harleychick Posted 6 September , 2004 Share Posted 6 September , 2004 During family research I found a medal belonging to my great uncle which states 7256 Pte. W. Cowdrey. A. CYCLIST CORPS. As I cannot find any information on A Cyclist Corps, can anyone please tell me about who they were, duties etc. My Great uncle was a small man of hardly 5 feet tall, and had a badly deformed spine, and I would have thought he was unfit for army service. he was born in 1892 and died in 1952. Any information very welcome. Many thanks Sheila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wienand Drenth Posted 6 September , 2004 Share Posted 6 September , 2004 Sheila, My guess is that A. Cyclist Corps stands for Army Cyclist Corps. As the title says, the corps consisted of cyclist units, and was responsible for its training etc. Early in the war each division had its own cyclist company for reconnaissance work. Later these were grouped into battalions allocated to each Corps. The cyclist units in the UK were intended for home defence. Hope this helps. regards, Wienand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harleychick Posted 7 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 7 September , 2004 Thankyou weinand for the useful information. in view of the fact my Great Uncle had a health problem, perhaps he never left Britain, and maybe was involved in home defence as you suggest. I had visions of him pedalling around France on a bicycle that was far too tall for him, and always felt very sorry that he may have been called up to fight, but now I feel better knowing that he may have been involved in home defence. Thankyou regards Sheila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 You can download your Great Uncle's Medal Index card from here http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchive...1&resultcount=1 At a first glance it would appear that his health may have been responsible for a transfer to the Labour Corps. Download it, and it should tell you if he served abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 You can download your Great Uncle's Medal Index card from here http://www.documentsonline.nationalarchive...1&resultcount=1 At a first glance it would appear that his health may have been responsible for a transfer to the Labour Corps. Download it, and it should tell you if he served abroad. If he was awarded Campaign Medals he would have served abroad. The MIC will not tell you if he served overseas with the Labour Corps. You need to consult the medal roll for that and ook at the column on the right of the soldier's name. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete Wood Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 I take your point, Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 The probelm is that ever since the MICs went on-line, a lot of people think that it is the answer to all their questions - it isn't! MICs are really the most basic piece of info you can get about a soldier who was entitled to medals. The real meat is in the medal rolls, service records and war diaries, to name but a few. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_59 Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 what exactly are the medal rolls and where can they be found. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 7 September , 2004 Share Posted 7 September , 2004 The medal rolls are essentially a register of men/women who were entitled to a specific medal/decoration. They are arranged usually in Unit number sequence, the Hampshires & OBLI are two where the BWM/Victory medal rolls are in alpha order. In addition to number, rank and full name, they also list the variuous Battalions or Companies that an individual served with in a theatre of war. You will find individual rolls for the 14 Star, the 14/15 Star, the BWM & Victory Medal, the Silver War Badge and the Territorial War Medal. They are available at the PRO, Kew and are under the reference WO 329. The IGSM, KSA & QSA are available under WO 100 Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harleychick Posted 8 September , 2004 Author Share Posted 8 September , 2004 Thankyou everyone for the input.I'm new to this aspect of my family history research. I will look up the details on line as suggested.My Great uncles medal that I have has a man on horseback 1914-1918, on one side and George 5th on the other, and is silver.Is it the war medal? Will I also be able to find details on the medal rolls of my Grandfather, as I have two of his medals also? He was wounded at some point, but would never discuss any of his war experiences, and I now understand why.He died in 1964, delirius, handing cigarettes to his mates, thinking he was back in the trenches. I have a photo of him after the war wearing a small round silver badge in his coat, and thanks to 1914-1918 am pretty certain it is one of the badges given to the wounded., so I am learning all the time. Many thanks Sheila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 9 September , 2004 Share Posted 9 September , 2004 Thankyou everyone for the input.I'm new to this aspect of my family history research. I will look up the details on line as suggested.My Great uncles medal that I have has a man on horseback 1914-1918, on one side and George 5th on the other, and is silver.Is it the war medal? Will I also be able to find details on the medal rolls of my Grandfather, as I have two of his medals also? He was wounded at some point, but would never discuss any of his war experiences, and I now understand why.He died in 1964, delirius, handing cigarettes to his mates, thinking he was back in the trenches. I have a photo of him after the war wearing a small round silver badge in his coat, and thanks to 1914-1918 am pretty certain it is one of the badges given to the wounded., so I am learning all the time. Many thanks Sheila. Yes the medal in question is the British War Medal. Yes the badge you mention is the Silver War Badge - worn on the right lapel. Your story goes to show that for many men the War didn't end when the guns fell silent. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now