Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Great War ‘official replacement’ D.C.M., M.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant S. H. Murden, 15th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (17976 Sgt. S. H. Murden. Hamps. R. (Replacement)); Military Medal, G.V.R. (17976 Pte. S. H. Murden. Hamps. R. (Replacement)); British War and Victory Medals (17976 Sgt. S. H. Murden. Hamps. R. (Replacement)) all in named card boxes of issue marked ‘Replacement’ and with Army Medal Office registered packet addressed to the recipient at St Paul’s Hospital, Winchester, extremely fine (4) £600-£800

D.C.M. London Gazette 25 November 1916:

‘For conspicuous gallantry in action. He fought his machine gun with great courage and skill, inflicting great losses on the enemy. Later, he carried a message under very heavy fire.’
Annotated gazette states: ‘Flers, 15 September 1916.’

M.M. London Gazette 10 August 1916.

The regimental history states: ‘”Plugstreet Wood”... The battalion’s snipers and machine-gunners scored several successes, and then on June 30th the 15th tried its first raid; three parties under Lts. James and Gates and Sergeant Green leaving our trenches after the enemy’s lines had been drenched with gas. One party got within bombing range and threw its bombs, apparently with good effect, but the others were hampered by our own gas and could not get in, and eventually the raiders had to return, having had eight casualties. Lt. Gates, after seeing his men back into our trenches, returned into No Man’s Land with Corporal Murden and Private Parris to bring back Sergeant Green’s body from close to the enemy’s wire and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, recovered it... Lt. Gates received the M.C. and the two men the M.M.’

Sidney H. Murden was issued with a replacement group of medals in February 1963, this being noted on his D.C.M., M.M. and Medal Index Cards. The Journal of the Royal Hampshire Regiment records his death at St John’s Hospital, Andover, on 13 January 1967.

Sold with copied research including battalion war diary entries and extracts from the regimental history.