Medals from the collection of the late Mike Leahy

A superb Great War and Anglo-Irish War D.C.M. group of five awarded to Brigadier-General George Adamson, Irish Free State Army, late Private in the Machine Gun Corps and Leinster Regiment, murdered in Athlone in April 1922

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (48507 Pte.-A.L. Cpl. G. Adamson, 10/M.G.C.); 1914-15 Star Trio (4941 Pte., Leins. R.); Irish General Service ‘Black & Tan’ Medal 1917-21, with Comrac bar and top suspension bar, reverse named ‘524 George Adamson’, good very fine and rare (5) £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of the late Mike Leahy.

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D.C.M. London Gazette 25 February 1920 (Egypt): ‘For conspicuous gallantry on the 20th September 1918 near Selfit. When the enemy made an attempt to capture his gun, this N.C.O. continued to fire with the greatest coolness and disregard for danger, although he was being very heavily engaged with enemy shell and machine-gun fire. Throughout the day he behaved with extreme gallantry.’

After demobilisation George Adamson joined the Irish Volunteers and took a prominent part in the Irish struggle. He was Vice-Commandant of the Athlone Brigade I.R.A., and was one of the best and bravest officers in the flying column in their many engagements. He was one of the officers with Commandant Tormey at the ambush in Cornatulla in February, 1920, in which Commandant Tormey was shot dead. When trying to cover the retreat of his men, Brigadier-General Adamson was seriously wounded, and later when he had recovered from his wounds was again wounded in another attack on Crown Forces.

There is a mystery about how he came to be shot in Athlone on 25th April, 1922. Late at night on the 24th, Adamson returned to Custume Barracks to Moate, where he was on a visit to his parents. Sometime afterwards, for certain military reasons, he, with a party of officers, were sent out to take in a suspicious motor car standing on the street. They succeeded in getting the car, but on arrival at the Barracks they discovered that two of the officers were missing. The Brigadier-General, with courage characteristic of him, volunteered to go out in search of the two officers. Three others accompanied him. As they got to Irishtown the Brigadier-General saw a man in a door-way and challenged him. The man replied: “I know you, George, and you know me.” He asked about the car that was taken. Before the conversation proceeded further, several men appeared and ordered “hands up.” Being surrounded, they had no alternative but to comply with the order. Adamson’s comrades were disarmed, and immediately some shots rang out and the Brigadier-General fell, mortally wounded to the ground. The subsequent inquest concluded that Adamson was ‘murdered at Athlone on Tuesday, 25th April, by some person or persons unknown.’ Some believe that his death led into the Civil War, because the Staters used it very effectively for propaganda - Tan Hero Murdered, and such like.