Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Great War Al Valore Militare Asiago Plateaux operations group of seven awarded to Private A. Blachford, Essex Regiment and Gloucestershire Regiment

British War and Victory Medals (276668 Pte., Essex R.); Defence Medal 1939-45; Italian Al Valore Militare, bronze, the reverse surround officially inscribed, ‘Altipiano di Asiago, 23-24 Ottobre 1918’, and the reverse centre, ‘Archibald Blatchford’; St. John Ambulance Association Southern Railway Centre Long Service, bronze, with ‘7 Years’ upper suspension brooch, the reverse officially inscribed, ‘Archibald Blachford, 1932’; St. John Ambulance Association Southern Railway Centre Long Service, silver, with ‘14 Years’ upper suspension brooch, the reverse officially inscribed, ‘Archibald Blachford, 1939’; St. John Ambulance Association Southern Railway Centre Long Service, silver-gilt, with ‘21 Years’ upper suspension brooch, the reverse officially inscribed, ‘Archibald Blachford, 1946’, these last three all in original boxes of issue, generally extremely fine (7) £600-800

Archibald Blachford, a native of Totton, near Southampton, enlisted in the Essex Regiment in October 1916, and joined the 2/6th Battalion on the Western Front in the following year, where he was present in the battles of Vimy Ridge and Ypres.

Sometime thereafter transferring to the Italian front, and the 1/4th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, he went on to participate in the heavy fighting on the Asiago Plateaux, where he won his Italian Al Valore (his entry in the National Roll of Honour and the London Gazette 21 July 1919 refer). The following extract from the 1/4th Gloucestershires’ Battalion Orders describe the circumstances for which Blachford received his Italian decoration:

‘During a very daring attack on an enemy position, this man offered himself as a volunteer to take part in the patrol, this time to attack a machine-gun post. They succeeded in getting to the place, fighting very gallantly, killing several of the enemy and capturing 70 prisoners. This took place atop Asiago on 23-24 October 1918.’

After the cessation of hostilities, he served for some time in Albania and Egypt, returning home in March 1919 for demobilisation. Subsequently a long-served member of the St. John Ambulance Southern Railway Centre, he also served in the Home Guard from June 1940 to December 1944.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including bestowal document (No. 55529) for the recipient’s Italian Al Valore Militare, dated in 1920, and with hand inscribed citation, together with an old copy of an Italian 6th Army General Order, which includes announcement and citation for the same; several old carbon copies of his own regiment’s Battalion Orders which include the citation printed above; and his Home Guard Certificate of Service to ‘Archibald Blachford, 12 June 1940 - 31 December 1944’.