Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

British War Medal 1914-20 (6) (418973 A. Sjt. F. E. Cross, 42-Can. Inf.; 1010094 Pte. T. Bowman, 46-Can. Inf.; 790547 Pte. F. W. Gooch, 47-Can. Inf.; 160852 Cpl. L. Layng, 54-Can. Inf.; 451251 Cpl. T. P. Laird, 58-Can. Inf.; 754265 Pte. J. Dunn, 58-Can. Inf.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (2) (100537 Cpl. T. W. Scott, 49-Can. Inf.; 3030935 Pte. C. Reid, 58-Can. Inf.), two or three with edge bruising and / or polished, fine, the remainder generally very fine or better (8) £150-200

Frederick E. Cross was born in Tiverton, Devon, in February 1887, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in Montreal in May 1915. An original member of the 42nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry, he served in France from October 1915 until April 1917, but from April 1916 in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps, and was invalided to England on account of suffering from trench fever. Cross was discharged as medically unfit in Toronto in May 1919; sold with copied service record.

Tom Bowman was born in London, England, in January 1899, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, in June 1916. He died in Winnipeg in September 1951; sold with copied attestation paper.

Frederick William Gooch was born in Norfolk, England, in April 1883, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at New Westminster, B.C., in February 1916. Embarked for England, he went out to France as a member of the 47th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, in November 1916, and was wounded in the right arm in late February 1917. Having then been tried by a Court Martial for his absence without leave from 7 to 28 May 1918, for which he was imprisoned for two months, he rejoined his unit in the Field and was ‘hit in the head and instantly killed by shrapnel when two large calibre shells fell simultaneously about ten feet away from one of the haystacks’. Gooch is buried in Chapel Corner Cemetery at Sachy-Lestree in the Pas de Calais.

Lorne Wilbur Layng was born in North Williamsburg, Ontario, in October 1895, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in Calgary in October 1915. Embarked for England, he was advanced to Corporal and joined the 54th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, in which capacity he was killed in action on 30 September 1918, aged 22 years. Official records state ‘He was killed during operations near Douai-Cambrai Railroad. No further information as to the actual circumstances under which he met his death is available’. Layng is buried in Canada Cemetery, Tilloy-Les-Cambrai, France; sold with research, including copied attestation paper and a photograph of his grave.

Thomas Patterson Laird was born in Scotland in November 1896 and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Niagara in June 1915; sold with copied attestation paper.

John Dunn was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 1896 and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Sault St. Marie in March 1916; sold with copied attestation paper.

Thomas William Scott was born in Durham, England, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in Edmonton in July 1915. He had earlier served in the 19th Alberta Dragoons. Embarked for England, he joined the 49th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, and went out to France in August 1916, and was evacuated to a Field Ambulance at the year’s end suffering from shell shock. Having then rejoined his unit, he was ‘blown up by a shell and injured in the back’ on Vimy Ridge on 28 March 1917. Scott was discharged as ‘medically unfit on account of injuries received in action’ at Calgary in March 1918 and died in Vancouver, B.C., in May 1948; sold with copied service record.

Charles Reid was born in Co. Tyrone, Ireland, in February 1888, and enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in November 1917, having journeyed north from his home in Philadelphia in the U.S.A. Posted to the 58th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment), he was killed in action on 29 September 1918, official records stating that ‘while in a sunken road just north of Fontaine, Notre Dame, west of Cambrai, he was instantly killed by an enemy shell’; sold with brief research.