Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War 1918 ‘Colincamps operations’ M.M. awarded to Sergeant D. Mayall, 7th Battery, 1st Brigade, New Zealand Field Artillery, New Zealand Expeditionary Force

Military Medal, G.V.R. (13-484 Sjt: D. Mayall. 7/By: 1/Bde: Bde: N.Z.F.A.) very fine £500-£600

M.M. London Gazette 29 August 1918. The original recommendation states:

‘During the enemy attack on the Colincamps on the 5th April 1918, he was acting as No. 1 of his sub-section. The gun was completely in the open for two hours the battery position was subjected to heavy hostile shelling. Two of his detachment were wounded but he kept his gun in action at full rate of fire throughout the whole attack. His courage and coolness at this critical time were a splendid example and were responsible in a large measure for the courage and devotion to duty by the men of his detachment.’


D. Mayall was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1891, and attested for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in August 1914. He served with the New Zealand Field Artillery in the Gallipoli theatre of war, and was admitted to hospital sick in Mudros, 24 June 1915. Mayall was later evacuated to Egypt, and subsequently served with the 7th Battery, 1st Brigade, New Zealand Field Artillery in the French theatre from 1916. He was Commended by the Officer Commanding the N.Z.E.F., 31 October 1917, for ‘whilst himself a patient in hospital voluntarily acted as a donor for blood transfusion with the object of saving the life of a comrade.’

Mayall returned to New Zealand in S.S. Remuera in March 1919, and was discharged in June of the same year.