Eight: Warrant Officer Class 1 A. Collie, Royal Engineers, who was awarded the M.S.M. and French Medaille Militaire prior to his death through wounds in June 1918 while serving on the R.E’s Railway Transportation Establishment

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Belmont, Modder River, Orange Free State (1644 L./Corpl. A. Collie, R.E.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (1644 Serjt. A. Collie, R.E.); 1914 Star (1644 Q.M. Sjt. A. Collie, R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (1644 W.O. Cl. 1 A. Collie, R.E.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (1644 E.C.Q.M. Sjt. A. Collie, R.E.); Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (1644 Supt. Cl. A. Collie, G.H.Q. R.E.); French Medaille Militaire, the first two with contact marks and the last with chipped obverse enamel, otherwise very fine and better (8) £500-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals.

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Alexander Collie, who was born in Portsmouth and enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Aldershot, served in 7th Field Company, R.E. during the Boer War, and was present in operations in the Orange Free State and at Belmont and Modder River. Next actively engaged in the Great War, he went out to France in August 1914 as a Quarter-Master Sergeant on the R.E’s Railway Transportation Establishment, in which capacity he served up until his death through wounds on 3 June 1918, aged 42 years. He had been awarded the French Medaille Militaire in the rank of Engineer Clerk Quarter-Master Sergeant (London Gazette 24 February 1916 refers), and the M.S.M. as a Superintending Clerk at G.H.Q., R.E. (London Gazette 1 January 1917 refers), in the interim. Collie is buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery, France; sold with three original R.E. Record Office / War Office communications addressed to his widow, 1919-21, two regarding the issue of his 1914 Star, Army L.S. & G.C. and Meritorious Service Medals, and the other forwarding the ‘Diploma for French Medaille Militaire’, this dated 11 May 1921.