Am I missing something? Stephen Henry Kearsey's M.I.C. for the 1914/15 Star

[Rory Reynolds]

I've just bought a group of medals to a chap who served with Lumsden's Horse in the Boer War and who then went on, according to his medal group, to serve as No. 22 CPL S.H. Kearsey Vol. M.G. Coy. He is a Lieut. on the British War Medal and Victory Medal and has the GSM with Irag clasp. 

I have found a Medal Index Card for him iro the pair but can find no trace of him being awarded the Star. The pair was awarded to him in India (see below).

Any help in tracking down his "missing" WWI service would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Regards

Rory

[Matlock1418]

Hi, Just to clarify:

= Does the medal group include a Star? [as No. 22 CPL S.H. Kearsey Vol. M.G. Coy. one might presume - but best clarified]

If there is a Star = What sort?

M

[Matlock1418]

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29483/page/1962

NOTE.—Stephen Henry Kearsey is admitted to the Infantry Branch of the Indian Army Reserve of Officers in the rank of Second Lieutenant from the 7th August, 1915, and not from the 3rd September, 1915, as notified in the London Gazette of the 5th November, 1915

M

Edit: Promotion to Lt 7th August, 1916  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30199/page/7495

A few more LG here https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice?text="S+H+Kearsey"&categorycode-all=all&noticetypes=&location-postcode-1=&location-distance-1=1&location-local-authority-1=&numberOfLocationSearches=1&start-publish-date=&end-publish-date=&edition=&london-issue=&edinburgh-issue=&belfast-issue=&sort-by=oldest-date&results-page-size=10

Edited 23 November , 2023 by Matlock1418
edit

[Rory Reynolds]

37 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Hi, Just to clarify:

= Does the medal group include a Star? [as No. 22 CPL S.H. Kearsey Vol. M.G. Coy. one might presume - but best clarified]

If there is a Star = What sort?

M

Hi - yes M - it includes a 1914/15 Star (see very poor photo below), plus the blurb from the auction house.

 

 

Edited 23 November , 2023 by Rory Reynolds
Adding an item

[Matlock1418]

I hope it is not impertinent to further ask = Do you know if the Star is impressed/stamped or engraved?

However I admit I'm currently thinking you may not yet have the medals and might not have seen photos of, or physically seen, the reverse and its condition.

M

Edited 23 November , 2023 by Matlock1418
add

[Matlock1418]

Because of the Indian Army nature of his service, including seemingly the Volunteer Machine Gun Company reference, perhaps @MaureenE  can help?

= Might such records have been/still be kept in India? Or where else might they perhaps now be?

M

[Rory Reynolds]

16 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

I hope it is not impertinent to further ask = Do you know if the Star is impressed/stamped or engraved?

However I admit I'm currently thinking you may not yet have the medals and might not have seen photos of, or physically seen, the reverse and its condition.

M

Spot on M - the medals are in South Africa and I won't have sight of them until late next week. The auctioneer is normally au fait with the style and naming conventions on the Stars so I don't expect it to be in any way "tampered" with.

Rory

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, Rory Reynolds said:

GSM with Irag clasp. 

There is another MIC for GSM with Irag clasp - I found on Ancestry - as IARO

M

[charlie962]

The 3rd photo in the bottom strip shows the reverse of the medals?

[Rory Reynolds]

3 minutes ago, charlie962 said:

The 3rd photo in the bottom strip shows the reverse of the medals?

Here is that particular photo from that strip Charlie - not very distinct.

 

[charlie962]

Findmypast have a hospital admission June 1916 for him, I think

19th General Hospital Alexandria

Officers from East African Force.

[SteveE]

#22 Cpl. S. H. Kearsey (Nagpur Volunteer Rifles) is listed on the Nominal Roll of No.2 Section Volunteer Maxim Gun Company that left Bombay on 18th September 1914 aboard H. T. "Bandra" and arrived in Mombasa on 3rd October 1914.  [Source. East African (Vol.) Maxim Gun Company War Diary NA Ref. WO 95/5343-16].

Steve

[MaureenE]

Harry Fecitt (Forum member bushfighter from memory) mentions this group in "Indian Volunteers in the Great War East African Campaign" written in 2010.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170302195115/http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/the-great-war/great-war-on-land/other-war-theatres/1072-indian-volunteers-in-the-great-war-east-african-campaign.html

As far as I am aware, there are no records surviving for any Volunteer regiments in India. I suspect they were all destroyed when India gained independence.

You could try the British Library Archives catalogue to see if there is a service record for Kearsey. Unfortunately I have not been able to access the British Library catalogue for a while now, I don't know whether this is my problem or a general problem, although I did see something which suggested there had been some sort of cyber breach at the BL.

 

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear Rory,

Well done securing the Kearnsey medal group of five!

Puzzling that his QSA is loose, but that his 15 Trio and GSM are mounted as worn.

It is indeed confusing that his IA MIC shows only BWM entitlement (IARO). Similarly confusing,but less so, is the other MIC: BWM, Victory and GSM (Iraq) being confirmed to Lieut/Capt (63 Palamkottah Light Infanry), Kearnsey, IARO.

I have a similar issue:-

BMW and Victory confirmed to Lieut E. P. Yeates, 1st Bn., 12th Pioneers, IA, who was with the later infamous Brig, Dwyer in Persia, 1915/16. Both his MIC and IA MIC, show only confirmation of BWM and Victory.

Happily, I possess his original award slip, with 15 Star and length of ribbon (4")! This was sent to Capt Yeates, post-Great War (attd.).. 

In this case, the Victory Medal (CAPT. E. P. YEATES.) has unfortunately Gone Walkabout!

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[Rory Reynolds]

6 hours ago, SteveE said:

#22 Cpl. S. H. Kearsey (Nagpur Volunteer Rifles) is listed on the Nominal Roll of No.2 Section Volunteer Maxim Gun Company that left Bombay on 18th September 1914 aboard H. T. "Bandra" and arrived in Mombasa on 3rd October 1914.  [Source. East African (Vol.) Maxim Gun Company War Diary NA Ref. WO 95/5343-16].

Steve

A BIG thank you to Matlock, Charlie, Steve, Maureen and Kim - you have all contributed greatly to my knowledge of Kearsey. Steve, thank you for that verification- it is the confirmation I was looking for. I wonder whether or not it is a 1914 Star and not 14/15 as described by the auctioneers - all will be revealed when the group lands here.

Regards

Rory

[SteveE]

6 minutes ago, Rory Reynolds said:

A BIG thank you to Matlock, Charlie, Steve, Maureen and Kim - you have all contributed greatly to my knowledge of Kearsey. Steve, thank you for that verification- it is the confirmation I was looking for. I wonder whether or not it is a 1914 Star and not 14/15 as described by the auctioneers - all will be revealed when the group lands here.

Regards

Rory

Rory

it should be the 1914/1915 Star that Kearsey was entitled to, the East African theatre of operations didn’t qualify for the 1914 Star.

Steve

[Rory Reynolds]

1 hour ago, SteveE said:

Rory

it should be the 1914/1915 Star that Kearsey was entitled to, the East African theatre of operations didn’t qualify for the 1914 Star.

Steve

Thanks Steve - that fits - there were also very few South Africans who qualified even for the 1914/15 Star - I know it's not relevant to this topic but only a small number made it to German East Africa by midnight on 31 December 1915 - the 2nd South African Horse spring to mind.

ATB

Rory

[MaureenE]

There is a record at the British Library,  Collection 425/1596 Medal rolls for 1914-1915 Star. IOR/L/MIL/7/18841

I don't know what information it contains, possibly it would not include any more information than is already known.

Maureen

[Rory Reynolds]

The medals to Kearsey have finally arrived. For those interested here is what his 1914/15 Star looks like.

 

 

 

Edited 14 December , 2023 by Rory Reynolds

[Matlock1418]

On 14/12/2023 at 16:35, Rory Reynolds said:

The medals to Kearsey have finally arrived. For those interested here is what his 1914/15 Star looks like.

Thanks for posting.

M