Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War Vimy Ridge M.C. group of three awarded to Captain S. F. Knight, 102nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Military Cross, G.V.R., the reverse privately engraved, ‘Lieut. S. F. Knight, 102nd Batt., Vimy Ridge, April 9 1917’; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. S. F. Knight), mounted as worn, the second with minor edge bruise and the last fitted with straight-bar swivel-suspension, otherwise good very fine (3) £1200-1400

M.C. London Gazette 14 August 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When all other officers had become casualties, he took charge and displayed great courage and skill in dealing with a very difficult situation.’

Stephen Forester Knight, who was born in Collingwood, Ontario, in June 1888, enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Vernon, B.C., in August 1915, stating he had previous service in the 35th Regiment of Canadian Militia.

Having then been commissioned from the ranks of the Canadian Mounted Rifles and embarked for England, he joined the 102nd Battalion out in France in November 1916, in which capacity he won his M.C. at Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917 - according to the battalion’s war diary, he was a Lewis Gun Officer in command of a party of men sent forward with fresh ammunition, but owing to heavy sniper fire it took four attempts to get through to the party’s objective.

His service record reveals that he was admitted to No. 14 General Hospital at Boulogne with influenza and trench fever one week later, and then evacuated to England, and he does not appear to have witnessed further active service, being employed at the regimental depot of the British Columbia Regiment and later still attached to the Canadian Army Pay Corps. Knight was discharged at Ottawa in April 1920; sold with copied service record.