First World War

Artifact W1-01: A.E Hyde WWI Medal Notification

Submitted by: Michael Braham, Capt (N) (Ret’d)

The above document was sent to my maternal grandfather, Albert E. Hyde, notifying him of his award of the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service on the Western Front and in Gallipoli. What makes it somewhat unusual is that it was issued by the Admiralty and not the War Department. That is because he served in the Royal Naval Division, a Division that had been formed at the direction of Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, and which was made up of surplus reserves of the Royal Navy not required for sea, built around a cadre of Royal Marines.

My grandfather was wounded and gassed while serving on the Western Front, but survived the war.