Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family group:

The Queen’s South Africa Medal awarded to Sergeant H. J. Crockett, 4th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, who was killed in action during the Great War with the 1st Battalion at Hill 60 on 12 April 1915
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, South Africa 1902 (1504 Serjt: H. Crockett. E. Surrey Regt.) nearly extremely fine

Three: Private A. J. Crockett, 12th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), who was captured at Loos on 27 September 1915 and held prisoner of war in Germany for the remainder of the war
1914-15 Star (5162 Pte. A. Crockett. R. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (GS-5162 Pte. A. J. Crockett. R. Fus.) mounted as worn, very fine or better (4) £200-£240

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals.

View
Collection

Henry Joseph Crockett was born in 1878 at Mile End, London, Middlesex and attested for the East Surrey Regiment on 7 June 1900. He served with the 4th Battalion during the Boer War in South Africa (QSA with 2 clasps) gaining rapid promotion to Lance Corporal on 11 September 1900, Corporal on 6 October 1900 and Sergeant on 20 February 1902.

Following the outbreak of the Great War, he attested once more for the East Surrey Rifles on 3 September and served as a Private with No. 1 Platoon of No. 1 Company, 1st Battalion (service number 326) on the Western Front from 4 December 1914. He was killed in action at Hill 60 on 12 April 1915, the battalion having taken over trenches the previous day half a mile south-east of Verbrandenmolen and south of the railway line across from Hill 60. He was the eldest son of Henry Thomas Crockett and Catherine Crockett and the husband of Florence Crockett and is buried in Chester Farm Cemetery, Belgium.


Augustus James Crockett, brother of the above, was born in Stepney, London in 1890, and was a clerk by occupation. Following the outbreak of the Great War, he attested for the Royal Fusiliers at Hounslow on 16 September 1914 and was posted to the 12th Battalion, serving with B Company on the Western Front from 1 September 1915. Captured by the Germans at Loos on 27 September 1915, he was incarcerated at Münster and Friedrichsfeld bei Wesel prisoner of war camps and was repatriated on 10 December 1918. He was discharged Class Z on 8 March 1919.

Note: Two more Crockett brothers served with the British Army during the Great War: E. R. Crockett, 11th Rifle Brigade; and W. T. Crockett, Royal Field Artillery, Howitzer Battery, wounded. A fifth brother, A. T. Crockett, served with the Legion of Frontiersmen, Winnipeg.

Sold with a considerable quantity of postcards, photographs and letters including four postcards written and sent by the recipient to his wife from Friedrichsfeld bei Wesel prisoner of war camp; a quantity of postcard photographs of the recipient in uniform and additional photographs of fellow prisoners; a small artistic rendering of the Friedrichsfeld camp and other cards hand painted by the recipient; and a postcard with decorative floral background overlayed by framed and captioned portrait photographs all five Crockett brothers in uniform.