My grandfather was in India before WW1 with the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment. There he served for 7 years and was at the Delhi Durbar when King George was crowned Emperor. For this he recieved a commemoration medal. When WWI broke out he was transferred to France in 1914 and fought all through the war and recieved Pip, Squeak and Wilfred to add to his Indian medal. He also won the Military Medal during the battle of the Somme with an under fire claps. This medal was awarded for supplying the front line troops with ammunition when they were running out. Others had tried and failed, but despite this he succeeded and all while under fire .
Many thanks for this. I had always thought that the full three medal set was a Mutt and Jeff, and obviously I was wrong. Now I know why many veterans looked down their noses at those who had that. In addition the 1914 Mons Star bronze ribbon clasp could sometimes be replaced by a silver carnation pip which was worn centrally on the full and uniform ribbon decoration too. On the Victory Medal ribbon sometimes you would see an oak leaf clasp, this denoting mentioned in dispatches. Again this was displayed on the full and uniform ribbon decoration too. Other medals sometimes seen were the: Territorial Medal; Military Medal (MM); Distinguished Service Medal (DSM); and Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). The Territorial, DSM, and DCM were rarely seen, although I knew a few with the MM. My great grandfather had the Territorials Medal. I knew one fellow that had the DCM, MM and Bar, Pip (with silver carnation pip), Squeak, and Wilfred (with oak leaf clasp). This man had been a machine gunner and had exhibited extreme bravery and courage under fire, saving more than five men, one of which he dragged wounded into a pill box during the daytime under intense enemy fire. He always drank his beer alone and was totally intolerant of what he described as 'stupid idiots' who attempted to question him about the war. My opinion now is that he was still suffering severe PTSD even then, and he was almost barred twice for near fights that had erupted out of unadvisable moves by other people towards him. However, he was tolerated because of his outstanding service. As you noted the men who had the 1914 Mons Star were with the BEF at the outset of WW1 between 5th August to 22nd November, and were known as The Old Contemptibles. This because Kaiser Wilhelm had described them as 'That contemptible little army.' They had a bronze coat lapel badge too which identified them as one of The Old Contemptibles Association. Others had the silver wounded in action coat lapel badge which was awarded to signify that a veteran in civilian clothing had honorably been discharged wounded and was not a shirker. A good way of avoiding a white cowardice feather being stuffed into your hand! Some had both. My great grandfather served with the 4th Territorial Battalion of The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). They arrived in Boulogne on 12th April 1915 where the battalion formed up around Estairs. On May 15th they were renamed as the 148th Brigade, 49th West Riding Division. He fought at the: Battle of Aubers Ridge; Somme Campaign; Battle of Poelcapelle; 3rd Battle of Ypres (1st Battle of Passchendaele); Battle of Lys (4th Battle of Ypres); and in the pursuit to the river Selle and the final advance into Picardy (5th Battle of Ypres). I knew many of the WW1 veterans in my younger days. I met them most Sundays along with my great grandfather at the British Legion Club. WW1 was a horrific, filthy, awful war. Some of the accounts these men discussed quite openly were absolutely ghastly. They always felt they could open up like that at The British Legion Club as they were amongst other veterans who understood. Can you imagine a young boy tab hanging a conversation about trench hand to hand combat? Was it better to bayonet through the chest, guts, or liver? Right! 'Well, take your pick, they're all effective, but if you didn't fancy doin' any of them, Fritzy was certainly goin' to 'ave a go at doin' it to you......probably with a trenching spade if not a bayonet!' was my great grandfathers reply. He had a re-occurrent nightmare about bayonetting a young German soldier through the chest in hand to hand combat. That actually happened. He would wake up screaming around twice a week. The veterans would discuss such topics as this at the British Legion Club, but never at home. At home all talk of WW1 was taboo and would always be immediately closed down by my great grandmother. Strange really. All those people that spurred the men on to go and fight, with white feathers and the rest. And yet when they returned and wanted to talk about their experiences nobody wanted to know or would accuse them of being liars. You did your bit, now shut up and sod off. Odd sort of mentality I thought even as a boy. After all those men had put their lives on the line. Didn't they deserve a little more respect for that?
I have my grandfather’s set of WW1 medals as illustrated. But he was Royal Navy. They have his name and number on them. I display them alongside my own set.
I have just had my grandfather's medals remounted,ribboned and put in a display box along with my father's. My grandfather was an Australian mariner and like yours joined the Royal navy during WW1 and took part in the Battle of Jutland. He then went on and served in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve during WW2. We are very proud and greatful to all the brave men and women who put everything on the line for freedom.
Thankyou for a-great video . Always enjoy listening to your interesting and vastly knowledgeable section on Antique Roadshow. Please keep your videos coming 👌
I have my grandfathers pip squeak and Wilfred also his QSA and KSA medals from the Bore War, never knew they were called Pip Squeak and Wilfred until it was mentioned on Dads army, when Sergeant Wilson said to Corporal Jones the Captain Mainwaring did not have them, not sure what episode, but it was the one where he tried to stop the wearing of medals at a ceremony
Got these beside my bead my great great uncle fought in the Great War his name was Lance corporal William penman he got the 1914-1915 and the other 2 medals
I have my Grandfather's medals, Mutt and Jeff, never knew why there was only two. He spent 1919 in France digging graves. He joined the TA after his service. In 1933 he died of pneumonia, my Gran said it was because he had been gassed and lost the use of a lung. The Medical Board of the War Office said he had had pleurisy as a child and denied her a War Widows Pension. Thanks for answering one of the many questions about a Grandfather I never got to meet.
So sad in the 20 ties and 30ties granda in ww1 1914 to 1918 kosb.would go into whites pub and by the whole pub a drink probably in remembrance of his mates killed 😢 every year.he also suffered 2 mustard gas attacks he lived very happily 😊 till 1973 ,the medals ment nothing to him 1921 ,gave them away ,he got a couple of pints for them , he was sent to Ireland 🇮🇪 and when recouping he served in bycle coastal battalion , his regiment was amalgamated with the hampshire regiment ❤❤
I have my granduncles pip, squek and Wilfred, he also had the Irish war of independence medal 1919-1921 with comrac bar, Irish Emergency medal with 2 bars 1939 -1945 and the 1971 medal for the anniversary of the War of Independence along with a few others mainly service medals. He took equal pride in both sets of medals and attended both Irish & British commerations in his later years. Thankfully in his later years he started to speak about his military service so at least we know what he went through although we still can't find out his full service records especially in the 1939 to 1945 era.
I have the medals of 2 of my great-grandfathers from world war 1. One was awarded the war medal and the victory medal as part of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The other was awarded the war medal and a GSM with Afghanistan NWF 1919 clasp as part of the Border Regiment sent to India in early 1915.
I found my great grandfathers medal from WWI as he fought with Scottish Canadian Highlanders and became wounded In a battle ( not sure which one) then proceeded to fight in paschendale where he was killed I wish I knew more
You should know that Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, were in fact a dog (Pip), a penguin (Squeak), and a rabbit (Wilfred). Pip and Squeak were the first and later adopted Wilfred. I remember reading about them once when I was a kid, in a library, where I used to wait for my mother to get out of work, and spent hours reading books about everything, especially encyclopedias of all kinds.
Something which is not well known is that if a someone served in the First World War from 4th August 1914 in another theatre, they received the 14-15 Star and not the 14 Star. The first British officer to be killed in action was Lt George Masterman THOMPSON 1st Bn, Royal Scots attd Gold Coast Regt. Killed in action 22.08.14 in West Africa. He is now the only Commonwealth war grave in Togo. Lt Thompson was entitled to the 14-15 Star.
Besides Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred, my grandfather, who served with the Royal Artillery as a sergeant in charge of a team mending phone lines, also wore a little round red button. What was that?
I have two lots of Mutt and Jeff, but unfortunately not the Ribbons that were lost before they came into my possession. Is it possible to obtain new Ribbons for these medals?
Mark Smith's explanation implies that the troops who were awarded a campaign star never fought in the great battles of 1916 onwards - like they were sent away on an extended holiday somewhere. In reality, those troops who fought in the period 1914 - 1915 also fought in the battles of 1916, 1917 and 1918. Also the Mons Star veterans faced machine guns without the protection of trenches and after the race to the sea, the trenches they had were primitive compared to those of latter years. They also faced gas attacks without proper gas masks and lived in the mud without the complex support measures that the British developed later on. All in all I think the troops that were awarded Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, by having endured up to 18 months more in the conditions of the early war had earned the right to look down on those Johnny come lately troops who were not entitled to a campaign star.
My grandfather was in India before WW1 with the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment. There he served for 7 years and was at the Delhi Durbar when King George was crowned Emperor. For this he recieved a commemoration medal. When WWI broke out he was transferred to France in 1914 and fought all through the war and recieved Pip, Squeak and Wilfred to add to his Indian medal. He also won the Military Medal during the battle of the Somme with an under fire claps. This medal was awarded for supplying the front line troops with ammunition when they were running out. Others had tried and failed, but despite this he succeeded and all while under fire .
Nice to know what the medals were for told by a knowledgeable man
My Second Great Grand Uncle served in WW1 and WW2 and received 9 Medals for his incredible service.
Many thanks for this. I had always thought that the full three medal set was a Mutt and Jeff, and obviously I was wrong. Now I know why many veterans looked down their noses at those who had that. In addition the 1914 Mons Star bronze ribbon clasp could sometimes be replaced by a silver carnation pip which was worn centrally on the full and uniform ribbon decoration too. On the Victory Medal ribbon sometimes you would see an oak leaf clasp, this denoting mentioned in dispatches. Again this was displayed on the full and uniform ribbon decoration too. Other medals sometimes seen were the: Territorial Medal; Military Medal (MM); Distinguished Service Medal (DSM); and Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM). The Territorial, DSM, and DCM were rarely seen, although I knew a few with the MM. My great grandfather had the Territorials Medal. I knew one fellow that had the DCM, MM and Bar, Pip (with silver carnation pip), Squeak, and Wilfred (with oak leaf clasp). This man had been a machine gunner and had exhibited extreme bravery and courage under fire, saving more than five men, one of which he dragged wounded into a pill box during the daytime under intense enemy fire. He always drank his beer alone and was totally intolerant of what he described as 'stupid idiots' who attempted to question him about the war. My opinion now is that he was still suffering severe PTSD even then, and he was almost barred twice for near fights that had erupted out of unadvisable moves by other people towards him. However, he was tolerated because of his outstanding service. As you noted the men who had the 1914 Mons Star were with the BEF at the outset of WW1 between 5th August to 22nd November, and were known as The Old Contemptibles. This because Kaiser Wilhelm had described them as 'That contemptible little army.' They had a bronze coat lapel badge too which identified them as one of The Old Contemptibles Association. Others had the silver wounded in action coat lapel badge which was awarded to signify that a veteran in civilian clothing had honorably been discharged wounded and was not a shirker. A good way of avoiding a white cowardice feather being stuffed into your hand! Some had both.
My great grandfather served with the 4th Territorial Battalion of The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). They arrived in Boulogne on 12th April 1915 where the battalion formed up around Estairs. On May 15th they were renamed as the 148th Brigade, 49th West Riding Division. He fought at the: Battle of Aubers Ridge; Somme Campaign; Battle of Poelcapelle; 3rd Battle of Ypres (1st Battle of Passchendaele); Battle of Lys (4th Battle of Ypres); and in the pursuit to the river Selle and the final advance into Picardy (5th Battle of Ypres). I knew many of the WW1 veterans in my younger days. I met them most Sundays along with my great grandfather at the British Legion Club. WW1 was a horrific, filthy, awful war. Some of the accounts these men discussed quite openly were absolutely ghastly. They always felt they could open up like that at The British Legion Club as they were amongst other veterans who understood. Can you imagine a young boy tab hanging a conversation about trench hand to hand combat? Was it better to bayonet through the chest, guts, or liver? Right! 'Well, take your pick, they're all effective, but if you didn't fancy doin' any of them, Fritzy was certainly goin' to 'ave a go at doin' it to you......probably with a trenching spade if not a bayonet!' was my great grandfathers reply. He had a re-occurrent nightmare about bayonetting a young German soldier through the chest in hand to hand combat. That actually happened. He would wake up screaming around twice a week. The veterans would discuss such topics as this at the British Legion Club, but never at home. At home all talk of WW1 was taboo and would always be immediately closed down by my great grandmother. Strange really. All those people that spurred the men on to go and fight, with white feathers and the rest. And yet when they returned and wanted to talk about their experiences nobody wanted to know or would accuse them of being liars. You did your bit, now shut up and sod off. Odd sort of mentality I thought even as a boy. After all those men had put their lives on the line. Didn't they deserve a little more respect for that?
I have my grandfather’s set of WW1 medals as illustrated. But he was Royal Navy. They have his name and number on them. I display them alongside my own set.
I have just had my grandfather's medals remounted,ribboned and put in a display box along with my father's.
My grandfather was an Australian mariner and like yours joined the Royal navy during WW1 and took part in the Battle of Jutland.
He then went on and served in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve during WW2.
We are very proud and greatful to all the brave men and women who put everything on the line for freedom.
That brought a tear to my eye
Thankyou for a-great video . Always enjoy listening to your interesting and vastly knowledgeable section on Antique Roadshow. Please keep your videos coming 👌
I have my grandfathers pip squeak and Wilfred also his QSA and KSA medals from the Bore War, never knew they were called Pip Squeak and Wilfred until it was mentioned on Dads army, when Sergeant Wilson said to Corporal Jones the Captain Mainwaring did not have them, not sure what episode, but it was the one where he tried to stop the wearing of medals at a ceremony
Got these beside my bead my great great uncle fought in the Great War his name was Lance corporal William penman he got the 1914-1915 and the other 2 medals
Perhaps worth adding that all three of the medals mentioned were also awarded to those serving in the Royal Navy.
My great great grandfather had the 1914 star.
I have my Grandfather's medals, Mutt and Jeff, never knew why there was only two. He spent 1919 in France digging graves. He joined the TA after his service. In 1933 he died of pneumonia, my Gran said it was because he had been gassed and lost the use of a lung. The Medical Board of the War Office said he had had pleurisy as a child and denied her a War Widows Pension. Thanks for answering one of the many questions about a Grandfather I never got to meet.
So sad in the 20 ties and 30ties granda in ww1 1914 to 1918 kosb.would go into whites pub and by the whole pub a drink probably in remembrance of his mates killed 😢 every year.he also suffered 2 mustard gas attacks he lived very happily 😊 till 1973 ,the medals ment nothing to him 1921 ,gave them away ,he got a couple of pints for them , he was sent to Ireland 🇮🇪 and when recouping he served in bycle coastal battalion , his regiment was amalgamated with the hampshire regiment ❤❤
Sorry forgot to mention he was shot at the battle of the somme hie 4 brothers all served in ww1 ,and all came back the luckiest family in Dundee
Perfect tone on this video, well done
I have my granduncles pip, squek and Wilfred, he also had the Irish war of independence medal 1919-1921 with comrac bar, Irish Emergency medal with 2 bars 1939 -1945 and the 1971 medal for the anniversary of the War of Independence along with a few others mainly service medals. He took equal pride in both sets of medals and attended both Irish & British commerations in his later years. Thankfully in his later years he started to speak about his military service so at least we know what he went through although we still can't find out his full service records especially in the 1939 to 1945 era.
My granddad volunteered for the British Army in 1899 in Fermoy.
I never met him but he had Pip, Squeak and Wilfred as I've seen his medal card online.
Thank you so much for this fascinating review.
I have the medals of 2 of my great-grandfathers from world war 1.
One was awarded the war medal and the victory medal as part of the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
The other was awarded the war medal and a GSM with Afghanistan NWF 1919 clasp as part of the Border Regiment sent to India in early 1915.
I found my great grandfathers medal from WWI as he fought with Scottish Canadian Highlanders and became wounded In a battle ( not sure which one) then proceeded to fight in paschendale where he was killed I wish I knew more
My Grandad was given pip, squeek & Wilfred, but was at Salonika as well. I still have his medals.
You should know that Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, were in fact a dog (Pip), a penguin (Squeak), and a rabbit (Wilfred). Pip and Squeak were the first and later adopted Wilfred. I remember reading about them once when I was a kid, in a library, where I used to wait for my mother to get out of work, and spent hours reading books about everything, especially encyclopedias of all kinds.
We have our uncle's WW2 medals. He was a Pearl Harbor survivior and we had a box of his stuff we need to go through.
Thank you for the great explanation, I wonder if you know how these medals are encoded in the World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls?
Something which is not well known is that if a someone served in the First World War from 4th August 1914 in another theatre, they received the 14-15 Star and not the 14 Star. The first British officer to be killed in action was Lt George Masterman THOMPSON 1st Bn, Royal Scots attd Gold Coast Regt. Killed in action 22.08.14 in West Africa. He is now the only Commonwealth war grave in Togo. Lt Thompson was entitled to the 14-15 Star.
Besides Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred, my grandfather, who served with the Royal Artillery as a sergeant in charge of a team mending phone lines, also wore a little round red button. What was that?
Great information only just found a medal this week. Just subscribed to you. Hope you have a great week. 👍
Very interesting and you did well in explaining it.
I have two lots of Mutt and Jeff, but unfortunately not the Ribbons that were lost before they came into my possession. Is it possible to obtain new Ribbons for these medals?
My grandfather was awarded MC and Bar. He fought at the battle of Manchester Hill. The idea of him talking about it is laughable.
i have a question i have the 2 round medals from my great great grandfather but there smaller then the ones shown in this video does any one know why?
Miniature medals. Usually worn on different types of dress
WW2 was the bloodiest war that the world has ever seen though
Just curious why the Victory Medal has the dates 1914-1919 rather than 1914-1918 (as per the War Medal).
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919
Certain operations like North Sea mine clearance in 1919 were awarded this medal. It was also not instituted until 1919
I have This mnan
I have a first war medal
My real father name is Mark Smith 👍🤣😂
ninayo iyo medari
G BROMN REXETINDIAE IMP ipo ninayo jamania anae tafuta niko tanzania niriongota
Have you missed the Territorial Medal?
Mark Smith's explanation implies that the troops who were awarded a campaign star never fought in the great battles of 1916 onwards - like they were sent away on an extended holiday somewhere.
In reality, those troops who fought in the period 1914 - 1915 also fought in the battles of 1916, 1917 and 1918. Also the Mons Star veterans faced machine guns without the protection of trenches and after the race to the sea, the trenches they had were primitive compared to those of latter years. They also faced gas attacks without proper gas masks and lived in the mud without the complex support measures that the British developed later on.
All in all I think the troops that were awarded Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, by having endured up to 18 months more in the conditions of the early war had earned the right to look down on those Johnny come lately troops who were not entitled to a campaign star.