Three: Private P. Redford, 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers, late Army Cyclist Corps, who died of wounds on 11 July 1916, most probably sustained on the first day of the Battle of the Somme

1914-15 Star (2503 Pte. P. Redford A. Cyc. Corps); British War and Victory Medals (2503 Pte. P. Redford. A. Cyc. Corps.) nearly extremely fine (3) £100-£140

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the South Wales Borderers.

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Percy Redford was born in Unsworth, Lancashire, in 1896, and served with the Army Cyclist Corps during the Great War in Gallipoli from 16 November 1915. He subsequently transferred to the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers. Atkinson’s History of the South Wales Borderers 1914-18 states that the 2nd Battalion received 87 reinforcements from the Corps Cyclist Battalion in early June 1916. Redford would have been one of these men.

Of the seven battalions of the South Wales Borderers on the Western Front at the start of the Battle of the Somme only the 2nd Battalion went ‘over the top’ on 1 July and its goal was to breach the formidable defences of Beaumont Hamel. As part of the twenty ninth division they were shattered to pieces with their casualty list including 15 of its 21 officers and 384 of the 578 men engaged in the attack, 235 of them killed or missing. As a result, this Battalion was incapable of further effort. Redford died of wounds on 11 July 1916 and given the very limited number of casualties recorded by the Battalion in France in June 1916 it is highly likely that Redford received his injuries on 1 July 1916. Having been transported back to England he died in Bristol Southern General Hospital and is buried in Unsworth (St. George) Churchyard extension in Lancashire.

Sold with copied Medal Index Card and C.W.G.C. casualty details confirming his transfer to the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers.