Auction Catalogue

25 February 2015

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations and Medals

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Lot

№ 604 x

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25 February 2015

Hammer Price:
£620

A fine Great War Somme operations M.M. group of four awarded to Private F. Marshall, York & Lancaster Regiment, who was decorated for carrying messages under fire at Thiepval on 1 July 1916, and afterwards at Contalmaison in the period 25 July-7 August

Military Medal, G.V.R. (19086 Pte. F. Marshall, 9/Y. & L.R.); 1914-15 Star (19086 Pte. F. Marshall, York and Lanc. R.); British War and Victory Medals (19086 Pte. F. Marshall, Y. & L.R.), the first a little polished, nearly very fine or better (4) £600-800

M.M. London Gazette 21 September 1916.

Frederick Marshall, a native of Drax, Yorkshire, enlisted in the York & Lancaster Regiment soon after the outbreak of hostilities and arrived in France on 27 August 1915. His subsequent award of the M.M., for services in the 9th Battalion on the Somme, was made on the recommendation of Lieutenant-Colonel H. Williamson:

‘For great devotion to duty as Brigade H.Q. orderly. During the action of 1 July 1916, near Thiepval, and throughout the operations near Contalmaison during 25 July to 7 August 1916, he carried messages by day and night to the Battalion in the front line, never once failing, although often under very heavy shell and rifle fire. His coolness throughout was marked and he set an excellent example to the other men. He has been in France twelve months.’

The 9th Battalion, York & Lancaster Regiment, a New Army unit manned by ex-South Yorkshire miners, went into action on 1 July 1916 with 25 officers and 736 other ranks, of whom just 180 returned. The Battalion’s history concludes its account of the day’s proceedings, ‘So ends the Golden Age.’

Sold with old typed citation which appears to have been published in a local newspaper.