The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals 180 Family group:
Four: Private W. Brown, 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders, who died on 30 October 1914 from wounds received on 26 October near Fauquissart during the Battle of La Bassée
1914 Star, with copy clasp (758 Pte. W. Brown. 1/ Gord: Highrs.); British War and Victory Medals (758 Pte. W. Brown. Gord. Highrs.); Belgium, Kingdom, Croix de Guerre, A.I.R, bronze, with palm emblem on riband, together with a Gordon Highlander’s cap badge and the recipient’s riband bar with rosette and palm emblem, traces of verdigris to CdeG, otherwise nearly extremely fine
Pair: Corporal J. Brown, 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, late 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders
British War and Victory Medals (12041 Pte. J. Brown. H.L.I.); together with 3 Gordon Highlanders boxing medals, silver, one with obverse, ‘2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders’ and reverse, ‘Presented to Pte. Brown, Battalion Feather Weight Champion 1909’; another with obverse featuring two pugilists within a wreath and the words, ‘2nd Bn The Gordon Highlanders India’ and reverse, ‘Won by Pte J. Brown Gordon Hrs. Feather Weight Champion Boxer of Cawnpore June 1910’; and the third with Gordon Highlanders badge obverse and on the reverse, ‘Company Championship “E” Company’, 1 clasp, ‘1912’, the edge inscribed, ‘No. 10354 Pte. J. Brown’; together with the recipient’s riband bar and miniature Great War awards, Imperial Service Brooch; Gordon Highlanders cap badge and a Gordon Highlanders cloth badge, good very fine (lot)
£260-£300
William Brown was born in 1894 at Barony, Lanarkshire and attested for the Gordon Highlanders in 1911 at Glasgow. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 13 August 1914 and would have been present at the Battle of Mons and also at Le Cateau where the order to retire reached the Gordons some hours late by which time the main body of the British Expeditionary Force were some distance away. The Gordons, with two companies of 2nd Royal Irish, then attempted to follow, but ran into a strong German force on the outskirts of Bertry and after an hour’s fierce fighting many men became casualties and large numbers were forced to surrender. The Battalion as part of the 8th Brigade, in the the 3rd Division of Smith-Dorrien’s II Corps, was also engaged at the Battle of La Bassée, during which, on the 24th October, it was holding a defensive line at Fauquissart when the Germans attacked, breaking through the 1st Gordon’s line.
Cyril Falls in his regimental history notes that the assault was carried out with great determination, the Gordons being driven through the orchards of Fauquissart onto the Neuve Chapelle - Armentières road. A portion of the 4th Middlesex came up later and together with the 1st Gordons in support managed to regain the lost trenches. In this period of fighting, the Battalion’s casualties of 7 Officers and 197 other ranks included Brown who was wounded on 26 October 1914. He died of his wounds three days later on 30 October 1914. He was the son of Robert Moore Brown and Isabella Ross Brown of Dromore, County Down, Northern Ireland and is buried in Bethune Town Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.
Note: Belgian Croix de Guerre unconfirmed.
John Brown, older brother of the above, was born at Glasgow, Lanarkshire around 1887 and attested for the Gordon Highlanders in 1907. Posted to the 2nd Battalion, he served in India, 1908-1912, where the battalion garrisoned Calcutta, February 1908 to December 1909 and Cawnpore, January 1910 to November 1911. He attested for the Highland Light Infantry in January 1913 and served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War.
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Three: Corporal J. M. Yule, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, who was killed in action in the assault on Chemin des Dames, on the Aisne River, on 14 September 1914
1914 Star, with copy clasp (8955. Cpl. J. Yule. Cam’n: Highrs); British War and Victory Medals (8955 Cpl. J. Yule. Cam’n Highrs.) very fine (3)
£200-£240
John Mackie Yule was born at Montrose, Forfarshire and attested for the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders at Dundee in 1903. He served with the 1st Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front, arriving at Havre on 14 August 1914 with the original British Expeditionary Force.
Deployed to serve as Army Troops attached to General Headquarters, Headquarters 1st Army and Headquarters 2nd Army, Yule’s battalion took part in the Retreat from Mons in this capacity. Relieved from duties with the General Headquarters in early September, it became part of 1st Brigade, 1st Division and engaged the enemy at the Marne and the Aisne, moving forward through Moulins and Vendresse on 14 September and taking part in the attack along the Chivy Valley towards the German positions at the Chemin des Dames. After heavy fighting the battalion moved back and entrenched in woods above Vendresse. The casualties on 14 September were: 9 officers killed, 8 officers wounded, 151 other ranks killed (including Corporal Yule) or died of wounds and many more wounded.
Private Ross Tollerton, of the same battalion, was awarded the V.C. for conspicuous bravery on this day: ‘On 14 September 1914 at the First Battle of the Aisne, France, Private Tollerton carried a wounded officer (Lieutenant J. S. M. Matheson), under heavy fire, as far as he was able, into a place of greater safety. Then, although he himself was wounded in the head and hand, he struggled back to the firing line where he remained until his battalion retired. He then returned to the wounded officer and stayed with him for three days until they were both rescued.’
Corporal Yule was the son of Stuart and Jessie Wood Yule, of 76, James St., Dundee and, having no known grave, is commemorated on the La Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial, France.
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