Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Lieutenant and Quarter-Master A. Warner, Northumberland Fusiliers, late Royal Irish Fusiliers, wounded at Talana Hill in October 1899

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Talana, Defence of Ladysmith (3333 Sejt. A. Warner, Rl. Irish Fus:) possible official correction to rank, unofficial rivets between clasps and not entitled to the second; 1914-15 Star (3-9666 Q.M. Sjt. A. Warner. North’d Fus.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Q.M. & Lieut. A Warner.); Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (1299 S. Sjt. A. Warner. M.P.S.C.) mounted as worn, contact marks, nearly very fine or better (5) £260-£300

M.I.D. London Gazette 10 August 1916.

Albert Warner was born in 1870 at Greyfriars, Reading, Berkshire, and enlisted into the Royal Irish Fusiliers at Reading on 16 August 1889, aged 18 years 9 months, a billposter by trade. He was appointed Lance-Corporal in August 1891; promoted to Corporal, May 1893; and to Sergeant, October 1896. He served overseas in the East Indies, February 1891 to December 1897, then in Egypt to September 1899, and in South Africa from 30 September 1899 until 7 June 1900, when he was invalided home. He was wounded at the assault on Talana Hill on 20 October 1899, where the Royal Irish Fusiliers took a number of casualties, his medical report afterwards noting ‘Scar entrance, exit bullet Rt. Leg’.

Warner volunteered for additional service, transferred to the Military Provost Staff Corps on 8 September 1902, and eventually completed 21 years service, being discharged at Colchester on 14 August 1910, having been promoted to Staff-Sergeant the previous October. He had also been awarded the L.S. & G.C. medal in October 1908. Having volunteered as a special reservist, he was called up on 25 September 1914, joining the 3rd Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers as Quarter-Master Sergeant and later Warrant Officer. He served in France from 25 August 1915 and was mentioned in Douglas Haig’s despatch of 13 June 1916, for ‘gallant and distinguished service’. He was discharged from the Army reserve on 31 July 1916, in consequence of having been commissioned as Lieutenant and Quarter-Master, and completed service up to demobilisation in January 1919.

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