Auction Catalogue

26 March 2009

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

Lot

№ 723

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26 March 2009

Hammer Price:
£460

Three: Private A. L. Mason, 7th (Airborne) Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, who was killed in action in the Arnhem operations of September 1944

1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, all privately inscribed, ‘14415584 Pte. A. L. Mason, 7th Airborne, K.O.S.B.’, in their original card forwarding box addressed to ‘Mrs. J. L. Mason, 9 St. Stephens Place, Edinburgh 3’, together with Army Council condolence slip in the name of ‘14415584 A. L. Mason’, extremely fine (3) £250-300

Andrew Logan Mason, the son of David Smith Mason and Jessie Logan Mason of Edinburgh, was killed in action at Arnhem on 21 September 1944, while serving in the 7th (Airborne) Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers. Among those whose remains were originally interred in front of the Tafelberg Hotel, he is now buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery.

The 7th (Airborne), K.O.S.B., a component of 1st Air Landing Brigade, landed in the first wave of troops dropped on 17 September 1944, and was charged with defending the Dropping Zone (D.Z.) for the subsequent arrival of the second wave on the 18th, in addition to supplies for the Polish Brigade. Heavily engaged throughout by crack S.S. troops, the Battalion sustained atrocious casualties, just 76 men eventually reaching the safety of the south side of the Rhine - out of an original strength of 765 all ranks.