Non-Medal Books for American Medal Collectors, Part 1: United States Army

COLLECTING 101: NON-MEDAL BOOKS FOR AMERICAN MEDAL COLLECTORS, PART 1: UNITED STATES ARMY

JEFFREY B. FLOYD

Most of us start off collecting medals with no real sources service SUlmnaries and civilian career details as well. of information. Then we find some book or magazine The entries were submitted by the graduates themselves, that sets us off on the road to discovery. My road started so many are incomplete, but these are still invaluable with the ribbon charts in the Encyclopedia Britannica references. and the October 1943 issue of the National Geographic Magazine. In the years since that initial discovery, I’ve The Historical Register and Dictionary of the United found that there were many "non-medal" books that were States Army, by Francis B. Heitmann, is a compilation of significant additions to my library. It’s these "non-medal" Army Registers from 1789 through 1903, with additional books that can really illuminate some of the pieces in your coverage of volunteer officers. Plus, Heitmann lists collection. I’ll cover a selection of those books relating to officers who received brevets for meritorious service or the United States Army and perhaps point you to a source gallantry, with their citations. that you had not yet considered. For information on World War I units, the Order of The Army Register has been published since the early Battle of the United States Land Forces in the Worm years of the Army. It was meant to be an internal War provides compiled data you will find nowhere else. document to note relative rank and seniority of officers. For divisions deployed with the American Expeditionary Over the years, it came to include an officer’s service Force in France, this book gives you a matrix of units number, decorations, schools, promotion dates and past assigned to the various divisions, a dynamic order of units. In the 1970s, it came in three volumes, covering battle (listing units attached and detached for service regular officers, reservists and those who had retired. with other units) and a fairly detailed chronology of the There is a parallel series of registers for National Guard division’s actions. So, if you have a Purple Heart to a officers. As you focus on a specific period, you’ll find man in the 30th Division who was wounded in action on that certain years will contain outstanding information September 29, 1918, you’ll find that the division broke for the researcher. For example, the 1948 Arm); andAir through the Hindenburg Line that day as part of the Force Register is a combined register that identifies those British Fourth Army. For units part of the Zone of the officers who moved to the newly independent Air Force. Interior, you’ll find their locations and the dates of their The Retired Registers of 1965 through 1975 pick up the movements overseas. officers who were discharged at the end of World War II, but retained reserve commissions and retired after 20-30 Another useful book, entitled Official Record of the years of service. United States ’Part in the Great War, initially appears to be a bland recitation of statistics like the fact that between The Army List and Directory was published at varying June and November 1918, on average, an enlisted man intervals between the World Wars. It contains the in the American Expeditionary Force received a new set locations of Army units and a roster of active duty and of drawers and undershirt every 34 days. However, the retired officers and their locations. last part of the book contains citations for the Medal of Honor awards and rolls of Distinguished Service Cross The Register of Graduates of the United States Military and Distinguished Service Medal recipients, with their Academy contains short summaries of graduates’ and units. non-graduates’ services and awards. These summaries are provided by the graduates themselves, so some are more Shelby L. Stanton produced World War lI Order ofBattle complete than others. Every tenth year a "Cullum" edition and Vietnam Order of Battle, which include chronolo- is published to cover every class back to the beginning gies, unit subordination and even insignia of the various of the Academy. units. These books are handy in researching the context of individual awards. The "Cullum" edition is an extension of The Biographical Register of Officers and Graduates, United States Militao~ These "non-medal" books represent only the tip of the Academy by Major General George W. Cullum. Cullum’s iceberg for useful sources. As you refine your interests, registers, published every ten years, include both military you’ll discover many more.

Vol. 61, No. 2 (March - April 2010) 29 THE UNIQUE AND HISTORIC POLAR MEDAL TO COMMANDER FRANK WILD, VETERAN OF FIVE HEROIC AGE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITIONS

GLENN M. STEIN

Through the kindness of Robert Stephenson, Coordinator of the website The Antarctic Circle, and polar book author Angie Butler, I have been corresponding and speaking with the family of Commander John Robert Frances "Frank" Wild, CBE, RNVR, FRGS (1873-1939) (Figure 1). When his widow died in 1970, Frank Wild’s British War Medal and Victory Medal (LIEUT. F. WILD, R.N.V.R.), geographical society medals, British National Antarctic Expedition Sports Medal (FRANK WILD), and a dress miniature Polar Medal with clasps Antarctic 1902-04 and Antarctic 1907-09, along with a quantity of original documentation, were initially sold at Sotheby’s in June 1971. They were last sold at Dix Noonan Webb on December 13, 2007, and are now part of a London physician’s collection.

Figure 2: The Polar Medal with four clasps awarded to Commander Wild (courtesy of Dix Noonan Webb, auctioneers, London).

Figure h Colnmander John Robert Francis Wild, RNVR.

It has been known for years that Wild’s unique Polar Medal with clasps Antarctic 1902-04, Antarctic 1907- 09, Antarctic 1912-14 and Antarctic 1914-16 (Figure 2) remained with his family in South Africa. The Figure 3: Commander Wild’s miniature group (courtesy of medal was issued officially engraved: A.B.F. WILD. Dix Noonan Webb, auctioneers, London). "DISCOVERY". Only two four-clasp Polar Medals have been issued, the other being to Ernest Joyce, featuring the Wild’s Commander of the Order of the British Empire clasps Antarctic 1902-04, Antarctic 1907-09, Antarctic (London Gazette, January 1, 1920) and dress miniature 1914-16 and Antarctic 1917. Joyce also received a medals accompany his Polar Medal. The miniatures are duplicate medal and both medals are known to exist.

30 JOMSA mounted for wear: Commander, Order of the British Wild led successful sledge parties to open up a new Empire, Polar Medal with four clasps, British War Medal, region, Queen Mary Land. Mercantile Marine War Medal and Victory Medal (Figure 3). Wild then played a vital role as second-in-command of the Endurance during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Wild’s family sought my advice concerning parting with Expedition of 1914-1917. After the ship sank, the the medals, since various interested parties in South men made their way by sledge and boat to land on the Africa and the United Kingdom have attempted to desolate Elephant Island. Here, Wild’s leadership abilities acquire them over the years. I strongly recommended were tested to the fullest, as he was left in charge while the best way to preserve Frank Wild’s memory and the Shackleton went on his epic boat journey to get help on medals’ provenance was to auction them through the South Georgia. Wild never gave up hope that Shackleton London firm of Dix Noonan Webb.) Consequently, would return to rescue them, and whenever the sea ice the family infonned me that his Commander, Order of cleared, he would say, "Roll up your sleeping-bags, boys: the British Empire and Polar Medal sold for £110,000 the boss may be coming today." (before buyer’s premium), the successful bidder being the London physician holding Wild’s other medals. On returning home, Wild volunteered for duty and was made a Temporary Lieutenant, Royal Naval Volunteer Frank Wild had more Antarctic experience than anyone Reserve. After a Russian language course, he became the else during the heroic age of Antarctic exploration (1895- Royal Navy transport officer at Archangel, superintending 1922), participating in five expeditions between 1901 arriving war materials during the Allied Intervention in and 1922. Wild’s work and leadership were universally Russia. respected by his Antarctic comrades, who virtually never had a critical word to say or write about the Skelton, After the war, Wild went to South Africa where he fanned Yorkshire native. with two former Antarctic comrades. They worked the soil in British Nyasaland until 1921, the beginning of Wild first went to Antarctica as an Able Seaman with Wild’s final Antarctic adventure. They cleared the then Scott during the British National Antarctic Expedition virgin forest and planted cotton, and loved the life, though of 1902-04, having had 12 years in the merchant navy suffering from intermittent bouts of lnalaria. before joining the Royal Navy in 1900. He took part in several sledge journeys, including the tragic first From 1921 to 1922, Wild was second-in-colnmand of attempt to reach Cape Crozier. His spirited leadership the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, a poorly-equipped brought several men back to the ship after the death of venture, with no clear plan, and a small ship, the Quest. Able Seaman George Vince, who drowned after slipping Shackleton died of a heart attack on South Georgia, and down a steep ice slope during a blizzard. Scott thought Wild took over and completed the journey, combating highly of Wild’s service and specially mentioned him in unfavorable weather to Elephant Island and along the despatches, thus Wild was duly promoted to petty officer. Antarctic coast. He returned to South Africa to work his During the expedition, Wild struck up a friendship with farna. Frank Wild died onAugust 19, 1939, in Klerksdorp, the third lieutenant, Ernest Shackleton. As a member of where he was employed as a storeman at the Babrosco Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition (1907-09), Wild was Mine. He was cremated on August 23, 1939, in the placed in charge of provisions, and was one of the four- Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg. man sledge party to reach just 97 miles from the South Frank Wild’s younger brother was also a polar explorer. Pole. Fellow Yorkshireman and expedition geologist Petty Officer Harry Ernest Wild, Royal Navy, looked Douglas Mawson afterwards wrote that his experiences after the stores and dogs of the Ross Sea Party during during this time, "acquainted me with Wild’s high merits the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Harry Wild as an explorer and leader." Upon his return, Frank Wild died of typhoid in 1918, and in 1923 was posthumously left the Royal Navy by purchase. awarded the Albert Medal (Second Class/Land) for the Though Scott asked Wild to join his second Antarctic expedition. His Albert Medal, Polar Medal with clasp venture, Wild declined, as he felt Scott was "too much Antarctic 1914-16 and Italian Messina Earthquake Medal the navy man." Instead, he joined Mawson’s 1912-1914 (1908) exist together, while his World War I Memorial Australian Antarctic Expedition as a sledging expert and Plaque is known in a separate collection. H.E. Wild was was appointed leader of the Western Base. Under him also entitled to the Antarctic 1917 clasp, and though sent were seven untried men; none had previously served in to brother J.R. Wild in 1921, it was never attached to his the polar regions. In spite of terrible sledging conditions, Polar Medal.

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