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The only documentation held by the national archives are the medal cards mentioned previously.

Medal card of Tripp, Valentine Corps: Royal Army Medical Corps Regiment No: ...
Ordering and viewing options - you can access via Ancestry at your local library
£3.50

Reference: WO 372/20/80181
Description:
Medal card of Tripp, Valentine
Corps Regiment No Rank
Royal Army Medical Corps 18657 Serjeant
Royal Army Medical Corps 18657 Temporary Serjeant Major
Royal Army Medical Corps 18657 Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1
Royal Army Medical Corps 7245372 Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1
Date: 1914-1920

It might be worth applying for his service records to see if they've been retained. With a bit of luck, they might show when he originally enlisted.

Unsure if his papers would still be held by RAMC -see here
https://wellcomelibrary.org/collections/digital-collections/royal-army-medical-corps/

Don't think this one has been posted.

UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 for Valentine Tripp
Medal & Clasps under army order 4 of 1923

Valentine Tripp
Service Date: 1793-1815 (year span is wrong!)
Service Place: Europe
Campaign or Service: Napoleonic Wars
Regiment or Unit Name: Royal Army Medical Corps
Regimental Number: 7245372

Qualified due to service in Iraq where he was a S/Sgt. Approved or issued 15 Jan 1924

Thankyou for all of the info, we do have some of the info but not the shipping details - Thankyou. it’s interesting to see we have reached the same probable conclusion for his whereabouts in 1901. Further research to be done on army records and any other known addresses of relatives to eliminate. Many thanks to all concerned. :-)

Sylvia, “He was born in Essex, registered in Elham, although the 1891 Census says born in Kent“

The Elham registration district is in Kent. It includes Folkestone which he gives as his place of birth.

Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards

First name(s) V
Last name Tripp
Year 1914-20
Service number 18657
Rank Staff Sergeant /acting Sergeant Major
Regiment Casualty Clearing Station/royal Army Medical Corps
Service record Soldier Number: 18657, Rank: Staff Sergeant /Acting Sergeant Major, Corps: Casualty Clearing Station/Royal Army Medical Corps
Image link http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D6346885
Country Great Britain
Medal type British Army Medal Index Cards, 1914-1920
Archive reference WO372/24
Archive reference description Mentions in Despatches, Meritorious Service Medals and Territorial Force Efficiency Medals
Record set Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory Medal Rolls and Honours
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

looking at image of Medal Card on Ancestry - he was awarded
Victory Service Medal
British Medal
1914 Star - Clasp and Roses (date first entered theatre of War shown as 18.8.1914)
Also
General Service Medal and Clasp for Service in Iraq (dated 12.11.23)

An address on this card is shown as
62 Elderfield Road, Clapton Park E5

You might be lucky - if he was still serving in 1923 his documents may still be with MOD rather than destroyed. Have a look at this link to see how you might obtain
them
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

Cost £30 still I believe, but may take some time to arrive.

Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards

First name(s) V
Last name Tripp
Year 1914-20
Service number 18657
Rank Sergeant
Regiment Head Quarters Staff
Service record Soldier Number: 18657, Rank: Sergeant, Corps: Head Quarters Staff
Image link http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D6537230
Country Great Britain
Medal type British Army Medal Index Cards, 1914-1920
Archive reference WO372/24
Archive reference description Mentions in Despatches, Meritorious Service Medals and Territorial Force Efficiency Medals
Record set Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory Medal Rolls and Honours
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

Do you have the following records?

It's unfortunate that although Medal Cards survived, many WW1 documents were burnt during WW2 and no longer exist.

click the link to NA. You may be able to decipher some of the records through the "you haven't paid to look" watermark, but otherwise can download for the cost indicated.

Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards

First name(s) Valentine
Last name Tripp
Year 1914-20
Service number 18657, 7245372
Second service number 18657
Third service number 18657
Fourth service number 7245372
Rank Sergeant,Temporary Sergeant Major,Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1,Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1
Second rank Temporary Sergeant Major
Third rank Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1
Fourth rank Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1
Regiment Royal Army Medical Corps
Second corps Royal Army Medical Corps
Third corps Royal Army Medical Corps
Fourth corps Royal Army Medical Corps
Service record Soldier Number: 18657, Rank: Sergeant, Corps: Royal Army Medical Corps
Second service record Soldier Number: 18657, Rank: Temporary Sergeant Major, Corps: Royal Army Medical Corps
Third service record Soldier Number: 18657, Rank: Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1, Corps: Royal Army Medical Corps
Fourth service record Soldier Number: 7245372, Rank: Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1, Corps: Royal Army Medical Corps
Image link http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D5622211
Country Great Britain
Medal type British Army Medal Index Cards, 1914-1920
Archive reference WO372/20
Archive reference description Campaign Medal Index Cards and Silver War Badge Cards
Record set Britain, Campaign, Gallantry & Long Service Medals & Awards
Category Military, armed forces & conflict
Subcategory Medal Rolls and Honours
Collections from Great Britain, UK None

i suspect that the reason that we cannot find him in1901 might be that he is already overseas, or on board ship going overseas.

You might be able to find him in the RAMC records, if you can find where they are kept.

Did you find this ...............

UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960

Name: Valantine Tripp
Arrival Age: 36
Birth Date: abt 1885
Port of Departure: Sydney, Australia
Arrival Date: 11 Jun 1921
Port of Arrival: London, England
Ports of Voyage: Melbourne; Adelaide; Fremantle; Colombo; Bombay; Aden; Port Said; Marseilles; Gibraltar; Plymouth, Devon, England
Ship Name: Morea
Shipping Line: Peninsula and Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd
Official Number: 128235

According to the image:-
Boarded in Bombay, going to London
Occupation:- Army
Country of Last Residence:- Mesopotamia


Note:- "Mesopotamia" was a term for the Middle east, it included the countries we now know as Iraq and its neighbours.

Valentine was discharged from Leavesdon School 09/01/100 to be in Service with Mr Mardorf, Crownfield House, Leyton.

I suspect that he did indeed join the Army as a boy soldier in 1900-1901 ......

....... I have found that my brother's father-in-law and 2 of his brothers were admitted as boy sailors at the age of 12 around 1910-1913. It seems to be a way of dealing with boys who might be in danger of running wild.

It is interesting to note that he was in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) by 1911, I wonder which unit he joined??


British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920

Name: Valentine Tripp
Regiment or Corps: 4th CCS Royal Army Medical Corps, 4th CCS Royal Army Medical Corps
Regimental Number: 18657, 7245372

Hudson ..............I know you have all that I have found so far, but I'm trying to get a handle on him, myself.

Valentine seems to have married Florence L. Marshall, December quarter 1911, registered at Hackney, London

For information, and to help us ..............

He was born in Essex, registered in Elham, although the 1891 Census says born in Kent

from GRO Index ......

TRIPP, VALENTINE mmn MARSH
GRO Reference: 1886 M Quarter in ELHAM Volume 02A Page 1073


1891 Census

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place

Thomas J Tripp Head Widower Male 30 1861 Builders Clerk Cornwall, England
Valentine Tripp Son - Male 5 1886 - Kent, England
James H Tripp Son - Male 3 1888 - Middlesex, England
Ethel A Tripp Daughter - Female 2 1889 - Middlesex, England

Address:- Lyndhurst Road, Tottenham, Middlesex


In 1911, he is shown as Visitor

1911 Census

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Sex Age Birth year Occupation Birth place

John Robert Marshall Head Married Male 52 1859 Army Pensioner And Tune Keeper, Leeds Yorkshire
Ellen Harriett Marshall Wife Married Female 52 1859 - Greenwick Kent
Florence Liilan Marshall Daughter Single Female 25 1886 Millinery Manageress Newport Mon
Mabel Marshall Daughter Single Female 23 1888 Millinery Manageress India Barully Resident
James Alexander Marshall Son Single Male 19 1892 Cabinet Maker India Campbell Gore Resident
Albert Edward Marshall Son Single Male 15 1896 Junior Clerk India Clifden Maurice Hills Resident
Elsie Gertrude Marshall Daughter - Female 13 1898 School India Meenet Resident
Herbert Lionel Marshall Son - Male 11 1900 School India Kasanli Resident
Valentine Tripp Visitor Single Male 25 1886 Soldier Corporal, RAMC, Folkestone Kent

Address:- 62 Elderfield Road, Lower Clapton, London, Middlesex

I am
trying to locate valentine Tripp on the 1901 census but unable locate him.he would have been 15 years old at this time. By the time he was 25 yrs old on the 1911 census he was a corporal in the Army. Struggling to find him in 1901. I think he eventually did serve abroad, possibly India. Is he likely to be in military training at age 15/16 to make corporal by age 25? Just cannot find him in 1901. Thankyou for any help appreciated. He was discharged from st Pancras school aged 14 to an address called crownfield, 243 Leytonstone road, Essex but is not on the census there in 1901 with the mardorf family listed.thanks. Hudson