A Great War ‘Battle of Festubert 1915’ D.C.M. group of four awarded to Private F. Ball, South Staffordshire Regiment

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (4-8804 Pte. F. Ball. 2/S. Staff: Regt.); 1914 Star 8804 Pte. F. Ball. 1/S. Staff: R.); British War and Victory Medals (8804 Pte. F. Ball. S. Staff. R.) medals unmounted, the first polished on the obverse, otherwise nearly very fine and better (4) £1,000-£1,400

D.C.M. London Gazette 5 August 1915:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and resource on the 16th-18th May, 1915, at Rue du Bois. After the N.C. Officer and remainder of his machine-gun team had been killed or wounded, Private Ball, with great coolness and courage succeeded, under a heavy shell fire, in bringing his gun into action. He maintained his gun in an exposed position for two days on the left flank of a captured German trench under a heavy fire, and thus prevented the enemy repairing an important communication trench.’

Frederick Ball enlisted into the South Staffordshire Regiment Special Reserve on 14 June 1911, aged 17, a brass stump moulder by trade. Mobilised on 5 August 1914 and posted to the 2nd Battalion, he landed in France on 9 November 1914. He was appointed Lance-Corporal on 25 May 1915, shortly after his actions at the battle of Festubert for which he was awarded the D.C.M. He was wounded on 25 September 1915, by gunshot to the left leg and right thigh at Cuinchy during the Battle of Loos, and evacuated to England. He returned to France in August 1916 and on 27 August was transferred to the 8th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. He was again wounded on 16 November 1916, while serving on the Somme and was evacuated to England at the end of that month suffering from trench foot. He spent the remainder of the War on home service.

In October 1917 he was transferred to the Labour Corps, and in January 1918 he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an Air Mechanic 3rd Class. In February 1919 he was transferred to ‘Class G of the Air Force Reserve’, being finally discharged on 30 April 1920.

Sold with copied research including attestation papers, R.A.F. service papers, War Diary extracts, D.C.M. and Medal Index Cards.