Wigan Album
Private John Dean
4 Comments
Photo: John Dootson
Item #: 29424
It seems incredible that he should have been told to furnish his own account of why he had been awarded the MM - you would have thought that such information would have been sent to the Town Hall along with the medal. He may have been a hero - but I feel he was hardly treated with the proper respect he deserved form Authority.
He had every reason to stand before the receptionist, without a 'brief statement', and introduce himself as Private John Dean MM. And at the first sign of any old buck, also suggest that the Town Clerk might then like to consider the Town Hall's 'rather dry' letter.
Surely that brave man should have been feted and the red carpet rolled out and chauffeur driven to those cobwebby borough rooms! But that was then....indeed it wouldn't happen nowadays .....would it???
I agree with all of the above comments.The Military Medal was established in 1916 for soldiers below officer rank. Officers received the Military Cross. This two tier arrangement continued until 1993 when all ranks could be awarded the Military Cross. The MM was actually disdained by many regular soldiers as it carried no monetary value.
The two medals above it, the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Victoria Cross, both merited a rise in pay and a pension.Never the less, my grandad was proud of his medal and signed his name as John Dean MM.