Filed under Medals: A Method Guide
What to check first in this record
Engraving on a medal usually gives name, number and unit at the time of issue, which helps match a surviving medal to a roll entry. Engraving alone does not prove the service behind the medal, so check it against the roll and the service record.
A record set arranged by unit will not yield to a surname search, and a record set arranged by date will not yield to a unit search. Learn the arrangement first. A record you cannot place is not a wasted find. File it with its reference and its filters, and let a later record place it.
How do you read what you find?
A place name followed by a question mark, a correction, or a second spelling is the record telling you it is unsure. Carry that uncertainty into your notes. Check whether an entry was written by the unit, by a clerk, or by a later compiler. The writer decides how much weight the entry can carry.
A name entered in a different hand, or in different ink, may have been added later, for a later purpose. Ask when an entry was made, not only what it says. Read appendices, maps and marginal notes as part of the entry, not as extras. An appendix can settle a place name, a date, or a name that the daily text leaves vague.
Common traps in this record type
A trail that depends on a single fragile link, one spelling, one initial, one date, will break. Strengthen the link with a second record before you build on it. Do not mistake a digitised index for the whole record set. An index that covers part of a series will hide entries that the full catalogue would show.
A record that is closed, a record that is withheld in part, and a record that is lost are different outcomes with different remedies. The holder reply says which. A search in the wrong language of indexing, modern terms for period records, will fail silently. Use the period terms the catalogue itself uses.
A step by step way through
Steps that look bureaucratic, noting references, dating entries, separating lists, are the steps that keep a long research project honest. Work forward through time, not backwards, unless a later record is the only one that names the earlier period. Forward is the direction records explain. Do not edit your notes to make them read smoothly. Smooth notes hide the gaps, the disagreements, and the guesses that rough notes preserve.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find the roll entry first, and note its reference, the medal, and any clasps shown. |
| 2 | Check name, number, rank and unit on the roll against the personal file. |
| 3 | Use the index card, where one survives, as a finding aid to the roll, not as a replacement for it. |
| 4 | Test any family medal story against the roll before adding it to the timeline. |
What should you check next?
Do not open a new area of research to escape a dead end in this one. Note the dead end, choose the next check inside this area, and only then widen the search. The neighbouring guides are not a reading list. They are the next links in a chain, and the chain order matters more than the reading order.
From here, the productive move is usually sideways, into a different record set for the same dates, rather than forwards into the next date. The best next step is the smallest one that answers a real question. Grand searches rarely beat a single well-chosen record.
Primary sources for this guide
Claims in this guide are kept general and point to official holders, so you can check the current position with the holder itself. This guide is general educational information only. It is not personal professional advice, it does not offer a record lookup service, and it does not determine any individual's service.