Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Lieutenant E. O. B. Killen, Royal Engineers, who was killed in action at Kut-al-Amara on 15 January 1917

1914-15 Star (2. Lieut. E. O. B. Killen. R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. E. O. B. Killen); Memorial Plaque (Edward Osborne Brice Killen) extremely fine (4) £180-£220

This lot is to be sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward De Santis.

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Edward Osborne Brice Killen was born in Belfast, Ireland on 26 September 1893 and was educated at Bedford School – where he was ‘an intrepid rock climber’ – and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. A member of the O.T.C., he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in January 1915. Posted to 71 Field Company, R.E., in Egypt in September 1915, he may have seen action in Gallipoli and was commended for his work at Mudros harbour. He was subsequently embarked for Mesopotamia, where his company was present in attacks on Sanniyat in April 1916, prior to him being invalided with dysentery.

Rejoining his unit a month or two later, Killen was busily employed in the operations to retake Kut-al-Amara, and it was in just such an operation that he was killed on 15 January 1917, probably by a Turkish sniper. In describing Killen’s death his senior officer wrote: 
‘The Infantry had advanced, and he was coolly setting out the new communication trenches. The Corporal who was helping him in directing the digging of the Infantry saw him fall. He was at once unconscious and died quite peacefully. He was buried on West bank of Hai, a few miles south of Kut. We are very sad at having lost him so soon. His keenness and ability - especially for siting trenches with such little experience - greatly impressed us. Personally, he was an ideal companion and his loss is irreplaceable.’

Sold with the recipient’s commission document for the rank of Second Lieutenant, R.E., dated 8 January 1915; and a photographic image of the recipient.