Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Private F. M. Gately, 2nd Regiment, South African Infantry, late South African Irish Regiment, who was killed in action during the Battle of the Somme on 15 July 1916
1914-15 Star (Pte. F. M. Gately. S.A. Irish.); British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (Pte. F. M. Gately. 2nd S.A.I.) in damaged named card boxes of issue, the first scarce to unit, extremely fine

Pair: Lance Corporal A. Valentine, 2nd Regiment, South African Infantry, who was killed in action during the Battle of Menin Road on 20 September 1917
British War and Bilingual Victory Medals (L/Cpl. A. Valentine. 2nd S.A.I.) with flattened named card box of issue, nearly extremely fine (5) £120-£160

This lot is to be sold as part of a special collection, The Bernard Harris Collection of Medals to the 2nd Regiment, South African Infantry.

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Frederick Maurice Gately was born in 1883, the son of John Gately of Park Gates, East London, Cape Province. He initially served with the newly raised South African Irish Regiment as part of Colonel Skinner’s Northern Force. This unit embarked from Cape Town on 21 December 1914 and was immediately in action at Walvis Bay against German patrols. Transferred to the 2nd South African Infantry, Gately served in Egypt from 29 December 1915 to 14 April 1916 before disembarking at Marseilles and being sent to the Western Front. He was killed a short while later whilst attempting to capture and hold Delville Wood. Aged 33 years, he has no known grave and is commemorated upon the Thiepval Memorial, France.

Adam Valentine was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, around 1887, and attested for the 2nd South African Infantry at Potchefstroom on 6 December 1915. He disembarked at Rouen on 7 July 1916 and was evacuated from the Western Front suffering from lumbago in November 1916. Returned to his unit 11 June 1917, he was killed in action on the rain sodden battlefield of Passchendaele. He has no known grave and is commemorated upon the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

Sold with copied service records for both recipients.