Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War 1916 ‘First Day of the Somme’ M.M. group of three to Sergeant, later Lieutenant, H. W. Ayre, 10th ‘Grimsby Chums’ Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, later South Staffordshire Regiment and South Lancashire Regiment, who was severely wounded in both legs and the chest during the attack

Military Medal G.V.R. (415 Sjt. H. W. Ayre. 10/Linc: R.); British War and Victory Medals (2/ Lieut. H. W. Ayre.) good very fine (3) £800-£1,200

M.M. London Gazette 11 November 1916.

Herbert Wilkinson Ayre was born at Caistor, Lincolnshire in 1882 and resided prior to the Great War in Cleethorpes where he was employed as colliery owner’s clerk. He enlisted in the 10th (Service) Battalion (Grimsby), Lincolnshire Regiment in September 1914. This battalion, originally raised as the ‘Grimsby Chums’ by the Mayor and Town of Grimsby, went to France on 9 January 1916. Their first major action was on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Grimsby Chums were in the first wave attacking the fortified village of La Boisselle:
‘At 7.28am there was a terrific roar as a mine went up at the south-western corner of the La Boiselle Salient, forming an immense crater about one hundred yards in diameter. Punctually to the moment, the Royal Scots and 10th Lincolnshire advanced to the attack. The General Officer Commanding Division (Ingouville-Williams) said of the advance of his troops:
“Never have I seen men go through such a barrage of artillery… They advanced as on parade and never flinched.”
The Germans put down a terrific barrage as the advance started. A stream of shrapnel and high explosive and intense enfilade machine-gun fire from La Boisselle and Heligoland (i.e. on both flanks) swept the battalions as they attempted to cross No Man’s Land. With the utmost steadiness and courage not to be surpassed by any troops in the world, they gallantly tried to get across that terrible space between the opposing lines.’ (The History of the Lincolnshire Regiment 1914-1918, by Major-General C. R. Simpson, C.B. refers.)

Just a handful of men made it to into the German trenches. They went into the action with 842 officers and men, over half of whom were killed, wounded or reported missing, many of the wounded lying out in No Man’s Land for two nights as related by the Battalion War Diary:
‘Owing to continuous machine gun and rifle fire great difficulty was experienced in recovering the wounded many of whom lay out in No Man’s Land for over 30 hours but through the constant exertions of all ranks during the nights of 1st /2nd and 2nd/3rd July as far as could be ascertained all wounded belonging to the battalion had been brought in before leaving the fighting area. Any attempt to do this during daylight was immediately met by heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from the enemy trenches and all our wounded when seen to move were at once fired on by the German snipers.’ (10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment War Diary refers)

Sergeant Ayre, B Company, 10th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment was admitted to No. 34 Casualty Clearing Station on 4 July 1916 with severe gun-shot wounds to both legs and the chest. Over 650 casualties were treated at this clearing station between 2 July and 4 July 1916, of which Sergeant Ayre was among the last to be admitted, it is therefore likely that he was also among the last of the casualties to be recovered from No Man’s Land. He was evacuated on an ambulance train the same day and admitted to No. 18 General Hospital Dannes Camiers on 5 July 1916. His M.M. was gazetted on 11 November 1916 and, given the lack of front line action seen by the battalion prior to 1 July 1916, it was almost certainly awarded for gallantry on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Upon his recovery he transferred to the South Staffordshire Regiment and was later commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment. He resigned his commission on 8 May 1918.

Sold together with a War Office official telegram reporting the nature of his wounds and his whereabouts, addressed to Mr. John Ayre of Cleethorpes, Lincs.