Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (2nd Ltt. J. W. L.(sic) Le Marchand, 1st W.Y. Regt.) first initial officially corrected, nearly extremely fine £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals to The Rifle Brigade and Affiliated Regiments from the collection formed by Michael Haines.

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John Wharton Jones Le Marchand, who was born in the Punjab, India in December 1887, was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant in January 1908 and attached to the West Yorkshire Regiment, prior to being posted to his Indian Army appointment with the 56th Punjabi Rifles. With the former regiment he participated in the North West Frontier operations of 1908, and was present in the action at Mutta.

Advanced to Lieutenant in the course of 1910, Le Marchand sailed with the 56th Punjabi Rifles for Suez in late 1914, and was attached to the 1/6th Gurkhas in July 1915, in readiness for Gallipoli. Just two weeks later, the latter unit was ordered to take Sari Bair, the ridge that dominates the Gallipoli Peninsula. The operation began on 7 August and for two days the Gurkhas successfully advanced over hilly country towards their objective. Then on the 9th, supported by companies of the 6th Lancashires and 9th Royal Warwicks, they assaulted the crest line between Chunuk Bair and Hill Q, with Major Cecil Allanson at their head. He later wrote:

‘At the top we met the Turks: Le Marchand was down, a bayonet through the heart. I got one through the leg, and then for about ten minutes we fought hand-to-hand; we bit and fisted, and used rifles and pistols as clubs; blood was flying about like spray from a hair-wash bottle ...’

At length the Turks retreated, but a subsequent error on the part of our artillery led to another 100 British and Gurkha casualties, an incident that enforced our retirement back to the start line. Allanson was recommended for the V.C. by Major-General Cox, but this was subsequently down-graded to a D.S.O.; Cox further stated that he would have recommended Le Marchand for a V.C. had he lived. The latter has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.