Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry x101
A Great War Western Front M.M. awarded to Corporal A. W. Aldrich, 1st Battalion, The Rifle Brigade Military Medal, G.V.R. (5399 Cpl. A. W. Aldrich. 1/Rif: Bde:) toned, good very fine
M.M. London Gazette 6 January 1917. Alexander W. Aldrich served in France from 1 June 1915.
102
A Great War ‘Somme’ M.M. group of four awarded to Private G. Marshall, 1/1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment, later Machine Gun Corps
Military Medal, G.V.R. (3589 Pte. G. Marshall. 1/1Cambs: R. - T.F.); 1914-15 Star (3589 Pte. G. Marshall. Camb. R.); British War and Victory Medals (3539 Pte. G. Marshall. Camb. R.) mounted for display, polished, therefore good fine or better (4)
£500-£600 M.M. London Gazette 19 February 1917.
George Marshall resided at 13 Stafford Street, Walsoken. He served during the Great War with the 1/1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment in the French theatre of war from 2 September 1915. Marshall was awarded the M.M. for an action at St. Pierre Divion, Somme, 13 November 1916, when the Battalion attacked down the Schwaben Redoubt under the cover of early morning mist and linked up with the 63rd Royal Naval Division. He subsequently served with the Machine Gun Corps.
103
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. awarded to Private C. Murray, Royal Irish Regiment Military Medal, G.V.R. (6-2590 Pte. C. Murray. 6/
R.Ir: R.) very fine M.M. London Gazette 19 February 1917.
£180-£220
£280-£320
Charles Murray served during the Great War with the 6th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment in the French theatre of war from 17 December 1915 (wounded).
104
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant E. Forrest, Grenadier Guards, attached Special Brigade, Royal Engineers, the Army’s Chemical Warfare Unit
Military Medal, G.V.R. (156554 Pr. E. Forrest, 5/Spec: Bde: R.E.) rank officially corrected; 1914-15 Star (18304 Pte. E. Forrest. G. Gds.); British War and Victory Medals (18304 Sjt. E. Forrest. G. Gds.) pitting to MM, nearly very fine (4)
£400-£500 M.M. London Gazette 12 March 1917.
Ernest Forrest was born in Cresswell, Derbyshire, in 1890 and attested there for the Grenadier Guards on 2 September 1914. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 17 March 1915, before transferring to the Royal Engineers on 13 March 1916. Posted to 5th Battalion, Special Brigade (the Army’s Chemical Warfare Unit), he served as a ‘Chemical Soldier’ for the remainder of the Great War. He was wounded on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, but remained at duty, and it is possible that this action contributed to the award of his Military Medal. He was promoted Corporal on 29 August 1916, and Sergeant on 13 June 1918, before being admitted to hospital suffering from the effects of gas on 7 September 1918. Recovering, he was back in the field by the time of the Armistice, before transferring to Class ‘Z’ Reserve on 30 January 1919.
At its greatest strength the Special Brigade, Royal Engineers, numbered 258 officers and 5,832 men. It conducted 768 gas operations involving 88,000 gas cylinders, and discharged over 5,700 tons of various gases. From Loos to the Armistice the gas companies discharged gas two nights out of every three. Total brigade casualties were 5,384, close to 100% of its total strength, and the Brigade won 557 decorations, including the Victoria Cross awarded to James Dawson.
Sold with copied correspondence regarding the issuing and returning of the recipient’s Military Medal to have the rank officially corrected from ‘Pte’ to ‘Pr’ (for Pioneer); copied Medal Index Card; service papers; medical papers; and other copied research.
105
A Great War 1917 ‘Battle of Arras’ M.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant E. Bastings, 6th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps, Australian Imperial Force
Military Medal, G.V.R. (7847 Sjt: E. Bastings. 6/F.A. Aust: A.M.C.); 1914-15 Star (7847 Pte. E. Bastings. 1/G. Hosp. A.I. F.); British War Medal (7847 T-W.O.-2 E. Bastings. 1 G. Hosp. A.I.F.); Victory Medal (7847 T-WO-2 E. Bastings. 1 A. G. H. A.I.F.) mounted for display, generally very fine (4)
£700-£900 M.M. London Gazette 9 July 1917. The original recommendation states:
‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in action near Bullecourt on 3rd May 1917. He carried out his work fearlessly and well under heavy shell fire and saved valuable lives by his skill and untiring energy.’
Edwin Bastings was born in St. Albans, Victoria, in 1892, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, at Melbourne, 5 July 1915. He served at the Depot Clearing Hospital prior to embarking for overseas service in October 1915. Bastings was promoted to Sergeant in February 1916, and stopped at Egypt and England on route for service in France. He served with the 6th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps in the French theatre of war from November 1916, and was attached to 24th Australian Infantry Battalion for medical duties from the following month.
Bastings was awarded the M.M. for his gallantry in action near Bullecourt, 3 May 1917. The 6th Field Ambulance’s War Diary gives the following for the latter date:
‘Stretcher cases began to arrive about 7 a.m. and came steadily all day and night 3rd /4th. All patients were housed and no cases were kept waiting for cars to take them to C C S . 720 patients passed through by 7 p.m.’
The 24th Battalion had been in action on the Hindenburg Line suffering casualties that day of 2 officers and 35 other ranks killed in action, 9 officers and 221 other ranks wounded, and 2 officers and 116 other ranks missing.
Bastings returned to Australia in May 1919, and was discharged in July of the same year. After the war he was employed as an Architect Draughtsman by Gibbs, Finlay and Morsby Architects, Melbourne.
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