A Small Collection of Medals Relating to the Battle of the River Imjin

Pair: Fusilier R. Kearsley, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, who as a Private in the Sherwood Foresters during W.W.2 was a prisoner-of-war of the Germans

Korea 1950-53, 2nd issue (4976415 Fus., R.N.F.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed, very fine (2) £240-280

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Small Collection of Medals Relating to the Battle of the River Imjin.

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When the decision was made to form 29 Independent Infantry Brigade and send them to Korea to join the UN Army in resisting North Korean aggression, there were not enough trained soldiers to bring the selected regiments up to their correct establishment numbers. Much to the annoyance of those men who had served in the Army during W.W.2, the War Office decided to recall Reservists, to supplement National Servicemen. Although there is no evidence that it was War Office policy to particularly select ex- prisoners of war, on the basis that they had not participated in the fierce campaigns of W.W.2, a significant number of former P.O.W’s. were recalled to service; one such was Fusilier R. Kearsley. During W.W.2 he had served in the Sherwood Foresters had been captured and had been a prisoner no 262363 in Stalag 1V-F in Hartmanndorf, Saxony. He avoided capture in Korea.