Is it true that a lot of the records relating to WWI were destroyed in the London Blitz WWII?
My grandfather was in Salford Pals (Lancashire Fusiliers). I know he was awarded the Military Medal because he rescued several soldiers by carrying them across the field in April 1918 at the battle of the Somme.
He did show me his medals and they had been presented at his local church. He refused to go to the Palace because he said every soldier on the field deserved a medal. Sadly he had to retire from work when he was in his fifties due to 'bad legs'. He became bitter about the way he had been treated by the Government and gave his medals to a man knocking at the door seeking scrap metal!
I have tried to find information regarding the award but have been told, as mentioned that most records were destroyed.
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Richard Overy is Professor of History at the University of Exeter. He is the author of more than 25 books on the era of the World Wars, on the European dictatorships and the history of air power, including The Air War 1939-1945, Why the Allies Won, The Inter-War Crisis, The Morbid Age: Britain and the Crisis of Civilization and most recently The Bombing War: Europe 1939-1945.
His book on Hitler and Stalin won the Wolfson Prize for History in 2004 and in 2010 he was presented with the Doolittle Award by MIT for his contributions to aviation history. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Richard is the Editorial Consultant to World War 1: The Definitive Visual Guide published by DK (RRP £25), which can be purchased on Amazon and all good book shops.
Put your questions forward to Richard by midday 17 April.
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