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Staffordshire Regiment

Lady Penelope

master brummie
Although it's not Birmingham, I'm hoping that someone can point me in the right direction to begin looking for a soldier.
My friend has what we believe to be a dress jacket and although we have a name have not been able to start to research it properly as the different Staffs regiments make it quite confusing.
Does anyone know which regiment this soldier would have belonged to please?
The medals appear to be 'dress' ones too as they are smaller than usual.
I have asked my friend to check for his number on the medals but no luck so far.
The soldiers name on the tag is F.A.C. Martin.
Any information to get us on the path to discovery would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
 

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hi pen...do you have a year or years when it would have been worn....just curious

lyn
 
Don't forget that parts of what is now Birmingham were once part of Staffordshire. Lyn - I think they are WW1 medals. A quick bit of research shows that the medals should have the name and service nuber on them. On the star it should be on the back and on the others on the rim. However, I don't know if that applies to dress medals.These 3 were known as "Pip Squeak and Wilfred" relating to a popular cartoon strip of the 1920s when the medals were issued.
 
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Although it's not Birmingham, I'm hoping that someone can point me in the right direction to begin looking for a soldier.
My friend has what we believe to be a dress jacket and although we have a name have not been able to start to research it properly as the different Staffs regiments make it quite confusing.
Does anyone know which regiment this soldier would have belonged to please?
The medals appear to be 'dress' ones too as they are smaller than usual.
I have asked my friend to check for his number on the medals but no luck so far.
The soldiers name on the tag is F.A.C. Martin.
Any information to get us on the path to discovery would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Although it's not Birmingham, I'm hoping that someone can point me in the right direction to begin looking for a soldier.
My friend has what we believe to be a dress jacket and although we have a name have not been able to start to research it properly as the different Staffs regiments make it quite confusing.
Does anyone know which regiment this soldier would have belonged to please?
The medals appear to be 'dress' ones too as they are smaller than usual.
I have asked my friend to check for his number on the medals but no luck so far.
The soldiers name on the tag is F.A.C. Martin.
Any information to get us on the path to discovery would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

That looks like a Mess Dress jacket, owned by a Lieutenant and I'm inclined to think he was in the South Staffordshire Regiment. (the N.STAFFS had the Prince of Wales' feathers above the Staffordshire knot).
It's doubtful that there will be any information to be got from the medals, they are miniature medals and the officer would have
purchased them privately.
The small "T" on the epaulette makes me think this gent was in a Territorial unit.
I'll dig deeper to see if I can do more to identify the badge.
Baz.
 
I wondered about territorial when I saw the T. On the list I found there is only one 2nd lieutenant but his initials are different. Unless someone was promoted after the war.
 
Thank you to everyone for this information. I got very confused with the different regiments and realised that I needed a little more to go on. I also wondered about the 'T' and thought 'territorial' but I know so very little about the army to start with. I'll sit and look at all the information you've provided this evening. Thanks again.
 
Thank you to everyone for this information. I got very confused with the different regiments and realised that I needed a little more to go on. I also wondered about the 'T' and thought 'territorial' but I know so very little about the army to start with. I'll sit and look at all the information you've provided this evening. Thanks again.
I've had a "dig around" but can find little else that I can add.
I'm still inclined to think this is a Territorial Officer and from a Battalion of the S STAFFS.
One thing I did notice though, it looks like the jacket was originally made for a 2nd Lieutenant (one "pip") and a second, rather tatty one, was added on his promotion to Lieutenant.
I'm pretty sure the WW1 service records of Officers, unlike those of the Other Ranks, survived the Blitz. Perhaps there might be something to be discovered there.
Baz.
 
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There was an F A C Martin in the South Staffs in 1939 until 1945 - I am not sure if this is someone who stayed on as a professional soldier or not. Would he have served in both wars or did someone have his jacket? The rank is Lieutentant. To see the record needs a subscription to "fold3". He was 2nd Lt 1935, Lt in 1938 and captain by 1939.
 
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There's a Francis Alfred Challoner Martin born in Dublin 1911 that seems to match a death registered for a Francis Alfred C Martin in South Staffs in 1995.

The first world war medals were confusing but if they're not real it could be him.
 
I wonder if someone used his jacket (I hesitate to use the words "fancy dress") and stuck some WW1 medals that they found on for good measure.
 
I wonder if someone used his jacket (I hesitate to use the words "fancy dress") and stuck some WW1 medals that they found on for good measure.

A very good point Janice ! I wasn't happy about those medals either. Normal practise is to leave them in a drawer until needed, not leave them pinned on the jacket.
 
I think that the medals are nothing to do with with the jacket. They are definitely WWI medals on a mess jacket for a lieutenant. I don't know when things changed but an officer's pips were worn on the cuffs during WWI not on the epaulets. Janice has found a likely reference from 1935 which records an F A C Martin as an officer in the 6th Reserve Battalion of the South Staffs, So unless there were father and son who both served in the army, the coincidence of names is very unlikely.

As for 'fancy dress' I have to admit once doing a send up by dressing in a fancy looking uniform and attending a ball in Vienna as a Colonel in the 'Royal Manx Camel Corps' but the medals I wore were not gallantry or campaign medals to which I would not have been entitled. Well the invitation did say White Tie or Uniform so I could not resist it. My British friends knew it was a send up but most of the foreigners were convinced.
 
We have a set of WW1 medals that were awarded to L/Corp E Hodgkinson 11562. Also a IX Corp Signal School Cert dated 16/07/1918. Ernie was from Anglesey St. Lozells and in his day worked for Lucas. We would like the medals to go to a "good home" Any suggestions, please.
 
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