Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Third Battle of Ypres M.M. group of five awarded to Sergeant T. Lancashire, 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers

Military Medal, G.V.R. (3801 Cpl. T. Lancashire, 2/Lanc: Fus:); 1914-15 Star (3801 Pte. T. Lancashire. Lan: Fus:); British War and Victory Medals (3801 Sjt. T. Lancashire. Lan. Fus.); Belgian Croix de Guerre, mounted court style, generally very fine (5) £400-£500

Provenance: Alan Stott Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, March 1997.

M.M. London Gazette 28 January 1918.

The following appeared in The Oldham Chronicle, 9 February 1918:

‘Brave Oldham Man. Military Medal and Croix de Guerre.
Sergeant Tom Lancashire, Lancashire Fusiliers, of 1, Derwent Street, Greenacres, Oldham, has been awarded the Military Medal and the French (sic) Croix de Guerre for bravery. He is 27 years of age and is one of four brothers who enlisted soon after the outbreak of war. The official description of the deed for which he was awarded the Military Medal is as follows:-
“On the morning of Oct. 9 at ____ this gallant non-commissioned officer in charge of the regimental stretcher-bearers advanced in the rear of his battalion, and after their battalion had got their object he occupied a shell-hole as an aid-post, 50 yards in the rear of the front line. He then went out on his own collecting and dressing wounded under heavy shell fire and rifle fire, fearless of snipers, and he also collected prisoners and made them act as stretcher-bearers to our wounded. For these brave deeds this gallant man was awarded the Military Medal.”
Sergt. Lancashire has also been awarded the Croix de Guerre for gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack. His father, who is over 56 years of age, has been on active service during the present war with the Engineers. One brother, Ernest Lancashire (Lancashire Fusiliers), has been killed in action, another brother, George, has been wounded three times and is discharged, and a third, William, has been wounded twice.’

Awarded for the 3rd Battle of Ypres 9/10th October 1917, Peolcappelle. Captain C. R. R. Huxtable, M.C., Medical Officer, states in the Regimental History: ‘Corporal T. Lancashire, the medical officer’s assistant, seemed to bear a charmed life as he walked about in search of wounded, quite indifferent to all the bullets.’ There were only three M.M. and Belgian Croix de Guerre combinations awarded to the regiment for the Great War.

Sold with copied newspaper articles and two copied photographs of Lancashire.