Orders, Decorations and Medals

A superb Vimy Ridge Victoria Cross group of five awarded to Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan, 25th Battalion (2nd Tyneside Irish) Northumberland Fusiliers

Victoria Cross, the reverse of the suspension bar inscribed ‘No. 22040 L/Cpl. T. Bryan. 25th Bn. North’d. Fus.’, the reverse centre of the cross dated ‘9. Apr. 1917’; 1914-15 Star (22040 Pte., North’d Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (22040 Pte., North’d Fus.); Coronation 1937, the Victoria Cross good very fine, otherwise nearly very fine (5) £40000-50000

See Colour Illustration on back cover.

Victoria Cross London Gazette 8 June 1917: Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan, 25th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. ‘For most conspicuous gallantry during an attack. Although wounded, this Non-commissioned Officer went forward alone with a view to silencing a machine-gun which was inflicting much damage. He worked up most skilfully along a communication trench, approached the gun from behind, disabled it and killed two of the team as they were abandoning the gun. As the machine-gun had been a serious obstacle in the advance to the second objective, the results obtained by Lance Corporal Bryan’s gallant action were very far-reaching.’

Thomas Bryan was born at Stourbridge, Worcestershire, in 1882, and was a Castleford miner before he enlisted into the Northumberland Fusiliers. On the 9th of April, 1917, the first day of the Arras offensive, he took part in the attack on the German positions on the southern slopes of the Vimy Ridge. Operating to the right of the Canadians who were assaulting the main ridge, the 34th Division was held up early in the attack by a well placed German machine-gun: ‘It had a wonderful field of fire, and had held up the Brigades on our right and left. It had caught our people as they came over the ridge, about three hundred yards in front of the machine-gun position. Our men and the men of the Scottish Division were lying dead almost in a line just on the ridge. But for Bryan the Division would never have reached its objective that day.’ (Ref: 34th Division, 1915-1918, p.101 n.)

Castleford’s first and only Victoria Cross was presented to Lance Corporal Bryan by the King at St James’s Park, Newcastle, on the 17th June 1917. After the War, Bryan returned to the pits in Castleford, and moved to Norton in 1926. In 1934 he moved again, to Doncaster, where he was employed at the Askern Colliery. He died at Doncaster on 13 October 1945, and was buried with full military honours in Arksey Cemetery, Doncaster.

The group is sold with a large quantity of original newspaper cuttings, photographs, Victoria Cross literature, cards and programmes.