PRIVATE W. GRIEVES, 28TH (NORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE) REGIMENT Three: Crimea Medal, 1 clasp, Sebastopol; Turkish Crimea Medal; Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

PRIVATE W. GRIEVES, 28TH (NORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT) AND 1ST BATTALION 2ND (THE QUEEN’S OWN ROYAL) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 QUEEN’S ROYAL WEST SURREY REGIMENT). Three: Crimea Medal, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (regimentally impressed naming: 4293 WM. GREVES 28TH. REG.) Turkish Crimea Medal (regimentally impressed: 4293 WM. GREVES 28TH REG.) Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, type 3 (issue of 1874-1901) with swiveling scroll suspender (officially impressed: 1375. PTE. W. GRIEVES, 1-2ND. FOOT). Turkish Crimea Medal pierced to take silver jump ring and ring suspender, scattered surface contact marks, particularly to the Crimea Medal, otherwise generally Good Fine to Very Fine.

Note different spelling of surname on Long Service Medal. Service papers confirm all three medals awarded to same man.

Group accompanied by biographical details, extract 1881 census return, 4 pages copied discharge papers, copied correspondence from Grieves’s Soldiers Papers file, 7 pages copied Chelsea Pension admission papers and Crimea Medal roll extract confirming medal and clasp.

William Grieves was born in Shoreditch, London, in 1836. He enlisted into the 28th Foot as 4293 Private on 13/1/1855 at Westminster. At the time of enlistment he was 21 years of age and gave his trade as that of labourer. Greives was discharged from the 28th Foot circa April 1866, after 10 years and 78 days service with the colours. After a break of just over one year in civilian life, Grieves re-enlisted into the 2nd Foot on 14/11/1867 as 1375 Private. He was discharged for a second time on 24/6/1879, after 21 years 301 days total service with the colours, and admitted as a Chelsea Out-Pensioner on the same day. Greive was still a Chelsea Pensioner when he was re-examined on 19/1/1898. At the time of the re-examination Grieves was living in the Camberwell Workhouse, East Dulwich, London. During the 1898 re-examination, Grieves stated that, in addition to seeing service at Sebastopol during the Crimean War he was also sent from Bombay to Bab (?) Island and Gwalior and was “in action there” and additionally stating “We lost lot of men there”. William Grieves is recorded in the 1881 census as 45 year old married man, living in Lambeth, London, with his wife, son and daughter.

Copy correspondence accompanying medal includes a War Office letter dated 26/2/1874 confirming that Grieves’s initial service of 10 years and 78 days with the 28th Foot was to be added to his service with the 77th Foot to calculate his total pensionable service of 21 years and 301 days.

Discharge papers and Chelsea Pensioner papers spell surname consistently as Grieves, indicating that spelling of surname on Crimea medals is incorrect. Additionally, surname is spelt incorrectly as “Greaves on” Crimea Medal rolls. The variation in surname spelling not unusual in the mid-19th century.