A Fine Collection of of Great War Medals to the Rifle Brigade

Pair: Second Lieutenant Alexander Park, Rifle Brigade, a casualty of the Final Advance

British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut.); together with memorial plaque (Alexander Park) extremely fine (3) £150-180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of of Great War Medals to the Rifle Brigade.

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Alexander Park was educated at George Heriot’s College, Edinburgh, and was employed as a cashier with Messrs. Harvey & Co., Leith. He enlisted in the 2/6th Battalion, Black Watch (T.F.) in August 1916 and was commissioned in the Rifle Brigade in October 1917. He joined the 13th (Service) Battalion in France in December and served throughout 1918 only to be Killed in Action in the battalion’s last action of the war, on 4 November 1918 at Louvignies. The attack was successful, but there was still fierce opposition especially from machine-gunners. A brother subaltern in “D” Company wrote a long account of the day’s action, a copy of which is present: “As soon as I had the men settled I went to find Capt. Davy, O.C. ‘D’ Co. … and he told me to go with 2nd-Lts. Park and Macaulay… and arrange our positions to start off from… out in No Man’s Land… two Whizz-bangs pitched within 10 yards of us… but beyond putting the ‘wind up’ and covering us with mud, fortunately we escaped… Park and I fixed up our positions roughly, we were greatly aided in getting them by a Very Light the enemy kindly put up, and it also enabled us to get a good view of the railway… Shell fire was pretty heavy as the enemy were rather ‘windy’…” This officer reached his objective “but Nos. 14 [Park] and 16 Platoons on our right and left had practically been wiped out by machine-gun fire from the orchards, together with, I am sorry to say, Capt. Davy and 2nd-Lts. Park and Macaulay – all killed.” 2nd Lieutenant Park is buried in Ghissignies British Cemetery.

Sold with copy portrait photo.