmed Bin Ahmed Shebani

    3 Naik Mohammed Thabit

    22 / Ahmed Farah

    34 / Ahmed Salih Amari

    48 / Qassim Ghalib

    93 / Ali Noman

    102 / Husain Salih Bedhani

    112 / Abdulla Omar Yafai

    163 / Abdulla Mugbil Wafi

    179 / Husain Ahmed Labani

    202 / Ali Mohamed Bagad

    254 / Mohamed Muslih Amari

    320 / Salih Mohamed Redai

    350 / Mohamed Musaid Dthali

    423 / Ali Hizam Mohamed

    663 / Hassan Mohamed

    785 / Abdullah Ali Hakmi

    5 Lance Naik Hizam Mohamed Maqtari

    9 / Ahmed Bin Ahmed

    27 / Muslik Muthanna Jazir

    52 / Nasir Hussain Audali

    79 / Salih Mohamed Surebi

    158 / Ahmed Said Salwi

    205 / Alwan Salih Alowi

    245 / Mohamed Omar Audali

    258 / Murshid Salih Almas

    288 / Abdu Naji Hamedi

    333 / Mohamed Qaid Hussain

    356 / Shamsan Ahmed Maqtari

    340 / Murshid Salih Khabani

    400 / Ahmed Salih Amari

    422 / Abdu Ali Mohamed

    446 / Ali Didba Dunkali

    465 / Yasuf Haidar Hamadi

    600 / Said Obeid Boreiki

    643 / Ali Nasir Hajeli

    657 / Said Awadth Akbari

    733 / Ahmed Mohamed Dthalai

    797 / Saif Hassain Qaddasi

    932 / Abdu Mohamed Salwi

    1088 / Ali Bin Mohamed Mukalla

    1165 / Abdullah Mahomed

    1376 Head Clerk Syed Mohamed Ali Hussain

    1377 Clerk Mahomed Said Awun

    1378 Sweeper Hassan Said

    1379 / Ali Abdulla

    1380 / Qasim Said

    1417 / Budhoo

    1382 Tailor Ishaq Abdullah

    1386 Servant Ali Mohamed Yemani

    1387 / Saif Ahmed Jebali

    26 Ward Orderly Othman Said Habeshi

    No number. Private Servant Mohamed Ismail Somali

     

    The names can be split into approximately five groups:

     

    Tribal - e.g. Yafai, Audali, Alowi, Dthali, Habeshi, etc.

    Geographical - e.g. Somali, Yemani, Mukalla (Coastal Town), Dunkali (in NE Africa), Jebali (Jebel = Mountain).

    Family names - e.g. Noman, Bagad, etc.

    Patronymic - e.g. Ahmed bin Ahmed, etc.

    Simple names - e.g. Ali Abdulla, Qassim Ghalib, etc.

     

    And of course sometimes a combination of the above such as Ali bin Mohammed Mukalla - i.e Ali Son of Mohammed from Mukalla, or Ahmed bin Ahmed Shebani - i.e. Ahmed son of Ahmed of the Shebani tribe.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Owain

     

     

    Hello everyone

     

    932 / Abdu Mohamed Salwi This is the name my grandfather used more than a hundred years ago when he served with the British army and my father keeps the service book and the medal that was given to my grandfather from them.

     

    Yasser

     

     

     

     

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    • 2 weeks later...

    Hi Yasser,

    I was in contact with your father Abdorahman back in 2014/15 about your grandfather and based on his recollection and some research I had an article published in September 2016in the Journal of the UK Orders & Medals Research Society (OMRS). One of my staff in Riyadh acted as an interpreter between us - I am now back in UK.

    I detail the article below.

    Kind regards,

    Owain.

     

    The Bronze British War Medal 1914-20 to the Aden Labour Corps

     

    The Great War Medal – Aden Labour Corps

     

    Owain Raw-Rees, OMRS 3088

     

     

    Abdu Mohammed Salwi, 1924 © Abdorahman Salwi

     

    In the summer of 2014 I was contacted by Abdorahman Salwi, a Yemeni gentleman resident in Jeddah, concerning the award of the Bronze Great War Medal by the British Government to his late father. He enquired whether as a recipient of this medal there was any entitlement to a pension or any other payment. I advised him that, as far as I was aware, when his father left the service of the Aden Labour Corps (ALC) he would have received his final wages and his service book - there would have been no pension. Abdorahman had in his possession:

     

    ·         Bronze Great War Medal - impressed ADEN L. C.

    ·         Service Book - noting General No. 932; Enrolled - Aden, 8 August 1918; Class - Labour Corps; Name - Abdu; Father’s Name - Mohammed Salwi; Rate of Pay - Rupees 15; Comments – “Quite a suitable N.C.O. A well behaved man.” Dated 24 February, 1920, and signed A.H. MacGuffie, Captain Commandant, ALC, Aden Field Force.

    ·         Certificate – “for a temporary follower to enable him to obtain any medal or clasp which he may have earned on field service”. This notes Salwi “was attached to the Aden Labour Corps with the Aden Field Force from 8 August 1918 to 29 February 1920”.

     

    Online access to Abdu Mohammed Salwi’s medal card at the Public Record Office confirmed that the Bronze War Medal was his sole entitlement.

     

    Bronze War Medal Card & © Abdorahman Salwi

     

    Further to conversation with Abdorahman I was able to compile a brief biography of his father. Abdo Mohammed Salwi was born in 1898 at Jebel As-Salow near Ta’iz in the south of the Imamate of Yemen. As a young man he had a falling out and a fight with a brother and fearing his father would punish him he fled southwards across the border to Aden. He obtained employment as a tea boy with a British military officer and one day on accompanying him to a military range where poor marksmanship was evident he demonstrated, through an unconventional firing position, that he was a good shot by hitting the center of the target - he was asked to do this again. Later he was asked to come to the military encampment and was offered employment with the Aden Labour Corps and he reached the rank of Lance Naik (Lance Corporal) and assisted in training. His son relates a story of him meeting his officer – probably Captain MacGuffie who commanded the ALC, whilst formally dressed in his weekend prayer best dress and was asked to go to the local market to obtain similar outfits for the other members of the Aden Labour Corps.

     

    Following his release from service with the Aden Labour Corps in 1920 he remained in Aden, but in 1924, seeking employment, he travelled to the Hijaz (now the Western Province of Saudi Arabia) and obtained work through the Yemeni Bin Mahfouz company in the construction of the Al Hawia Palace in Taif under the then new Sultan of Nejd and Hijaz, Abdulaziz Al Saud. (In 1932 Abdulaziz became King of Saudi Arabia.) Abdo was later employed by a French maritime company in Djibouti where he worked during the Second World War. At the end of the war he travelled on their vessels transporting phosphates from Casablanca in Morocco to Japan. He then returned to Saudi Arabia and during the reign of King Saud (1953 -64) worked in the Ministry of Finance and obtained de facto Saudi nationality. With the accession of King Faisal the Saudi government reviewed its nationality regulations and as Abdo could not substantiate his claim to Saudi nationality he returned to Yemen. He died in Sana’a, the capital of the Republic of Yemen, in 1985. During his life Abdo was twice married and had three sons and four daughters.

     

    With regard to the medal whilst the engraving on the medal itself only designates the unit, on referring to the medal roll the names of the individuals are given and out of the 942 recipients of the medal, the majority were designated Labourers. The remaining ranks are as follows:

     

    ·         Jemader           Junior Commissioned Officer x 1 (1374 Abdullah Hassan Abdul Hadi)

    ·         Havildar          Sergeant x 8 (Including 1 x Acting Havildar)

    ·         Naik                Corporal x 16

    ·         Lance Naik      Lance Corporal x 25 (Including 932 Abdu Mohammed Salwi)

    ·         Head Clerk      1 (1376 Syed Mohammed Ali Hussain

    ·         Clerk               1 (1377 Mahomed Said Awun)

    ·         Sweeper          4 (Including 1417 Budhoo)

    ·         Tailor               1 (1382 Ishaq Abdullah)

    ·         Servant            2 (1386 Ali Mohamed Yemani & 1387 Said Ahmed Jebali)

    ·         Ward Orderly  1 (26 Othman Said Habeshi)

    ·         Servant            1 (No number - Mohammed Ismail Somali)

     

    The names of the recipients can be split into approximately five groups:

     

    ·         Tribal                         Yafai, Audali, Alowi, Dthali, Habeshi, etc.

    ·         Geographical             Somali, Yemani, Mukalla (Coastal Town), Dunkali (in NE Africa),

    Jebali (Jebel = Mountain) & Salwi (after Mount Salow).

    ·         Familial                      Noman, Bagad, etc.

    ·         Patronymic                Ahmed bin Ahmed, etc.

    ·         Simple                         Ali Abdulla, Qassim Ghalib, etc.

     

    And sometimes a combination of such names such as Ali bin Mohammed Mukalla - i.e. Ali Son of Mohammed from Mukalla, or Ahmed bin Ahmed Shebani - i.e. Ahmed son of Ahmed of the Shebani tribe.

     

    According to ‘British Battles and Medals’ the medal, “was issued in bronze to Chinese, Maltese, Indian and other native Labour Corps and also to other native personnel who were mobilized for war service and received pay at military rates.” In comparison to the Silver War medal where some 6,100,000 medals were issued the Bronze Medal is a comparatively scarce award with some 251,000 medals being issued to the various Labour Corps. Known units are designated on the medals as follows: - ADEN L.C., A.B.C. (Army Bearer Corps - an Indian Army designation), CHINESE L.C.; E.L.C. (Egyptian Labour Corps); MACEDONIAN M.C. (Macedonian Mule Corps); MALTESE L.C.; S.A.N.L.C. (South African Native Labour Corps) and 2 L.C. (Second Labour Corps - an Indian Army designation). See Appendix A for a more detailed listing of units.

           

     

    Bronze War Medal 1914-19 Obverse & Reverse © Downies Auctions

     

    The ALC would have worked in support of all military activity in Aden during the latter part of the war. I have referred to, “The Diary of Aden Troop 1914-18” (Allahabad Press, 1921) and “A Military History of Aden” (David Eldred, 1967) but neither include any references to the ALC. Similarly there is no reference to any ALC burials in various Commonwealth War Grave publications – any deaths in service would have been attended to by immediate burial in local Muslim cemeteries. Further to details given in Abdu’s service book I was able to obtain on line some biographical details of the Commander ALC.

     

    Capt., later Lt. Col., The Revd. Alexander Henley MacGuffie, MBE, c. 1888 - 1983.

    © http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/69491560/person/30197809802b

     

    Capt. MacGuffie’s War Medal Card © PRO

     

    Lt. Col. The Revd. Alexander Henley MacGuffie, MBE, first saw service overseas with 1st Battalion the Border Regiment in March 1908 – he also served in the Dardanelles. He joined the Aden Field Force in Aden in 1916 and commanded, as a Captain, the ALC until its disbandment in 1920. He was promoted to substantive Captain, Royal Engineers (Indian Army) 24 October 1921. Following home leave he returned to Aden as Garrison Engineer and in June 1922 married Edel, a Danish missionary in Aden, before returning to England. Subsequently he was posted to India 1924-31 and was employed as a Garrison Engineer in the Punjab. According to the family history he was appointed MBE in 1930 for “civil engineering work with the Indian Army” – see Appendix B. He retired from the Indian Army in 1935. He returned to Aden as a Missionary on 31st May 1936 and was initially attached to the Danish Mission. During World War Two he raised and commanded the Arab Pioneer Corps. He was ordained Deacon in Aden on 19 March 1944 and then as a priest in Cairo Cathedral on Trinity Sunday, 27 May 1945. From 1945-50 he was Chaplain of St. Mary’s Aden Garrison Church. After the closure of the church in 1950, MacGuffie established the House Church in the Mission Station. He left Aden in May 1952 and was appointed in 1954 to Cumberland in the north west of England as Curate of St. Luke’s, Haverigg, and from 1956 to his retirement in 1973 as Vicar of Mungrisdale. He had been transferred in 1923 to India as a Garrison Engineer in the Punjab. Whilst entitled to the War and Victory Medals, the reverse of his War Medal Card notes, “entitled to the emblem” – to date I have been unable to ascertain what this emblem is.

     

    In concluding this article I would note my thanks to Abdorhaman Ali Salam Al Selwi for providing the details of his father papers and medal and also for the biographical information about his father. I would especially thank my colleague Khalid Al Shuwaier who acted as interpreter.

     

    Appendix A - Bronze War Medal – Known Units (N.B. This is not a definitive listing)

    Africa

    African Native Medical Corps

    Auxiliary Horse Transport (Cape Boys)

    Basutoland Native Labour Contingent

    Belgian Oxen Transport (East Africa)

    East Africa Military Labour Corps

    Egyptian Labour Corps

    Nigeria Carrier Corps

    Sierra Leone Carrier Corps

    South African Native Labour Corps

    Uganda Carrier Corps

    Uganda Transport Corps

     

    Asia

    Aden Labour Corps

    Ceylon Sanitary Company

    Chinese Labour Corps

    Chinese Porter Corps

    Indian Jail Porter Corps

    Indian Labour Corps

    Lahore Labour Corps

    Manipur Labour Corps

    Murree Cooley Corps

    Peshawar Labour Corps

    Seychelles Carrier Corps

     

    Elsewhere

    Fiji Labour Corps

    Jewish Labour Corps

    Macedonian Mule Corps

    Maltese Labour Corps

     

    Appendix B – Captain MacGuffie’s appointment to MBE

    London Gazette, Supplement 23611, Page 3480 dated 3 June 1930. “To be Members of the Military Division of the said Most Excellent Order: Captain Alexander Henley MacGuffie, Royal Engineers, (Indian Army) Technical Officer (Works) Engineer-in-Chiefs Branch, Army Headquarters India.”

     

    Bibliography

    ·         Aden Troop, “The Summary of the War Diary of Aden Troop 1914-18”, Allahabad Press, 1921.

    ·         Bronze British War Medal Units http://www.britishmedalforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=46913&hilit=labour+corps+bronze

    ·         Lord, Cliff & Birtles, David, “The Armed Forces of Aden and the Protectorate 1839-1967”, 2nd Edition, Helion & Coy. Ltd., 2011.

    ·         MacGuffie Papers, Middle East Centre, St. Anthony’s College Reference Code GB 0165 0194 http://www.mundus.ac.uk/cats/35/1232.htm

    ·         London Gazette – MacGuffie - Promotion to Captain https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32820/page/3222/data.pdf

    ·         London Gazette – MacGuffie – appointment to MBE https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33611/supplement/3480/data.pdf

    ·         Medal Roll for the Aden Labour Corps, reference WO 329/2368.

    ·         Medal image - http://www.downies.com/aca/auction309/Catalogue_004.html

    Spink, “British Battles and Medals”, Editors, John Hayward, Diana Birch and Richard Bishop, Spink & Son Ltd, London, 2006.

    ·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hathorn_Hall

    ·         http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/authors.php?auid=28046

    ·         http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/tree/69491560/person/30197809802b

     

    © Owain Raw-Rees, August, 2015

     

     

     

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    • 2 months later...

    Owain,

     

    Interesting article.  As is shown here, Missionary's in China were recruited to sere as officers in the Chinese Labour Corps.  Primarily because they could speak a dialect of Chinese that was understood by the majority of those who joined the CLC,  They also escorted members of the CLC on the boats from China to North America.  The majority came to Canada and were transported across the country in special trains.  All of this was done in great secrecy.  Canada has put in place regulations to try and keep Chinese immigrants from coming to Canada.  A "Head Tax" that was too high for most immigrants to pay was very effective.  China was a neutral country when these members of the CLC  being sent to France so secrecy was necessary.  These movements continued to be kept secret after China declared war on the Central Powers because the Canadian Government wished it kept so.

    One thing not mention so far re these bronze BWM presented to members of the CLC is that they should not start with a zero.  These are always fakes.  There have been a number of BWMs to the CLC on ebay lately that I am concerned about.  They come with a copy of a page of the CLC role showing the name etc matching the Bronze BWM being sold.  The medal on sold on ebay today shows spaces in the word CHINESE.  See attached photos.  I can not say it was a fake but just that it was of a concern to me so I did not bid on it.  Other than that, it looked really good.

     

    Regards,

     

    Gordon

     

      Picture 4 of 5Picture 2 of 5

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    A few more from left to right:

     

    No. 70263. Chinese L.C.  awarded to Wang Fe Lin (horizontal-top 3)

     

    24078 Pte. P. Masilikatsi S.A.N.L.C.

     

    6240 N. Mercieca. Maltese L.C.

     

    5158 Muleteer Macedionian Mule C. on original ribbon with handmade Union Jack stitched to it.  MIC states it was awarded to 5158 Multr Pantelis Christou Mace Mule C.  ( Roll MMC.101.A3 page III)

     

    Also two interesting books on the CLC.  James' book is the definitive work on the Chinese Labour Corps, and is a massive tome at 1,285 pages.

     

    Klein, Darul 2nd Lt.  With the Chinks in the Chinese Labour Corps.  London, Imperial War Museum

     

    James, Gregory The Chinese Labour Corps (1916-1920) Hong Kong, Bayview Educational 2013

    Bronze LC Medals.jpeg

    Chinese LC books.jpeg

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    Another small but interesting book "The Chinese Labour Corps" by Mark O'Neill.  Publish in 2014.  I'll post a picture of the cover tomorrow.

     

    Gordon

    9 hours ago, oamotme said:

    Gordon,

    Thanks for this addition to the thread. At one stage I considered collecting this series of medals but came to the conclusion that yet another focus of collecting would be too distracting.

    Owain.

    Thanks for the kind words.  I applaud your fortitude.  Bronze medals can become addictive beyond Labour Corps.  I just bought one to Worker Elsie Lilian Street, Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps.  She was an assistant cook  

     

    Regards,

     

    Gordon

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    • 5 months later...
    On 04/01/2023 at 07:37, azyeoman said:

    Also two interesting books on the CLC.  James' book is the definitive work on the Chinese Labour Corps, and is a massive tome at 1,285 pages.

     

    James, Gregory The Chinese Labour Corps (1916-1920) Hong Kong, Bayview Educational 2013

     

    Chinese LC books.jpeg

     

    Hello azyeoman,

     

    That's great information about Gregory James' book. I shall have to track one down for reference.

     

    Regards,

    Rob

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