Sergeant Geoffrey Paulson Royal Artillery
1939-45 Star. Burma Star. Defence Mwedal. War Medal 1939-45. Efficiency Medal 'Territorial'.
The Man Geoffrey Paulson was born on Saturday 5th January 1918, son of James, a Municipal Clerk in the Public Health Department of Manchester Corporation and a Sergeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I, and Annie nee Nicholls. He was born at 12 Harper Street, Harpurhey, Manchester, had one sister Dorothy Beryl born in 1921 and the 1921 census shows the family living at 18 Westbourne Grove.
Nothing is known about Geoffrey’s early life, but he enlisted into the Territorial Army Royal Artillery on 13th March 1939 aged 21with service number 1455286. The 1939 Register shows the family living at 34 Homestead Crescent, Manchester, but Geoffrey had already been mobilised and not listed.
Following the start of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Geoffrey served in the 9th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 63rd Anti-Tank Battery seeing service in the Burma Campaign from April 1945. He was released from the army on 10th February 1946 and awarded the 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’.
During the last quarter of 1948 aged 30, he married Violet Beatrice Thomas nee Hammett in Manchester and they had one son Christopher John, born in 1951 and a daughter by Violet’s previous marriage Anne Rowna born in 1938. In 1958 the family were living at 4 Rutland Road, Norbury Moor.
Geoffrey claimed his World War II Medals in 1989 and at the time was living at with Violet at 11 Fir Close, Poynton, Cheshire and later possibly following retirement at 17 The Beeches, Beaminster, Dorset. He died on 23rd September 2008 aged 90.
Nothing is known about Geoffrey’s early life, but he enlisted into the Territorial Army Royal Artillery on 13th March 1939 aged 21with service number 1455286. The 1939 Register shows the family living at 34 Homestead Crescent, Manchester, but Geoffrey had already been mobilised and not listed.
Following the start of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Geoffrey served in the 9th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 63rd Anti-Tank Battery seeing service in the Burma Campaign from April 1945. He was released from the army on 10th February 1946 and awarded the 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’.
During the last quarter of 1948 aged 30, he married Violet Beatrice Thomas nee Hammett in Manchester and they had one son Christopher John, born in 1951 and a daughter by Violet’s previous marriage Anne Rowna born in 1938. In 1958 the family were living at 4 Rutland Road, Norbury Moor.
Geoffrey claimed his World War II Medals in 1989 and at the time was living at with Violet at 11 Fir Close, Poynton, Cheshire and later possibly following retirement at 17 The Beeches, Beaminster, Dorset. He died on 23rd September 2008 aged 90.
|
|
Geoffrey Paulson's Medal Index Card showing the awards of the 1939-45 and Burma Stars, Defence and War Medals 1939-45
The Story The father and son medal groups awarded to James and Geoffrey Paulson were purchased at Malvern Flea Market on Sunday 30th March 2025.
They were spotted at the end of the visit on a final sweep of previously visited stalls and hadn’t been seen first time around. Both groups were in a plastic bag, in a case with several other groups. The Efficiency Medal ribbon aroused interest and initially it was thought the entire set may belong to one person.
However, on checking they seemed to be family groups and following negotiation with the vendor, a ‘punt’ was taken, and the medals acquired.
Pleasingly the group to James was relatively easy to research as his WWI service papers had survived, these giving the first name and date of birth of his son Geoffrey, to whom the Efficiency Medal group were awarded.
This enabled Ancestry and Wills to provide sufficient detail for brief biographies to be put together for both father and son.
Once again it is good to have ‘rescued’ medals from obscurity and preserve the Paulsons memory for posterity.
They were spotted at the end of the visit on a final sweep of previously visited stalls and hadn’t been seen first time around. Both groups were in a plastic bag, in a case with several other groups. The Efficiency Medal ribbon aroused interest and initially it was thought the entire set may belong to one person.
However, on checking they seemed to be family groups and following negotiation with the vendor, a ‘punt’ was taken, and the medals acquired.
Pleasingly the group to James was relatively easy to research as his WWI service papers had survived, these giving the first name and date of birth of his son Geoffrey, to whom the Efficiency Medal group were awarded.
This enabled Ancestry and Wills to provide sufficient detail for brief biographies to be put together for both father and son.
Once again it is good to have ‘rescued’ medals from obscurity and preserve the Paulsons memory for posterity.
Geoffrey's uniform medal bar and WWII Sergrant stripes.
Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Burma Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Efficiency Medal: SGT G PAULSON RA
This page last updated 2 Jul 25
140 a
