Five: Company Quartermaster Sergeant J. Nield, Manchester Regiment, who was wounded at Hooge on 1 August 1915

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Defence of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Transvaal (3200 Sgt. J. Nield. Manchester Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (3200 Serjt. J. Nield. Manch: Regt.); 1914-15 Star (2931 Sjt. J. Nield. Manch. R.); British War and Victory Medals (2931 C. Sjt. J. Nield. Manch. R.) mounted court-style for display, contact marks and edge bruising to the Boer War awards, these good fine; the Great War awards very fine (5) £240-£280

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Robert Barltrop Collection of Medals to the Manchester Regiment.

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John Nield was born on 4 March 1873 at Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, and enlisted as a private into the Manchester Regiment on 5 April 1891, declaring prior service in the 3rd Militia Battalion, Manchester Regiment. He was promoted to Sergeant and Master Cook in 1899, and served with the Regiment in South Africa during the Boer War from 16 September 1899, where his battalion was engaged in the defence of Caesar’s Camp at Ladysmith. He is shown on the medal rolls as having also served in the 2nd and 4th Battalions of his regiment and No. 4 Company 23rd Mounted Infantry in the South African War, and returned to the U.K and was posted to the regimental depot in November 1904. He subsequently served in India and took his discharge on 9 March 1910 at Gosport.

Nield re-enlisted in the army on 7 September 1914 at the age of 41, and was posted to 12th Battalion the Manchester Regiment with service number 2931. He landed with his battalion at Boulogne on 16 July 1915, was wounded in the right leg at Hooge on 1 August 1915, and was appointed Company Quarter Master Sergeant on 23 December 1915. He was invalided home being ‘unfit for service in France’ on 7 January 1918, and spent the rest of the Great War serving in the U.K., being discharged to Class ‘Z’ Army Reserve on 15 March 1919.

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