Four: Sergeant J. W. Littlechild, Royal Welch Fusiliers

1914-15 Star (14621 Sjt. J. W. Littlechild. Essex R.); British War and Victory Medals (14621 Sjt. J. W. Littlechild. Essex R.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Nigeria 1918 (56001 Sjt. J. W. Goodchild. R.W. Fus.) mounted on card for display, nearly extremely fine, the last rare to regiment (4) £900-£1,200

Dix Noonan Webb, September 2003.

John W. Littlechild was born on 11 October 1893, near Grays, Essex, and enlisted into the Essex Regiment on 7 September 1914, a butcher by trade. He served with the 10th Essex in France from July 1915 to May 1916, when he was invalided to the U.K. with a hernia which was operated on. On recovery he was transferred to the Royal Welch Fusiliers, joining the 10th Battalion in February 1917, after a short period with 1st Essex. He was wounded on 13 April 1917, in the forearm and right buttock, and was invalided to the U.K. where he ended up in hospital in Sheffield. After recovery he was posted to 3rd Royal Welch Fusiliers before being appointed to the West African Frontier Force in October 1917. The trip to Nigeria took four months, involving a stop at Durban and Dar-es-Salaam. He returned to the U.K. in June 1919 and was demobilised the following month.

The ‘Nigeria 1918’ clasp was awarded for services against the Egba tribe in the vicinity of the Nigerian Government railway line from Abeokuta in the north to Lagos in the south. Littlechild was one of two R.W.F. recipients of this clasp - the other being Lieutenant T. D. Harvey, who died in Nigeria.

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