MALVERN GAZETTE , Friday August 7th 1998 (Malvern Worcestershire, England) "Medal Arrives 80 years too late" "A Malvern man's battle for his fathers First World War medal ended this week when it dropped through his letter box - 80 years late. Frank Dutton's three year campaign to have the medal awarded began after his family history research revealed his father should have receieved the 1914-15 Star. His father Gilbert Dutton joined the Life Guards shortly after the outbreak of war on december 3, 1914, following his elder brother William, who had enlisted a week earlier. The two, aged 22 and 25, trained together and were posted in France on the same ship...both were...involved in the battle if Loos in September 1915 where William was killed in action. William who has no known grave, was subsequently awarded a posthumous 1914-15 Star. Gilbert Miraculously survived the entire war and in 1922 received the British War and Victory Medals. He married, raised a family of two sons and two daughters, amd died in Malvern Link in 1973 aged 80. Mr Dutton said he assumed his uncle had been awarded the 1914-15 Star because he had beein killed in action, but his research revealed the medal had been given to all ranks who served in the theatre of war between August 5, 1914 and December 31st 1915...Mr Dutton realised his father should also have had the medal abd was determined to find an end to the story, which proved to be an expensive business. Two search fess later, he was able to appraoch the Amry Medal Office with documentary evidence from the PRO, at Kew to support his claim. After some weeks he received a brief letter informing him that "the 1914-15 Star, engraved as Tpr G.C.Dutton L Gds, is now avaliable for issue, free of charge to the next of kin. And this week the medal itself dropped through the letter box. "There was no hint of and apology for the arrival of the award almost 80 years late" said Mr Dutton. ____________________________________________________________________ Regards to all on the list, John Wedgwood Pound Worcester, England http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3203/