Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Seven: Private H. Arno, East Yorkshire Regiment, attached Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, who was severely wounded during the Second World War at El Alamein, landed on Sword beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944; and was killed in action in Happy Valley, Korea, on 3 January 1951

1939-45 Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, 8th Army; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (4344850 Fus. H. Arno. R.N.F.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued, nearly extremely fine (7) £500-700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties.

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Harry Arno was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, on 15 April 1920, and served during the Second World War with the 2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment. He was severely wounded in action at El Alamein, suffering injuries to an arm, leg, his chest, and chin. After recovering he re-joined his battalion and took part in the invasion of Normandy, landing on Sword beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
Demobilised at the end of the War, he was recalled to the Colours on the outbreak of the Korean War and was attached to the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, arriving in Korea on September 1950. In a letter home to his wife, quoted in the Sheffield Chronicle, he described the conditions in the country as ‘wicked’. The Chinese third offensive began on New Year’s Eve 1950 and finished with the capture of Seoul on 4 January 1951. On 1 January 1951 the Northumberland Fusiliers were heavily engaged at Uijongbu. In the early hours of 3 January the Chinese launched their final and most fierce assault on the U.N. front line. The main thrust of the attack fell on the Northumberlands, the Royal Irish Regiment, and the Royal Irish Hussars. The U.N. commanding officer General Ridgeway ordered a withdrawal which began in some disarray from the Seoul bridgehead to a new defensive line forty miles below the city. The last U.N. troops left on the morning of 4 January, blowing up the Han bridges as they retreated.

Private Arno was listed as missing on 3 January 1951. However, his death, back-dated to this date, was not confirmed by the War Office until 2 November 1954, the delay being sufficiently controversial at the time that it resulted in his M.P. specifically mentioning him in a Parliamentary debate. He has no known grave, and he is commemorated on the Commonwealth Memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery, Pusan.