Auction Catalogue

2 December 2009

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

Lot

№ 638

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2 December 2009

Hammer Price:
£900

A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of three awarded to Corporal A. W. Browne, alias Cooper, 42nd Battalion Australian Infantry

Military Medal, G.V.R. (2052 Pte. A. Cooper, 42/Aust. Inf.); British War and Victory Medals (2052 Cpl. A. W. Browne, 42 Bn. A.I.F.) note different surname, nearly extremely fine (3) £1000-1200

M.M. London Gazette 16 August 1917.

Albert William Browne was born near Mildenhall, Suffolk. Later emigrating to Australia and being employed as a Labourer, he enlisted at Rockhampton, Queensland, into the Australian Imperial Force on 24 May 1916, aged 30 years, 6 months. The name given at the time of his enlistment was ‘Albert Cooper. Posted to the 3rd/42nd Battalion he embarked on the Clan MacGillivray at Brisbane on 7 September 1916 and arrived in Plymouth on 2 November. He entered France on 7 February 1917. Corporal ‘Cooper’ was awarded the Military Medal for his brave service in France on 24 June 1917. He was wounded in action on 3 August 1917 - suffering a ‘mild’ gunshot wound to the left arm which resulted in a compound fracture. He was invalided to England and admitted to the V.A.D. Hospital, Cheltenham. Recovering, he returned to France on 19 December 1917. On 12 March 1918 he officially declared that the name he had enlisted under was incorrect and that his real name was ‘Albert William Browne’. In October 1918 as a Corporal he was transferred to the 11th Field Ambulance. He was discharged and demobilised from that unit on 20 May 1919.

With a quantity of copied service papers.