Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Lieutenant K. W. Gould, Royal Irish Rifles, who was wounded and taken prisoner of war on 1 July 1916

1914-15 Star (2 Lieut., R. Ir. Rif.); British War and Victory Medals, reduced size M.I.D. Oakleaf (Lieut.) extremely fine (3) £200-250

M.I.D. London Gazette 15 June 1916.

Keith William Gould was the son of Mrs Gould of Ingleside, Seaford, Sussex. Employed in the banking business in Paris before the war, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 9th (West Belfast) Battalion Royal Irish Rifles in April 1915 and entered the France / Flanders theatre of war in September that year. He was mentioned in despatches in June 1916 and was promoted Lieutenant in July. On 1 July 1916, the first day of the battle of the Somme, Gould was wounded and reported missing. It was later established he had been captured by the Germans and made a prisoner of war. The regimental diary states, ‘2/Lieut. Gould and 2/Lieut. Norton who were in charge of the amonal torpedoes were hit in front of ‘D’ line and had to be left there.’ He was listed as being interned in Switzerland from 27 December 1917 and repatriated on 14 June 1918. Sold with copied research.