My primary collecting interest is US items. However, like many of you, for various reasons I acquire other things along the way. While going through some of these others, I came across this British 1914/15 Star that I have no idea when or where I got it. I decided to do some research on the medal for my own edification.

 

 

References indicate that an estimated 2.4 million 1914-15 Stars were issued.

Neither the 1914 Star nor the 1914-15 Star were awarded alone. The recipient would also have received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. I do not have the War Medal nor Victory Medal.

 

The recipient's service number, rank, name and unit were impressed on the reverse.

 

 

I did further research into the individual named. The first reference indicated the individual's first name was Jackson. He was a member of the 5/6th Royal Scots. Regiment number was confirmed as 1731 as was the rank of Private.

 

Further research indicated that his full name was Donald Jackson Allan and he was killed in action in France on 16 September 1916. Initial research indicates he was killed in operations associated with the Battle of the Somme. I have not looked for specific unit involvement information yet.

 

continued...

 

 

 

With his unit information, I went to the Royal Scots webpage and followed the link to the "Rolls of Honour".

 

The following documents are from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site –

 

 

 

 

 

There are two additional documents related to the gravesite headstone but when the images are reduced to fit this page they become almost illegible. (They can be viewed at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission link given below.)

 

While it was rewarding to find information related to the Star and its recipient, I was saddened to find that he was killed in action. The lesson relearned is these artifacts have a story (sometimes tragic) associated with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your guy was a pre-war territorial. It is always a shame to have a group split up like that. Many trios were lost through the years because the War Medals were sold off for the silver scrap value.

 

-Ski