Researching war medals is a worthwhile hobby. With the exception of medals from the Second World War the majority of medals are named along the rim of the medal which is a good starting point in begining to research the background of the recipient. Purchasing a medal is not be as expensve as it sounds, The 1914-19 war medals are available relatively cheaply as so many were produced. For example over six million British examples of the WW1 Victory medal were issued to the British and Imperial forces in 1919 for their service in a theatre of war between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. To begin researching a medal recipient you should write down the soldiers details inscribed on the medal which will begin with his service number, rank, forename initial, surname and regiment or corps he served in, i.e. 123456 PTE. A. McTAVISH. R.A. You can often download the medal index cards and even medical records from the national archives or other such services, which should also list the theatres the soldier served in, what other medals the soldier received and whether the soldier was killed in action or not. The commonwealth war graves commission shows the locations of majority of commonwealth forces[spin] war graves and is searchable by casualty name. It can be interesting to [spin]obtain copies of the original birth and death records and even census information which are available online. Staff at regimental museums are often able to help in researching soldiers from their particular regiment, they should also have access to the regimental war diaries which gives a fantastic insight into what life was like under those arduous conditions.
Most medal enthusiasts will choose a particular theme and strictly collect along those lines, for example, just soldiers from 2nd Battalion Loyal Lancashire Regiment, or just soldiers who were killed on the first day of the Somme. Choosing your own theme is a personal choice but be warned, if you decide you only want to collect medals from the battle of Waterloo you will have to have the deep pockets to support it!
You can find military medals in many places, local carboot sales, charity shops, military fairs and online auctions are all good hunting grounds. There are lots of good price guides available to ensure you don’t pay over the odds. One thing I should mention is to be aware of the number of reproduction medals which are currently being sold. With a bit of experience you will soon be able to tell the difference between a copied medal and the real thing. In the begining you should definatley stick to well respected dealers or those who offer a full guarantee on any item you are unhappy with.
Whatever regiment you choose to research, I hope you wil find the whole experience as exciting as I do. The terrors that many of our nations soldiers witnessed should never be forgotten and what better way to remember them than by documenting who they were and what they fought for.
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