Orders, Decorations and Medals

Great & Little Usworth, Durham, 35mm, in silver and enamels, hallmarks for Birmingham 1919, obverse with intertwined mining instruments and enamelled inscription ‘For services in the war 1914-1918, Parish of Great & Little Usworth’, reverse engraved ‘Alex. J. B. Begg’, minor enamel damage, otherwise nearly extremely fine £60-80

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Great War Welcome Home Medals.

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See colour illustration (Plate V).

Lieutenant Alexander James Bartlett Begg was awarded the M.C. London Gazette 4 June 1917. He was killed in action France and Flanders 21 March 1918 whilst serving with the 22nd Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.

Sold with 56 pages of copied service papers, etc. from his P.R.O. correspondence file, from which the following extract is taken ‘Statement of Private P. W. Moore. On the 21st March 1918 at about 11am I was in the front line trench (Golliwog trench) about 1 mile N. of Bullicourt. The Germans were attacking. I was under the command of Lieut. Begg and was actually standing next to him whilst he was sniping at the advancing enemy. He was shot through the head by an enemy bullet which entered his temple.....’