Lot Archive

Lot

№ 366

.

6 July 2004

Hammer Price:
£1,400

Three: Second Lieutenant H. N. Hampson, South Lancashire Regiment, attached No. 20 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, formerly a Piper with the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, Liverpool Regiment, mortally wounded on 7 April 1917 in an aerial combat in which he himself accounted for two enemy planes

1914 Star (2573 Piper, 10/L’pool. R.); British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut.) good very fine (3) £500-600

Harold Norman Hampson served with the Liverpool Scottish as a Piper, and accompanied the original contingent to France aboard the Maidan in November 1914. Subsequent to being wounded he joined the Inns of Court O.T.C., receiving a commission in the South Lancashire Regiment in February 1917, before being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He died of wounds received in aerial combat on 7 April 1917 and is buried at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

The following extract from
Bloody April, by A. Morris, was originally sourced from the official history, The War in The Air: ‘Recklessness was verbally condemned and privately rewarded. There were, for instance, the cases of Second Lieutenant Smart and Second Lieutenant Hampson, of 20 Squadron, officially on a bombing raid. They sighted three Halbersadt Scouts and promptly attacked despite the unsuitability of their FE. A wild dogfight ensued and Hampson was shot through the body. Ignoring the pain he clambered about the exposed pulpit from gun to gun. His bullets stripped the wings from one Hun, sent another into an uncontrolled spin. The third dived steeply to escape. Hampson, 21, died a few hours after making his report.’