V.D Medal

[AndyG]

Quiz
This is an obsolete Australian Medal
What does it stand for ?

Possibly something our moderators deserve ;)

[wardy1]

Very Diligent?

[Ausfree]

Maybe this is it!!

Volunteer Officers' Decoration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_Officers'_Decoration)

[Redback]

Venereal Desease:(

[russ55]

My Dad (long gone) allways referred to any returned soldier as having got the Award " V. D and Scar".

[AndyG]

Ausfree got it, without googling I hope

[UncleHo]

Volunteer Defence,the Australian Version of the "Home Guard" during WW11 by those who were either over age or in reserved occupations,their ranks were swelled by those personal discharged on medical grounds.

Also known as VDC volunteer defence corps.

[Bigbjorn]

Volunteer Decoration, an Imperial award dating from the 19th. century for twenty years service in the militia. There were conditions in calculating the twenty years. See Wikipedia. If you read Beans official history of WW1 you will see many AIF officers recorded as having this award.

[AndyG]

Interesting, the book I just read had AIF Officers being awarded it in WW1, which contradicts Wikipedia, although no reason why Wikipedia should be 100% correct. Need to retread the book & post specifics.

[JDNSW]

Interesting, the book I just read had AIF Officers being awarded it in WW1, which contradicts Wikipedia, although no reason why Wikipedia should be 100% correct. Need to retread the book & post specifics.

While Wikipedia certainly could be wrong, were officers referred to as actually being awarded it during WW1? It is quite possible that officers engaged in WW1 may have been previously awarded the medal.

Perhaps even more likely is that the same post-nominal (VD) was used for the decoration that superseded it, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Decoration.

From the Wikipedia entry for that decoration :-

"Recipients of the decoration were entitled to the post-nominal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-nominal_letters) V.D."

John

[bob10]

Brig. General "Pompey" Elliot was awarded the V.D. . I will investigate further. Bob


Brigadier General Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott, CB, CMG, DSO, DCM, VD

[Bigbjorn]

Perhaps their 1st AIF service made up the required time to be awarded the decoration.

[bob10]

Perhaps their 1st AIF service made up the required time to be awarded the decoration.


Think I've found it. After looking at the records of several distinguished officers, with the medal V.D., the common denominator was service in South Africa during the Boer War . An article about Monash , his honours & awards, provided the clue'




Honours and awards
1907, Colonial Auxiliary Forces, Officer's Decoration, (VD)
[ think this is the one]

1915, Companion of the Order of Bath
1918, Knight Commander of the Bath
1918, Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown, (Belgium)
1918, Grand Officer Legion d'Honneur
1918, Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
1918, Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France)
1919, Knight Grand Cross of St Michael& St George
1919, Distinguished Service Medal (United States of America)
1929, Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal
1931, Kernot Memorial Medal


Further searching found a photo of that medal

The VD is second from the right, [Colonial Auxiliary forces]

British War Medal 1914-20 : Lieutenant Colonel L C Maygar, 8 Light Horse Regiment, AIF [1] (http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/05846.003/?image=1#display-image) http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/05846.003/?image=1 (http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/05846.003/?image=1)






http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/items/ACCNUM_SCREEN/REL%2F05846.003.JPG


ID numberREL/05846.003 TitleBritish War Medal 1914-20 : Lieutenant Colonel L C Maygar, 8 Light Horse Regiment, AIF


Summary
Awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Cecil Maygar, who was born near Kilmore, Victoria on 27 May 1868, the seventh son of Edwin Willis and Helen Maygar. He was educated at Alexandra and Kilmore public schools. Later, in partnership with his father and brothers, he bought Strathearn Station, near Longwood, Euroa. A highly proficient horseman, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Victorian Mounted Rifles in March 1891.

With the outbreak of war in South Africa in 1899, Magyar was keen to enlist but was initially rejected for service on medical grounds before being accepted into the 5th Contingent of the Victorian Mounted Rifles. For his actions during fighting near Geelhoutboom on 23 November 1901, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On his return to Australia Maygar resumed his pre-war occupation on the land near Euroa. With the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914, Maygar immediately offered his services and within three weeks was appointed a captain commanding B Squadron of the 4th Light Horse Regiment. On 19 October, he embarked with his unit for Egypt, arriving at Alexandria on 11 December. In January 1915 he was promoted to major.

Following training, the regiment moved to Gallipoli, arriving as an unmounted unit on 24 May. The regiment was deployed at Ryrie's Post, Lone Pine, Courtney's Post and Leane's Trenches. On 17 October, Maygar was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and given command of 8 Light Horse Regiment (LHR). The regiment was evacuated from the Peninsula on 20 December.\
]
The move to Egypt saw the regiment reunited with their horses before moving east for operations in Sinai and Palestine as part of Major General Harry Chauvel's Anzac Mounted Division. In August 1916, 8LHR was involved in heavy action pushing the advance following the battle for Romani and later contributed to operations at Sagia and Hod el Bada.

In December, the Anzac Mounted Division was ordered to capture the enemy held village of Magdhaba. The assault on 23 December, with 8LHR attacking from a ridge north of the village, almost met with failure when strong resistance delayed the capture of vital water supplies. Just as Chauvel proposed a withdrawal, 1 Light Horse Brigade broke through, signalling a change of fortune, and within hours the objective was taken. During the assault, 8LHR lost five officers and ten other ranks either killed or wounded.

In January 1917, 8LHR, though playing a reserve role in the assault on Rafa, provided outposts against a large column of enemy reinforcements. In March and April the regiment saw action in the failed attacks on Gaza. During heavy fighting in the second attempt on 19 April, the regiment found itself exposed in a gap created when two flanking brigades were forced to diverge. By 4pm it was obvious the attack had failed and the decision was made to withdraw, by which time 8LHR had suffered 73 casualties. Official Historian H S Gullet said of Maygar's conduct during the fighting that: 'It was a day when true leaders recognised that their men needed inspiration, and Maygar gave it in the finest manner.' For his leadership during the attacks at Maghdaba and Rafa, Maygar was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 3 June.

On 31 October at Beersheba, Maygar was severely wounded during a German aerial attack. Despite surgery to remove his shattered arm he died from blood loss the following day. He is buried in grave number Q 82 of the Beersheba War Cemetery