This post ties into the post about Evelyn Faulder’s Military Medal. Recent comments by Juliet Webster have prompted me to revisit this story. There is a press cutting in the family (from the Daily Mirror of 23 July 1918):
Cutting; Photo of MM Award Winners
But who is who?
Key for referencing the above:
Cutting; Photo of MM Award Winners – identification key
Identifying as FANY/VAD, Seniority, Name. At the moment, I am including all suggestions, but emboldening a name when it looks as if there is a consensus.
Military Medals in Blue (10 FANY, 4 possibly 5 VAD), Croix de Guerre in Purple (3 FANY) as suggested by Lynette Beardwood and Juliet Webster (NB Muriel Annie Thompson got both).
- FANY, Senior, Agreed by EN, LB, JW
- Beryl (Betty) Hutchinson, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Probable)
- Beryl (Betty) Hutchinson, – LB/JW : no medal that night, 2 i/c and Workshop Officer. Later awarded MBE
- Muriel Annie Thompson, – JW ref: Photo on Thompson Family pages on Gosnell family website
- FANY, Senior, Agreed by EN, LB, JW, DF
- Muriel Annie Thompson, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Probable)
- Muriel Thompson, – LB/JW: MM & CdeG on same night
- Muriel Annie Thompson, – DF ref: very similar to photo in DNB The entry however says she “was a tall, dark-haired woman” – is she standing on the steps down into the dugout? (Photo also on Thompson Family pages on Gosnell family website)
- FANY, Possibly (either/or)
- Elsie Courtis, – LB/JW (see also 15)
- Evelyn Gordon-Brown, – LB/JW (see also 8 & 15)
- FANY, Possibly,
- Mary Devas Marshall, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Possible)
- Elizabeth Callender, – LB/JW
- VAD, Possibly,
- Margaret Davidson, – LB/JW
- VAD, Agreed by EN, LB, JW
- Stella Primrose Dickson, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Probable)
- Stella Dickson, – LB/LW
- VAD, Unknown
- FANY, Possibly,
- Mary (Dicky) Richardson, later Runciman, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Probable)
- Evelyn Gordon-Brown, – LB/JW (see also 3 & 15)
- VAD, Agreed by JW, LB
- Josephine Pennell (later Tennent) – JW ref: Josephine Tennent’s Red Herrings
- Josephine Tennant – LB
- FANY, Possibly,
- Hilda Dickenson, – LB/JW
- FANY, Possibly
- Molly O’Connell-Bianconi – JW ref: photo on Lives of the First World War (IWM) Driver Mary O’Connell Bianconi
- Winnie Mordaunt (CdeG but not MM), LB/JW
- FANY, Possibly
- Aileen Faulkner, LB/JW
- FANY, Possibly
- Norma Lowson (CdeG but not MM), LB/JW
- FANY, Agreed by EN, LB, JW,
- Evelyn Faulder, later Nason, – EN ref: FANY Archives (Possible)
- Evelyn Faulder, LB/JW (see also 16 & 17)
- FANY, Possibly (either/or)
- Evelyn Gordon-Brown, LB/JW (see also 3 & 8)
- Elsie Courtis, LB/JW (see also 3)
- FANY, Possibility
- Evelyn Faulder, later Nason – DF ref: suggested from a photograph at IWM (see also 14 & 17)
- Sadie Bonnell, later Sara Talbot – JW ref: photo on Great War London: Sadie Bonnell: bravery in the field (see 17)
- Mary (Mollie) Bianconi-O’Connell, LB/JW (see also 11)
- FANY,Possibly
- Evelyn Faulder, later Nason – DF ref: suggested from a photograph at IWM (see also 14 & 16)
- Muriel Annie Thompson, – > JW ref: Photo on Thompson Family pages on Gosnell family website
- Sarah (Sadie) Bonnell, LB/JW (see 16)
- VAD, Agreed LB, JW
- Win Elwes – JW ref: Josephine Tennent’s Red Herrings
- Winnie Elwes – LB/JW
Identifiers:
- DF David Faulder (Great Nephew of Evelyn Faulder)
- JW Juliet Webster (Great Niece of Win Elwes)
- LB Lynette Beardwood (working with Juliet)
- EN Eleanor Nicholson (Working in FANY Archives – see comment below)
Possibles – incomplete list of FANYs (10+2/13), overcomplete list of VADs!(7/5). This list of possibles is compiled by looking for FANY and VAD members whose Gazette citations mention an air raid and ambulances/cars. JW suggests that 2 in the picture may have been there due to seniority rather than being awarded the MM – they might be Betty Hutchinson (2 0/c) and Sgt. Norma Lowson.
- FANY members from 8 July 1918 Announcement (which refers to the ammunition dump fire)
- Miss Sarah Bonnell (Later Sara Talbot)
- Miss Evelyn Gordon-Brown
- Miss Aileen Maude Faulkner
- Miss Evelyn Faulder (Later Eve Nason) (Number 14 in photograph)
- FANY members from 30 July 1918 a Announcement (which refers to operating during an air raid)
- Miss Muriel Thompson (Commandant) (Number 2 in photograph)
- Miss Elsie Agnes Courtis
- Miss Mary Richardson
- Miss Mollie O’Connell-Bianconi
- Miss Hilda May Dickinson
- Miss Elizabeth Beveridge Callander
- VAD members from the 8 July 1918 Announcement
- Miss Nellie Dewhurst,
- VAD members from the 30 July 1918 Announcements (three separate announcements on same page)
- Miss Winifred Millicent Elwes, (30 July 1918 a) originally recorded as FANY (Number 18 in photograph)
- Miss Katharine Fabling (30 July 1918 b)
- Miss Stella Dickson (30 July 1918 b) (Number 6 in photograph)
- Miss Josephine Pennell (30 July 1918 b) (Later Josephine Tennent) (Number 9 in photograph)
- Miss Margaret Davidson (30 July 1918 b)
- Miss Winifred Eleanor Sarah Mount Batten, B.R.C.S (Commandant) (30 July 1918 c)
- FANY member from 19 October 1918 Announcement
- Miss Mary Stubbs *
- FANY members from 25 November 1918 Announcements (each individually announced)
- Miss Evelyn M Cridlan
- Miss Gwendolyn Gerrish Peyton-Jones *
- Miss Mary Devas Marshall *
- Miss Rachel Gertrude Moseley *
- Miss Ellen Russell (Dolly) *
- Miss Christina Margaret Calder Urquhart (later Christina Margaret Calder Stump)
* This citation refers to driving an ambulance evacuating a hospital during an air raid.
* These citations make specific reference to working with the French Army, so probably relate to a different incident and they probably do not feature in the photograph.
Even though Misses Stubbs, Cridlan and Urquhart are gazetted many months after the presentation referred to in the Mirror of 23 July 1918, there may be an explanation (the 30 July Announcements are also “after the event”) and they may have been involved in the St Omer incident – all their citations refer to a bombing raid and conveying the wounded.
A number of FANYs have just spent the day working in our archives and we came across this website trying to put a Christian name to your great aunt, who is in a number of our photographs. We can try to help to identify a number of the above women, and send you copies of the photos we have identified which feature your great aunt. We would be very grateful for a copy of the newspaper photo, and any associated pictures or articles, if possible.
One of the FANYs is a photographer and is going to contact the Daily Mirror to see if it is possible to have a copy of the original picture, if they still have it. We have photos of almost all the FANYs who were awarded the MM – we may have them all though identifying them is a work in progress. We also have a number of photos of VADs who were attached to the corps.
For the above photo:
1 Beryl (Betty) Hutchinson
2 Muriel Thompson
4 Mary Devas Marshall (we think)
6 Stella Primrose Dickson, VAD
8 Mary (Dicky) Richardson, later Runciman
14 Evelyn Faulder – fairly sure this is your great aunt – it’s the best match to our photos
For the others, I can’t say at first glance, but can work further comparing our photos with this to see which others we can match.
Comment by Eleanor Nicholson — 6 September, 2014 @ 9:43 pm
Just to clarify, to date Juliet and I are sure about the following:
1. FANY Beryl (Betty) Hutchinson; no medal that night, 2 i/c and Workshop Officer. Later awarded MBE
2. FANY Muriel Thompson; MM & CdeG on same night
3. ?FANY Elsie Court MM / Evelyn Gordon-Brown (TBC)
4. FANY Elizabeth Callender MM
5. VAD ?Margaret Davidson MM
6. VAD ?Stella Dickson MM
7. VAD MM
8. FANY ?Evelyn Gordon-Brown MM
9 VAD Jospehine Tennant MM
10.FANY ?Hilda Dickenson MM
11.FANY Winnie Mordaunt CdeG
12.FANY Aileen Faulkner MM
13.FANY Norma Lowson CdeG
14.FANY Evelyn Faulder MM
15.FANY ?Evelyn Gordon-Brown/?Elsie Courtis MM
16.FANY Mary (Mollie)Bianconi-O’Connell MM
17.FANY Sarah (Sadie) Bonnell MM
18.VAD Winnie Elwes MM
19.VAD MM
The newspaper photos of Courtis, Gordon-Brown and Dickenson are not very clear, but there are studio portraits of all three in FANY archives.
Mary Marshall’s MM was not awarded until November 1918
Comment by lynette beardwood — 9 September, 2014 @ 6:49 pm
Lynette, Juliet
Thanks for your further suggestions – we are getting a fair degree of certainty with some and by elimination may be able to identify nearly all.
On Find My Past / British Newspaper Archive (both subscription sites) the whole Edition of the Daily Mirror for 23 July can be found. Beneath the above photo are two smaller photos captioned:
Below that there is a short paragraph of text:
Comment by David — 9 September, 2014 @ 8:13 pm
David, please note that Juliet and I are now working from the official photo which shows all the 19, not the newspaper cutting which only shows 18.
Comment by lynette beardwood — 10 September, 2014 @ 8:26 pm
Lynette,
Is the official photo a different print of the same pose – in which case presumably no 19 is cropped off the right hand side standing beside 17 & 18 – or is it an entirely different pose? If it is the same pose, why did the Mirror crop the photo?
What is known about No. 19? Your earlier post implies that she was a VAD MM?
Is there an electronic version of the photograph available for publication? Then I could update the photo and the identification key.
Comment by David — 10 September, 2014 @ 10:36 pm
I am researching Betty Hutchinson for inclusion in my latest book “First Anywhere” on the formation of the FANY and their work during WW1. I was trying to locate a copy of Betty’s ‘My FANY Life with the Belgian Army’ and found your image from the newspaper. What a treat to be able to put faces to some of those names. Thank you.
Comment by Philomena Liggins — 13 December, 2014 @ 4:25 pm
David:
Following discussion and a search through all available photos, in print and in FANY archives, Juliet and I agree that the following is the most accurate identification possible:
1 = Hutchinson
2 = Thompson FANY MM CdeG
3 = Bianconi O’Connell FANY MM
4 = Dickenson FANY MM
5 = Davidson VAD MM
6 = Dickson VAD MM
7 = Fabling VAD MM
8 = Callender FANY MM
9 = Pennell VAD MM
10= Faulkner FANY MM
11= Mordaunt FANY CdeG
12= Richardson FANY MM
13= Lowson FANY CdeG
14= Faulder FANY MM
15= Courtis FANY MM
16= Gordon-Brown FANY MM
17= Bonnell FANY MM
18= Elwes VAD MM
19= Dewhurst VAD MM
If you want to update, we do have a complete photo of the 19, as does the IWM. No idea why the photo was cropped.
Comment by Lynette Beardwood — 30 January, 2015 @ 6:55 pm
I have just come across this post and thought I would share my views for what they are worth. I am fortunate to have attributable pictures of over a third of the WW1 FANYs and as such have some alternative views based upon the individual photos I have. I will agree with most of the 19 but there are a few exceptions.
There are 15 MM winners present 9 FANY and 6 VAD (with Bianconi missing)
All FANY unless noted otherwise
1 = Agreed. 61 Sergeant Beryl (Betty) Butterworth HUTCHINSON MBE
2 = Agreed 64 2nd Lieutenant Muriel Annie THOMPSON MM CdeG
3 = Disagree not Mollie Bianconi O’Connell, who due to ill health had returned to England by this time. Neither is it Courtis or Gordon-Brown (see below). Unfortunately UNKNOWN but not one of the MM / CdeG winners
4 = Agreed 182 Driver Hilda May DICKINSON MM
5 = Agreed Driver Margaret Elizabeth DAVIDSON MM VAD
6 = Agreed Driver Stella Primrose DICKSON MM VAD
7 = Agreed Driver Kathleen Sybil Mary FABLING MM VAD
8 = Disagree not Elizabeth Callender. This is 67 Corporal Mary (Dickie) RICHARDSON MM
9 = Agreed Driver Rosamund Jospehine PENNELL MM VAD
10= Disagree not Aileen Faulkner. This is 83 Driver Elizabeth Beveridge CALLANDER MM
11= Disagree not Winifred Mordaunt who is not present. This is 364 Driver Aileen Maude FAULKNER MM
12= Disagree not Mary Richardson. This is 9 Corporal Norah Edith Mary CLUFF
13= Agreed 49 Sergeant Eleanor Margaret Norma Flowerdew LOWSON CdeG
14= Agreed 109 Driver Evelyn FAULDER MM
15= Agreed 160 Driver Elsie Agnes COURTIS MM
16= Agreed 196 Driver Evelyn GORDON-BROWN MM
17= Agreed 195 Driver Sara (Sadie) BONNELL MM
18= Agreed Driver Winifred Millicent ELWES MM VAD
19= Agreed Driver Nellie DEWHURST MM VAD
Happy to show photos of those where there is disagreement
Incidentally for Philomena Liggins I believe there is a copy of Betty Hutchinson’s My FANY Life with the Belgian Army at the IWM and i think it was also reproduced in the FANY Gazette in the 70s I think.
(Edit by David Faulder: Name of (5) DAVIDSON – See comment numbers 10/11 below)
Comment by Jason Grover — 28 February, 2015 @ 5:23 pm
Thank you Jason for the reply to my request locating Betty Hutchinson’s ‘My FANY Life with the Belgian Army’.
Comment by Philomena Liggins — 6 April, 2015 @ 3:19 pm
Point of accuracy for No 5, Margaret Davidson. Margaret’s middle name is Charlotte, not Elizabeth. My group’s interest in her is that she was a leading member of the suffrage movement in the Scottish Highlands, where she lived much of her adult life. She taught in Dornoch Academy for 40 years, before and after the war. Delighted to find this cutting, and appreciate all your efforts in identification of the women.
Comment by Ellen Lindsay — 18 July, 2015 @ 2:19 pm
Ellen,
I have made a note in Jason’s comment above. However, I would like to get a bit of clarification.
Find My Past lists in Their Medal Index Cards Collection:
On this basis I suspect that we are dealing with two different people. The links above link to the National Archives Medal Index Card catalogue entry. These index cards can be downloaded (at a cost). Ancestry claim to be offering free access to the Medal Index cards – but neither Davidson shows up (neither does my Great Aunt); I can only guess that the Ancestry collection is strictly “army” only.
Has anyone seen these medal cards or can anyone confirm the identities of these two people?
Comment by David — 18 July, 2015 @ 3:43 pm
David. I now have the medal cards for both Margaret E and Margaret C Davidson. They do appear to be separate people. Unfortunately neither card has reference to award of the MM, only their British War Medals and Victory Medals. The London Gazette citation gives no middle initial. I need to check our source of our belief that the MM was awarded to Margaret C. Off the top of my head I believe it is on a plaque commemorating Margaret C in Dornoch Cathedral, but I will check and get back to you.
Comment by Ellen Lindsay — 19 July, 2015 @ 11:31 am
Ellen,
Just because “your Margaret” was awarded the MM (you sound as if you have some good potential evidence) do not assume that she is one of those in the photo! Coincidences happen and we may well have two Margaret Davidson MMs so it is worth sorting out to prevent future confusion!
It is a pity that their (Campaign medal) cards are not on the Ancestry Collection – as (unlike the National Archives collection) they also copied the back of the cards which sometimes gives the address to which the medals were sent. Sometimes the campaign medal cards have other interesting notes on them – possibly a reference to the award of an MM.
Sue Light – who is an authority on British WW1 Nurses reports:
She details those awarded to members of Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service and the Territorial Force Nursing Service – Davidson as a surname is not there. Sue might be able to point you towards further sources. Her contact details are on the Scarlet Finders website referenced above.
Comment by David — 19 July, 2015 @ 1:13 pm
8 is Mary (Dicky) Richardson, later Runciman. She was my great-aunt (paternal grandmother’s sister) and I remember her well from visiting her regularly for almost four decades. Not a face that was easily forgotten – full of character! My youngest brother has her medals.
Comment by Tom Piercy — 3 February, 2017 @ 10:03 pm