Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

Three: Private G. J. Bryant, 14th London Regiment, The London Scottish, afterwards Editor of Lloyd’s List

British War and Victory Medals (517316 Pte., 14-Lond. R.); Defence Medal, all with card boxes of issue, edge nicks, good very fine and better (3) £80-100

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals to The Gordon Highlanders and Associated Units from the Collection of A.J. Henderson.

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George Joseph Bryant served in the 14th (County of London) Battalion of the London Regiment, the London Scottish, from October 1917, when he joined the 3rd Battalion for training at Hazely Down, Winchester. In May 1918 he was posted to the 1st Battalion in France, which he joined at Dainville in the Arras sector on the 25th of that month. The following information has been taken from an article published in Lloyd’s Log some 60 years later, the whole based on the recipient’s diary entries for 1918:

‘On 20 June, about seven or eight of us were ordered on night patrol to fire rifle grenades (Mills bombs with a rod or base-plate attached) at some particular point of the German line. This we did, but the enemy reacted immediately and a small bomb or mortar landed in the middle of us severely wounding two and one slightly.’

‘On 29 August it was again our turn and we moved up, through the Hindenburg Line, to a position called Pelican Lane, from which we advanced to take Bullecourt. Here we suffered very severe casualties and three men were killed alongside me in almost as many seconds. However, we reached our objective and spent the night out on listening posts.

We were relieved early the next morning and I was sent to Battalion H.Q. as a “runner”. Soon after we had been relieved the Germans counter-attacked and retook Bullecourt, and we were ordered to recapture it the following day. Being a runner meant I was not with the attacking companies, but had to carry messages anywhere. We moved off at 2 a.m. and very quickly came under shell fire, losing one killed and two wounded. At 5 a.m. our own barrage began, and at the same time the Germans opened up with heavy shelling on Battalion H.Q. They were using gas shells fitted with a high-explosive head, and one of these landed almost at my feet. As the diary states, ‘dumped shells on top of us and round us, but we came through all right. Was gassed, but did not go down’. During the morning three of us were sent up as a Relay Post to ‘A’ Company and I was ordered to go forward to try and make contact with ‘B’ Company to ascertain their position.

Owing to the speed of our advance that day, during which we suffered more heavy casualties, some Germans had been left behind hiding in shell holes and caves. Consequently, I had run only a few hundred yards when bullets began flying round me, and as I wrote ‘was sniped at all the way there’. This is where the diary really jogged the memory. I was trotting along quite happily when I heard a crack and a bullet whizzed past my head. I immediately dropped to the ground and several other shots went overhead. Fortunately, there were shattered horse lines running in my direction, so I jumped into them and dodged in and out of the broken lines until I eventually reached ‘B’ Company. Coming back, and expecting all would be well, I was again shot at, and once more the horse lines proved my salvation ...’


Bryant later suffered badly from the effects of the gas attack delivered that morning and was sent to No. 2 Canadian Stationary Hospital at Boulogne. Although he was passed fit to return to active service in October 1918, he arrived back at the front just as the War ended. Discharged in October 1919, he returned to Lloyd’s of London where he spent the rest of his working life, finally ending his career with the Corporation as Editor of the Lloyd’s List.

Sold with 20 original Great War postcards, several being portrait photographs of the recipient in uniform and another five with messages home from one of the recipient’s brothers, between May 1915 and December 1918; and an old London Scottish blazer badge.