Three: Private H. A. Bryan, Border Regiment

1914-15 Star (2116 Pte., Bord. R.); British War and Victory Medals (200789 Pte., Bord. R.) nearly extremely fine (3)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Late Bruce C Cazel Collection of British Campaign Awards.

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Private Henry A. Bryan, 1/4th Battalion Border Regiment, sailed with his battalion for India, from Southampton on 29 October 1914. They arrived in Rangoon, Burma, in early December. The battalion took part in the Kachin Hills expedition of January/February 1915, during which the 15 officers and 391 men of the battalion earned the 1914-15 Star. Bryan continued to serve with the 1/4th Border Regiment and in 1917 was given another service number (200789). He was later transferred to the 4th Battalion Royal Highlanders and given the new number 203577. Bryan served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Highlanders until being disembodied on 12 August 1919.

It appears that through a clerical error, Bryan’s date of embarkation (29 October 1914) was taken as his date of disembarkation and the theatre of war he first served in was mistaken as China rather than Burma. This error is shown on his medal index card and the medal rolls prepared by the Royal Highlanders. Because of the destruction of Bryan’s service records and the Border Regiment’s Great War muster rolls in the Second World War, there is no way to disprove the error. With copied m.i.c. and other research.