Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Private H. Crates, 14th (1st Birmingham Pals) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, who was killed in action on the Western Front at High Wood on 21 July 1916
British War and Victory Medals (1509 Pte. H. Crates. R. War. R.) good very fine

Pair: Private F. A. Richmond, Suffolk Regiment
British War ands Victory Medals (5091 Pte. F. A. Richmond. Suff. R.); together with the recipient’s Silver War Badge, the reverse officially numbered ‘431999’, complete with safety chain, very fine

Memorial Plaque (Thomas Wilson) good very fine (5) £100-£140

Henry Crates was born in Birmingham and attested there for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He served with the 14th (1st Birmingham Pals) Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 1916, and was killed in action at High Wood on 21 July 1916 - entering the line on the southern corner of High Wood facing towards Longueval on 20 July, over the next two days the Battalion was ‘cut to pieces by fire from High Wood’, and suffered total casualties of 485. Crates has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.

Frederick Arthur Richmond attested for the Suffolk Regiment and served with the 4th Battalion during the Great War on the Western Front from 22 January 1916 to 12 August 1918. He was discharged due to wounds, and was awarded the Silver War Badge. His address at the time was Lily Farm, Caldecote, Cambridgeshire.

There are numerous men with the name Thomas Wilson on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Roll of Honour.