Just curious...

[Dubonnet lady]

My next door neighbour and I were talking family backgrounds - apparently her grand-dad whilst serving in France in WW1 was awarded the Croix ge Guerre. The medal has apparently ''gone missing'' somewhere down the family line, which is now rather fractured. She wondered if she could get a copy to show her own grandchildren.

[Guest]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/your_questions/croix_medal.shtml

have a look at this

[Janet H.]

google, there is a lot of sites that have replica ones.

Jan

[SmallTownGirl]

She wondered if she could get a copy to show her own grandchildren.

Assume it would be possible to buy a replica from somewhere, but what might be more interesting would be if she could find out what he did to prompt the French to award it to him. He might well have been mentioned in dispatches, or something in the local paper, perhaps?

If you posted his name, we could see if we could find anything?

[Dubonnet lady]

Thank you all for your replies. Val - that site's interesting - I'll show her that - she has no PC nor how to use one

I'll see her in the next day or two so I'll ask more.

Good to hear there could be a chance of her perhaps getting a copy!

[Chrissie Smiff]

It might be worth checking here Dorothy. It seems there was more than one sort too, so you would want to get one the same.

http://www.ranker.com/list/croix-de-guerre-winners/reference

[AntonyM]

There is also a Belgian Croix De guerre - and like the French version it could be awarded to an individual, or often to a unit/brigade etc. as a group award.

[Dubonnet lady]

If you posted his name, we could see if we could find anything?

Well, she's got various bits of paper, including a letter from Gordon Highlanders Musem and copies of newspaper cuttings and in short this is a summary: (sorry it's so lengthy!)

Duncan McKitchen Bridges dob 28 July 1882 of 36 Kelvinhaugh Street Glasgow
(area known as Partick) Father: Adam Crawford Bridges Mother: Christina nee McKitchen

He married (date unknown) Eliza McGregor dob 1874 a widow.

DoDeath: May 9 1930, 32 Skene Street,Rubislaw, Aberdeen
The local paper printed a sizable Obituary Notice.

Volunteered and enlisted in the 1st/4th (Reserve) battalion Gordon Highlanders soon after outbreak of War in 1914. Allocated the number 2689 (shown in some records as 2687.) Ranked as Private.
After training went to France & Flanders on 20.2.1915.

Promoted to L/Sergeant on the field of battle January 1916. On 14 January 1916 The London Gazette announced that L/SgtBridges had been awarded the DCM. At the time the DCM was ranked one below the VC. The GH Museum says: The citation does not name the battle so the scene of his bravery is not listed in the citation. However it’s possible it was when the 1st/4th Bn Gordons had been involved in major action at the Battle of Loos (25.9 – 8.10.15) and the Bn had been involved in a containing action of this battle in the area of Hooges within the Ypres Salient, Belgium – alternatively it may have been awarded for a particularly brave action during routine Front Line trench duties. Records of The London Gazette may clarify this.

It was further announced in the London Gazette on 24.2.16 that the French Croix de Guerre had been awarded to L/Sgt Bridges, and it appears this is for the same action for which he had been awarded the DCM. Apparently it was not uncommon during WW1 for both British & French awards to be made for the same action.
By early 1917 L/Sgt Bridges, in common with other enlisted Gordons, had his Regimental Number changed – to 200581.

His full medal entitlement at Demob in 1918 was
Distinguished Conduct Medal
1914-1915 Star
1914 – 1920 War medal
WW1 Victory Medal
Croix de Guerre (French)

[SmallTownGirl]

Well, I've found his medal card ..

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1262/30850_A000207-00026/2307334?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3frank%3d1%26new%3d1%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dangs-c%26gsfn%3dduncan%2bmckitchen%26gsln%3dbridges%26msbdy%3d1882%26msypn__ftp%3dGlasgow%252c%2bLanarkshire%252c%2bScotland%26msypn%3d91050%26msypn_PInfo%3d8-%257c0%257c0%257c3257%257c3252%257c0%257c0%257c0%257c91007%257c91050%257c0%257c%26cpxt%3d1%26uidh%3dykz%26cp%3d11%26pcat%3d39%26h%3d2307334%26recoff%3d9%2b10%26db%3dMedalRolls%26indiv%3d1%26ml_rpos%3d2&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

[Dubonnet lady]

Well, I've found his medal card ..

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1262/30850_A000207-00026/2307334?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3frank%3d1%26new%3d1%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dangs-c%26gsfn%3dduncan%2bmckitchen%26gsln%3dbridges%26msbdy%3d1882%26msypn__ftp%3dGlasgow%252c%2bLanarkshire%252c%2bScotland%26msypn%3d91050%26msypn_PInfo%3d8-%257c0%257c0%257c3257%257c3252%257c0%257c0%257c0%257c91007%257c91050%257c0%257c%26cpxt%3d1%26uidh%3dykz%26cp%3d11%26pcat%3d39%26h%3d2307334%26recoff%3d9%2b10%26db%3dMedalRolls%26indiv%3d1%26ml_rpos%3d2&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

Oh thanks STG - but I'm sorry I've let my Ancestry sub drop, so can't view it :(

[AntonyM]

I would recommend looking at the battalion war diary - although they usually only mention officers by name, in the case of exceptional bravery or a notable incident you do sometimes get "other ranks" named. It may tell the story of what happened (certainly as far as the DCM goes). It should at least establish where exactly he was and what actions he was likely to be involved in.

Many of the war diaries are now available to download from Kew (for a small fee).

[Dubonnet lady]

Antony - She has a copy of the citation (from the GH Museum) giving the circumstances for his medal, but it doesn't mention where. In their covering letter, as mentioned above, they also explain that a lot of WW1 records were destroyed by bombing in WW2 so they can only give an educated ''guess' at where it took place.

[AntonyM]

Many service records were destroyed - but the war diaries (mostly) survive, I can see his regiment in the TNA catalogue. The diary will list where the battalion was and what they were doing day by day,..... if you were to read through it for the period, there is a chance he will be mentioned. Sometimes the war diaries have additional documents with them (listed as appendixes), such as casualty lists or recommendations for awards.

Other options are to look for a battalion history or possibly memoirs written by officers from the battalion after the war - they often give a lot of detail about individual actions.

The other place to look would be the local paper for his home area - they often had reports about local soldier "heroes" being awarded honours.

[Dubonnet lady]

Anthony - thanks again.

The local Aberdeen newspaper did, as I sad, give a long obituary on him, but no mention was made of the place of action, and according to neighbour this was the only mention of him.

Is the TNA record available to just anyone? She doesn't have a pc, so it would be down to me if I chose to do the research.

As the Gordon Highlander Museum suggested looking in the London Illustrated News of the period, do you by any chance have a website for them?

[Night Owl]

Ancestry has "UK, Citations of the Distinguished Conduct Medal" 1914-1920 and has an entry for D Bridges 2689 Gordon Highlanders. It describes what the award was for. Not sure if I'm allowed to put a full transcript on here but if you want to PM me your email address I can send you a copy

It may be the same as the citation she received from the museum

[Dubonnet lady]

Jackie thanks.

I suspect it may well be the same as the A4 photocopy she's got with it on looks like a page copied from a Record book, and the men's name are listed alphabetically with his name highlighted.... but sadly, as I say although it gives a thorough description of why, it doesn't say where.
However, if it's no problem to copy it then perhaps you could do that anyway.. I'll pm my email

[Night Owl]

Jackie thanks.

I suspect it may well be the same as the A4 photocopy she's got with it on looks like a page copied from a Record book, and the men's name are listed alphabetically with his name highlighted.... but sadly, as I say although it gives a thorough description of why, it doesn't say where.
However, if it's no problem to copy it then perhaps you could do that anyway.. I'll pm my email

Email sent

[Dubonnet lady]

Thanks Jackie - have replied now