Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

You all know how much of a duffer I am at interpreting Military documents and wonder if anybody is able to tell me anything about this medal card I have discovered for Joseph Thomas Webster please. I have highlighted in red against the second image the particular part I don't understand ie Disembarkation where? and what does the .1 after the date mean? What does Class Z.A.R. mean? Thanks all.

Does the "Army Orders 20 of 1919" mean the recommendation for the 1915 Star?
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The entry I'm interested in - transcribed as
9072 Pte Webster J.T. Date of Disembarkation 15-7-15.1. To Class. Z.A.R. 27-3-19


Although it says Private, there is evidence from the only two pages of his Service Records that appear to be available that he was promoted to Lance Corporal and then Corporal.

Z.A.R.

Discharged to Army Reserve

Mention of Class Z here. Appears to be a reference for Army Reserve.
http://www.1914-1918.net/soldiers/interpretmic.html
and here:
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... opic=32583

20 of 1919

http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britis ... _award.htm

Dealing with your questions in order:
Disembarkation will refer to his landing in a war zone, in this case the one coded as '1', which is for France & Flanders. The date is important as it puts him in the qualification for the 1915 Star. The zone is also noted on the Medal Index Card.

Class ZAR is, as Bert said, Class Z of the Army Reserve, meaning he could have been recalled if the Armistice had not held.

L/Cpl and Cpl: the 1915 Star was awarded on the basis of his rank when he arrived in the war zone - Private, and the other two on his rank at the time of the Armistice. The rank would be impressed along with his name and number on the respective medals. The dotted cross was used for this purpose on the Medal Index Card.
I think you are right about the Army Order but cannot confrm that.

D

Thank you very much lads, I knew you would be able to fill me in much appreciated.

Interesting links, given me a good background for this man.

Can I tag an additional query on to here please - you notice that the Medal Roll list is headed up
"Roll of Individuals entitled to the Decoration granted under Army Order 20 of 1919"

Because there are only two very scanty pages of his Service Records available I don't know how to discover when and how he left the army. Would the reference to this document above mean that he was still serving in 1919, or is it just a list, dated 1919, of those who were entitled at the time they were serving?

MaryA wrote:Can I tag an additional query on to here please - you notice that the Medal Roll list is headed up
"Roll of Individuals entitled to the Decoration granted under Army Order 20 of 1919"

Because there are only two very scanty pages of his Service Records available I don't know how to discover when and how he left the army. Would the reference to this document above mean that he was still serving in 1919, or is it just a list, dated 1919, of those who were entitled at the time they were serving?

Is this of help? http://www.1914-1918.net/reenlistment.html
Scroll down to 'Extended'.

Hmm thank you, sounds like he may have been still in the army between 1919 and 1921?

Wish I could be positive, it might help with a family mystery about what he was doing and how many children he had.

Mysteriouser and mysteriouser.

MaryA wrote:Hmm thank you, sounds like he may have been still in the army between 1919 and 1921? Mysteriouser and mysteriouser.

Could well have been in the reserves and took the bounty to re-enlist.

Yes, lack of Service Papers doesn't really help does it, the only clue in those couple of bits is that he is Married, which I knew.