Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War ‘Western Front - Gillemont Farm, April 1917’ M.M. group of three awarded to Corporal E. Ayres, 1/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

Military Medal, G.V.R. (201472 Pte. E. Ayres. 1/4 O. & B.L.I.-T.F.); British War and Victory Medals (4292 Cpl. E. Ayres. Oxf. & Bucks. L.I.) together with a Somme commemorative medal, good very fine (4) £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum.

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M.M. London Gazette 18 June 1917.

‘On 19 April 1917, he did exceptionally well with his Lewis gun accounting for several of the enemy and keeping down the enemy's rifle fire from the left of Gillemont Farm. The majority of the team had become casualties, but he continued to carry on irrespective of the enemy's heavy fire from machine guns.’

Ernest Ayres was educated at Holy Trinity School, Oxford, and joined up in 1915. Sold with copied Medal Index Card and extracts from the War Record of the 1/4th Oxf. & Bucks Lt. Infty.