Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War Passchendaele M.M. group of four awarded to Corporal R. W. Forsyth, Royal Scots

Military Medal, G.V.R. (351500 Pte. R. W. Forsyth, 1/9 R. Scots - T.F.); British War and Victory Medals (4208 A. Cpl., R. Scots); Defence Medal 1939-45, good very fine (4) £400-500

M.M. London Gazette 12 December 1917.

Robert Wood Forsyth, a native of Eddlestone, Peebleshire, was born in 1893.

He was subsequently decorated for his bravery at Passchendaele on 20 September 1917, when the 1/9th Battalion, Royal Scots launched a successful attack against the “Pheasant Farm” feature. Our supporting barrage having ceased at 5.40 a.m., two companies of the Battalion advanced against the enemy’s concreted defences and ‘with fine dash rushed the fortifications before the Germans had time to make their fire effective’ - but not in fact before one company had come under ‘ravaging machine-gun fire’. The regimental history also refers to the gallant support work of the remaining two companies who followed up the attack, one party killing 15 of the enemy in a brisk exchange near “Flora Cot”.

Forsyth, who was discharged as a Corporal at Ripon in June 1919, was only entitled to the British War & Victory Medals, not having gone to France before 1916 (his MIC refers).

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s Divisional “Gallantry on Active Service” card, for deeds ‘displayed by him on 20 September 1917’, signed by the Major-General Commanding; a wartime newspaper cutting listing the announcement of the award of his M.M., and two letters from the Infantry Record Office, Hamilton, regarding the forwarding of his decoration, dated in June 1919; his Protection and Identity Certificate, dated at North Camp, Ripon 18 June 1919; a wartime portrait photograph, and Defence Medal communication from the City Chamberlain’s Office, Edinburgh, dated 1 May 1946.