Four: Sergeant J. W. ‘Drummy’ Mead, Wiltshire Regiment, who was taken Prisoner of War at Ypres on 24 October 1914, and later rose to be Drum Major of the 1st Battalion in the 1920s

1914 Star, with copy clasp (8339 L. Cpl. J. W. Mead, 2/Wilts. R); British War and Victory Medals (8339 Pte. J. W. Mead, Wilts. R.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (5562154 Sjt. J. W. Mead, Wilts. R.) mounted as worn, the first three with contact marks and polished, thus good fine, the last very fine (4) £300-£400

Provenance: R. C. Witte Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, June 2013.

Joseph William ‘Drummy’ Mead, a well-known member of the Wiltshire Regiment for more than 20 years, who spent much of his career with the Drums becoming a Sergeant Drummer and then Drum Major of the 1st Battalion in the 1920s, enlisted in the regiment around 1909, serving in the 2nd Battalion as a tenor drummer in the period leading up to the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914.

Mead embarked with his Battalion for Belgium as a Lance-Corporal on 7 October, where he was landed at Zeebrugge, and was quickly in action at Ypres. In the last week of the month they faced a massive German attack, Major W. S. Shepherd, M.C., noting ‘continuous shooting from sunrise to sunset’ over a four day period. Heavy shelling also caused great damage to the trenches and many men were buried alive. And for those who were not killed or mortally wounded, captivity beckoned, the sole remaining officer being the Quarter-Master. Mead was one of 443 men of the Battalion taken Prisoner of War on 24 October, and was subsequently interned at Gottingen - a lively account of life there, written by a fellow member of his battalion, is included in the lot.

Post-war, Mead served in Russia in 1919 and, as cited above, rose to Drum Major of the 1st Battalion. By the time of his retirement in early 1930, he had been advanced to Colour-Sergeant, having been awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal per Army Order 357 of 1927.

Sold with a photographic image of the recipient; copied extracts from the regimental journal, and other research.