Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Company Quartermaster Sergeant A. G. Bradshaw, Lincolnshire Yeomanry and Machine Gun Corps

1914-15 Star (1492 Sjt. A. G. Bradshaw. Linc. Yeo.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (1492 W.O. Cl.2 A. G. Bradshaw. Linc. Yeo.); Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, G.V.R. (1492 C.Q.M. Sjt. A. G. Bradshaw. Linc. Yeo.) nearly very fine (4) £200-240

M.I.D. London Gazette 10 July 1919.

Alfred G. Bradshaw served during the Great War with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. An account of his early travels with the Regiment appeared in The Lincoln Leader, 5 February 1916: ‘I left England on October 26th, 1915, and I arrived here in Egypt after nearly a month’s voyage. The passage up to Gibraltar was uneventful except, of course, for the usual sea-sickness. We arrived at Gibraltar on November 2nd, where we anchored for the night. The following morning we embarked for what proved to be the most eventful day of our voyage. It was a lovely day, and we were all feeling that it was a treat to be alive, and little thinking what we should be undergoing a few hours later. About two o’clock I had just gone down into the stables, when I heard the alarm sounded on the siren. It was not long before I was on deck, and I heard two shells come whizzing overhead and fall into the sea in front of us. I got below and fetched my lifebelt, and came up again to go to my boat station. As I
came on deck our wireless went, so we were unable to call for help. They had evidently got the range, for shells commenced to fall thickly on the decks. The captain was splendid He steered a zig-zag course, keeping the stern towards them all the time, otherwise, I suppose, if they had got broadside on, a torpedo would have speedily ended us. Some of our fellows went down to the stokehold, and we went for all the engines could do.
When I last saw the submarine it was about a mile and a half away. We got the maxims going, and they evidently smothered her fire to some extent, for she submerged, and we saw no more of her. It was an anxious time through the night, because we did not know whether she might be following us. After the firing the decks were an awful sight; wounded and dead all over the ship, and the wounds were awful. I helped the doctor to dress several of them. One poor fellow- nothing was ever found of him except his identity disc. In my troop I had one killed and my officer and three others wounded, besides three horses killed. We arrived at Oran early the next morning, after burying about 23 men at sea. We landed the wounded there, but several, including Lord Kesteven, died whilst in hospital. They were buried next day at the cemetery there, and we attended the funeral. We were the first British troops that had ever been seen there. We were in port for about five days, whilst our ship was being repaired, when we left for Malta.
We reached Malta quite safely, and we took up our berth surrounded by warships of every description so that we felt quite safe. Some further repairs were made there, and we mounted a 12-pounder, so that with our maxims we felt quite formidable. We left there and arrived at Alexandria on November 24th. I do not think that anybody was sorry to leave the ship.’

Bradshaw continued to serve with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry, and later with the Machine Gun Corps. He was awarded his Territorial Force Efficiency Medal per Army Order 369 of 1920, and was discharged on 19 February 1921.

Sold together with a group photograph of the members of the Sergeants’ Mess, Lincolnshire Yeomanry, 1914; and a photographic image of the recipient.