Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. To coincide with the OMRS Convention

Six: Private B. Anderson, Royal Marine Light Infantry

1914-15 Star (Ch.9661 Pte., R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Ch.9661 Pte., R.M.L.I.); Royal Navy L.S.& G.C., G.V.R. (Ch.9661 Private, R.M.L.I.); Russia, St. George Medal for Bravery, 4th Class (No.1272355), mounted as worn, some contact marks and edge bruising, nearly very fine; Corps of Commissionaire’s Badge, silver and enamel (B. Anderson), mounted as worn, good very fine (6) £250-300

Benjamin Anderson was born on 3 May 1879 in Lambeth, London and enlisted into the R.M.L.I. on 7 April 1897. He was awarded the L.S.& G.C. Medal in August 1912. During the early years of the Great War he served aboard the battlecruiser H.M.S. Inflexible. He was with her at the battle of the Falklands, 8 December 1914, for which he was paid a prize bounty. Following on from the disaster at Coronel, 31 October 1914, the battle brought to an end the cruise of Vice-Admiral von Spee’s squadron; all but one ship of the squadron being sunk. During the battle, the battlecruisers Invincible and Inflexible engaged and destroyed the German armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. He was still serving on the Inflexible at the time of the battle of Jutland, 30 May / 1 June 1916, the ship forming part of the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron which formed the immediate forward screen of the battle fleet. He received the St. George Medal for Bravery, which was probably awarded for Jutland, on 10 June 1918. From October 1917 until the end of the war he served abaord H.M.S. Bonaventure, depot ship to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. In May 1919 Anderson was paid a War Gratuity and was discharged in 1929 aged 50 years. Sold with copied service paper.