Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War M.M. group of seven awarded to Company Quarter Master Sergeant W. McMinn, Canadian Engineers, late King’s Own Scottish Borderers

Military Medal, G.V.R. (5776 Sjt. W. McMinn. 1-Can. Div. Sig. Coy.) a somewhat later issue; India General Service 1895-1902, 2 clasps, Punjab Frontier 1897-98, Tirah 1897-98 (4286 Cpl. W. McMinn 2nd. K.O.S.B.) renamed; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Transvaal, South Africa 1902 (4286 Cpl. W. McMinn. 1st. K.O.S.B.) renamed; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (4286 Cpl. W. McMinn. 1st. K.O.S.B.) renamed; 1914-15 Star (5667 Sgt. W. McMinn C.E.) a somewhat later issue; British War and Victory Medals (5776 C.Q.M.S. W. McMinn, C.E.) these both later issues with officially re-impressed naming, the first four heavily polished, thus fine or better, the Great War trio very fine (7) £200-£240

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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M.M. London Gazette 6 January 1917.

The original recommendation states: ‘For gallantry and great devotion to duty on September 25, 1916, during the successful attack on Hessian and Zollern Trenches, when he laid and maintained lines to the front line trenches under heavy shell fire, and by his coolness and resource, set a high example to the men working under him. On numerous occasions during the last 18 months he has shown great courage and resource under fire, and his work on these occasions has been of the very greatest assistance to his signal section. Owing to the fact that his signal officer was killed on September 26th, Sergeant McMinn was inadvertently passed over for recommendation and award.’

William McMinn was born in Castle Douglas, Dumfriesshire on 2 January 1874 and enlisted in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in the early 1890s. Posted to the 2nd Battalion in India, he served in the Tirah Field Force and on the Punjab Frontier in 1897-98 and was subsequently re-assigned to the 1st Battalion. Having then see further action in the Boer War, in operations in Cape Colony and the Transvaal, and at Paardeberg, he took his discharge and emigrated to Toronto, Canada.

In the period leading up to the outbreak of the Great War, McMinn served in the 12th Regiment of Canadian Militia (York Rangers) and the Canadian Signals Corps, and he was mobilised as a Sergeant in the 1 st Canadian Divisional Signal Company in August 1914. Embarked for the U.K. in March 1915, and thence for France, he was decorated for the above cited deeds in the Flers-Courcelette sector on the Somme in September 1916.

Having then taken up a posting in the U.K. in March 1917, he remained likewise employed until being embarked for Canada in March 1918, where he was discharged as unfit for further military duty. A member of the Canadian Legion, McMinn does not appear to have claimed his Great War awards until February 1936, following which he reported their loss and obtained official replacements in October 1953, shortly before his death at Niagara in the following year.

Note: The Great War medals in this lot would appear to be those official replacements issued in 1953.