Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War D.C.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant S. Turnbull, Royal Engineers, late London Regiment and Machine Gun Corps, who was decorated for his services in the 2nd Tank Brigade Signals Company, R.E.

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (547281 Sjt. S. Turnbull, R.E.); 1914-15 Star (1725 Pte., 23-Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals (1725 Sjt., 23-Lond. R.), mounted as worn, occasional edge bruising and somewhat polished, nearly very fine or better (4) £700-900

D.C.M. London Gazette 3 June 1919:

‘He has done consistently good work in charge of cable-laying parties in every action in which the Brigade has taken part. On several occasions he has laid and maintained lines under shell fire and it has largely been due to him that communications have been successfully maintained.’

Sidney Turnbull was born in Battersea, London in 1895 and enlisted in the 1/23rd London Regiment at St. John’s Hill in July 1913, aged 18 years. Arriving in France in March 1915, he was wounded near Hulluch that October and evacuated via No. 3 Casualty Clearing Station to Estertet and thence to Le Havre. Rejoining his regiment in the Field in early 1916, he transferred to ‘B’ Battalion, Machine Gun Corps (Heavy Section) in January 1917, and to the 2nd Tank Brigade Signals Company, R.E. as a Sergeant that July, and it was in the latter capacity that he won his D.C.M. Turnbull was demobilised in March 1919; sold with an original portait photograph and the recipient’s Certificate of Discharge.