Worldwide Army Medals of World War I - A Personal Collection


Book Description

I started the medal collection for “A Selection of Global War Crosses and Medals for Bravery, Merit and Service for World War 1” in August 2017 when I purchased my first war cross, the 3rd French Republic - Croix de Guerre. It took me a further five months to complete the collection as seen. I had just completed a twenty or so years family history project researching (although not all that time spent researching) my paternal Great Uncles., three of which had sadly been killed in action during WW1. I was in the process of having their medals and uniform items framed when I started to research their war medals and this collection just led on from there. The collection is not complete but provides a very good representation (many original, some very rare with a few *Reproductions, due to cost and/or scarcity) of many of the army military bravery and merit awards that covers every location / world country that participated in WW1. I also decided where appropriate to include a few campaign medals and a few naval medals. I researched the information for each award, as I was unable to find a book or an individual article that provided all the information in one document. The collection continues to grow and I intend to include a selection of WW1 Campaign and Army Regimental Medals in the 2nd Edition. It is my wish that it will provide a global perspective of the enormity of the reach of WW1, many of the awards mentioned being issued posthumously. IN MEMORY OF MY 3 GREAT UNCLES, William, James and George Smallshaw. Author - Lance Smallshaw Belgium (Origin: Liverpool, UK) January 2018




British Military Medals


Book Description

Fully revised second edition of Peter Duckers best-selling guide to military medals. This second edition of Peter Duckers best-selling British Military Medals traces the history of medals and gallantry awards from Elizabethan times to the modern day, and it features an expert account of their design and production. Campaign and gallantry medals are a key to understanding - and exploring - British and imperial military history, and to uncovering the careers and exploits of individual soldiers. In a series of succinct and well-organized chapters he explains how medals originated, to whom they were awarded and how the practice of giving medals has developed over the centuries. His work is a guide for collectors and for local and family historians who want to learn how to use medals to discover the history of military units and the experiences of individuals who served in them.




The Milltown Boys at Sixty


Book Description

The Milltown Boys at Sixty is a story like no other, giving both an insider and an outsider view of the ‘Milltown Boys’, exploring the nature of an ethnographic relationship based on research about their experiences of the criminal justice system. A group classically labelled as delinquents, drug-takers and drop-outs, the Boys were also, in many different ways, fathers, friends and family men, differentially immersed in the labour market, in very different family relationships and now very differently connected to criminal activity. Williamson has written books capturing their experiences over the fifty years of his continued association with them: about their teenage years; and twenty years later, in middle-age. This book is about them as they pass the age of 60, providing a personal account of the relationship between Williamson and the Boys, and the distinctive – perhaps even controversial – research methodology that enabled the mapping of their lives. It provides a unique and detailed insight into the ways in which the lives of the Milltown Boys that started with such shared beginnings have unfolded in so many diverse and fascinating ways. These accounts will be of interest to the lay reader curious about the way others have managed (or failed to manage) their lives, the professional who works with those living, often struggling, on the wrong side of the tracks, and the academic researching and teaching about social exclusion, substance misuse, criminal justice transitions and the life course.




Tracing your Great War Ancestors: The Somme


Book Description

If you want to find out about an ancestor who served on the Somme during the First World War during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 or at any time during the fighting in this sector of the Western Front this book is the ideal guide. It provides practical information and advice on how to conduct your research. It will help you to discover when and where your ancestors served and give you an insight into his experience of the war. It is also a fascinating introduction to researching the Great War as a whole.Simon Fowler outlines the course of the fighting on the Somme, introducing the many historical resources that you can use to explore the history for yourself. He identifies the key sources for family historians, including at The National Archives and Imperial War Museum and the many online sites that researchers can turn to. There is also advice on the literature, archives, museums and monuments that may help you to gain an insight into your ancestor's story.




Deeds of Heroes


Book Description

For over 100 years the Distinguished Conduct Medal the DCM—was the second highest medal that could be awarded for gallantry to the other ranks of the British army—in some cases also the RAF and Royal Navy, yet the holders of this major award have rarely been given the recognition they deserve. While the heroic exploits of recipients of the Victoria Cross have been the subject of repeated accounts, DCM holders have largely been ignored in print. But now in this graphic narrative history Matthew Richardson sets the record straight by describing the conspicuous courage of men who have been awarded the DCM in the Crimean and the colonial wars, in the two world wars, and during recent conflicts in the Falklands and the Gulf. Told often in their own words, their extraordinary stories of bravery and self-sacrifice are the central focus of his book.




A Collector's Guide to German World War 2 Medals & Political Awards


Book Description

A leading expert on German medals and political awards provides a definitive guide to those issued in occupied and annexed states. With an informative collection of photos illustrating the medal subjects it provides an essential reference to those interested in collecting Second World War medals.




Tracing Your First World War Ancestors


Book Description

The First World War was perhaps the most traumatic event of the Twentieth Century. Millions of men, women and children were affected by it. And it still has a resonance today more than a hundred years after the Armistice. This guide offers a simple, yet comprehensive, guide to researching the men and women from Britain - and its dominions and colonies - who took part in the First World War either at the front or at home It is an accessible, up-to-date and expert introduction to get you on your way and to answer those questions you might come across during your researches. In a straightforward, easy-to-follow style the book introduces readers to the multitude of sources they can use to explore the history of the First World War for themselves. In a series of short, instructive chapters the book takes the reader through the process of researching ancestors who served during the First World War providing short cuts and background information as required. The book covers the key sources, including the National Archives and the many online sites that researchers can turn to. It also covers records of casualties, munitions workers, conscientious objectors and service personnel from the British Dominions.