The Jack Webb Collection of Medals and Militaria

Pair: Private J. Carey, Middlesex Regiment, who was wounded in Korea on 27 October 1950

Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (22524913 Pte. J. Carey. Mx.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued, good very fine (2) £200-£240

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Jack Webb Collection of Medals and Militaria.

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Provenance: J. B. Hayward, July 1968.

J. Carey served attached to 8 Platoon, ‘C’ Company, 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment in Korea, and was seriously wounded on 27 October 1950. A letter written by Colonel L. C. Sharpe, his old Platoon Commander, states:

‘I commanded 8 Platoon C Company in the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment from August 1950 till April 1951. Because the Battalion when in Hong Kong had a large number of National Servicemen under the age of 19, these were left behind and the Battalion entered the war with only 3 rifle companies. To produce a 4th company, volunteer soldiers were taken from 1 Queens at Iserlohn in Germany and officers were drawn from various other units in Home Counties Brigade to make up the complement. C Company was almost entirely from 1 Queens. I believe Private Carey had served as a conscript in the Grenadier Guards and left the Army after his National Service, but rejoined as a Regular in the Queen’s Regiment. I have my platoon nominal roll and can confirm that I was Carey’s Platoon Commander at the time he was wounded.

During October 1950, the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment formed part of the forward brigade of U.N. Forces advancing up the west coast route north of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, hard on the heels of the retreating North Korean Army. On the night of 26 October, C Company was the forward company near Pakchon and was subjected to a certain amount of spasmodic and poorly aimed shelling by tanks ands self-propelled guns. The following morning (27 October 1950) we led a classical advance to contact towards the crossroads at Kasan. About 1,000 yards short of the crossroads, on leaving the edge of a small village, my platoon, with a troop of US Army Sherman Tanks, came under heavy fire from small arms and tank guns. There were a number of casualties. My Platoon HQ element dived for cover in a ditch in front of a mud-built building. When it was reasonably safe to move we found that the building had been demolished. The only section that had reasonable cover to enable it to move forward was that in which Private Carey was a member. It was during the movement to the right of the road that the section came under machine gun fire at very close range and Privates Carey and Lane were wounded and promptly evacuated by the company stretcher bearers. I never saw either of them after this, but I heard that both were so seriously wounded that they were invalided from the Army.’ (letter to the vendor, dated 30 November 1978 refers).