Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A good Great War M.C. group of three awarded to 2nd Lieutenant L. G. Holgate, Lancashire Fusiliers, who was seriously wounded at Martinpuich on 25 August 1918, when a fellow member of the 10th Battalion won a posthumous V.C.

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (2 Lieut.), good very fine (3) £700-900

M.C. London Gazette 2 December 1918.

‘For conspicuous gallantry during an attack. He led his platoon with the greatest determination and drove the enemy back, and it was due to his courage and leadership that the objective was gained. He was seriously wounded but refused to be moved to the rear until three more seriously wounded men were first taken to the aid post.’

Leonard George Holgate, who first entered the French theatre of war in June 1918, was awarded his M.C. in respect of his bravery with the 10th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers at Martinpuich on 25 August 1918:

‘At 1.30 a.m. on 25 August 1918 the 10th Lancashire Fusiliers (52nd Brigade, 17th Division) received orders to advance eastwards, with the village of Martinpuich as their first objective. The 12th Manchester Battalion of the same brigade were to pass to the south and join up with the Lancashire Fusiliers to the north on the far side. The village was then to be ‘mopped up’.

It turned out that Martinpuich was much more strongly defended than thought. In addition, the German artillery caught the advancing troops as they began to move off at zero hour, which was 4.00 a.m. Despite this, the village was taken, although the enemy artillery prevented the brigade remaining in it. When the attacking troops reached a hill about half a mile east of the village, a large body of the enemy - estimated to be about three companies - were seen moving down the forward slope of the next ridge, obviously about to make a counter-attack. The 10th Lancashire Fusiliers quickly took up positions in some nearby trenches, and the Germans were upon them by about 4.15 a.m. By good fortune four machine-guns belonging to the 17th Machine Gun Battalion happened to turn up at this point and with their help the counter-attack was brought to a halt, preventing the enemy recapturing Martinpuich. Part of ‘B’ Company suffered heavy casualties, which was when Acting Sergeant H. Colley gained his V.C. Seeing the difficulties, he rushed forward to assist. He succeeded in rallying the men and formed a defensive flank in the trench, which was shared with the enemy, eventually driving the attackers off. Only three men of the garrison were left unwounded and Colley himself died that night of wounds’ (The Road to Victory 1918, by Gerald Gliddon, refers).