Award Military Medal 2882348 Pte. James SMITH, 5th Bn Gordon Highlanders (Escaper & Evader, France)

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Pte. James Smith, 5th Bn Gordon Highlanders, 51st Division
Service No.: 2882348
Award: Military Medal
Place captured: St Valery, France, date: 12th June 1940.
Liberated from: Untermassfeld, date: 3rd April 1945.

WO 373/101/556

Name: J Smith . Service number: 2882348 . Date of birth: 3 April 1919 . | The National Archives

Name: James Smith . Date of birth: 3 April 1919 . Rank: Private . Number: 2882348. ... | The National Archives

 

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Hi, that's my grandfather and I wondered where you got the picture from?

Mainly curious, this isn't like a demand or anything

 

Esther,

brithm is regularly aboard, in case he has not flagged this thread, I will drop him a message you've landed here. You get to start using the Private Message (PM) option after x5 posts.

 

Thank you David.

It's been a bit of an odd day as I saw my Grandad's medals had been sold as I was doing a google search on his service number. The information provided for the Provenance of the medals was really interesting, although he had another medal which I suspect got split out. Which was a French civilian medal I think. I remember it being Green with red stripes, although my memory is about 3 decades old.

I've been estranged from my family, so I'd not thought about the medals.

But I never knew of some of the information so I hope whoever bought them looks after them. To be honest the information published is worth more to me.

The exceptional Military Medal GVI, 1939/45 Star & War Medal to Private James Smith 5th Battalion Gordon Highlanders an escape and evader who worked with the French Resistance, finally captured he was interrogated by the Gestapo and was imprisoned in various locations, several of his contacts being executed by the Germans by some miracle he survived and was released by US forces in April 1945. - J Collins Medals

 

Could be this ?

Croix de Guerre - Wikipedia

 

Yes I think that's it exactly. I remember a story that it had Gordon Smith rather than his name. Which apparently he found it funny they couldn't get his name right.

It's mainly the ribbon colour I remember as I was studying colour theory in Primary School and I thought it clashed. I've never liked Green and Red together.

 

Although looking at the page. it would have been the one for the second world war, but I don't remember any stars on it. Young me didn't think it was a pretty medal.

I'm a bit sad it's been separated from the group really.

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 - Wikipedia

I wonder how I find out the French side of his war record?

 

Esther,

As I understand the protocol a British national can only accept a foreign award / medal if the Crown agrees. In theory the commendation should be on his file, somehow I doubt that and it could be in a bulky file with TNA. Others may know!

 

Brave man.

This search in UK National Archives gives examples of citations for the Croix de Guerre found in the UK National Archives.

Search results: Croix AND de AND Guerre | The National Archives

This website has more about him.

Couriers

 

The link in post 4 to the medal vendor's description includes a reference to this file at Kew which may contain more than was published on that site. A visit to Kew necessary.

Reference: WO 208/3332/1010
Description:
Name: James Smith.
Date of birth: 3 April 1919.
Rank: Private.
Number: 2882348.
Regiment or Squadron: 5 Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, 51 Division.
Place captured: St Valery, France, date: 12 June 1940.
Liberated from: Untermassfeld, date: 3 April 1945.
Date: 1945
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department: M.I.9/S/P.G./Lib/1010
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description

These French sites refer to a variety of awards:

Commercial site for replicas:

Aviso Medailles

Semi-official, very detailed, but "insecure" site including full details of the Free French or French Government award creation documentation: France-phaleristique - Ordres et Décorations de France

Official:

Seconde Guerre mondiale - Mémoire des hommes

There is a version of the last link in English but the text is different from the French version.

 

I'm in France, but I can order a page search from Kew. I suspect there's a lot.

Thank you for this and the French information as well.

I know there's a lot that Keith Janes found as well. So much of my Grandfathers life in France was entwined with Cole.

Harold Cole

 

I will send you a "PM" or "conversation" with a little bit more information and suggestions as to how to obtain a copy of the file.

 

Thank you

 

Hi Esther,

I found it in Brendan Murphy's book Turncoat: the strange case of British sergeant Harold Cole, "the worst traitor of the war" (1987)

brithm

 

Ah I see. Thank you

 

Hi Esther, I have copies of the files regarding your Grandfather from TNA which I could email you if you like.

 

Yes please. Will DM you

 

I’m sorry to say that the document 1010 is missing from file WO 208/3332. However I have found that the POW Liberation Questionnaire (ex WO 344) was often the catalyst for the further MI9 interview and the SPG Lib reference was recorded on the top right of that document. Those files are now available on Ancestry

 

Thank you.

There's another document as well WO 423/46346 which I've put an FIO to unseal. So that will be a while.

 

Good luck. I’m still waiting for records that I applied for in December 2023