The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals
Myles Higgin-Birket was born in 1873 at Richmond, Surrey, the son of William Higgin-Birket and Elizabeth Hilbro Higgin-Birket of Birket Houses, Winster, Westmorland and was educated at Heversham Grammar School and University College School, Hampstead. Commissioned Second Lieutenant into the 5th and 6th Battalions, Lancashire Fusiliers on 28 March 1898, he was advanced Lieutenant, 30 November 1899 and Captain, 16 March 1901. He served with the 5th Battalion in South Africa, 1901-02 where he was present at the Operations in Orange River Colony, June to July 1901 and the operations in Cape Colony, July 1901 to May 1902, receiving the Queen’s South Africa Medal with 5 clasps. He retired with the Honorary rank of Major on 10 May 1913 but rejoined for service with the Special Reserve as Captain (Hon. Maj. Ret.) in the 3rd Battalion of his old regiment, proceeding to France with the 2nd Battalion on 28 September 1914.
Wounded on 12 November, Higgin-Birket returned to London and was attached to the Foreign Office, March to October 1915 before being posted to Salonika on attachment with the General Staff of the General Headquarters. For his services as Cipher Officer, G.H.Q., Salonika Force, Captain (Hon Major) Higgin-Birket was awarded the O.B.E., and personally decorated by the Crown Prince of Serbia with the Order of the White Eagle, 4th Class. For these services he was also three times Mentioned in General Milne’s Despatches (London Gazettes 6 December 1916; 21 July 1917; and 28 November 1917). After the war, from November 1918 to March 1920, he served as Camp Commandant G.H.Q. Salonika and G.H.Q. Army of the Black Sea, Constantinople.
French Croix de Guerre unconfirmed.
William Higgin-Birket, younger brother of the above, was born in 1878 at Richmond, Surrey. Commissioned Second Lieutenant into the 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers on 12 July 1900, he was promoted Lieutenant on 16 March 1901 and served with the 5th Battalion during the Boer War in South Africa, 1901-02, where he was present at the Operations in Orange River Colony, June to July 1901, and the operations in Cape Colony, July 1901 to May 1902, receiving the Queen’s South Africa Medal with 4 clasps.
Higgin-Birket was advanced Captain on 5 September 1903 and was still serving with the 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers on the outbreak of the Great War. Proceeding to France with the 2nd Battalion, he served with B Company on the Western Front from 14 September 1914. Having crossed the Aisne under heavy fire in September, his battalion, as part of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Division, was engaged during the Armentiéres and Messines operations in October, Higgin-Birket first gaining mention in the Regimental History for his part in the attack on Le Touquet on 18 October: ‘Early in the morning, “B” (Captain W. Higgin-Birkett) and “C” (Captain R. Luker) Companies advanced on the left of the Le Bizet-Le Touquet road, with “A” Company in support and “D” Company in reserve. The village was strongly held, the houses were loopholed and trenches were dotted about over open ground outside the village. Moreover the enemy was able to bring a cross-fire of artillery and rifles from the east bank of the River Lys and from the loopholed buildings of Frélinghien. As a result, progress was very slow, “B” and “C” Companies lost touch and a platoon of “A” Company was sent up to restore contact. But the enemy’s fire was so heavy that it was found necessary to reinforce this platoon...’(The History of the Lancashire Fusiliers 1914-1918, Volume I, by Major-General J. C. Latter, C.B.E., M.C. refers)
On 28 October 1914, Higgin-Birket was reported missing presumed killed after he had been wounded in leading his Company in a successful counter attack against German infantry of the XIII Corps divisions and Infantry regiments 107 and 179 from XIX Corps. The German units had infiltrated through ruined buildings and overrun a battalion of the 18th Brigade holding a salient east of the La Bassée–Armentières railway near Rue du Bois: ‘Again, scarcely had the relief been completed when, at 2am on the 28th, the enemy attacked the 2nd Essex Regiment on the right of the battalion, which went to its support and helped to repel the assault. A second attack was made on the 1st East Yorkshire Regiment of the 18th Brigade, but it was held up in the wire between the first and second lines of trenches and was driven back by a counter- attack launched by the East Yorkshire Regiment and “B” Company of the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers. The enemy’s losses were estimated to be at least 200 killed. The battalion’s losses during the day were 4 men killed and Captain W. Higgin-Birket and 7 men wounded. Higgin-Birket had been hit in the head and started to walk back to the dressing station alone; nothing was ever heard from him again.’ (ibid)
Captain William Higgin-Birket has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.
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
