Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Nurse M. T. Barclay, Scottish Women’s Hospital

British War and Victory Medals (M. T. Barclay.); Serbia, Cross of Mercy, gilt and enamel, suspension re-affixed; Serbia, Medal for the Retreat from Albania 1915, bronze, generally very fine (4) £240-280

Mary Thompson Barclay was born in June 1892. She served as a Nurse with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals during the Great War. Barclay served in Serbia with the First Serbian Unit, between February - November 1915. During which time she was posted to Mladanavatz, and from here she was evacuated in October 1915 when Bulgaria attacked and broke the Serbian line. Barclay took part in the retreat through Albania, and her diary, which is critical of the retreat, is held by the Imperial War Museum:

‘The state of confusion here [Albania] is beyond description. I arrived here on the 20th November... The Chief of Staff and Operational Staff only arrived last night. Unfortunately on two occasions I had to burn all I possessed in the shape of notes, “statutes” etc. only keeping a very short condensed diary...’ (copy of extracts from original diary included with lot refers)

Her home address was given as ‘18 Blythswood Square, Glasgow.’