The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals 82


A Great War 1916 ‘Somme’ M.M. group of four awarded to Acting Sergeant F. E. Hermann, 10th (Service) Battalion (1st Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment (Hull Commercials) who died on 17 November 1916 of wounds received in action on 13 November, the opening day of the Battle of the Ancre


Military Medal, G.V.R. (1029 Cpl. F. E. Hermann. 10/ E. York: R.); 1914-15 Star (10-1029 Pte. E. F. Hermann. E. York: R.); British War and Victory Medals (10-1029 A. Sjt. E. F. Hermann. E. York. R.); Memorial Plaque (Frans Edgar Hermann) the whole contained in a contemporary bronze display frame, extremely fine (5)


£600-£800 M.M. London Gazette 1 September 1916.


Frans Edgar Hermann was born in 1890 at Sculcoates, Hull, Yorkshire and attested for the 10th (Service) Battalion, (1st Hull), East Yorkshire Regiment on 11 September 1914. This unit, a Pals Battalion known as the ‘Hull Commercials’ made up of local clerks, teachers and businessmen, had been formed at Hull on 29 August by Lord Nunburnholme and the East Riding Territorial Force Association.


Embarking on 8 December 1915 from Devonport, Hermann arrived with his battalion at Port Said, 22 December, to defend the Suez Canal at Qantara with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Moving to join the British Expeditionary Force in France, the battalion arrived at Marseilles on 7 March 1916 and proceeded with the 92nd Brigade, 31st Division to the Somme area on the Western Front. Hermann was appointed Lance Sergeant on 4 June 1916.


Although fortunate to be in reserve for 1 July 1916, the 92nd (Hull Pals) Brigade would still hold the divisional frontage and the 10th Battalion were required to hold the front line from 24 June until ‘Z’ hour on the 1 July, the date for the start of the Somme offensive. Serre, their division’s objective, was one of the strongest of the German positions to be attacked - it being covered by defence works consisting of thick barbed wire entanglements, protected gun emplacements and elaborate deep dugouts which were not affected by the British bombardment. German retaliatory shells obliterated the front line and communication trenches, making movement by day extremely difficult, resulting in the death of Lieutenant Flintoff and eight other ranks of the battalion. The battalion history records that, as zero hour approached, the 10th Battalion’s preparations on the night of 30 June involved: ‘providing parties to cut “lanes” through our own wire to give our attacking troops a quick means of egress into No Man’s Land.’ After this the battalion pulled back to allow the attacking troops to come forward.


The 92nd Brigade was pulled out of the line with the rest of the shattered 31st Division on 2 July and sent north to Bethune to refit. For his service during this period, Acting Sergeant Hermann was awarded the M.M. and he was promoted Acting Sergeant on 28 July.


The Brigade then spent August and September with alternate spells in and out of the trenches South East of Richebourg L’Avoue with casualties continuing to mount in this supposedly quieter area. Duty in the line was marked by trench raids and occasional awards for bravery.


www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208