A superb Great War ‘Asiago’ operations D.C.M. and M.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant G. Bowery, 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (265791 Sjt: G. Bowery. M.M. 1/1 Bucks. Bn: Oxf: & Bucks: L.I.); Military Medal, G.V.R. (265791 Cpl.-L.Sjt.-G. Bowery. 1/Bucks: Bn: O&B:L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (2519 Sjt. G. Bowery, Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.) mounted for wearing, light contact marks, otherwise nearly extremely fine (4) £2,400-£2,800

D.C.M. London Gazette 25 February 1920 [Italy]: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack north of Asiago on 1st November 1918. When his company was held up by a machine gun, he rushed forward in spite of very heavy fire and bombs. This gallant action on his part drew the whole fire of the enemy post on himself and enabled a rifle section on his flank to rush in and capture the hostile post.’

M.M. London Gazette 24 January 1919 [Italy]. Awarded for the raid on the Austrian Lines on the night of 26/27th August 1918, when the battalion, in conjunction with the 1/4th R. Berks, raided the Austrian trenches in the neighbourhood of Sec and Ave.
George Bowery was from Slough, Berkshire, and was a member of the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. This was a Territorial battalion which formed part of the 145th Brigade of the 48th (South Midland) Division. The 145th (South Midland) Brigade consisted of 1/5th Gloucestershire Regiment, 1/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 1/1st Bucks. Bn., Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, and 1/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment. Bowery did not go to France with the battalion initially and must have joined sometime after 1915.

The D.C.M. action is described in the Regimental Chronicle:

‘On the night of October 31st/November 1st the 48th Division, in conjunction with the 24th French Division on the right and the 20th Italian Division on the left, was ordered to attack and capture the line Croce di S. Antonio - M. Mosciagh, the infantry attack to commence at 5.45am. The Division attacked with the 145th Brigade on the right, the 144th Brigade on the left and the 143rd Brigade in reserve. The 145th Brigade attacked with the Bucks Battalion on the right, 1/4th R. Berks on the left and 1/4th Ox & Bucks LI in reserve.

The Bucks Battalion formed up on the Asiago-Gallio road, with its left on Rendella, on a frontage of 800 yards. A Company was on the left and B Company on the right, each on a two-platoon frontage. C and D Companies were in Battalion reserve, in depth, in artillery formation. As we formed up the enemy was shelling the Ghelpac and the high ground between it and Laiten fairly vigorously but the shells were just clearing the forming up position. Then, soon after the advance began, machine gun and rifle fire opened from Ruette, Costa Straite and M. Catz, with some rifle fire from the trenches west of Gallio Wood.

Our leading wave had very little difficulty in occupying the Winter Stellung from Villa Rossi to Ruette, but on attempting a further advance it met with heavy enfilade fire from Costa, M. Catz, and Straite. As there was no sign of an attack being made against this area, and as it was impossible to get on without silencing M. Catz, A Company attacked Costa, and the two reserve companies assaulted Straite and Rigoni-di-Sotto, where they captured four machine guns. A Company was held up by two machine guns on the southern slope of M. Catz until a Lewis Gun put one out of action , and the other was outflanked and its crew killed. In the meantime C and D Companies had worked up the eastern side of M. Catz and assaulted the crest, capturing 4 more machine guns. By 7am the whole garrison of M. Catz had surrendered.

B Company, on the right were now held up by fire from trenches on the edge of Gallio Wood, and fire was also coming from Roccolo north-east. C Company was sent on to Roccolo and D on to the spur north of Rigoni-di-Sopra, with the result that the enemy, who had been annoying B Company, was forced to quit.

At 7.30am a company of the Berkshires had come up to the trenches on the southern slope of M. Catz and all companies were got back on to our own line, two platoons of C Company being left at Roccolo to keep touch with the Berkshires. After this, little further resistance was encountered. Some isolated posts or refugees from the enemy front line were encountered in the neighbourhood of the Quarry but they soon surrendered with two machine guns. A 4.2-inch howitzer and its crew was also captured about 500 yards north of the Quarry.

By 10.30am we had reached a line approximately corresponding with the 1400 contour line in square 70. We were then out of touch with both the French and the R. Berks, and so companies were re-organised and a position was taken up while patrols went out on both flanks and to the front. Except for a few stragglers the enemy was not met with. Casualties in the battalion amounted to 6 killed and 32 wounded.’

Sold with comprehensive copied research including gazette entries, war diary entries and full descriptions of both the D.C.M. and M.M. actions from the Regimental Chronicle.