Miscellaneous 781


A well documented family pair of Memorial Plaques to Private H. I. Leonard, Gloucestershire Regiment, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 1 July 1917, and to Private E. J. Leonard, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, who died of pneumonia on 16 January 1919


Memorial Plaque (2) (Horace Ivor Leonard; Evan John Leonard) good very fine (2) Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, July 2011.


£200-£240


Horace Ivor Leonard, the son of Evan and Ann Leonard of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, and the brother of Jack Leonard, attested for the Gloucestershire Regiment, and served with the 12th/14th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front. He was killed in action on 1 July 1917, and is buried in Villers-Guislain Communal Cemetery, France.


Evan John ‘Jack’ Leonard, the son of Evan and Ann Leonard of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, and the brother of Horace Leonard, attested for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and served with the 2nd/6th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front. He died of pneumonia on 16 January 1919, and is buried in Enschede Eastern General Cemetery, Holland.


Sold with an interesting archive of letters written by the two brothers to their sister Gwendoline, comprising eight letters written by Horace (three from Bristol in 1915, and five from the Western Front, dated 14 September 1916; 19 January 1917; 9 April 1917; 9 May 1917; and 16 June 1917); and eight letters written by Jack (all from the Western Front, dated 14 November 1916; 6 February 1917; 23 April 1917; 7 June 1917; 21 August 1917; 27 September 1917; 21 December 1917; and 14 January 1918); a letter from Gwendoline to Jack in France, dated May 1916; and one from Horace to Jack, whilst both were in France, dated May 1917; most of the letters being 3 -4pp, including accounts of both brothers’ experiences of active service; together with other ephemera.


782


Memorial Plaque (3) (John Hawke; Sidney Cyril Hallett; James Henry Cairns), first two in card envelopes of issue, very fine or better (3)


£120-£160


John Hawke, who was born in Roche, Cornwall, died of wounds on 30 July 1916, while serving as a Private with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, and was buried at Dive Copse British Cemetery. Sold with original transmittal letter for British War and Victory Medals.


Sidney Cyril Hallett, who was born in Crowthorne, Berkshire, was killed in action on 2 April 1918, while serving as a Private with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.


James Henry Cairns, who was born in Brandon, Durham, was killed in action on 10 July 1917, while serving as a Private with the 13th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.


783


Memorial Plaque (2) (George William Loader; Edwin Henry Barnicoat), the first with traces of verdigris, the second polished, very fine (2)


£60-£80


George William Loader, who was born in Lillington, Dorset, was killed in action on 26 September 1916, while serving with the 5th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, and was buried at Courcelette British Cemetery.


Edwin Henry Barnicoat died in Taranto, Italy, on 3 March 1919, while serving as a Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, and was buried in Taranto Town Cemetery Extension.


784


The Memorial Plaque awarded to Private B. Cundy, M.M., Essex Regiment, who died of wounds on the Western Front on 5 July 1916


Memorial Plaque (Bertie Cundy) minor traces of verdigris, good fine £60-£80


Bertie Cundy, who was born in West Mersea, Essex, was awarded the M.M. (London Gazette, 5 June 1916), shortly before he died of wounds on the Western Front on 5 July 1916, aged 26, while serving with the 9th Battalion, Essex Regiment. He was buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.


785


The Memorial Plaque awarded to Major V. Holden, D.S.O., M.C., Royal West Kent Regiment Memorial Plaque (Vernon Holden) in card envelope of issue, nearly extremely fine


Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, September 2002 (when sold alongside the recipient’s medals and other ephemera).


D.S.O. London Gazette 16 September 1918: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during an enemy advance. When his battalion was surrounded he withdrew his company with marked skill through the enveloping enemy, and collected men near him and formed a new line of defence. Throughout his fine leadership and coolness under most difficult circumstances were of a high order.’


M.C. London Gazette 9 January 1918: ‘For gallantry and devotion to duty on the night of 31 July / 1 August 1917, when he organised the consolidation of his battalion front under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire, continually going to and fro to advanced Battalion H.Q. through heavy fire to report personally upon the situation. All the officers were casualties, and his courage and personal example were of the utmost value.’


Vernon Holden was born on 7 January 1893 at Cultowrth, Banbury, and was educated at Sir Henry Fermor’s School and at Skinner’s School in Tunbridge Wells. On leaving school, aged 17, he joined the staff of the local branch of the London County, Westminster and Paris Bank, later moving to their Maidstone Branch.He enlisted into the Army in August 1915, becoming a Lance-Corporal in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps in September.


Two months later he was commissioned into the Royal West Kent Regiment; departing for France as a 2nd Lieutenant in May 1916. He saw action at the battle of Flers and was commended by the General of his Division for the ‘great coolness and initiative with which he took his position when all other officers had been wounded.’ Holden was quickly promoted to Lieutenant and then in March 1917 to Captain, winning his M.C. in the summer of 1917. After brief service on the Italian front he was appointed Commandant of the Brigade School in November 1917.


Holden returned to the Western Front in the Spring of 1918 at the time of the great German Offensive. He was awarded the D.S.O. for his leadership and courage in the fighting in the Albert Sector. In July, he received both the D.S.O. and M.C. from the King in an investiture at Buckingham Palace. In the summer he was promoted Acting Major and served as C.O. of the 41st Divisional Reception Camp. Returning to the front in the autumn, he was mortally wounded on 1 October 1918, dying the next day. He was buried at Hagle Dump Cemetery, Belgium.


In addition to his D.S.O. and M.C., Holden was Mentioned in Despatches by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig (London Gazette, 28 December 1918).


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