Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Corporal H. G. L. Thomas, 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish, who was taken P.O.W. at Tobruk in June 1942

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; Africa Service Medal 1939-45, all officially inscribed ‘32440 H. G. L. Thomas’, good very fine (4) £100-120

Herbert Glyn Loftus Thomas, who was born at Randfontein in August 1916, enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish in May 1940. Arriving in North Africa with his unit in June 1941, he would have seen action that December in the operations leading to the capture of Halfaya, and again in January 1942, at Sollum, the month before his advancement to Corporal. Later that year, in June, the 2nd Transvaal Scottish were detailed to form part of the defensive perimeter around Tobruk, but like the remainder of the garrison, were taken P.O.W., when the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Corps crashed through the town’s rear defences on the 20th of that month. Thomas was subsequently incarcerated in Campo 120, at Cetona, Italy and ended the War in Stalag 344 at Lamsdorf, Germany. He returned to the Union via the U.K. in August 1945 and was discharged that December.