Medal group research

[Spasm]

Gents

Can you help with medal card, regt history and stuff that I can print off and pass onto the Grandson. The set is home mounted onto a strip of cardboard, obviously done by William himself.

14-15 Star is to 10848 PTE W W SKINNER LINC.R

War medal and Victory medals are to 10848 CPL W W SKINNER LINC.R

Special Constabulary faithful service is to WILLIAM SKINNER

Thanks in advance

Edited December 7, 2014 by Spasm

[Spasm]

Here's William's medal card

[Tony]

All I could find were the medal rolls for his WWI medals, the BWM/VM roll shows his rank as L/Sgt. and Cpl.

Ancestry has somehow missed his name out on the 14-15 Star roll but I got there in the end using a cunning plan and common sense,

If you want a full scan of the pages to print off let me know and I'll send them on.

No service record or anything else was available, hold on, even though he was Class Z I'll check the SWB rolls just in case. Nope, just William Skinner 14809 Lincs.

I suppose WWII police records will have to be checked for the Special Constabulary medal, don't know how to do that.

[Tony]

Gents

Can you help with medal card, regt history and stuff that I can print off and pass onto the Grandson.

What do you need to know on the medal card?

[Paul R]

It is interesting to see the metal oxidation on the WW1 Victory Medal ribbon. It must have been stored with the medal resting on it for many years.

[Spasm]

Tony - that's about it I think unless there's some way of finding his Bn so that Steve can do a bit of research on locations, battles etc during WW1

Steve - lots to go on now. Go join a research site (ancestry/find my past etc) and see if you can't track him down through census records etc, would be nice to see some more history on your Granddad including his police service.

[Tony]

Tony - that's about it I think unless there's some way of finding his Bn so that Steve can do a bit of research on locations, battles etc during WW1

Steve - lots to go on now. Go join a research site (ancestry/find my past etc) and see if you can't track him down through census records etc, would be nice to see some more history on your Granddad including his police service.

Take a closer look at the second pic, it says 7/Lincs.

Ancestry only brings up 10,351 people named William Walter Skinner, he's lucky it's not a common name. Mind you, that's all variations and other names added just for fun.

[Spasm]

Tony - maybe I should have actually looked at it properly, sorry

So 7th Battalion, raised 11th Sept 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army. Joined 51st Brigade, 17th Northern Division.

Division moved to Dorset and in 1915 on to Winchester. After reversing the selection for Home Defence, off they went to St Omer, France in July 1915. Familiarised for trench warfare in Southern Ypres and took over the front lines there. Spring 1916 saw them in action at the Bluff, South East of Ypres on the Commines Canal.

They then moved South to the Somme and saw action in the Battle of Albert when the Division captured Fricourt and fought in the Battle of Delville Wood. 1917 saw them off to Arras in the First and Second Battle of the Scarpe and the capture of Roeux. They then moved to Flanders and fought in the First and Second Battles of Passchendaele.

1918 saw them in the Battles of St Quentin, Bapaume, Amiens, Albert, Havrincourt, Epehy and Cambrai - Maybe William saw those first ranks of tanks go into battle.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Spasm

[Tony]

That all fits in with his entry into theatre.

I picked up a pair of medals to a Kiwi who was killed at Bapaume Aug. 1918, see here http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/64455-reichsarchiv-unit-abbreviations-units-in-bapaume-aug-1918/

Andy named the German units fighting there, might be of interest to your mate knowing who was opposite to his grandad at the start of the advance.

[Spasm]

A lot to digest and to research. I'm sure Steve will be kept busy for some time now before he gets these medals mounted for display.

Thanks Gents