Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

British War Medal 1914-20 (G-13668 Sjt. W. H. Cox. E. Surr. R.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (3) (11735 Pte. F. C. W. Bass. E. Surr. R.; 13955 A.Cpl. R. Cornelius. E. Surr. R.; 17178 Pte. A. C. Rummery. E. Surr. R.) very fine (4) £120-£160

Frederick Charles William Bass was born in Mitcham, Surrey, and attested for the East Surrey Regiment at Kingston-on-Thames. He served with the 8th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front, and was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. On this date the Battalion, as part of 55th Brigade, 18th Division, was tasked with attacking from the front line between Talus Boisé and Carnoy-Montauban Road towards Montauban Ridge:
‘Symbolic of the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the way that the men went forward in brave, confident, and well disciplined order is the kicking of footballs into No Man’s Land by men of the 8th East Surrey Regiment. “B” Company on the left was led by Captain W. P. Nevill who had provided each platoon with a football. Special permission to kick footballs into action had been obtained; however, there was a proviso that proper formation and distance had to be kept. The first ball was kicked by Captain Nevill and his 2 leading platoons moved forwards towards the enemy’s Breslau Trench some 400 yards ahead at 7:27 a.m. Soon machine gun fire from craters to the left would cut down the leading waves; Captain Nevill’s body, along with two footballs, would later be found just outside the German wire.’ (British Battalions on the Somme, by Ray Westlake refers).
The Objective was reached at 12:22 p.m., but the Battalion had suffered total casualties of 446. Bass was amongst those killed; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

Robert Cornelius was born in Clapham, Surrey, and attested for the East Surrey Regiment at Wandsworth, Surrey. He served with the 13th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front, and was killed in action on 24 April 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

Alfred Charles Rummery was born in Rotherhithe, Kent, and attested for the East Surrey Regiment at Deptford, Kent. He served with the 12th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front, and died of wounds on 20 September 1917. He is buried in Larch Wood (Railway Cutting) Cemetery, France.