Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Private M. E. Layton, 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, who was wounded and taken prisoner of war on the Aisne in September 1914

1914 Star, with copy clasp (9549 Pte. M. E. Layton. R. Ir. Regt.); British War and Victory Medals (9549 Pte. M. E. Layton. R. Ir. Regt.) good very fine or better (3) £200-£240

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

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Michael E. Layton was born in 1889 at East Ham, Essex (some sources say Waterford, Ireland) and attested for the Royal Irish Regiment at Stratford, Essex in July 1908. He deserted from His Majesty’s Service whilst garrisoned with the 2nd Battalion at Guernsey in 1911 but returned, seeing service with the 2nd Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 13 August 1914. His battalion fought at Mons where they, ‘moved forward (23rd) and took part in fighting on the outskirts of Mons. Heavily engaged around the cemetery before falling back to Nouvelles. Casualties - Captains Mellor, Forbes, Second Lieutenants Gibbons and Shine killed or mortally wounded, 16 other ranks killed, 5 officers, 58 other ranks recorded as wounded or missing, Major Long and 226 other ranks missing, 1 officer taken prisoner.’ (British Battalion in France and Belgium 1914 by Ray Westlake refers).

Following the Retreat from Mons, the 2nd Royal Irish began their advance to the Aisne on 6 September, crossing the river south of Vailly under heavy fire on 14 September. Private Layton suffered bullet wounds in both knees and was captured on 15 September. In common with many Irish prisoners, he was held prisoner of war at Limburg in Germany where the Germans concentrated Irish Prisoners from December 1914 in order to give the Irish nationalist Sir Roger Casement the opportunity to recruit men for his Irish Brigade.