War Diaries ... new on Ancestry

[SmallTownGirl]

I have another question now, please Ann, if that's OK.

Another g.uncle, who was in the 1st Northants, was KIA on 29 Oct 1918. His medal card shows that he was awarded the MM. I think I had assumed that it was for something that happened in the battle/skirmish/whatever that killed him, but not I realise that might not have bee the case.

So, my question is, is it a given that he would have been mentioned in the diary on/around the date of his heroic act, or not?

If so, I'll just have to trawl backwards through the diary until I either find him or not.

Thanks
STG

[annswabey]

Might have been mentioned but MM's are not always in the War Diaries. Worth a look though. You need to find the announcement of the award in the London Gazette, which is searchable online. I'd just put his regimental number into the search, rather than his name - it's a bit of a nightmare to search. When you've found the date of the announcement, work backwards in the Diary - the action for which he was awarded it might have been a few months before.

[SmallTownGirl]

Just found an old paper compiled by someone who I assume got his info from a visit to TNA. It says:

Vincent Allton's name appears on a list of "Honours and awards for November" in the 1st Battalion War Diary o Nov 1918. The list comprises -
- 1 DSO to the Commanding Officer - Award for actions of 17th and 23 October 1918.
- 4 MCs to 2nd Lts - All awards for 24 Sept 1918 for an attach near ......
- 1 MC to a CSM - Again for 24 Sept 1918 and again for taking command of a company after the officers were out of action
- 3 DCMs - Again all for 24 Sep 1918, 1 for ...... the other two for..... [something else]
- 17 MMs (including Allton) and 3 bars to MMs. Unfortunately I can't place ANY of these on a specific date.
Whilst it's tempting to choose the 24 Sep 1918 as a likely date, this was the last batch of MMs Gazetted for the War to 1st Battalion, apart from 1 MM in an Aug 1919 Gazette, and one would expect the actions of the 17th, 23rd and 29th Oct, and 4 Nov 1918 to possibly garner some MMs as well, though perhaps not in the numbers awarded for the major (and fully successful) action of 24 Sept 1918."

Which seems to be this page

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/60779/43112_1271_0-00309/351923?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fti%3d5538%26indiv%3dtry%26db%3dukwardiarieswwi%26h%3d351923&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord#?imageId=43112_1271_0-00338

I've looked back in the diary to March 1918 (from 30 Oct 1918) and drawn a blank.

So is that it then? There won't be anything else?

STG

[annswabey]

Allton is at the bottom of the page (reg no 32847). Sorry, just realised you've seen this. You wouldn't necessarily expect him to be mentioned at the time for the action mentioned but at least it tells you what he was involved in to win the award

[SmallTownGirl]

Thanks again. I'll leave you alone now!

STG

[annswabey]

I don't mind!