WW1 Medal Pair – British War Medal & Victory Medal – awarded to THOMAS GRUNDY WILLIAMS – Machine Gun Corps

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You are looking at a pair of WW1 medals, British War and Victory Medal, inscribed ‘91100 Pte. T.G.WILLIAMS. M.G.C.’.

The medals were awarded to THOMAS GRUNDY WILLIAMS, the son of SAMUEL HOWARD and PRUDENCE WILLIAMS, was born on the 15^th of September 1885 at Denton in Manchester.

From his service number, 91100, it is likely, but not proven beyond doubt, that he was one of a cohort of recruits who enlisted towards the end of 1916 or early 1917, probably under the Military Service Act 1916 (Conscription), also known as the Derby Scheme, who were then transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and trained at Belton Park in Grantham, before deployment overseas. Many of this cohort of MGC soldiers ended up in France, and were then deployed, as and when personnel were required, into machine gun companies and battalions fighting on the Western Front.

It isn’t clear which company, or battalion THOMAS belonged to, but medical records relating to just some of the MGC members with service numbers around that issued to THOMAS, show them serving with:

·      The 3^rd Machine Gun Company – Were part of the 3^rd Infantry Division and were in action at the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Arras (1917) and the Battle of Passchendaele later that year.

·      The 13^th Machine Gun Company – They were involved in fighting at the Battle of Arras (1917) and the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) that same year. They were deployed to Italy in 1918.

·      The 54^th Machine Gun Company – Were on the Somme (1916) and were later in fighting on the Hindenburg Line (1917) and at Arras, Flanders and Passchendaele (1917).

·      The 162^nd Machine Gun Company – They served in the Middle East and were in action at the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Battles of Gaza.

·      The 220^th Machine Gun Company – Were involved in fighting during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and around Bullecourt (1917). They were deployed to Italy in Late 1917.

There is no guarantee Private WILLIAMS was a member of any of the units mentioned above, but the associated (close) service numbers suggest he probably served in France, possibly the Middle East, but less likely.

He survived the War and was disembodied on the 9^th of June 1919.

THOMAS appears in the 1911 and 1921 Census records at the address 110 Heaton Street in Denton, and he is at the same address in 1939, and he died there on the 23^rd of January 1954.

SELLER NOTE = Supporting documentation obtained and / or created during my research into this medal will be provided.

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