British War & Victory Medals named 33265 ACSJT T DEAN W RID R & French Medaillie d'Honneur in Bronze with Swords not named in case.
French award London Gazette 15th Dec 1919 - 255th Prisoner of War Company, Labour Corps.
Thomas Dean was awarded one of only 5 French Medal of Honour with swords in Bronze to Prisoner of War Companies during the First World War. His award was also the only foreign award to the 255th Prisoner of War Company during the war, and quite possibly the only decoration awarded to this unit.
Thomas was living with his wife Ethel Margaret Dean nee Gladman and son, Cyril Thomas Dean at 10 Odell Street, Camberwell, London when he enlisted on 7th March 1916 with the Army Reserves. On 29th May 1916, he was mobilized and posted to “D” Company, 24th Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps, regimental number 24456, and he was appointed an acting Corporal on 15th July 1916. Thomas was appointed an acting Sergeant on 31st May 1917, and on 14th December 1917, he was posted to the 4th Reserves, West Riding Regt as a Private (Acing Cpl) and he was allocated a new regimental number of 33265. He is transferred to the 42nd Company Labour Corps as a Lance Sergeant on 22nd September 1918, and then he transferred to the 255th Prisoner of War Company and was allocated a new number 619506. On 1st November 1918, Thomas was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and appointed acting Company Quarter Master Sergeant. Thomas is appointed an acting Company Sergeant Major on 8th April 1919 and this rank was made substantive on 22nd June 1919. He had overseas service from the 23rd April 1918 to 11th September 1919. Out of the five French Medals of Honour awarded to Prisoner of War Camps his service record and one other man’s record have survived, however they are burnt but still very readable. Until mid-1916, German prisoners were sent to England. From this time onward, prisoners were initially sent to Abbeville. Men with useful skills, notably forestry and engineering, were drafted into companies of about 100 men each, for use in Prisoner of War companies, Forestry Companies and ASC and RE workshops, respectively. 47 such Prisoner of War labour companies were attached to the Labour Corps when it was formed making awards to these units extremely difficult to find, and with Foreign awards nearly impossible. His WW1 pair is correctly named to him in the West Riding Regiment.
Awards of the French Medal of Honour with swords to Prisoner of War Companies are as follows:
French Medal of Honour with swords in Silver (Only 2 awards)
A/CSM 569475 Harold Heath, 148th POW Coy (formerly 32202 Lancashire Fusiliers)
A/CSM 93402 William John Richards, 308th POW Coy (No trace of this man found other than London Gazette details?)
French Medal of Honour with swords in Bronze (Only 5 awards)
A/Sgt 113636 Jack Bray, 300th POW Coy (formerly 27135 Gloucester Regt)
CSM 619506 ThomasDean, 255th POW Coy (formerly 33265 West Riding Regt)
A/CQMS 620008 Herbert Norman Granger, 267th POW Coy (formerly 19657 Suffolk Regt)
A/Sgt 618505 George Henry Johnson, 236th POW Coy (formerly 62266 Welsh Regt)
T/CSM 616150 John Henry Wolfe, 187th POW Coy (formerly 356489 Highland Light Infantry)
