WW1 medal card symbol - cross and four dots

[John Prentice]

This is probably an FAQ, but I haven't seen the answer, and the National
Archives medal card FAQs are silent.

Looking at WW1 medal cards, there's a symbol I've seen from time to
time. It looks like an X with a dot between each pair of arms. I'd draw
it in ASCII, but it doesn't really work. I've approximated a sample here:

Loading Image...

Unfortunately, because it's graphic, it's pretty difficult to Google for
it, but I did find one comment that the symbol indicates the rank name
that was impressed into the medals.

Can anyone here confirm or correct this? It'll go into the FAQs when
I've a mo'.

Thanks,

John

[Chris Watts]

John,
You are going to kick yourself <vbg>. It is an asterisk - and usually
refers you to something elsewhere on the card.

Chris

Post by John Prentice
This is probably an FAQ, but I haven't seen the answer, and the National
Archives medal card FAQs are silent.
Looking at WW1 medal cards, there's a symbol I've seen from time to time.
It looks like an X with a dot between each pair of arms. I'd draw it in
http://www.genealogy-britain.org.uk/images/cross-symbol.jpg
Unfortunately, because it's graphic, it's pretty difficult to Google for
it, but I did find one comment that the symbol indicates the rank name
that was impressed into the medals.
Can anyone here confirm or correct this? It'll go into the FAQs when I've
a mo'.
Thanks,
John
--
LOOK OUT, SPAM BLOCK AHEAD!
If you want to email me, remove ".invalid" from the email address

[John Prentice]

Post by Chris Watts

Post by John Prentice
This is probably an FAQ, but I haven't seen the answer, and the National
Archives medal card FAQs are silent.
Looking at WW1 medal cards, there's a symbol I've seen from time to time.
It looks like an X with a dot between each pair of arms. I'd draw it in
http://www.genealogy-britain.org.uk/images/cross-symbol.jpg
Unfortunately, because it's graphic, it's pretty difficult to Google for
it, but I did find one comment that the symbol indicates the rank name
that was impressed into the medals.
Can anyone here confirm or correct this? It'll go into the FAQs when I've
a mo'.
Thanks,
John

John,
You are going to kick yourself <vbg>. It is an asterisk - and usually
refers you to something elsewhere on the card.
Chris

I did consider that, but I'm not convinced, you know. I had also
wondered whether the symbol meant "the late ..." (in other words, to
indicate elements on the card that were posthumous) but that doesn't
really make sense either.

The ones I have are printed out, and at my other place, so I can't show
you scans from my own set, but there was quite a good example posted a
little while ago by Ann Watson:

http://www.geocities.com/annelisa_watson/genimages.html

(Zoom the image to get the full content.)

On that card, the rank is marked, and then two of the medals are
correspondingly marked - an asterisk doesn't seem to make sense in that
context, but it does fit with the rank-impression suggestion I found.

John

[Peter Goodey]

Post by John Prentice
I did consider that, but I'm not convinced, you know.

In Chris' support, that is certainly an old style of manuscript asterisk.

[Cwatters]

Post by Peter Goodey

Post by John Prentice
I did consider that, but I'm not convinced, you know.

In Chris' support, that is certainly an old style of manuscript asterisk.
--
Family History Research in London & Kent
http://www.goodey.me.uk

This site says "Many cards are marked with an asterisk or similar symbol.
These highlight the details that are inscribed in the rim of the medals."
It gives an example but I can't follow the explanation. Scroll down to that
text on here..

http://www.1914-1918.net/mics.htm

[Jenny M Benson]

Post by John Prentice
On that card, the rank is marked, and then two of the medals are
correspondingly marked - an asterisk doesn't seem to make sense in that
context, but it does fit with the rank-impression suggestion I found.

Of course it makes sense in that context! It means that he held that
rank when those medals were awarded. I expect there was indication of
another rank on the card and possible other medal(s) awarded when the
other rank was held.

I have several medal cards thus marked.

[John McQuaid]

Post by Chris Watts
You are going to kick yourself <vbg>. It is an asterisk - and usually
refers you to something elsewhere on the card.
Chris

I did consider that, but I'm not convinced, you know. I had also wondered
whether the symbol meant "the late ..." (in other words, to indicate
elements on the card that were posthumous) but that doesn't really make
sense either.
The ones I have are printed out, and at my other place, so I can't show
you scans from my own set, but there was quite a good example posted a
http://www.geocities.com/annelisa_watson/genimages.html
(Zoom the image to get the full content.)
On that card, the rank is marked, and then two of the medals are
correspondingly marked - an asterisk doesn't seem to make sense in that
context, but it does fit with the rank-impression suggestion I found.

Its an asterisk John! On the Watson card in question it is clearly
co-relating the two entries. The symbol crops up all over the place and I
used to use it in my previous work on handwritten documents. Don't be
looking for complications which don't exist.

[Mike Shingleton]

Post by Chris Watts
You are going to kick yourself <vbg>. It is an asterisk - and usually
refers you to something elsewhere on the card.

It performs the same function as an asterisk but strictly speaking its
called a quadrant.

It denotes the details (rank and number) held at the time of the award and
which were then impressed on the medal. It follows that groups of medal are
often made out to different details.

HTH


Mike Shingleton

[Annailis]

Post by Mike Shingleton

Post by Chris Watts
You are going to kick yourself <vbg>. It is an asterisk - and usually
refers you to something elsewhere on the card.

It performs the same function as an asterisk but strictly speaking its
called a quadrant.
It denotes the details (rank and number) held at the time of the award and
which were then impressed on the medal. It follows that groups of medal are
often made out to different details.
HTH
Mike Shingleton

Hi Mike,

I suspected the quadrant symbol indicated rank but wasn't sure.
Fascinating information.

Ann Watson