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Lot 342
Maritime Salvage - a teak letter opener made from the Teak of HMS Iron Duke, Admiral Jellicoe's Flagship at the battle of Jutland in 1916; etc The 26 gun Eurydice sank off the Isle of Wight during a severe snow storm in 1878, with the loss of 317 out of 319 crew, making her loss one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in the Royal Navy's history
Lot 187
Vinyl - Over 80 Reggae / Roots / Dub 12" singles featuring Jamaican pressings, promos, test pressings to include Ernest Wilson, Tinga Stewart, One Blood, Marvin James, Shabba Ranks, Nerious Joseph, Jimmy Lindsay, Ijahman, James Singer, Bob Andy, Milo Gun, Carroll Thompson, Cocoa Tea, Jackie Mitto, Jerry Baxter, Ken Boothe, Sly & Robbie, Ezra Smith, Smiley Culture, The Mighty Diamonds, Barrington Levy, Frankie Paul, Marcia Griffiths, Dennis Brown, Dillinger, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Clint Eastwood, Vivian Jones, Aswad, Third World, Jah Warriors, Peter Tosh and more. Vg+ overall
Lot 159
Vinyl - Approx 35 Rock & Metal picture / shaped / coloured discs to include Anthrax, Megadeth, Wasp, Bon Jovi, Dokken, Jethro Tull, Fish, Wrathchild, Enuff Z Nuff, ZZ Top, The Almighty, David Lee Roth, Fishbone, Waysted, Magnum, Great White, The Beyond, Deep Purple, Dogs D'Amour, Gun and others. Vg overall, some without sleeves.
Lot 193
Vinyl - Approx 80 Soundtrack LPs to include Star Wars, Revenge Of The Pink Panther, Seaside Swingers, Redhead, Promises Promises, Easy Rider, Shenandoah, Sebastian, The Sound & The Fury, Some Like It Hot, 633 Squadron, Spellbound, A Star Is Born (sealed), African Queen (sealed), Baby The Rain Must Fall, Any Which Way You Can, The Apartment, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, Andy Capp, Hugo Montenegro, The Good The Bad And The Ugly and others. At least Vg overall
Lot 551
DINKY TOYS; nine boxed model tanks and military vehicles, comprising 5.5 Medium Gun, 692, Army Covered Wagon, Army 1-Ton Cargo Truck, Austin Champ, Military Ambulance, Armoured Car, Armoured Command Vehicle, also a 25-Pounder Field Gun Set, a boxed Tank Transporter, and an unboxed tank (10).
Lot 8
Gun Barrel wall light with Pheasant feather half shade, 82cm with shade, 69cm without shade, on 12cm x 6cm wall mountDue to the nature and fragility of the lots in this auction, we are unable to offer an inhouse post and packing service for items purchased in this sale and strongly advise using a professional packing company. Further information on independent shippers can be found on our website - www.reemandansie.com/collection-and-shipping/
Lot 796
Royal Navy interest - three pieces: 1. a silver 1923 Royal Tournament winner's medal - struck with the inscription 'Royal Naval Interport Field Gun Competition - Olympia 1923 - Won by Devonport'; William James Dingley, Birmingham 1923; 3.2 cm diam; presented to J.W.H. Lee of Vivid II (see lot 795). (Portsmouth was represented by detachments from H.M.S. Excellent and H.M.S. Victory; Chatham by H.M.S. Pembroke; and Devonport by H.M.S. Vivid I and II.) 2. a silver-plated bosun's whistle, the buoy with two broad arrow marks, the keel engraved, 11 cm long. 3. a 1937 coronation medallion, 3.2 cm diam., with 26 cm white metal chain.
Lot 6417
19th century Neoclassical wine table, circular marble top with moulded edge, raised on a reeded gun-barrel pedestal decorated with gadrooned anthemion and bell-flower carvings, terminating to three reeded and splayed supports with moulded roundel decoration, with gilt metal Egyptian design cups and compressed bun feetDimensions: Height: 69cm Length/Width: 50cm Depth/Diameter: 50cm
Lot 67
A Playstation 2 (PS2) console with original instruction manual, together with five controllers, a Scorpion light gun, boxed, an EyeToy Play, boxed, 16 PS2 games, to include Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and 7 PS3 games, to include, Grand Theft Auto IV and Final Fantasy VII. (29)
Lot 2
Trumpeter DKM U-Boat Type VIIC U-552 - 06801 including Magic scale modelling Synchronised Lights & Soundtrack electronics & Eduard Brassin German Submarine 8.8cm gun. 1/48 Scale. (9000g) (1). Unbuilt.Box dimensions: 140x45x17.5cm Condition Report - As New - however box lid is slightly damaged and a few slight marks inside from storage. Unbuilt
Lot 17
5 Model Kits - Trumpeter German Armoured Train Panzertriebwagen Nr.16 & I love kit German Flak 36 88MM Anti-aircraft gun & HobbyBoss German Kriegslokomotive Br 52 & Revell BIG BOY Locomotive & Dragon German Railway Gondola (5000g). (5).1. Trumpeter - German Armoured Train Panzertriebwagen Nr. 16 - 00223 - 1/35 Scale.2. I love kit German Flak 36 88MM Anti-aircraft gun - 61701 - 1/18 Scale.3. HobbyBoss German Kriegslokomotive Br 52 - 82901 - 1/72 Scale.4. Revell BIG BOY Locomotive - 02165 - 1/87 Scale.5. Dragon German Railway Gondola Top Ommr w/AA Gun Crew - 60886 - 1/35 Scale. Condition Report - Boxes - Good/FairKits - Appear Complete As New
Lot 98
Fleming (Ian) From Russia With Love, first edition, original boards with gun-and-rose design to upper cover in bronze and silver, spine lettered in silver and bronze, dust-jacket, expert repairs and retouching to spine ends and corners, few scuffs to joints, in effect an excellent and sharp copy, 8vo, 1957.
Lot 104
Fleming (Ian) On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1963; You Only Live Twice, faint spotting, heavier to peripheral pages, jacket with faint discolouration, 1964; The Golden Gun, 1965, first editions, endpapers faintly spotted, original boards, dust-jackets, fractional nicks to spine head, light fading on spine, otherwise sharp and excellent copies, 8vo (3)
Lot 87
An exceptional and extremely rare Cronstadt ‘Scooter’ Raid D.S.M. awarded to Chief Motor Mechanic B. M. Masters, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was decorated for his gallantry in C.M.B. 88, likewise his second-in-command, Lieutenant G. C. Steele, R.N., who was awarded the V.C. Credited with sinking two Russian battleships, C.M.B. 88 came under heavy fire, her captain being killed at the helm and the 19-year-old Masters wounded Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (M.B. 2996. B. M. Masters, Ch. M.M. R.N.V.R. “C.M.B. 88” Cronstadt Harbour 18 Aug 1919.), together with a bronze East Midland Centre A.C.U. motor cycling prize medal, named on the reverse ‘Mansfield and Dis: M.C.C. & L.C.C. Clipstone Drive. 1923. B. M. Masters. 2 3/4 Massey 1/2 mile. 26 secs.’, extremely fine (2) £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.S.M. London Gazette 11 November 1919: ‘The following awards have been approved for services in Russia 1919.’ Masters was originally recommended for the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (C.G.M.) by Rear-Admiral Walter Cowan: ‘Was in charge of one engine of Coastal Motor Boat No. 88 in the attack on Cronstadt Harbour on the morning of 18th August 1919. This boat entered Cronstadt Harbour under heavy fire and torpedoed the battleships Andrei Pervozanni and Petropavlovsk.’ Baden Marples Masters was born at Chesterfield, Derbyshire on 22 June 1900, and was employed as an apprentice at the Rolls Royce works in Derby on entering the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Motor Mechanic in July 1918. Having then been employed in the Motor Boat Section, he was demobilised in February 1919 and resumed his apprenticeship with Rolls Royce. In July 1919, however, he received an Admiralty telegram inviting him to volunteer for special work in the Baltic, an invitation he promptly accepted. Subsequently appointed a Chief Motor Mechanic and enrolled for service in Coastal Motor Boats (C.M.Bs), he found himself ordered to Bjorko in the Baltic in the summer of 1919, in one of eight boats intended for use in a raid on Kronstadt harbour, under Commander C. C. Dobson, D.S.O., R.N., a daring enterprise that became known as the ‘Scooter Raid’. And accompanying them on that occasion on the night of 18-19 August as an observer was Augustus Agar, V.C., who had already established a secret base at Terrioki on the Finnish shore north of Cronstadt, from whence, in addition to carrying out a courier service for agents in his C.M.B., he had executed a brilliant solo attack on the Russian cruiser Oleg in Cronstadt harbour on 16-17 June, winning a V.C. in the process - and a price of £5,000 on his head from the irate Bolsheviks. Of subsequent events on 18-19 August 1919, much has been written, not least by Agar in Baltic Episode, but the following summary of events is taken from The Victoria Cross at Sea, by John Winton: 'At 1 a.m. on 18 August, the eight C.M.Bs led by Commander C. C. Dobson in C.M.B. 31, left [Admiral] Cowan’s base at Bjorko Sound, thirty miles east of Kotlin Island. The C.M.Bs were manned by two officers and an Engine-Room Artificer, and each had a Finnish smuggler on board with local knowledge of the Bay. They reached the north side of the island at about 4 a.m. just as the diversionary bombing attack by twelve R.A.F. Sopwith Camels was taking place, and slipped past a row of forts which were supposed to be armed with heavy 11-inch, 9-inch and 6-inch guns (in fact, at least two forts had only rifles and machine-guns). However, the guns’ crews were caught completely napping and even when the C.M.Bs roared into the inner harbour at about 4.25 a.m., many of the guns could not fire because they feared to hit each other or because they could not depress far enough. Three C.M.Bs had been detailed to sink the destroyer Gavril at the entrance but their torpedoes ran too shallow and missed. Assisted by searchlights from the forts Gavril retaliated and eventually sank three C.M.Bs. Meanwhile, the others swept into the harbour in two columns. C.M.B. 31, conned by Lieutenant McBean, reached the inner jetty and torpedoed the battleship Andrei Pervozvanni. The C.M.B. stayed for a time in the harbour, under heavy machine-gun fire, whilst Dobson directed the other C.M.Bs before retreating under the shelter of the harbour walls to the open bay … ’ Of C.M.B. 88’s fate - with Masters aboard - Winton continues: ‘On the run into harbour the C.O. of C.M.B. 88, Lieutenant Dayrell-Reed, was shot through the head and killed. His body slumped over the steering wheel so that the motor boat began to career out of control. The second-in-command, Lieutenant G. C. Steele, manhandled his dead Captain’s body away from the controls and took charge himself, steadying the boat on course once more for her target, the battleship Andrei Pervozvanni. Steele fired one torpedo at 100 yards range, and then had to manoeuvre the C.M.B. in a very confined space to get a clear shot at the other battleship, the Petropavlosk, which was obscured by the hull of the Andrei Pervozvanni and shrouded in the smoke from her. Steele only just had enough room to turn but headed for the entrance, firing at the machine-guns along the wall as he went, and he too gained the safety of the bay outside, where Agar in C.M.B. 7, who had been acting as a kind of traffic marshal, was waiting. There, Lieutenant Bremner in C.M.B. 24 also arrived, having torpedoed and sunk the submarine depot ship Pamyat Azova. Both battleships sank in the inner harbour, as the remaining C.M.Bs roared across the water back to base. This brilliant coup de main severely embarrassed the Cabinet, who were at that very moment conducting delicate negotiations with the Bolsheviks for the withdrawal of the large British land forces then in Archangel. The raid also had another unexpected and unfortunate political effect. The Russian Baltic Fleet, and especially the Cronstadt garrison, had been scornfully critical of the Bolsheviks. The audacity of the raid caused them to turn temporarily over to the Bolshevik side. However, Victoria Crosses are happily not awarded by politicians, and Dobson and Steele [Masters’s skipper] were duly gazetted on 11 November 1919, the first anniversary of Armistice Day.’ In his own words Masters subsequently wrote several letters home, describing C.M.B. 88’s part in the raid, some of which were published in the home press. In one of them, he stated: ‘You will be glad to hear that I am safe I know. We gave the Bolshies hell on Sunday night, or rather 2 a.m. Monday. Seven C.M.Bs set out, 88BD had the honour of leading the attack, and was told off to put under a big battle cruiser which they have been after for a long while, and they knew that “Blood” Reed (Lieutenant Dayrell Reed, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N.) was the only man to do it. Well, we put her under, and also another big cruiser. Now I will tell you all about it. Before we set off “Blood” Reed had me in his cabin, also the other mechanic, and he told us of the honour we had received in being chosen to go right into Kronstadt harbour, and he said if we do not sink her we will put up a good fight, and all go down together. He said we will not go back and say we made a mess of it. We had a drink with him and then went down to our boat. We had a good look over our engines, and Reed said, “For God’s sake Masters, do what you can for us, as it is up to you to get us in and get us out again.” Well off we went. We went straig...
Lot 118
A Great War ‘Western Front’ Battle of Loos 1915 D.C.M. group of four awarded to Private J. Francis, 9th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, for his gallantry in carrying a wounded officer, from an advanced position, some 200 yards under heavy fire, to safety, during which action he was wounded Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (12674 Pte. J. Francis. 9/Devon: Regt.); 1914-15 Star (12674 Pte. J. Francis. Devon: R.); British War and Victory Medals (12674 Pte. J. Francis. Devon. R.) nearly very fine (4) £600-£800 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 14 January 1916; citation published 11 March 1916: ‘For conspicuous gallantry. During an enemy counter-attack he carried a wounded officer, from an advanced position, some 200 yards under heavy fire, and, although wounded himself while doing so, he persisted in his efforts until he had gained our trenches.’ James Francis enlisted on 7 September 1914 as a Private in the Devonshire Regiment for the duration of the War and joined the 9th (Service) Battalion under training on Salisbury Plain. The battalion disembarked at Havre joining the 7th Division at Wizernes on 31 July 1915. Their first major action took place during the attack on Loos on 25-26 September 1915. It was in this action that Frances was recognised for his act of bravery and during which he received serious wounds that resulted in his discharge 1 March 1917. C. T. Atkinson’s Great War History of the Devonshire Regiment references the rescue: ‘Captain [S. C.] Nation was badly wounded and had to be left behind... He escaped capture by hiding in a dug-out and next day succeeded in crawling back to Gun Trench... To get him to the dressing station meant crossing 200 yards of ground swept by shells and rifle fire, but two men of his company [13263 Cpl R. J. Melhuish and 12674 Pte J. Francis] volunteered to carry him and accomplished the errand safely using a trench ladder as a stretcher.’ Sold with copied research.
Lot 117
A Great War ‘Bullecourt’ M.C. group of three awarded to Captain J. A. Fergusson, 9th and 2nd Battalions, Devonshire Regiment, who was wounded, captured, and taken Prisoner of War during the Battalion’s epic rear-guard action at Bois de Buttes on 27 May 1918 Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. J. A. Fergusson.) mounted for wear, very fine (3) £600-£800 --- M.C. London Gazette 16 August 1917 ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion. He led his company, under heavy shelling, to the objective, being left without any officers, but by coolness and courageous example he kept the men well in hand, and greatly assisted in the consolidation of the position’. Annotated Gazette states: ‘Bullecourt: 7 May 1917’. John Andrew Fergusson was born in Tranmere, Birkenhead in 1889. A Bank Clerk by occupation he attested at Liverpool as a Private in the King’s (Liverpool) Regiment for the duration of the War on 2 September 1914 and joined the 17th Battalion at Grantham. Commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Devonshire Regiment on 8 September 1915 he joined the 9th Battalion at Rouen on 23 September 1916. Appointed Acting Captain whilst commanding a Company on 5 October 1916 he was wounded (Bomb Blast) in action at Le Touquet Trenches, east of Etaples, on 26 October 1916, and was awarded the Military Cross whilst leading No. 4 Company in attack on Bullecourt 7 May 1917. Posted to the 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment at Romain on 10 May 191, he served in command of ‘B’ Company in action at Bois de Buttes near Pontavert on 27 May 1918, with orders to hold the line to the last. 23 officers and 528 men reported as killed or missing; the 2nd Battalion was cited in the French Orders of the Day and was collectively awarded the Croix de Guerre, honours which the battalion was the first British unit to receive. Fergusson’s statement on release reads ‘Whilst in command B Coy 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment having been wounded in head and shoulder by machine gun bullets. Held on for about 3 hours against enemy attack in large numbers, despite heavy casualties, when ordered to move to a new position near the river Aisne. Picked up by a German mopping-up party’. Fergusson was subsequently held in Alten-Grabow, Saxony P.O.W. Camp before being repatriated as wounded on 15 December 1918. He relinquished his commission on 17 April 1919 and returned to his banking career with Westminster Bank Ltd. Appointed Chief Clerk, Hull Branch, he was promoted to Manager, Darlington Branch in 1927. Unfortunately, his Great War experiences remained with him and he shot himself with his service revolver whilst at his office desk on 1 October 1930, aged 41, during a temporary loss of reason. Sold with extensive copied research.
Lot 668
Wreckage from Zeppelin L31 Three pieces of wreckage of the German Zeppelin L31, that was brought down over Potters Bar by Second Lieutenant W. J. Tempest, Royal Flying Corps, the first Canadian to shoot down a Zeppelin from the air, on 2 October 1916, comprising fragment of the airship’s outer duralumin lattice, and two pieces of the airship’s engine (?), with R.C.M.I. accession numbers in ink to first and second, all in relic condition (lot) £300-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Zeppelin L31 was an R-Class Imperial German Navy super Zeppelin commanded by Heinrich Mathy. 198m in length with a crew of 19 and a maximum speed of 64mph, it took part in several raids over London during the Great War. It was shot down over Potter’s Bar by Second Lieutenant Wulstan J. Tempest, a Canadian serving with the Royal Flying Corps, shortly after midnight on 2 October 1916 with the loss of the entire crew. Tempest’s own report is a vivid account of how the L31 met her end: ‘There was a heavy ground fog on and it was bitterly cold, otherwise the night was beautiful and starlit at the altitude at which I was flying. I was gazing over towards the NE of London, where the fog was not quite so heavy, when I noticed all the searchlights in that quarter concentrated in an enormous pyramid. Following them up to the apex, I saw a small cigar-shaped object, which I at once recognised as a Zeppelin, about 15 miles away, and heading straight for London. Previous to this I had chased many imaginary Zepps only to find they were clouds on nearing them. At first I drew near to my objective very rapidly (as I was on one side of London and it was on the other and both heading for the centre of the town): all the time I was having an extremely unpleasant time, as to get to the Zepp I had to pass through a very inferno of bursting shells from the A.A. guns below. All at once, it appeared to me that the Zeppelin must have sighted me, for she dropped all her bombs in one volley, swung around, tilted up her nose and proceeded to race away northwards climbing rapidly as she went. At the time of dropping her bombs, I judged her to be at an altitude of about 11,500 feet. I made after her at all speed at about 15,000 feet altitude, gradually overhauling her. At this time the A.A. fire was intense, and I, being about five miles behind the Zeppelin, had an extremely uncomfortable time. At this point my mechanical pressure pump went wrong, and I had to use my hand-pump to keep up the pressure in my petrol tank. This exercise at so high an altitude was very exhausting, besides occupying an arm, this giving me one hand less to operate with when I commenced to fire. As I drew up with the Zeppelin, to my relief I found that I was free from A.A. fire, for the nearest shells were bursting quite three miles away. The Zeppelin was now nearly 15,000 feet high, and mounting rapidly, I therefore decided to dive at her, for though I held a slight advantage in speed, she was climbing like a rocket and leaving me standing. I accordingly gave a tremendous pump at my petrol tank, and dived straight at her, firing a burst straight into her as I came. I let her have another burst as I passed under her and then banking my machine over, sat under her tail, and flying along underneath her, pumped lead into her for all I was worth. I could see tracer bullets flying from her in all directions, but I was too close under her for her to concentrate on me. As I was firing, I noticed her begin to go red inside like an enormous Chinese lantern and then a flame shot out of the front part of her and I realised she was on fire. She then shot up about 200 feet, paused, and came roaring down straight on to me before I had time to get out of the way. I nose-dived for all I was worth, with the Zepp tearing after me, and expected every minute to be engulfed in the flames. I put my machine into a spin and just managed to corkscrew out of the way as she shot past me, roaring like a furnace. I righted my machine and watched her hit the ground with a shower of sparks. I then proceeded to fire off dozens of green Very's lights in the exuberance of my feelings. I glanced at my watch and saw it was about ten minutes past twelve. I then commenced to feel very sick and giddy and exhausted, and had considerable difficulty in finding my way to ground through the fog and landing, in doing which I crashed and cut my head on my machine-gun.’ For his gallantry that night Tempest, the first Canadian to shoot down a Zeppelin from the air, was awarded the D.S.O. ‘in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in connection with the destruction of an Enemy Airship’ (London Gazette 13 October 1916). Subsequently awarded the Military Cross and advanced Major, he is commemorated in the names of two streets in Potters Bar, ‘Tempest Avenue’ and ‘Wulstan Park’, close to where the L31 crashed. Sold with copied research, including numerous photographic images of the wreckage, one of which is annotated: ‘Despite the presence of the military [standing guard], many souvenir hunters managed to sneak off with fragments of the wreckage.’
Lot 285
Pair: Private G. Robertson, 4th South African Infantry, who suffered gas poisoning at Delville Wood, Somme, on 20 July 1916, and was wounded and taken Prisoner of War at the famous last stand at Marriéres Wood on 24 March 1918 British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (Pte G. Robertson. 4th S.A.I.) mounted for display, edge bruising, otherwise good very fine (2) £200-£240 --- George Robertson was born in Wandsworth, London, with his next of kin being listed as his sister - residing at Jeppestown, Johannesburg, South Africa. Robertson enlisted for the 4th South African Infantry at Potchefstroom in August 1915, and embarked for the UK on 29 September 1915. He served in the French theatre of War from 21 April 1916, and suffered gas poisoning whilst serving with ‘E’ Company at Delville Wood, Somme, on 20 July 1916. After recuperation in the UK, Robertson returned to France on 13 July 1917, and was wounded in action and taken Prisoner of War at Marriéres Wood on 24 March 1918. Possibly the most impressive feat of arms by the South African forces in the War took place in March 1918, when the Germans attacked in Operation Michael. The brigade fought a staunch defence on the first morning of the attack - 21 March 1918 - at Gauche Wood, near Villers Guislain. By 24 March they had carried out a fighting withdrawal to Marriéres Wood near Bouchavesnes and there held on, completely unsupported. They fought on until only some 100 men were left, yet it was only when ammunition ran out that the remainder, many of whom were wounded, surrendered. The following additional details are provided in an article entitled ‘Marriéres Wood 24 March 1918,’ by Andre Crozier, which was published in Military History Journal Vol 18 No 2 - June 2018, of The South African Military History Society: The German Spring Offensive ‘On 21 March 1918 General Ludendorff launched his massive Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, against the British 3rd and 5th Armies in a desperate attempt to win the war before the Americans arrived in force. The South African 1st Infantry Brigade, which formed part of the Scottish 9th Division and of the British 5th Army, held the line at Gauche Wood on the boundary between the 3rd and 5th British Armies. Aided by mist and complete surprise, the offensive started with a tremendous artillery barrage firing gas shells into the rear areas to disrupt the artillery and supply lines. Sixty-five divisions attacked over a 100 km front. The South Africans held on at Gauche Wood but had to withdraw in the afternoon as the division on their southern flank had been pushed back. Everywhere the front was collapsing, with 21 000 British soldiers being taken prisoner on the first day. It looked like Ludendorff had won the war. The South Africans conducted a fighting retreat over three days under the most difficult circumstances, as the units to their flanks kept falling back. Eventually they were ordered to hold 'at all costs' a line at the village of Bouchvesnes on the strategic Peronne - Bapaume road. The brave stand at Marriéres Wood Major-General Dawson was in command, and he conveyed the orders to the South African Brigade, by then reduced to only 500 men. There would be no further retreat. They would stand and fight to the last. Dawson decided to defend a line to the north-west of Marriéres Wood astride a minor road leading from Bouchvesnes to Combles and utilising some old trenches. The battle started at 09.00 on Sunday, 24 March 1918. The South Africans had no artillery support nor support on either flank and were soon surrounded. They were pounded all day by artillery fire and their position was swept with machine gun fire. Their ammunition was rationed and yet they managed to beat off repeated attacks. Eventually, at 16.00, surrounded, with no ammunition and with only about 100 men left, General Dawson decided to surrender. Some men tried to flee, but they were mowed down as the ground to the west was open with no cover.’ Robertson was repatriated from Germany on 26 December 1918. He returned to South Africa in in December the following year, and was discharged in January 1920. Sold with copied service papers.
Lot 70
Family group: A fine Second War ‘North West Europe’ 1944 M.C. group of seven awarded Lieutenant Colonel F. W. ‘Tosty’ Finnigan, 179 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - awarded for the battle of Hill 112, which Field-Marshal Rommel considered to be “The most important hill in Normandy, for whoever has control of it has control of all around it” and of which Lieutenant-General Horrocks said, “Hill 112 is the cornerstone of the Normandy Campaign.” Military Cross, G.VI.R. reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (Major. F. W. Finnigan. M.C. R.A.); Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial, last unnamed, mounted as originally worn, with related mounted miniature awards, light contact marks overall, very fine A Second World War ‘Italian theatre’ M.B.E. group of five awarded to Mrs J. S. Finnigan, Young Men’s Christian Association The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E., (Civil) Member’s 2nd type, breast badge, silver, lacking riband; 1939-45 Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf, campaign awards mounted as originally worn, with related mounted miniature awards, very fine (lot) £1,400-£1,800 --- M.C. London Gazette 21 December 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘On 10 July on Hill 112 this officer came up from the gun area to command his battery supporting 5 DCLI in the Orchard. When the DCLI were driven out on 11 July this officer co-ordinated the covering fire which enabled the Bn. to counter attack and re-take the Orchard. Under constant mortar and M.G. fire he directed the fire of his battery and O.P.s with considerable skill and complete disregard of his own safety. He has been supporting the infantry on Hill 112, and although on a reverse slope; and under fire he has by his offensive energy and resource kept the enemy under observation and has given excellent support to his Bn. and caused considerable destruction to the enemy.’ Francis Walter ‘Tosty’ Finnigan was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in August 1939, and advanced to Captain in October 1941. He served served as a Temporary Major with 179 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery as part of the 43rd Division, 12th Corps throughout the North West Europe Campaign. Finnigan distinguished himself in the fighting in Normandy, June - July 1944, in particular in the battle for Hill 112. The following for that period is given in the history of The Worcestershire Regiment website (179 Field Regiment, being formed from the 12th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment in March 1942): ‘17th June 1942 the 179 Field Regiment sailed in the S.S. Sam Houstan for Normandy. They eventually arrived off Arramanches on the 19th June 1944, and after an awful week, not being able to unload, they finally fired their first round in anger at 0200 hrs. on the 26th June 1944. The next few days were very hectic. The Division was centred round Cheux and some very lively battles took place. Lieut.-Colonel Pethick was wounded on the 27th June 1944 while on a reconnaisance with Capt. R. R. Woodward, and the Second-in-Command, Major Sir J. E. Backhouse, assumed command of the Regiment, but was replaced by Lieut.-Colonel W. D. Blacker on the 3rd July. Slowly the Division pushed forward to Colleville, Mouen, Tourneville, Verson, and Fountaine Etoupefour, and on the 10th July 1944 the attack went in on to Hill 112. The guns never stopped firing and in one recorded 15-minute period the Regiment fired 1800 rounds in response to calls from the infantry, who were fighting a magnificent battle to hold the hill feature. Major R. G. Mapp, R.A., died of wounds received in this attack, and Capt. G. C. Robinson was wounded while going to relieve him. This left Sergeant Trevis responsible for the fire support of the 7th Somerset Light Infantry, which he did for many hours, subsequently receiving the D.C.M. The next morning Lieut.-Colonel W. D. Blacker was killed by enemy mortaring and Major Sir John Backhouse wounded. This left Major T. M. Brewis in command of the regiment. The fighting was colossal at this period, the Division being on one side of Hill 112, the Germans on the other. Any attempt by either side to gain the top of the ridge being a sure way to suicide. Many times the Germans tried to push the Regiment back, but men held their ground. Many died in this action and, although it was the Regiments first sight of “the little wooden cross,” none of them will forget those moments when Padre Wilson made a moment of peace in a world of insanity and enabled the men to forget their anger and think of those whose hardship was now greater than theirs. Padre was to be seen everywhere, always with that helping hand. It is not possible to give details of all the little things which saved the day, but perhaps Bombadier Rooney’s is typical. A three-tonner was hit by a shell; standing next to it was one filled with ammunition; he got in and drove it away. Those are the simple facts, imagination can help with the rest of the story. These things were happening in every section of the Regiment and always the chance was taken, an accident averted.’ Finnigan advanced to Lieutenant Colonel, and died in February 1992. He is buried with his wife in the St. Peter’s Churchyard, Hambledon, Surrey. M.B.E. London Gazette 22 January 1946: Jean, Mrs Finnigan, Leader, Young Men’s Christian Association Canteen Service [Italy]. M.I.D. London Gazette 17 January 1946 [Italy]. Jean Sime Finnigan (nee Douty) was the wife of the above, and died in June 1992.
Lot 269
Pair: Private R. Gerrard, Cheshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (14303 Pte. R. Gerrard. Ches. R.) very fine Pair: Corporal T. Gibbons, Cheshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (3283 Cpl. T. Gibbons. Ches. R.) very fine Pair: Private E. Goodridge, Cheshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (291961 Pte. E. Goodridge. Ches. R.) edge bruises to BWM, otherwise very fine Pair: Acting Sergeant E. O. Jones, Cheshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (38008 A. Sjt. E. O. Jones. Ches. R.) very fine (8) £70-£90 --- Thomas Gibbons from Chester, was born in 1896. He attested into the Cheshire Regiment on 1 January 1915 for service during the Great War and served on the Western Front with the 5th Battalion. He received a Gun Shot Wound to his neck on 10 October 1917 and saw further service with the Royal Defence Corps. Discharged on 21 May 1919, he was awarded a Silver War Badge, No. 04247. Sold with copied Silver War Badge roll extract. Evan Owen Jones attested into the Cheshire Regiment on 11 December 1915 for service during the Great War. He saw further service with the Labour Corps. Discharged on 22 February 1919, he was awarded a Silver War Badge, No. B204971. Sold with copied Silver War Badge roll extract.
Lot 274
Pair: Private T. Hill, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916 British War and Victory Medals (12771 Pte. T. Hill. Yorks. L.I.) minor edge bruise and light contact marks, very fine (2) £200-£240 --- Tom Hill was born in Sheffield and attested there for the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He served with the 8th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 26 August 1915, and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, on which date the Battalion was involved in the attacks on the Ovillers Spur: attacking from in front of Authuille Wood good progress was quickly made by the leading waves and the German first line was entered. The following waves came under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks, losing over half the force whilst crossing No Man’s Land, followed by close quarter fighting in the German second and third lines. Withdrawing to the British front line that afternoon, they were relieved that night. Of the 25 officers and 659 other ranks who had gone into action that day only the medical officer and 110 ranks were present for the roll call that evening. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Lot 101
A Second War ‘North West Europe’ M.M. group of eight awarded to Warrant Officer Class II E. A. Giles, Royal West Surrey Regiment, later Somerset Light Infantry Military Medal, G.VI.R. (5670092 L. Sjt. E. A. Giles. The Queen’s R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Palestine 1945-48, Malaya, second clasp unofficially affixed (5670092 W.O. Cl.2. E. Giles. M.M. Queens.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army, with Second Award Bar (5670092 W.O. Cl.2. E. A. Giles. (M.M.) Som. L.I.) unit partially officially corrected; Army Meritorious Service Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (LS/5670092 S. Sgt. E. A. Giles. MM. LI.) mounted as worn, good very fine and better (8) £1,200-£1,600 --- M.M. London Gazette 21 December 1944: ‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in North West Europe.’ The original Recommendation, for an Immediate M.M., dated 13 August 1944, states: ‘After the successful attack by the Battalion during the night of 2/3 August 1944 on Point 188 and Le Manoir, Corporal Giles took forward a Recce Patrol to La Lande, one mile beyond the Battalion's objective, and brought back essential information concerning the state of an important bridge, and valuable reports on enemy movement in that area. During the course of the heavy enemy counter-attack that afternoon which was supported by a number of tanks, the order was given for his Company to withdraw to a new position to protect a gap in the right flank of the Battalion position, and Corporal Giles successfully withdrew his section, and he personally dragged and carried back a severely wounded member of his section over about five hundred yards of open country under intense mortar, artillery and machine gun fire from the enemy tanks and infantry. During the whole course of this action Corporal Giles showed magnificent leadership and initiative together with a complete disregard for his own personal safety.’
Lot 71
A rare Second War ‘D-Day’ M.C. group of six awarded to Captain D. A. King, 81 Assault Squadron, Royal Engineers, whose specially adapted A.V.R.E. Churchill tank proved instrumental in enabling the 6th Green Howards - and C.S.M. Stanley Hollis, V.C. - to move forward off La Riviere beach (Gold Beach) on D-Day: equipped with spigot mortars that fired concrete-shattering 40lb. projectiles (a.k.a. “Flying Dustbins”), they were nonetheless vulnerable to the enemy’s much vaunted Panzerfaust. Having already neutralised several pillboxes, King’s tank suffered hits from the beach defence guns. The latter forcing him to dismount in order to free his jammed turret; prior to leading the charge up, and over, the defensive positions on the seawall Military Cross, G.VI.R. reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Territorial (Lt. D. A. King, (M.C.), R.E.) mounted for wear, plated and lacquered, otherwise very fine or better (7) £3,000-£3,600 --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 2014 M.C. London Gazette 31 August 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘This officer landed at H Hour on D-Day 6 June 1944 on the La Riviere beach in command of a beaching team of A.V.R.E. & Flails supporting the 6th Green Howards. Owing to the rough water these teams landed in front of the DD tanks and came under the concentrated fire of beach defences. Captain King proceeded to attack and neutralise the enemy pillboxes. Hits from beach defence guns jammed the turret of Captain King’s tank and he found it necessary to dismount to free the turret and enable him to get his petard into action again. By this time the infantry had landed and were held up under the face of the sea wall by enemy small arms fire and grenades, which were being thrown over the wall. Captain King immediately called his two A.V.R.E. to join him and charged over the top of the wall and down into the road on the landward side. The sudden appearance of tanks over the top of the wall served to discourage the defenders and enabled the infantry to get in and mop up the position. Captain King displayed initiative and resourcefulness and rendered extremely valuable support to the infantry in difficult circumstances at a critical moment.’ Denis Aubrey King, who was from Hatch End, Middlesex, was appointed to 81 Assault Squadron, R.E., on the eve of the Normandy invasion and, as cited above, came ashore on D-Day in support of 6th Green Howards, when he commanded one of the unit’s Assault Vehicles, Royal Engineers (A.V.R.E.), in fact a Churchill tank fitted with a spigot mortar called a “Petard”, which fired a 40lb. demolition charge specially designed to shatter concrete over a distance of 80 yards - a charge nicknamed by A.V.R.E. crew as the “Flying Dustbin”. A glimpse of his tank in action on La Riviere beach - part of the King Sector on “Gold Beach” - is to be found in 50th Division’s history: ‘A lively and unorthodox action took place on the extreme right of this brigade front. Machine-gun fire from two concrete pill boxes and a reinforced house, assisted by rifle fire from German infantry behind the sea wall, held up the attacking infantry. Three A.V.R.Es of 81st Assault Squadron, under the command of Captain D. A. King, went into action to assist. The subsequent events are graphically described in the unit’s own account of the operation: ‘One pillbox was reduced by the petard fire and the other silenced by the infantry. But the Germans behind the sea wall continued to fire and throw grenades. By this time the Troop Commander’s patience was exhausted, so, leaving his Sergeant to petard the reinforced house, he led his and another A.V.R.E. up the beach, charged the wall, dropped four feet on to the roadway and shattered a number of German illusions. The enemy routed, the infantry advance continued.’ Sold with extensive copied research.

Lot 4
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.C. group of six awarded to Captain H. V. Williams, 15th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who was wounded in the act of winning his M.C. Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. H. V. Williams. R. W. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Capt. H. V. Williams); Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted court-style for display £800-£1,000 --- M.C. London Gazette 26 September 1917; citation published 10 January 1918: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He led his company with splendid push and determination until he was wounded after penetrating the enemy’s wire. It was entirely owing to his gallant leadership that the objective was gained in face of hostile shelling and machine gun fire.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 4 January 1917. Hugh Vulcan Williams was a native of Boston House, Holyhead, North Wales. He served in France with the 15th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, from 3 December 1915, and was promoted to Captain on 10 April 1919.
Lot 531
The Victory Medal awarded to Private F. Coote, 11th (Cambridgeshire) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916 Victory Medal 1914-19 (15762 Pte. F. Coote. Suff. R.) very fine £100-£140 --- Frederick Coote was born in Little Thurlow, Suffolk, in 1897, and attested for the Suffolk Regiment. He served with the 11th (Cambridgeshire) Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front, and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. The Battalion War Diary for 1 July 1916 reads: ‘7:28 a.m. The mine opposite left of 101st Brigade was exploded. 7:30 a.m. The infantry assault was launched. The Battalion followed the 10th Lincolns from our assembly trenches down into Sausage Valley and across to the German lines. Owing to the failure of the 102nd Brigade on the left to capture La Boiselle, our advance from the moment it left our assembly trenches was subjected to a very heavy fire from machine guns from La Boiselle. In spite of the fact that wave after wave were mown down by machine gun fire, all pushed on without hesitation, though very few reached the German lines.’ Relieved on 4 July, the Battalion had suffered total casualties of 691. Coote is buried at Gordon Dump Cemetery at Ovillers-le-Boisselle, France.
Lot 57
An extremely rare Second War ‘Normandy June 1944 (D-Day Plus 1) operations’ D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel R. G. Kreyer, 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, late 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales’s Own) (Sikhs), 12th Frontier Force Regiment, who having distinguished himself on the North West Frontier landed with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on Sword Beach, 6 June 1944. Kreyer was Second in Command of the 2nd Battalion for D-Day, and took over command the following day as a result of the death of the C.O. Colonel ‘Jumbo’ Herdon during the attack on Lebisey. He continued to command the Battalion until the 11th of June, and was wounded in the subsequent fighting around Cuillerville Wood, when the Battalion came up against Tiger tanks
Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially dated ‘1944’, with integral top riband bar; India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1936-37, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. R. G. Kreyer, 1-12 F.F.R.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, good very fine or better (6) £4,000-£5,000 --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, July 2004 D.S.O. London Gazette 31 August 1944: ‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Normandy.’ The original recommendation states: ‘Major Kreyer took command of the 2nd Royal Warwicks when the C.O. was killed during the early stages of the attack on Lebisey on 7 June 1944. On entering the wood the Battalion came under very heavy and unexpected sniper and machine-gun fire from all directions in very thickly wooded country. Communications between companies broke down. Casualties were very heavy and considerable disorganisation resulted. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Major Kreyer took over control and restored what had become an extremely critical situation. Later, when enemy tanks attacked, the Battalion having lost its anti-tank guns, with great coolness he re-organised the troops to meet this unexpected menace with the result that the last attack failed to achieve its purpose. Finally, on orders from Brigade, he successfully withdrew the Battalion in good order from its position which had become untenable. Throughout the operation his cool judgement, leadership and contempt of danger were of a high order and a great inspiration to all ranks.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 16 August 1938: ‘For distinguished services in connection with the operations in Waziristan, North West Frontier of India, 16 September to 15 December 1937.’ Robin Grey Kreyer, who was born in April 1910, was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on the Supplementary Reserve in September 1930. Afterwards placed on the Unattached List for an appointment in the I.A., he arrived in India in October 1932 and was posted to the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales’s Own) (Sikhs), 12th Frontier Force Regiment, at Sangor. Kreyer was advanced to Lieutenant in December 1934 and was mentioned in despatches for distinguished on the North West Frontier whilst attached to the 5th Battalion, Queen’s Own Corps of Guides. Just one year on from this announcement, however, Kreyer disappears from the Indian Army List, a fact that goes someway to supporting a contention that he was compelled to resign his commission as a result of some petty offence. So it was that he enlisted in the ranks of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on the renewal of hostilities in 1939, and went out to join the B.E.F., almost certainly with the 2nd Battalion, whom he would later command immediately after D-Day. This assumption being right, he would have participated in the bitter fighting at Wormhoudt in late May 1940. Mercifully he was not among the 80 or 90 men - most of them from the 2nd Warwickshires - who were taken prisoner, herded into a barn and murdered by the S.S. Undoubtedly, though, Kreyer distinguished himself, for in a somewhat unusual announcement made in The London Gazette on 21 March 1941, it was ordained that ‘Lance-Corporal Robin Grey Kreyer (44716), Royal Warwickshire Regiment’ was to be appointed a substantive Lieutenant (w.e.f. 15 February 1941). By the time of the Normandy landings in June 1944, Kreyer had risen to the rank of Major and was serving as Second in command of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, part of 185 Infantry Brigade, 3rd British Division. As such, he must have been among those who landed at Sword Beach on D-Day, an incident recorded for posterity by a fellow Battalion officer: ‘Dawn came - few had had much sleep - even fewer managed to eat breakfasts - some looked very ill in spite of sea-sick pills ... land was just in sight, and the rumble of naval guns rolled back to us across the water, as we steered in line ahead through the narrow lanes swept by the mine-sweepers, towards the shore. Soon it was time to assemble, as the craft fanned out into line abreast. Kits were put on - guns checked over - all was ready, and the men moved forward to their stations. Occasionally a whining sound would swish over the ship, our first experience of an angry missile ... We could see the spouts of water shoot up as enemy bombs and shells fell into the sea; and small clouds of black and white smoke rise up as the enemy fire came down on the beaches. The naval guns had lifted to targets behind, but our ‘planes swept overhead ... Nothing hit our craft as we raced in, but other companies were not so lucky ... At last we touched the beach. Down went the ramps and ashore we stumbled, lugging our kits through the last few yards of shallow sea, up breathless and anxious on to the sandy beach...’ Other companies were indeed ‘not so lucky’, one Warwickshires’ L.C.I. (Landing Craft Infantry) hitting a mine as its bow grounded, and another being hit three times by shellfire offshore and having both of its landing ramps shot away by mortar fire. Further casualties were sustained later in the day, when, according to the regimental history, ‘a glider fleet of the 6th Airborne Division’s follow-up units appeared over head, circled and came in to land right among the Warwickshire men, undeterred by the black puffs of flak that greeted them. One glider unhappily descended on top of two B Company signallers who, wearing headphones, had not realized the danger. Both were killed.’ In fact, by the evening of D-Day, having moved a mile or two inland along the River Orne, Kreyer’s Battalion had sustained four fatalities and 35 wounded. Yet far worse was to follow when the Battalion was allocated to attack Lebisey on D-Day plus 1, the 7 June 1944, the village and wood having been occupied by a Battalion of the 125th Panzer Grenadiers (21st Panzer Division), a ‘fresh unit of formidable fighting quality’. It was here that Kreyer won his immediate D.S.O., taking over command of the Battalion when his C.O., Colonel “Jumbo” Herdon, was killed by machine-gun fire. As the regimental history states, ‘it was some consolation that his 2nd in command, Major R. G. Kreyer, took over with admirable firmness’, firmness of command that he successfully displayed until the arrival of a replacement C.O. on 11 June 1944. Battalion casualties, meanwhile, had increased by 10 officers and 144 other ranks on the 7 June alone, an indication of the ferocity of the fighting during Kreyer’s tenure of command. Inevitably, perhaps, he was wounded in the subsequent fighting around Cuillerville Wood, when the Battalion came up against Tiger tanks and endured ‘the worse shelling than it had to endure at any period in the whole campaign.’ He was, ...
Lot 226
Three: Corporal E. Smith, 11th (Lonsdale) Battalion, Border Regiment 1914-15 Star (16350 Pte. E. Smith. Bord. R.); British War and Victory Medals (16350 Cpl. E. Smith. Bord. R.) nearly extremely fine (3) £140-£180 --- Edward Smith was born in 1893 and lived in the small Cumbrian village of Glasson on the course of Hadrian’s Wall, near Drumburgh. One of the ‘original’ members of the Battalion, his name is listed as part of “B” Company in the 11th Battalion Nominal Roll of November 1915. He crossed the Channel to France on 23 November 1915 and was soon preparing camp at Bouzincourt, close to the town of Albert in the Somme Department. The First Day of the Battle of the Somme The experiences and sacrifices of the 11th Battalion, Border Regiment, on 1 July 1916, are described by many historians as typifying the slaughter on the Somme. Detailed to emerge from the front line trenches and advance across No Man's Land in the Leipzig Salient, it wasn't long before carefully aimed enfilade fire from the German-held Nordwerk began to mow down the infantry in scores: ‘At 8am exactly Colonel Machell gave the order from the edge of Authuille Wood to move out. The Lonsdales wished each other good luck and shook hands, then they started their advance, some cheering and singing as if at a football match. They moved in blob formation, little groups of men being slightly to the rear of the one in front and slightly to the flank, this being considered the best formation under shell fire. As soon as the Lonsdales came into the open the deadly enfilade machine gun fire ripped through their ranks. The Germans found their mark; a hail of bullets cut furrows in the earth as the machine gunners found their range. The Lonsdales were being strewn all over the ground.’ Of the 28 officers and 800 men who took part in the attack, 25 officers and 490 men were killed or wounded that day. According to the Lonsdale Battalion Casualty List, "C" Company lost 22 killed and 106 wounded; a few survivors managed to reach the 17th Highlanders who succeeded in capturing the Leipzig Redoubt - perhaps the greatest success for 32nd Division that day - but contemporary accounts later described the majority of the men as being 'cut down like grass'. It would be another three months before the original objective of Mouquet Farm was finally captured on 26 September 1916, with further daily losses of life. Remaining with the 11th Battalion throughout the Great War, Smith was discharged to Army Reserve on 6 April 1919.
Lot 220
Four: Sergeant B. Gore, Cheshire Regiment 1914-15 Star (9745 Pte. B. Gore. Ches: R.); British War and Victory Medals (9745 Pte. B. Gore. Ches. R.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, Regular Army (11505 Sjt. B. Gore. Ches. R.) contact marks, edge bruising, polished and worn, fair to fine (4) £60-£80 --- Bertie Gore was born in 1896 and attested for the Cheshire Regiment on 20 November 1911. He served with the 2nd Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 6 March 1915. He was twice wounded by gun shot, on 25 May 1915 and 7 November 1917, and was demobilised on 8 July 1919, being awarded a Silver War Badge, No. B252328.
Lot 195
Three: Corporal W. H. Dobson, Army Service Corps 1914 Star, with copy clasp (M1-8617 L. Cpl. W. H. Dobson. A.S.C.); British War and Victory Medals (M1-08617 Cpl. W. H. Dobson. A.S.C.) very fine Three: Private R. Dobson, Durham Light Infantry, who was killed in action on the Western Front on 18 May 1917 British War and Victory Medals (30299 Pte. R. Dobson. Durh. L.I.); Memorial Plaque (Robert Dobson) slight edge dig to BWM, otherwise very fine Pair: Private G. Dobson, Border Regiment 1914-15 Star (12191 Pte. G. Dobson. Bord. R.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (12191 Pte. G. Dobson. Bord. R.) some staining otherwise very fine Pair: Private E. Dobson, North Staffordshire Regiment British War and Victory Medals (14405 Pte. E. Dobson. N. Staff. R.) edge bruise to BWM, otherwise very fine (10) £120-£160 --- William Henry Dobson, a Lorry Driver from Bermondsey, London, was born in 1887. He attested into the Army Service Corps on 28 October 1914 for service during the Great War and served on the Western Front from 22 November 1914. Advanced Corporal, he was discharged on 28 March 1919. Robert Dobson attested into the Durham Light Infantry for service during the Great War. He served on the Western Front with A Company of the 18th Battalion, and was killed in action on 18 May 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France. Edward Dobson, from Hanley, Stoke on Trent, attested into the North Staffordshire Regiment for service during the Great War and served on the Western Front with the 8th Battalion from 3 August 1915 and received Gun Shot Wounds to both legs on 20 November 1915, at Poperinghe, Belgium. Subsequently discharged on 24 August 1917, he was awarded a Silver War Badge, No. 131652. George Dobson, from Preston, attested into the Border Regiment for service during the Great War and served on the Western Front with the 7th Battalion from 17 July 1915. He was wounded on 16 July 1916 and saw further service with the 10th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles and was twice further wounded. He was discharged on 26 April 1919.
Lot 358
British War Medal 1914-20 (4) (C.Q.M.S. R. R. Aitkenhead. 1st. S.A.I.; Pte. W. E. Brooke. 1st. S.A.I.; Pte. A. U. Hall. 1st. S.A.I.; Sjt. W. R. Harding 1st. S.A.I.) glue residue to the reverse of all, generally very fine (4) £70-£90 --- Robert Richmond Aitkenhead was born in Glasgow in 1881 and attested for the 1st South African Infantry at Johannesburg on 13 November 1916, stating 5 years of previous service with the 79th Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. Embarked at Cape Town for England per Walmer Castle, he was severely wounded in the chest on 26 September 1917. Sent to Richmond Hospital and Eastbourne Convalescent Hospital, he was discharged at Maitland in March 1919. William Edmund Brooke was born in Port Elizabeth in 1894 and attested for the 1st South African Infantry at Potchefstroom on 23 August 1915. Initially posted to Egypt, he transferred to the Western Front on 15 April 1916 and received a gunshot wound when going ‘over the top’. The recipient’s service record adds: ‘On 9th April 1917 patient was wounded whilst advancing over no man’s land by machine gun bullets. Was taken to A.D.S. then to C.C.S. then to Etaples. Arm was amputated at Tooting Hosp. on 29th April, 1917.’ Albert Usher Hall was born in London in 1880 and attested for the 1st South African Infantry at Kimberley on 28 May 1918. Posted to France on 31 October 1918, he was later discharged at Maitland on 11 July 1919. William Ralph Harding was born in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, around 1896, and attested for the 1st South African Infantry at Johannesburg on 8 April 1918. Embarked at Cape Town for Tilbury Docks, he arrived in England on 5 June 1918 and served with “E” Company, 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, on the Western Front from 25 August 1918. Awarded 168 hours of detention (reason unknown) two days later, he qualified as a Lewis Gunner on 1 November 1918 and was demobilised at Maitland on 12 November 1919. Sold with copied service records for all four recipients.
Lot 78
A Great War ‘Western Front’ D.C.M. group of three awarded to Gunner H. Watts, 211th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, for conspicuous gallantry near Beaudignies on 4 November 1918 Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (815137 Gnr: H. Watts. R.F.A.); British War and Victory Medals (815137 Gnr. H. Watts. R.A.) minor edge bruise to DCM, nearly extremely fine (3) £500-£700 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 14 February 1919; citation published 9 January 1920: ‘Near Beaudignies, on 4th November, 1918, the battery was heavily shelled, and the entire personnel of the battery, except two other ranks, became casualties. He took charge, and kept his gun firing until it was put out of action. His courage and devotion to duty were admirable.’ Sold with the original 42nd Division card announcing the award of the D.C.M., with Recommendation which is slightly longer but substantially similar to the official citation, mounted in a glazed frame.
Lot 90
A poignant Second War Coastal Forces D.S.M. awarded to Ordinary Seaman T. W. Walkinshaw, Royal Navy, an 18-year-old rating who was decorated for his gallantry in M.T.B. 723 in the summer of 1944 but subsequently a victim of the terrible conflagration that engulfed Ostend harbour in February 1945 Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Ord. Smn. T. W. Walkinshaw. C/JX. 579799.) mounted on original investiture pin, toned, extremely fine --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Sotheby’s, December 1998. D.S.M. London Gazette 19 September 1944: ‘For outstanding courage, skill and determination in light coastal craft in successful actions with enemy forces.’ The original recommendation states: ‘For outstanding courage, coolness and devotion to duty in action against strong enemy forces on the nights of 9-10 June and 27-28 June 1944. In the first action this rating at his Oerlikon gun continued to fire with skill and accuracy although wounded in the leg. He refused medical attention until his boat had made a successful withdrawal.’ Thomas William Walkinshaw was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire in July 1926 but his family later settled in Lichfield, where his father was publican of the Angel Inn in Market Street. Young Thomas was briefly employed as an electrician at a Midland aerodrome prior to joining the Royal Navy, aged 16. Subsequently drafted to Coastal Forces, he was awarded the D.S.M. for gallant deeds enacted in M.T.B. 723 in actions in the Nore area in June 1944, when she was commanded by Lieutenant A. McDougall, D.S.C., R.N.V.R. and formed part of the 58th Flotilla. The first of those actions took place off Egmond on the night of 9th, when six boats carried out an attack on four enemy armed trawlers and a gun coaster, using newly delivered ‘magnetic pistol’ torpedoes (CCR). One of 723’s consorts was set on fire and sank with a loss of two men. Less than a week later – on the night of the 14th - five boats from the 58th Flotilla were back in action off the Texel, including 723, an enemy coaster being sunk and a large tug heavily damaged. Following these successful actions, 723 took a direct hit on her bridge during a ferocious fire fight off Ymuiden on the night of 4-5 July. An eye-witness who saw the fatal round find its mark later wrote, ‘a shower of red sparks burst amidships, she reeled, slowed, swung off course but regained station almost at once.’ Her bridge a shambles and her skipper ‘Archie’ McDougall mortally wounded, 723 nonetheless made it back to Lowestoft. Walkinshaw later transferred to M.T.B. 798, in which he was killed in Ostend on 14 February 1945, when a fire broke out during a refuelling session, causing catastrophic explosions of ordnance and petrol tanks. In what amounted to the greatest disaster to befall Coastal Forces in the entire war, a dozen boats were destroyed with a loss 64 officers and ratings, and a further 65 wounded. Aged just 18, he was the son of Charles Clarence and Beatrice Maud Walkinshaw, of Lichfield, Staffordshire. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Sold with full research including copied photographs of the recipient and his crew.
Lot 219
Three: Corporal W. Waters, 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, who landed at 'W' Beach, Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915, where his Regiment won 'Six V.C.'s before Breakfast' 1914-15 Star (1079 Pte. W. Waters, Lan. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (1079 A.Cpl. W. Waters. Lan. Fus.) very fine and better (3) £140-£180 --- William Waters was born in 1886 and lived at 22 South Street, Bury, Lancashire. He attested for the Lancashire Fusiliers on 26 February 1906 and was an experienced soldier at the time of the Cape Helles landings on 25 April 1915. Rowed to shore aboard the small cutters of Euryalus and Implacable, the men of the 1st Battalion were greeted at 6 a.m. by a ceaseless hail of rifle, machine gun and pom pom fire; many died in the boats and of those who struggled ashore through barbed-wire entanglements and deep, soft sand, few were unscathed. Through rallying cries and extreme courage the high ground behind the beach was carried, but at a terrible cost. By nightfall only 11 officers and 399 other ranks remained fit for duty. General Sir Ian Hamilton later wrote in his despatch: 'So strong, in fact, were the defences of 'W' Beach that the Turks may well have considered them impregnable, and it is my firm conviction that no finer feat of arms has ever been achieved by the British soldier - or any soldier - than the storming of these trenches from the open boats on the morning of 25 April... The Fusiliers literally hurled themselves ashore and, fired at from right, left and centre, commenced hacking their way through the wire. A long line of men was at once mown down as by a scythe, but the remainder was not to be denied...’ Waters survived the Gallipoli Campaign and likely joined his comrades in the evacuation of January 1916. He later transferred to the 2/8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, and was fortunate to survive the devastating onslaught of German storm troopers in the opening waves of the German Spring offensive of March 1918; the Battalion suffered 85 men killed and wounded in just ten days, with a further 657 officers and men captured in the fighting around Hargicourt on the Aisne. Waters was later discharged on 17 December 1918.
Lot 637
Llanfihangel Rhosycorn, Carmarthen, Great War Tribute Medal, 32mm, silver, hallmarks for Birmingham 1920, the obverse bearing the allegorical figure of ‘Winged Victory’ bearing an olive wreath in each arm suspended over the heads of a soldier and sailor in uniform, the sailor sitting astride a naval gun barrel, the reverse reading ‘War Hero - Llanfihangel Rhosycorn - 1914 -1918’ and engraved ‘D. Evans Gwastedd [for service] L.C. France’, with small ring suspension, nearly extremely fine, rare £60-£80
Lot 232
Three: Private J. Emanuel, 38th Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps, who was killed in action in the assault on Mametz Wood on 7 July 1916 whilst serving with 16th (Cardiff City) Battalion, Welsh Regiment 1914-15 Star (2787 Pte. J. Emanuel. A. Cyc. Corps.); British War and Victory Medals (2787 Pte. J. Emanuel. A. Cyc. Corps.) a few contact marks, better than very fine (3) £160-£200 --- John Emanuel was born in 1890 at Sand Lane, Briton Ferry, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Emanuel. He worked at the Cape Copper Works. He attested for service at Neath on 9 September 1914. He was posted to the Divisional Cyclist Company of the 38th (Welsh) Division, landing at Le Havre on 2 December 1915. He served with the Cyclist Company until posted as part of a draft of men to the 16th (Cardiff City) Battalion of the Welsh Regiment, on 19 May 1916. The Cardiff City Battalion launched the first assault on Mametz Wood on 7 July 1916 in the face of intense machine gun fire. Emanuel was killed in action in that assault; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Lot 164
A Cutlery Box presented to Commander D. M. W. Beak, V.C., D.S.O., M.C. A three tier oak bodied cutlery box (empty) by Mappin and Webb Ltd., the lid with applied brass plaque ‘To Commander D. M. W. Beak, V.C., D.S.O., M.C., from some old members of the Drake Bn. in admiration Sept. 5th 1923’, good condition £80-£100 --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb April 2001 when sold with the felt lined trays missing all fittings and severely mothed. The box now restored and repurposed as a collectors cabinet with all tray bases fitted with sheet cork and the whole carefully relined in a green baize to comfortably hold three layers of medals or similar. V.C. London Gazette 15 November 1918: ‘For most conspicuous bravery, courageous leadership and devotion to duty during a prolonged period of operations. He led his men in attack, and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, four enemy positions were captured. His skilful and fearless leadership resulted in the complete success of this operation and enabled other battalions to reach their objectives. Four days later, though dazed by a shell fragment, in the absence of the brigade commander, he reorganised the whole brigade under extremely heavy gun fire, and led his men with splendid courage to their objective. An attack having been held up, he rushed forward, accompanied by only one runner, and succeeded in breaking up a nest of machine guns, personally bringing back nine or ten prisoners. His fearless example instilled courage and confidence into his men, who then quickly resumed the advance under his leadership. On a subsequent occasion he displayed great courage and powers of leadership in attack, and his initiative, coupled with the confidence with which he inspired all ranks, not only enabled his own and a neighbouring unit to advance, but contributed very materially to the success of the Naval Division in these operations.’ D.S.O. London Gazette 26 July 1918: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During a night attack by the enemy the right flank of his division was left in a dangerous position. He arranged for a flank to be formed in that direction, and subsequently covered the retirement of two brigades with a composite rear-guard which he organised and commanded. His initiative and presence of mind greatly assisted in extricating these brigades from a very difficult situation. Throughout, the skilful handling of his battalion was particularly noticeable.’ M.C. London Gazette 26 January 1917: ‘For conspicuous gallantry in action. He led his men in the attack with great courage and initiative and materially assisted in the capture of the enemy line. He set a fine example throughout.’ M.C. Second Award Bar London Gazette 18 July 1917: ‘For conspicuous gallantry during operations, when he continually dashed forward, under heavy fire, to reorganise the men, and led them on with great bravery through the enemy barrage and machine-gun fire.’ Daniel Marcus William Beak was born in Southampton on 27 July 1891 and joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1915. He served at Gallipoli and was present at the evacuation, before seeing further service with the Drake Battalion on the Western Front, distinguishing himself during the attack on the Hindenburg Line in the final advance to Victory. He died on 3 May 1967. His V.C. group of medals was sold by Spink in November 2003 for the then world record price of £155,000, and is now held by the Lord Ashcroft Collection.
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