Bill Bailey cricket cup - 2

VALE OF BELVOIR
CRICKET LEAGUE
No other details

Bill Bailey cricket cup - 1

In 1930, Bill's team was awarded runner-up medals. Three years later, they had more success.

M.M. HOSP. C.C. COMPT
WINNERS
1933

Bill Bailey cricket medal

MELTON HOSPITAL
CRICKET CUP COMPETITION
RUNNERS UP
1930
W.K. BAILEY.

Military Medal cup

The inscription reads:

W.K. BAILEY M.M.
1914 - 1918

As I have mentioned previously, the absence of a 1914 or 1914-1915 Star from his medals implies that Bill's WWI military service did not begin until 1916. I haven't found anything else about cups such as these. Were they awarded to all Military Medal holders?

Cap Badge

This is the WWI cap badge of the Leicestershire Regiment. I presume it belonged to Bill Bailey as I can remember it being around since I was very young. Inscriptions on his medals place him in the Worcestershire and South Staffordshire Regiments. Now here is evidence of him serving with yet another regiment.

Bill Bailey's Gongs

William Kilby Bailey's First World War medals. From left to right we have:

1. The Military Medal. The inscription around the edge is 40734 PTE W K BAILEY 47.WORC.R

I presume this is an abbreviation for 47th Division, Worcester Regiment.

2. British War Medal

3. Victory Medal

The inscription for these two:

25174 PTE W K BAILEY S.STAFF.R which I presume is an abbreviation for South Staffordshire Regiment.

It is interesting to note that, as well as changing regiments, his service number has also changed.

Since he did not hold the 1914 or 1914-15 Star, his military service during WWI did not begin until 1916 or later.

For more about these medals see http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/wwi_medals.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_War_Medal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Medal_(United_Kingdom)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Medal

Bill Bailey - cricketer

Here are a few of my grandfather William Kilby (Bill) Bailey in a cricketing context. In the group photo, that is him kneeling third from the right. Two of the pictures show a formal dinner. Only the word "Club" is visible in the poster, but I think this must be Nether Broughton Cricket Club - these two were taken by The Melton Studios, 4 Sherrard Street, Melton Mowbray. It was clearly a very posh "do" - note the elaborate floral display and the bottle of HP Sauce.

Don meets his prospective in-laws

These are all stamped with the same number on the back, Eileen is wearing the same clothes and the setting is the same (outside the front door of the house in Chapel Lane) so I think they must have been taken at the same time.

Don is not wearing medal ribbons, so I think these pictures must predate him being posted to Caen in October 1944. (For more about Don's military service, particularly the army dance band he played in, see my blog http://bandof14aod.blogspot.com/) Before going overseas, Don had been based at the Ordnance depot at Old Dalby. It was during his time there that he met Eileen, the future Mrs Mackie. Had it not been for the war, your blogger would not have been born!

The other gentleman seen here is Eileen's father Bill (William Kilby) Bailey. There will be more about him later. He worked at Stanton Ironworks and was a keen cricketer; I still have some of his trophies. He died when I was very young, but I dimly remember him.