Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Private J. Prior, Royal Marines Light Infantry, who was wounded while serving in the Allied Naval Brigade at Athens in December 1916

1914-15 Star (CH. 9000 Pte. J. Prior, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (CH. 9000 Pte. J. Prior, R.M.L.I.), good very fine (3) £140-160

James Prior was born in Reading, Berkshire, in December 1878, and joined the Royal Marines at Deal in April 1896. Posted as a Private to the Chatham Division, he transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve in March 1905, but was quickly recalled on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, and served in the cruiser Sutlej until March 1915. Two or three months later he joined the battleship Duncan, in which capacity he remained employed until early 1917, witnessing active service in the Adriatic, Aegean and Mediterranean, in support of the Italian Navy and, as verified by his service record, ashore with the Allied Naval Brigade landed at Athens in December 1916, in which latter operations he was wounded - see Blumberg’s History of the Royal Marines in the Great War for full details, in which it is stated Allied casualties amounted to 60 officers and men killed and 167 wounded, including 10 killed and 12 wounded in the Royal Marines. Returning home in Duncan in early 1917, Prior was appointed to the Queenstown auxiliary patrol base Colleen, and was similarly employed at the War’s end.

He was demobilised in March 1919, and died in July 1965; sold with copied service record.