Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Memorial Plaque (Guy Richard Worstenholme Dickinson) good very fine £80-£100

Guy Richard Worstenholme Dickinson was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, on 31 August 1878 and having emigrated to Canada attested for the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at Vernon, British Columbia, on 15 July 1915. He served with the 27th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Manitobia Regiment) during the Great War on the Western Front from 9 April 1916, and was killed in action at Passchendaele on 6 November 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

For his gallantry on the same date, Private J. P. Robertson, also of the 27th Canadian Infantry, was awarded the Victoria Cross (London Gazette 8 January 1918):
‘For most conspicuous bravery and outstanding devotion to duty in attack. When his platoon was held up by uncut wire and a machine gun causing many casualties, Private Robertson dashed to an opening on the flank, rushed the machine gun and, after a desperate struggle with the crew, killed four and then turned the gun on the remainder, who, overcome by the fierceness of his onslaught, were running towards their own lines. His gallant work enabled the platoon to advance. He inflicted many more casualties among the enemy, and then carrying the captured machine gun, he led his platoon to the final objective. He there selected an excellent position and got the gun into action, firing on the retreating enemy who by this time were quite demoralised by the fire brought to bear on them. During the consolidation Private Robertson’s most determined use of the machine gun kept down the fire of the enemy snipers; his courage and his coolness cheered his comrades and inspired them to the finest efforts. Later, when two of our snipers were badly wounded in front of our trench, he went out and carried one of them in under very severe fire. He was killed just as he returned with the second man.’

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