Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An outstanding sniper’s ‘Battle of Loos 1915’ D.C.M. group of five awarded to Private J. Ryan, 5th Battalion (formerly 2nd Battalion), Rifle Brigade, who emigrated to Canada after the War, and ‘changed his target from Huns to moose’

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (2546 Pte. J. Ryan. 5-Rif. Brig.); 1914 Star, with clasp (2546 Pte. J. Ryan. Rif. Brig.); British War and Victory Medals (2546 Pte. J. Ryan. Rif. Brig.); War Medal 1939-45, mounted for display, the Great War awards all named in a Canadian style and therefore possibly a replacement or duplicate set, contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine or better (5) £1,000-£1,400

D.C.M. London Gazette 14 January 1916; citation published 11 March 1916:
‘For conspicuous gallantry and very good work, as a sniper. No work of this kind was too dangerous for him. While carrying out a duel with an enemy sniper in front of our parapets he was wounded, this being the third time he had been wounded during the year. His services have been most valuable and his devotion very marked.’

Joseph Ryan enlisted into the Army on 20 December 1907, aged 17. He landed at Havre on 7 November 1914, with the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade and was awarded the D.C.M. for his work as a sniper, principally as Bois Grenier during the Battle of Loos. He was wounded three times during 1915. By 1916 he was serving with the 5th Battalion and his award was both gazetted and named to this battalion. At some later date, presumably no longer fit for front line service, he was transferred to the Labour Corps and subsequently discharged from the service due to his wounds on 11 December 1917.

The Regimental History records that Ryan’s D.C.M. was for the attack at Bois Grenier on 25 September 1915, and that it was one of four such awards for this action.

The Rifle Brigade Chronicle of 1924 included a picture of Ryan, taken in Canada where he was then living, together with an ex-Rifleman who had served in Canada in 1866. After describing Ryan’s D.C.M. winning exploits, the note ends ‘From a letter recently received from J. Ryan he appears to still keep up his sniping, but has changed his target from Huns to moose, deer, etc.’

Sold with copied research including extracts from the Regimental History with account of the Bois Grenier action, and war diary extracts for 1914 and 1915.

Note: Another group of medals to this man is known to exist, and given the fact that the 1914 Star in this lot omits the Battalion number, and the fact that the medals are all named in a style typically seen on Canadian-issued awards, it is likely that the medals in this lot are a replacement set issued in Canada.