Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Captain L. FitzMaurice, Somerset Light Infantry, who was killed in action in the Battle of the Ancre on 18 November 1916

1914-15 Star (Lieut., Som. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.), with related Memorial Plaque (Lindsay Fitzmaurice), extremely fine (4) £600-700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to Great War Casualties formed by Tim Parsons.

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Lindsay FitzMaurice, the son of Dr. Richard FitzMaurice of Lindfield, Sussex, was educated at London University.

Commissioned into the Somerset Light Infantry from the University O.T.C., he was killed in action in the Ancre Valley on 18 November 1916 during the final days of the Somme offensive, while serving in the 8th Battalion.

As evidenced by accompanying photographs, he had previously been wounded, very probably on the 1 July 1916 when the 8th Battalion attacked Fricourt - 63rd Brigade’s war diary notes that nearly all of the unit’s officers became casualties soon after moving into No Man’s Land after zero hour.

FitzMaurice was interred in Ancre British Cemetery at Beaumont-Hamel on the Somme.

Sold with family photograph albums (5), one empty but with about 50 loose images in end pocket, the vast majority of Great War vintage; another inscribed ‘F. FitzMaurice, May 8th 1911’, and containing around 70 images of family life; another, inscribed to a family member at ‘Lindfield, 1909’ , but actually with around 70 images of China and a few of Thailand, including consular staff; another, with around 200 images, largely of family life but with Great War subject matter appearing towards the end, included wounded personnel in a U.K. hospital; and the last also of home scenes, around 50 images, including one of two captions identifying the recipient circa 1912-13.