Saturday May 25th, 1918
Night 8:30 – 12:30am. No day work. Very hot again.
Military Cross
Two days ago, Captain Frederick Thomas Taylor MC rejoined the battalion in B Company. He is 29 years old, studied chemistry and in peace time likely worked for his father’s pharmaceutical company. His family is from Newport Pagnall. The MC after his name signifies that he has been awarded the Military Cross.
This award was introduced in December 1914 for junior officers and warrant officers who showed ‘gallantry in the field’. Its equivalent for other ranks was the Military Medal (MM) which was introduced in March 1916 and could be awarded retrospectively to 1914. All armed services personnel, from Britain and the Commonwealth, were eligible.
During WWI over 38,000 MC were awarded. A recipient could earn up to three bars for repeated feats of courage. Almost 3,000 received one bar, 176 received a second and only four received a third.¹
Similarly, around 115,000 MM were awarded, less than 6,000 received one bar, 180 two bars and only one received three. From summer 1916 women were also eligible for the MM. Whilst nurses and others women serving with the forces were generally treated like officers, they were not when it came to gallantry. The MM, as a honorary award, could also be made to foreigners.
Just after the RAF was formed, it created two specific medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross for officers and warrant officers and the Distinguished Flying Medal for other ranks. 1,100 DFC were awarded in WWI, 70 first bars and three second.
In 1993, the MM and the DFM were retired and all soldiers, sailors and airmen regardless of rank, became eligible for the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 25th May 1918 – Sporan
Our artillery was inactive, enemy shelled Kimberley Spur, Lancaster Hill and Tomato Hill with 18 light shells. 5 HE on Dautli Track, north of Westbury. Our usual patrolling planes were up, one enemy plane passed over flying north at 07:30 hrs. 2Lt CF Groves and 1 OR left Dautli Track Post at 03:00 hrs and proceeded to a point 20 yds due west of Selimli. From this point ground towards Selimli Deresi could be observed. The growth near the Deresi is thick but towards north end of village us bit traversable in daylight. At 07:00 hrs the patrol crawled into a house on west end of the village and remained there until dusk. Patrol then moved north of Selimli but saw no sign of the enemy. Capt FT Taylor MC B Coy having rejoined us again is taken on the effective strength with effect from 23-5-18.
References & Further Reading
¹ ‘Military Cross’ on firstworldwar.com
² ‘Military Medal’ on Wikipedia
³ ‘Distinguished Flying Cross’ on Wikipedia
* Military Medal on Wikimedia Commons
^ Albert Jacka’s Military Cross and Bar on Wikimedia Commons. For more information on the Australian Captain Albert Jacka who also won the VC as a Corporal.
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