Mystery Behind Chinese War Service Medals (circa First World War) awarded to Robert L. McInytre

Can you identify or shed some light as to the mystery behind these Chinese Service Medals?  The medals were given to the great-grand grandfather of Kester Weeks, possibly around 1916-1918 for his medical work in Sichuan China.

IMAGE RIGHT: The Chinese Service Medals awarded to Robert L. McInytre.

The Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911 caused much bloodshed and resulted in replacement of the Qing Dynasty, ending over two thousand years of Imperial rule in China.  It was during this struggle that a Missionary named Robert L. McInytre found himself treating combatants from both sides of the conflict.

IMAGE LEFT: Chinese Service Medals awarded to Robert L. McInytre, believed to have been issued for services rendered during the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911.

In relation to these medals, Kester of Queensland Australia said, “I know very little about them, but they are made mention of in his biography.  While not holding a degree in medicine or surgery, my great grandfather Robert L. McIntyre had a peculiar gift for healing.  He held the ‘Kai Ho’ and other decorations for Red Cross work.  He was working in China as a missionary and treated injuries for both the Republic and Imperial soldiers in his make shift hospital.  He passed away in 1920, my grandfather and his other siblings are all long gone.  There seems to be very little information about Chinese medals from this era and any information would be greatly appreciated”.

If you can identify these medals or offer any information as to the eligibility criteria, please contact the Medals Gone Missing Administrator by email:- customerservice@medalsgonemissing.com

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Gallipoli Veteran of the 6th Infantry Battalion amongst the first to fall on the Western Front. 1914-1915 Star of Alfred John DALE found on ebay

Are you related to Alfred John DALE of Victoria, Australia?

A First World War medal (1914-1915 Star) posthumously awarded to Private Alfred John DALE has been purchased by Medals Gone Missing.  With the Centenary of the Great War and Gallipoli campaign approaching, we are seeking to have this medal returned to his family.

IMAGE RIGHT: The 1914-1915 Star awarded to Private Alfred John DALE from Warrnambool in Victoria.  This First World War medal was won at auction on ebay and we are seeking to have the medal returned to his family in time for the Centenary of Gallipoli and the Great War.

Alfred John DALE was born during January 1894 in Warrnambool Victoria. Alfred was the son of Ellis DALE, residing in Alfred Road, Warrnambool.  A quarryman prior to the war, he enlisted into the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) on the 13th January 1915.  Alfred John DALE was allocated the service number 1933 as part of the 5th Reinforcement to the 6th Infantry Battalion, AIF.  His unit embarked aboard HMAT Hororata (A20) from Port Melbourne on the 17th April 1915.

IMAGE LEFT: The purple over red colour patch of the 6th Infantry Battalion, (Australian Imperial Force).  Amongst the first units raised for the AIF during the First World War; the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions were formed in Victoria.  These four battalions, formed the 2nd Brigade.

The battalion was raised within a fortnight of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked just two months later. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December.

Alfred joined the main 6th Battalion force at Gallipoli on the 10th July, 1915.  This unit formed part of the attacking force upon the Turkish positions at Lone Pine as a part of the August Offensive.  As Alfred remained on the Gallipoli peninsula until the 5th October (where he was evacuated to Mudros due to illness) it is highly likely that he participated in the Lone Pine attack.  He rejoined his unit in the Dardenelles five days later and it is believed that he remained at the front line until the time of the evacuation in December, 1915.

IMAGE RIGHT: Lone Pine Cemetery at Gallipoli, August 2011.  This photo was taken at 5.30pm on the 6th August 2011 during the 96th Anniversary of the August Offensive.  The view is from the Turkish positions, looking towards the Australian trenches.  Gallipoli Historical Tours conducts tours of the Gallipoli battlefields and will be conducting a special August offensive tour in 2015 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the attack.

Alfred suffered from a bout of bronchitis whilst in Egypt, but recovered to join the British Expeditionary Force with his unit, shipping to France on the 25th March, 1916.  Alfred was serving on the Western Front for less than two months, when he suffered gun shot wounds to the shoulder and chest on the 5th March, 1916.  He was transported to the Number 7 Casualty Clearing Station.  Sadly, Alfred John DALE succumbed of his wounds and died the following day, being the 6th May 1916.  Alfred was buried in the Merville Communal Cemetery.  Merville is a town located 15 kilometres north of Bethune and about 20 kilometres south-west of Armentieres.  This town was the site of a railhead until May 1915, and a billeting and hospital centre from 1915 through to 1918.

It is of interest that twenty one (21) Australians lie buried in the Merville Communal Cemetery.  From various battalions of the First Australian Division, their dates of death range from 31/03/16 to 25/05/16.  Subsequently, these men were amongst the first Australians to fall on the Western Front. during the Great War.  To view their names, please CLICK HERE to view the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (C.W.G.C) records.

This 1914-1915 Star was purchased on the 30th January, 2013 by Medals Gone Missing and is not for general sale.  It will only be sold back to a direct descendant of Alfred John DALE upon strict proof of relationship.

IMAGE LEFT: To contact the Medals Gone Missing Administrator about this medal or make inquiries about the 100th Anniversary August Offensive pilgrammage being conducted by Gallipoli Historical Tours, please CLICK HERE.

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Are you related to Private J. PARR – South Lancashire Regiment? Missing British War Medal found at garbage disposal.

Are you a relative or descendant of Private J. PARR who served in the South Lancashire Regiment during the Great War?

A missing First World War medal (British War Medal) awarded to Private J. PARR, service number 265565 who served with the South Lancashire Regiment during the 1914-1918 war has been found.  And thankfully, the people who currently have this medal in their possession are seeking to have the lost war medal reunited with a descendant of this man who served his country during this conflict.

IMAGE RIGHT: A British War Medal, similar to that awarded to Private J. PARR, service number 265565 who served with the South Lancashire Regiment during the Great War.  The medal was found at a waste disposal site.

This medal was found at the side of a compactor at a waste disposal site, by the husband of the current medal custodian and who rescued it.  This missing British War Medal bears the inscription on the edge ’265565 PTE J.PARR. S.LAN .R’ and still bears the medal ribbon.  The current custodians of the medal hope to have the medal returned to the family of Private J. PARR as they appreciate the sentimental value that such awards represent to a family.

IMAGE LEFT: The cap badge as worn by servicemen of the South Lancashire Regiment during the Great War.

With the approach of the Centenary of the First World War, it is hoped that a descendant of J. PARR will be found.  This missing war medal is not for general sale and will only be returned to a descendant of Private J. PARR upon strict proof of relationship.

The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) formed a part of the British Army from 1881 through to 1958, through an amalgamation of the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot and the 82nd (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) Regiment of Foot; as a part of the Childers reforms.   During the Great War, its various battalions served on the North-West Frontier, the Western Front and one battalion was a depot and training battalion stationed in Lancashire during the course of the war.  Territorial and war-service battalions fought during the Dardenelles campaign (Gallipoli), in Mesopotamia and Macedonia.

Without further research, it is not known at this present time where Private J. PARR served – or which Battalion he was allotted within the Regiment.  However, his service number will assist his family geneologists in confirming any descendancy.

With 2014 just around the corner (Centenary of the start of the 1914-1918 war) the current custodians of this missing British War Medal hope that a descendant of J. PARR will be found. This missing war medal is not for general sale and will only be returned to a descendant of Private J. PARR upon strict proof of relationship.  Please contact the Medals Gone Missing Administrator for further details by emailing customerservice@medalsgonemissing.com

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Lost Medals Australia & Medals Gone Missing join forces to return the missing 1914-1915 Star of Gallipoli veteran – Oscar Roy LUHRS (24th Battalion AIF)

When it comes to returning missing war medals back to their rightful place, there are no better advocates of this noble gesture, than Lieutenant Colonel Glyn LLANWARNE of Lost Medals Australia. Glyn has been acquiring, researching and then returning lost medals to veterans or their families since 2000.  And so a conversation at the Australian War Memorial’s Kokoda seminar in September, 2012 led to Medals Gone Missing enlisting his assistance in tracking down the descendants of Private Oscar Roy LUHRS, a Victorian who served in the 24th Infantry Battalion, AIF during the Great War.

IMAGE RIGHT: The 1914-1915 Star which was awarded to Private Oscar Roy LUHRS, service number 1921 of the 24th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.  This lost war medal was purchased by Medals Gone Missing during March of 2008.  Private LUHRS served with this unit on Gallipoli in the latter months of the Dardenelles campaign.

Medals Gone Missing purchased this missing medal during March of 2008 from the ebay online auction site.  Gary TRAYNOR, the Medals Gone Missing Administrator has ancestors by this Germanic surname and bid for this 1914-1915 Star on the off chance that Oscar was a distant relative.  After a number of false leads which proved unsuccessful, Gary sought the help of Glyn Llanwarne who was only too happy to lend a hand.  With the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign fast approaching in 2015, it was important to get this medal back to a descendant of Oscar Roy LUHRS so that his family could commemorate his service.   Glyn used his resources to trace Oscar’s family tree and supplied this information to Gary.

IMAGE LEFT: White over read colour patch of the 24th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.   Oscar Roy LUHRS joined this unit at Gallipoli on the 12 October, 1915 …. just in time for the biting cold of the Turkish winter.

Despite his Germanic name, Oscar LUHRS stated on his enlistment papers that he was a British born subject from Lorquon in Victoria.  His next of kin was Frederick LUHRS from Cavendish in Victoria; and so Oscar was far from being of European stock.  The First World War Embarkation Roll indicates that Oscar Roy LUHRS boarded HMAT Anchises on the 26th of August, 1915 from Port Melbourne.  He joined his unit at Gallipoli on the 12th October, 1915 and was there until the evacuation in December, 1915.  After the Dardenelles campaign, Oscar served in France and survived the war, returning to Australia in 1919.

As a result of Glyn’s assistance, the descendants of Oscar Roy LUHRS were contacted and his son Ian LUHRS was bewildered that this war service medal awarded to his father had gone “missing” from the family.   As the 1914-1915 was purchased on ebay for a considerable sum, his descendants were only too happy to recompense the Medals Gone Missing organisation, recognising their “not for profit” status.

IMAGE RIGHT: The First World War medal entitlement for a serviceman or woman who left Australia’s shores and entered any theatre of the war between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915.  The whereabouts of Oscar’s British War Medal and Victory Medal are not known and could very well be out there somewhere?  If you know of the whereabouts of these medals, please contact the Medals Gone Missing Administrator via this website.

This is the first occasion that Lost Medals Australia and Medals Gone Missing have combined forces to return a lost war service medal.  And Medals Gone Missing would like to publicly thank Glyn Llanwarne for his invaluable assistance.  Gary Traynor, the M.G.M. Administrator said, “I have long been an admirer of Glyn’s work.  He was the first to begin operations in returning these lost war medals and he was a pleasure to work with.  His operation differs in some respects to our website and sadly, there are far too many medals out there which need to be returned to a descendant of a digger who values them.  So with the Centenary of the Great War in 2014, both of our organisations are going to be very busy”.

FOOTNOTE:  The 1914-1915 Star and history of Oscar Roy LUHRS feature in our story “No Picklehaube For Me”, an article about Australians of German heritage, serving in the AIF during the Great War.  Please CLICK HERE to view this story.

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Missing War Medals (Miniature Medals) of Air Vice Marshall Charles George LOTT – Royal Air Force (RAF) – No. 43 Squadron Tangmere – Battle Of Britain – Hawker Hurricane

Whilst any military medal enthusiast or collector can tell you that ‘miniature medals’ were not engraved with the medal recipient details (that is, the smaller medals which are a copy of any particular medal set and intended for wear during official functions with Mess Dress uniform) …. sometimes a set will stand out from the crowd, due to the specific type of medals within the grouping.

The miniature war service medals attributable to Air Vice Marshall Charles George LOTT CB, CBE, DSO, DFC one such set.  It just so happens that these miniature medals are missing and the descendants of Air Vice Marshall LOTT would dearly love to have them returned to their family.

IMAGE RIGHT: The full sized war service medals awarded to Air Vice Marshall Charles George LOTT CB, CBE, DSO, DFC.  These medals are currently on display at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in West Sussex.

The set of miniature war service medals have not been seen for many years and were last known to be in a collection within Australia circa 2001.  His grandson, Simon LOTT stated “We are very proud of what our Grandfather achieved and the medals he received. His original medals are in a museum and because of this, it would mean a great deal to my family if we could have the original miniatures as a reminder of his service”.  He went on to say “If they are in the hands of a collector, we would be very grateful to hear from you.  Chances are, you have the medals …. but because they are not engraved, you may not be aware of whom they were awarded to ?”

IMAGE LEFT: The display board at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in West Sussex. The below paragraph is a transcript of the information that is posted on the plaque.

“Air Vice Marshal C. G. Lott, CB, CBE, DSO, DFC George Lott joined the RAF as a Boy Apprentice and worked his way up through the ranks. He became Sergeant Pilot in 1928 and was granted a commission in 1933. In October 1939, he was appointed Officer Commanding, No. 43 Squadron, at Tangmere. Under his command, the squadron destroyed in the first eight months of the war more enemy raiders than any other squadron based on the British Isles. On July 9th 1940, while leading six hurricanes on patrol 40 miles south of the Isle of White, he engaged a Messerschmitt 110 in a head-on attack. He was badly wounded in the face and lost the sight of one eye. Nevertheless he flew his badly damaged aeroplane back to within three miles of Tangmere and baled out at 700 feet only after the engine seized up. During the remainder of his service he continued to fly, although not operationally. His last flight was made on the day he retired in 1959.”

This link to the website:- Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation; Air Vice-Marshal C G Lott (05239): ttp://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Lott_CG.htm details the service history of Air Vice Marshall Charles George LOTT CB, CBE, DSO, DFC.

IMAGE RIGHT: A classic shot of a Hawker Hurricane Mk 11 in flight.  This aircraft is similar to the type flown by Air Vice Marshall Charles George LOTT when he was leading a flight of No. 43 Squadron Hurricanes from Tangmere on July 9th 1940 near the Isle of White and was wounded whilst attacking a ME110.

If you know of the whereabouts of this particular miniature medal set, the descendants of Air Vice Marshall LOTT would be most grateful for you to make contact via the Medals Gone Missing website (email: customerservice@medalsgonemissing.com).

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