azyeoman

A new Boer War pair to 4404 Pte. E. Connolly, 1st Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers

QSA (with ghost dates) and with Talana, OFS & Transvaal clasps and KSA with SA01 & SA02 clasps

Connolly was captured at Nicholson's Nek in October 1899.  It was another early disaster for the British Army.  Interestingly, Connolly was later released at Lourenco Marques in Portuguese Mosambique on 13 Septeber 1900.  Churchill  escaped and went to Lourenco Marques (now Maputo).

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A new badge that I've never seen before.  "Birmingham Prisoners of War Relatives Ass'n"  Blue enamel on brass and made by William White Ltd. Birmingham

A very nice addition to the collection for the battle of Sidi Nsir; a famous and important battle in the annals of the Royal Artillery.

Spike Milligan was in North Africa at the time (himself a Gunner in 19 Battery, 56th Heavy Rgt RA) and he mentions this battle in the second book of his memoirs – “Rommel? Gunner Who? – A confrontation in the desert.†– on page 107. To quote: “They nearly broke through at Hunt’s Gap, but an incredible resistance by 5 Hampshires and 155 Bty RA for over twelve hours (the latter were finally overwhelmed) decimated the Bosch so much – he had to stop.†By investigating this action, I read of their incredible valour: I think the whole 155th Battery deserves a VC. Every single one of them – brave men indeed!

SGT. F. NOON, ROYAL ARTILLERY - PoW 1943, WITH HIS DIARY DESCRIBING HIS CAPTURE AND EARLY CAPTIVITY

1939-45 Star, Africa Star bar '1st Army'; Defence & War Medals. All unnamed. With the original issue slip for the four medals and bar and two related newspaper cuttings (see below, which give biographical details and a photograph of the recipient. His original pocket notebook which gives details including a list of the nine men in his section, a list of ammunition, some U.K. addresses, and an account of the action in which he was taken prisoner along with notes on the first three months of captivity. He was taken prisoner at Sidi Nsir on 26/2/43 after "ten hours continual fighting.....machine-gunned from the air, plastered with mortar and shell fire from front and right.....fired on with small arms from the rear by Germans dressed as Arabs.....guns, men and equipment sail through the air after each explosion.....into battle roll his 62-ton Tiger tanks.....we return their fire.....our A.P. shot seems to bounce off him.....and so our position is overrun". With copy PoW papers - Frank Noon was born on 11/11/14 and enlisted on 5/10/34; he was taken prisoner on 26/2/43 whilst with 172nd Field Regt. R.A. (46th Division, 1st Army). He was later held at Campo 66 in Italy 18/3/43 to June 1943, Campo 82 from June to September 1943, and finally at Stalag 4B at Muhlberg in Germany from then until the end of the war. He lived at 16 Mona Terrace, Rhyl, North Wales, and died in Clwyd in October 1987. With further details of this action - 155th Bty. R.A. was based at Sidi Nsir Station supporting the 5th Bn. Hampshire Regt.; the Germans launched a very heavy attack, which if it had succeeded, would have jeopardised the Allied position in Tunisia. Of the 135 men in the battery only nine escaped, the remainder being killed or captured. This action was featured in "The War Illustrated" on 9/9/43 under the heading "The Glorious 155th Battery Fought To The End".

The Glorious 155th Battery Fought to the End

The War Illustrated, Vol. 7, # 158, p. 77, 9/9/1943

Lord Milne, veteran general of the last war, was filled with indignation. Rising from his seat in the House of Lords he criticized in severe terms the propaganda department of the War Office, and pointed out one or two notable omissions – the Rifle Brigade, the Royal Corps of Signals, and the cavalry regiments – from Lord Croft's recent statement giving the names of the regiments which had been fighting in Tunisia. Why were we told so little about our units and their leaders, he asked. Today wonderful deeds were being done about which people were told nothing. He would give on example. A battery of artillery was told to cooperate with an infantry regiment. At the end of the battle, when morning broke, every officer and 95 per cent of the men were lying round their smashed guns. The Germans knew what had happened; the Army knew what had happened; but when the report came to the colonel of the regiment it was marked "secret". Secret from whom? It was one of the things that ought to have been read by every unit of the British Army.

That was on June 3. Two days later the Ministry of Information issued an official account of a field battery's most gallant action in Tunisian fighting. There could be no doubt that this was the incident to which Lord Milne had referred. The date was February 26, 1943. The place was Sidi Nsir, in the hills twelve miles east of Hunts Gap, near Beja. The battery was the 155th who, with a battalion of the Hampshires, had been ordered to hold the place. If Sidi Nsir fell Beja, the key to the northern Allied line, already threatened by a strong German force, would fall too. With Beja in their hands the enemy would soon have made the Medjez el Bab salient untenable, and transport to and from the Algerian ports extremely difficult. They did not get Beja, because the time won by the 155th Field Battery and the Hampshires at Sidi Nsir sufficed to put Beja into a state of effective defence. But the artillerymen paid the price.

On the evening of February 25 no signs were visible of enemy movement. The Divisional Commander, his Commander Royal Artillery, and the C.O. of the Field Regiment to which 155 Battery belonged spent two hours examining the countryside from a dominating observation post and could detect nothing ominous. But during the night Verey light signals began to go up in the hills around Sidi Nsir, and at 6.30 next morning heavy mortar fire opened on the British guns. After 45 minutes shelling came a direct assault. German tanks drove down the road from Mateur. Four 25-pounders leapt into action, No. 1, specially placed at the top of a slope to cover the Mateur approach, firing over open sights. Three tanks were hit as they attempted to pass through a minefield and the road was blocked. Checked in their initial thrust, the enemy sent in lorried infantry who turned the battery's southern flank under cover of a hill.

Things began to look serious. The highest observation post, from which the whole countryside could be surveyed, was heavily attacked, its wireless transmitter was smashed, and its telephone lines were cut. Eight Messerschmitts swooped down on the guns and raked each in turn with machine-gun and cannon fire, inflicting heavy casualties. This manoeuvre was repeated many times. Several vehicles on the road back to Hunts Gap were wrecked and left burning, and the precious ammunition they carried had to be salvaged at imminent risk by the gunners. Bivouac shelters and dumps were in flames. Many men were wounded or killed. But the C.O. of the Regiment, visiting the battery, found all ranks cheerful and determined. Their offensive spirit was completely undaunted. None of the wounded complained.

By midday 30 German tanks, with self-propelled guns and infantry in support, had worked round both flanks and were within 600 yards. A little later the enemy opened small arms fire at close range. At 3 o'clock strong detachments of infantry were across the road to the rear and no more ammunition could pass. For several hours every round had been manhandled forward under heavy fire.

The battery might have saved itself many losses had it concentrated throughout the fire of all its eight guns at a range of 1,300 to 2,000 yards on the German tanks and artillery whose columns were cluttering the way up from Mateur. But its first duty was to protect the Hampshire companies by all means in its power, and it put first things first, by concentrating in support of the infantry.

About 3.30, on every ground of military probability, the battle was almost over. So at least the German Command reasoned. What was meant to be the death blow was struck by a column of tanks which raced along the road into the heart of the battery position. Thirteen other tanks gave covering fire with guns and machine-guns from hull down positions. A Mark VI led the attack. This was holed three times in the turret by shells from No. 1 gun of F Troop. A Mark IV tried to pass round the wreckage, but it also was knocked out by No. 1 gun. The same gun set on fire another tank. Then the surviving tanks drew back and shelled and machine-gunned both F and E Troops, whose positions were easily spotted, for they were now engaging the enemy over open sights. Hull down, the enemy tanks had a great advantage. Concentrating on one gun at a time they killed the detachments, smashed the guns and set the remaining ammunition on fire. When all seemed finished the Germans advanced again. But a surprise awaited them. At its dying gasp, the 155th Field Battery could still hit back. No. 1 gun of F Troop, whose crew had showed themselves heroes among heroes, destroyed the leading tank. A moment later a direct hit killed all the survivors; without a man left, No. 1 was silenced. Nos. 2, 3 and 4 fought on. One officer, batmen, cooks, all who could stand, ran from gun to gun, serving each in turn. Although the issue was decided they fought out the day to the last man and the last round at ranges which shrank from 50 yards to 10 yards.

At 5.30 the Germans, heavily mailed, moved on to crush E Troop as they had crushed F. At nightfall one 25-pounder and several Bren guns were still engaging at ranges of from 10 to 20 yards German tanks which were lumbering through the position, smothering the last resistance, swivelling round on their tracks and crushing in slit trenches. A few minutes earlier the last message had come over the wireless "Tanks are on us", followed by the single V tapped out in Morse.

When the battle began there were at the guns in the command posts and observation posts nine officers and 121 other ranks. But only nine survivors managed to make their way back to the British lines, and of these two were wounded. One of the nine was Gunner J. G. Bryce, who described in a letter to his wife, published in the News Chronicle, the closing scene:

We withstood the brunt of a powerful German attack – all on our own, with no support whatever, under continuous dive-bombing, mortar fire and eventually tanks (the last German Mark VI). We knocked out seven of them.

Everyone showed perfect calm and coolness, even when it was obvious the end was in sight. One gun crew were actually singing that song "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" when their gun was hit. But we held them all until all our guns were knocked out, and we were finally overrun by the enemy.

Then in the pitch darkness, through heavy rain and bitter cold, he managed to get past the German tanks and infantry on to the mountains. After four days in the open, sustained only by his water-bottle and a bar of chocolate, he struggled back to his base.

Of the men who did not come back some were taken prisoner. Their wives then learned at last the meaning of a sentence in a letter received from an enemy prison camp: "I was taken by the Germans on Feb. 26. See if the papers have any account of the battle on that day". They had to wait for three months. But for Lord Milne they – and we, and the world – might have had to wait perhaps for years before this was added to the immortal stories of British valour.

http://www.thewarillustrated.info/158/the-glorious-155th-battery-fought-to-the-end.asp

155th Battery R.A. hold German attack at Sidi Nsir

Brigadier W.D.McN.Graham commanded 172nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery, which comprised three batteries of 25 pounder guns. One of these batteries, the 155th, was based in the remote outpost of Sidi Nsir railway station, alongside the infantry of 5th Battalion Hampshire Regiment.

On the 26th February 1943 the Germans attacked this position intending to break through the British lines in what could have been a major reverse for the Allies in Tunisia. The nine officers and one hundred and twenty six men of the 155th battery were to bear the brunt of the action; only nine of them would survive:

That night an abnormal number of green and white Very lights were seen, and by dawn the mountains and valleys all around were alive with the movement of troops, guns, tanks and infantry columns.

Soon after 6 a.m. on February 26th F Troop came under fire from mortars behind Chechak Ridge and replied with artillery fire. From this moment until dark, F Troop and to a lesser degree E Troop and the command posts, cooks’ shelters, etc, were under increasingly heavy mortar fire. At 7 a.m. enemy tanks attempted a direct assault down the main road from Mateur. F Troop engaged them, No 1 gun over open sights. Three tanks were hit and the road was blocked very conveniently just where it passed through a protective minefield. No 1 gun remained in action in spite of mortar and machine-gun fire. Captain Lawrence had decided to stick to his observation post on the Chechak ridge. Later his bravery in an attempt to escape from prison cost him his life.

At 9.40 a.m. Point 609 was heavily attacked by infantry. Communication was broken, WT sets smashed by enemy mortars and all lines cut. Lieutenant McGee was wounded and taken prisoner. (He subsequently escaped, reached the British lines in Italy and had the desperate ill-fortune to be drowned on his way back home.) From this moment on, the battery had but secondary ‘eyes’ over-looking the Mateur road, which must have been packed with enemy tanks and vehicles.

At 10.15 the CO visited Major Rawford on the gun position. F Troop was then under observation at a range of about 800 yards, and the track leading down to the command post was under very heavy and accurate mortar fire, rounds falling every three seconds or so. On all eight guns the CO found the detachments full of cheerful and determined courage.

Lieutenant Taylor and Sergeant Henderson (both of F Troop) in particular stood out by reason of their undaunted offensive spirit and the inspiring example they set. Sergeant Henderson was the No 1 of No 1 gun, specially placed on the top of the slope to deal with enemy tanks trying to use the Mateur-Sidi Nsir road. Taylor was the only officer on F Troop position, and he fought there until he was killed.

At this time Messerschmidts attacked from a height of about 200 feet and racked the gun positions with machine-gun fire and cannon fire. A number of vehicles were burning along the road Sidi Nsir- Hunt’s Gap, some of them filled with ammunition and ammonal; but the risks were ignored by officers and men alike as they cheerfully salvaged and carried the shells throughout the action. The wounded acted stoically; none grumbled or complained.

By noon enemy tanks (reported to number 30) and infantry had wormed their way into positions around the flanks of the guns. All this time the battery was completely occupied in engaging enemy infantry, machine guns and mortars, which were closing in on the Hampshire company positions.

The battery fired as many as 1,800 rounds per gun during the fierce, relentless day. Bren guns claimed four Messerschnidts – a triumphant reward for days of patient shooting on the balloon range at Lydd before leaving England.

The gallantry of the infantry, isolated on the tops of stony djebels, was superb. Both artillery and infantry were equally determined not to let their opposite numbers down.

At 3 p.m. a column of the enemy infantry penetrated between Hampshire Farm, two miles or so to the west of Sidi Nsir – Beja road, and the gun positions, and no more ammunition could pass. Twenty minutes later, under covering fire from some 13 tanks in hull-down positions (firing MGs and guns), more tanks attempted to advance down the main road. A Panzer Mk VI was leading. This was hit three times by Sergeant Henderson’s gun. A smaller Panzer Mk VI tried to pass, but this in turn was knocked out by No 1 gun. Yet a third tank was set on fire by the same gun.

The enemy held back, shelling and machine-gunning the positions, particularly F Troop, which was more easily spotted. Both troops were now in action against enemy tanks over open sights. But the tanks in hull-down positions had a great advantage over our guns and engaged them one by one, setting ammunition dumps, killing or wounding the detachments and eventually smashing the guns themselves.

At four o’clock another attack was put in from the Mateur road against F Troop’s southern flank. Sergeant Henderson smashed up the leading tank, but immediately afterwards he and his entire detachment were knocked out by a direct hit. (Sergeant Henderson recovered later in an enemy hospital.) The tanks then came on over the ridge in front of F Troop, who still had three guns in action and engaged the enemy at ranges of from 50 to 10 yards with Lieutenant Taylor, the fitter, cooks and all the survivors running from gun to gun and servicing each in turn.

At this stage the slope of the ground, which is steep and convex, gave the gunners some much needed help, for the attacking tanks were handicapped by their limited ability to depress their guns. F Troop fired for over an hour more before they were finally silenced. Then the tanks moved down the road past F Troop and surrounded E Troop.

At 6.30 p.m. Bren guns and at least one 25-pdr of E Troop were still in action against the enemy tanks at point blank range.

At 5.51 p.m. the last message came back over the wireless, ‘Tanks are on us’, followed a few seconds later by the single letter ‘V’ tapped out in Morse. 
Many, both German and British, thought that the battle was over. But in fact it had scarcely begun. One third of the guns of 172nd Field Regiment had been lost, but a precious 24 hours had been gained and the gallant action of 155th Battery had instilled a healthy measure of caution into the enemy, whose one real chance of success lay in speed.

At dawn on the 27th, headed by a group of Mk VI tanks, the menacing columns moved westwards along the winding, narrow single-track road to Hunt’s Gap. But long before the enemy reached Hunt’s Gap he was pounded continuously by a heavily reinforced artillery which had made full use of the 24 hours’ respite to establish extra ‘eyes’ in the mountains, as well as large dumps of ammunition. The road by which the enemy advanced stretched mercilessly for miles and, as luck would have it, it rained and rained and rained. It was if the enemy had walked deliberately into a carefully baited trap. His heavy tanks floundered in the mud. They became trapped on a narrow road from which they could not turn back. Their drivers were panicked by concentrations of artillery fire from a daily increasing weight of field guns, until eventually they themselves completely blocked their only route of advance.

Then, for ten days, field and medium guns hurled thousands of shells upon them, smashing their tanks and vehicles on the road and mowing down their infantry when they tried to get round over the barren hills. The gunners of 153rd and 154th Batteries took a remorseless revenge for their comrades of 155th who had died at Sidi Nsir.

Read the whole of Brigadier Graham’s account at Milsom pages. English photograph captions courtesy Lone Sentry.

See more at: http://ww2today.com/26th-february-1943-155th-battery-r-a-hold-german-attack-at-sidi-nsir#sthash.69oGSX52.dpuf

BBC account: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/71/a6227471.shtml

Another account:

http://freespace.virgin.net/derek.milsom/Pages/SIDI%20NSIR.html

172nd Field Regiment RA was formed in 1942 in St Leonards from some coastal batteries. They left UK for North Africa in January 1943 losing a battery and a half of 25 pounder guns when the ship carrying them was sunk. On 24th February the Regiment took up position covering Hunt’s Gap near Beja in support of 128 Inf Bde. The History records for the 26th “155 Battery who were out with the leading battalion prepared to do battle. This time the hun pressed home his attack very hard indeed and the battle raged furiously all day with the guns engaging tanks over open sights and acquitting themselves magnificently in their first battle. The guns were continually strafed by aircraft and one by one the infantry positions were over run. Magnificent work was done by many people on that day, not least of whom were those who carried up ammunition under constant air attack. By 1500 hrs the road had been cut behind the battery but they continued to fight on, and it was not until 1800 hrs that the last message was received on the wireless – the encouraging ‘V’ sign in morse. And so in the first day’s battle the regiment had lost a complete battery, or so the enemy must have thought. In three days 1 officer and 70 other ranks had come across the hills to our own lines and steps were immediately taken to reform the battery. But meanwhile the remainder of the regiment was fully employed in beating off attacks of the enemy who was attempting to reach the broad plains beyond Beja and so turn the whole of the Allied flank.†The Bde Comd recommended that the Battery should be balloted for the award of the Victoria Cross for their actions, but this never happened. The CO felt that those actively involved in the tank battle should receive some recognition and designed the Beja badge and had them produced locally. The badge is a shield with a pin on the back for wear, depicting a Tiger tank pierced by a Crusader’s sword the 1st Army badge, made of white metal with a red felt background with Beja mounted at the top. Badge measures 52mm x 65mm. It is thought that less than 200 were made, but this scarce badge was authorised for wear, usually on the right breast of the recipient’s battle dress.*

*The Beja badge information is solely for information only as Noon did not have one.

About the Beja badge: http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=322

More with google maps and photos of battle

http://tiger1.info/event-page/Sidi-Nsir-battle

And once again, thanks to Dan, there are two more photos of Ray Garstang and his obit written by his widow, Marie as quoted below.  (Note the medal bar in the photos below.)

CHARLES RAYMOND GARSTANG (RAY) 1928 - 2013

Born 1928 in Lancashire, England, lived in Yorkshire until he attended Leeds University.

He was conscripted into the British Army, Green Howards, as a second lieutenant, East York regiment and stationed in Austria. One of his postings was on the Anglo Russian demarcation line, controlled by the Russians and British and the western world.

Ray emigrated from England to Canada in 1953. He joined the Canadian Forces and had a 20 year career at rank of Captain.

Posted in Ottawa he ultimately traveled to 47 other countries.  Ray was the Canadian delegate on the International Commission in Vietnam in 1962-1963.  After he retired, Ray embarked on a new career with his wife Marie and opened Raymar Lighting and Interiors, a lighting store situated in downtown Oakville. Ray and Marie operated their store for 28 years.

Ray was very happy and appreciated the many friends that Marie and he had made over the years living in Royal Vista.

Ray passed away peacefully January 4, 2013 at the Brant Centre in Burlington. He will be cremated.  A private Celebration of his Life will take place.  MAY HE REST IN PEACE  Marie Garstang (March 14, 2013)

http://www.canadianguards.ca/sos2.html

Capt Charles Raymond Garstang, CD, served with the Canadian Guards, 2nd Bn and Regimental Depot

A very nice Prussian long service with a Turkish bravery medal pair.

A new Boer War pair with three battle clasps to 29283 Dvr. C. R. Smith Royal Engineers

QSA with Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Transvaal and Wittebergen clasps engraved as sometimes found to corps. 

KSA with SA 01 and SA 02 clasps. impressed naming

Dvr. Smith was with the 42nd Fortress Company RE that were stationed in/near Bloemfontein.  Missing in action and was taken prisoner of war and later released.

 The 42nd (Fortress) Company Inspection was employed with General Clements' column. It worked a great deal at Colesberg and Norval's Pont on bridging operations, which were conducted and greatly facilitated the advance of the column into the Orange State. The 42nd Fortress Company under Captain GM Kirkpatrick RE worked in support of the railway companies and was one of a number of Fortress Companies allocated to controll, repair the railways in British held territory and to take over the Boer lines as they were captured; although, as its name indicates, the work of the fortress companies of the "scientific corps" was mainly in the construction, defence, and attack of fortified positions.  Officers and men were trained in the construction of floating bridges, in demolition, and in a great deal of the practical work required of the Royal Engineers in the field. The training of the fortress companies focused on the building of suspension and trestle bridges, and they were able to take part in field operations in addition to their work in relation to fortifications. The name can be regarded as misleading as they are not completely devoted to fortress war, and proved of great value in many areas during the war.

A Department of Military Railways under the direction of Major (later Colonel Sir) E Percy C Girouard (1867-1932), Royal Engineers was set up in October 1899. Its work was divided under the following headings:

• The control and working of the railways in British territory.
• Arrangement for the repair of lines damaged by the enemy.
• The control and working of the lines in Boer territory - once captured the lines were referred to as the 'Imperial Military Railways'.

In December 1899 a Railway Pioneer Regiment (Major (later Major General Sir) John Capper RE) was raised in South Africa, they along with the engineer railway units (8th and 10th Railway Companies and 6th, 20th, 31st and 42nd Fortress Companies) did much work restoring damaged track and bridges, as well as, operating the trains.

The Military Railway Department proved of great importance in transporting the force; for instance during the three weeks from 21 January to 10 February 1900 27,025 men, 13,590 horses and mules and 24,168 tons of stores were carried north on a single line in preparation for the assault on Bloemfontein.  In the retreat from Bloemfontein the Boers did considerable damage to the railway including blowing four major bridges as well as several smaller ones. The 12th and 26th Field Companies along with C Pontoon Troop were called in to assist the units of the Military Railway Department to make good the damage and render the lines fit for use again.

A great new photo of Major C. R. Garstang (ZB6776) wearing the ribbon bar for the above two parade mounted medals.  Thank you Dan for the info and new photo!

you recommend this shop?

Lambert

Yes, I do. I've never had any issues with him.

Here's another group that is really quite rare due to the War Merit Medal (KVM).

Interesting press photo that I just acquired with the caption "Freed British Soldier Prisoners in Syria". I'd love to find a group to one of the PoWs.

The reverse reads.

Baalbeck, Syria. -- One of the clauses of the Peace Convention of Acre referred to the immediate return of British soldeirs who had been taken prisoner by the Vichy Forces. A groupo of the returned prionsers give vent to thier feeling upon their arrival here by train from prisoner-of-war camps in Northern Syria." Credit line (ACME) 9-10-41

The Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre (also known as the Convention of Acre) concluded the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of WWII. The armistice was signed on 14 Juyly 1941 and was between the allied forces in the Middle East under command of British Gen. Henry Maitland Wilson and Vichy French forces in Syria and Lebanon under command of Gen. Henri Dentz, Commander in Chief of the Army of the Levant (Armee du Levant) and the High Commissioner of the Levant.

Having lost control of the Northern Desert and the Euphrates Province and being threatened with the imminent loss of Beirut, General Dentz decided to ask for an armistice. On the evening of 11 July, British Lt. Gen. Claude Auchinleck, CIC Middle East Command, received a wireless message from Dentz proposing the suspension of hostilities six hours later, at midnight. General Dentz declared himself ready to engage in talks on the basis of a memorandum presented to him that morning by the United States Consul at Beirut on behalf of the British Government. But Dentz made the reservation that he was empowered by the French Government to treat only with the British representatives to the exclusion of those of the Free French.

The proposals presented by General Dentz were considered at once by the Middle East War Council. The council took into account the opinion of the American Consul at Beirut that Dentz was entirely insincere and might be playing for time in the hope of a last minute rescue by the Germans. Accordingly, his conditions were rejected by the British and he was called on to send his plenipotentiaries to the British outpost on the Beirut— Haifa Road at or before 0900 hours on 12 July. Failure to do this would lead to the resumption of hostilities at that hour.

On 12 July, the Vichy second in command, Lt. Gen. Joseph-Antoine-Sylvain-Raoul de Verdillac attended the talks. He went all the way from Syria to Acre in the British Mandate of Palestine and was escorted by a convoy of Australian high commanding officers. General de Verdillac represented the Armee du Levant for the Armistice talks instead of his superior commander, General Dentz. The 21 July 1941 issue of Time Magazine indicates that Dentz sent de Verdillac to the talks because de Verdillac was more pro-British and less anti- De Gaulle than Dentz.

At 2200 hours on 12 July, the Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre was initialled. The Allied forces were represented by General Wilson, by Air Commodore L. O. Brown Royal Air Force, by Captain J. A. V. Morse, Royal Navy, and by Free French General Georges Catroux. The Vichy French were represented by de Verdillac.

The Armistice talks, the first between Great Britain and France since Napoleon's time, were held in the Sidney Smith Barracks officers mess, on the outskirts of the city of Acre. On this site was later founded Bustan HaGalil, an Israeli agricultural settlement. Despite the generosity of the British terms, representatives of Vichy made a brief show of refusing them, then dumped the whole mess into General Dentz's lap. On Bastille Day14 July General Dentz, Vichy's High Commissioner to the Levant States, signed Syria and Lebanon away to the conquering British and to the Free French Forces. When General De Verdillac uncapped his pen to add his signature, all the lights in the room fused out, and so a dispatch rider's motorcycle was brought into the room to light the place with its head lamp.

For more information on the disastorous Kassel mission in which 2Lt Eric W. Smith above took part (in plane "Donald") and more on the B-24 Liberator, please visit the following fascinating sites:

http://www.kasselmission.com/

http://www.jcs-group.com/military/war1941born/kassel.html

http://www.tankbooks.com/ninelives/chapter7.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator

2nd Lt. Eric W. Smith

Eric W. Smith Jr. was inducted into the USAAF as an aviation cadet. After pre-flight he "washed out" of primary, passed gunnery, then graduated as a bombardier. Commissioned 2nd Lt. by Gen. Ramey on 26 February 1944, and married Micki Kaiser from Rochester NY by post chaplain at Kirtland AFB, Albequerque, New Mexico immediately after graduation. On 27 September 1944, he was flying as bombardier with 702 Sqd. of the 445th BG on the ill-fated Kassel mission. The group was badly mauled and Smith was captured and spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany. He was demobilized on 19 September 1945. He received the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, a Purple Heart and several Bronze Stars. He was discharged 15 November 1945.

Eric Wilborne Smith Jr. was born on 15 August 1916 and died at 82 of a heart attack on 18 June 1999 at his home in Glendale a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Smith graduated with a BSc in architecture from U of Illionois in June 1939 and taught design at the Washington University School of Archetecture. He 1949 he opened his own offece and was a principal for 32 years with Smith & Entzeroth Architectural frim which designed some major area projects includeing the Pierre Laclede Center, the Interco Corporate Tower and the 500 Broadway Building in St. Louis. The firm also renovaated the west wing of the St. Louis Art Museum and desigend many local churches and schools. In 1954 he won a national award for the design of the chapl at Baumont Scout Reservation in St. Louis Co., near Eureka. Smith was involved with Boy Scouts most of his life. He Retired in 1989 and enjoyed golf, traveling and being with his wife to whom he was married for at least 48 years.

Here's an interesting one. I apologize in advance as I can't make the photos larger, but you can see them on line via a Canadian dealer.

Lt. Fellows is 1 of only a select few Allied men awarded the German Red Cross Honor Award when the German battleship "Deutschland" sought help after taking a big hit during the spanish civil war. This is a well documented case and has been discussed in the OMRS. War Damaged Group: 1914-15 Star (LIEUT. T.B. FELLOWES R.N.); British War Medal (LIEUT. T.B. FELLOWES R.N.); Victory Medal (LIEUT. T.B. FELLOWES R.N.); Jubliee Medal 1935; Coronation Medal 1937; and Russian Order of St.Stanislaus, 3rd Class. Naming is officially impressed on the three medals. Swing bar suspension, original ribbons, damaged, accompanied by two level ribbon bar of same. Second group of unmounted medals: 1914-15 Star (LT. T.B. FELLOWES RN. REPLACEMENT); British War Medal (LT. T.B. FELLOWES RN REPLACEMENT); Victory Medal (LT T B FELLOWES RN); Jubilee Medal 1935; Coronation Medal 1937; Defence Medal; and War Medal 1939-1945. Three replacement medals are officially impressed, in extremely fine condition. Also included is the American Tuscania Survivors Association Medal (brass, engraved "IN RECOGNITION OF VALOR SHOWN BY COMMANDER AND CREW OF MOSQUITO IN RESCUE OF U.S.A. TROOPS, FEB. 5, 1918", 31 mm x 38 mm); and German Red Cross Honour Award, 3rd Model, 1st Class (with ribbon bar, in case of issue); German Red Cross Honour Award document signed by the President of the German Red Cross, July 26, 1937; a letter from the German Consulate in Gibraltar; documents from Buckingham Palace authorizing him to wear the Jubilee Medal 1935 and the Coronation Medal 1937; letter from the London Civil Defence Region War Debris Survey and Disposal Director dated 1941; copies of his Service Records; his original Cadet Training Certificate from Dartmouth; a photograph of Captain Fellowes; and a copy from "The Landed Gentry" documenting his lineage. Footnote: Thomas Balfour Fellowes was born on July 13, 1891 and was educated at the Royal Naval College at Osborne, Isle of Wight, and then Dartmouth. His father was Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Hounsom Butler Fellowes, K.C.B. (1911), C.B. (1868), who himself was decorated for the Crimean War (1854-55) and the Abyssinian War (1868). T. B. Fellowes entered the Royal Navy in 1903 at the age of twelve. He became a Midshipman in May 1908, a Sub-Lieutenant in October 1911 and Lieutenant in October 1913. It was in this capacity during World War I that he found himself aboard H.M.S. Unity at the Battle of Jutland on May 31 - June 1, 1916. It was for this conflict that he was awarded the Russian Order of St. Stanislaus. He was also recognized as commander of the British Destroyer Mosquito, by the survivors of the S.S. Tuscania, a U.S. troops transport ship which was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland on February 5, 1918, in rescue of its survivors. After the war, he married Anne Evelyn Frances on December 13, 1921. Fellowes was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in October 1921, followed by Commander in December 1926 and later, to Captain, in June 1934. While he was Chief of Staff at Gibraltar in 1937, he was in charge of the rescue and treatment of injured German soldiers. He was subsequently awarded the German Red Cross Honour Badge for his efforts and was given permission by His Majesty the King, to wear it without restriction. Fellowes retired in October 1938 but was recalled to service in 1939 upon the outbreak of World War II and served until 1943. During the German bombing Blitz, between September 1940 and May 1941, Fellowes' original medal grouping was damaged and found its way into the War Debris Survey and Disposal Dump at Hyde Park in London. They were found and tentatively identified as his. He received a letter from the Director of the War Debris Survey, dated October 25, 1941, addressed to him while he was known as Captain Fellowes: "Dear Sir, A number of medals, some of them in a damaged condition, have been found at the War Debris Survey and Disposal Dump at Hyde Park. Some of them bear the name of Lt. T.B. Fellowes. I understand that you held the rank of Lieutenant during the Great War, and shall therefore be pleased if you would let me know whether any of these medals are likely to have been yours. If you will let me have particulars and evidence of ownership, they will then be returned to you." He was very pleased to have them returned and they accompany the replacement medals. The Order of St. Stanislaus was not replaced. In 1972, he celebrated the 200th anniversary of his grandfather's birth, while in 1973, he celebrated the 70th anniversary of his having joined the Royal Navy with friends at the Royal Aero Club. Fellowes passed away in 1974 at the age of 82.

Here's not an unusual WWII PoW group, but the ephimera makes it most interesting. 4749252 Pte. Albert E. Cleave, Green Howards was taken PoW in N. Africa in one of the actions leading up to the Battle of the Mareth Line, which took place on 19.3.1943. Note the 1st Army clasp on his Africa Star. His parents, were notified of his capture on 12.3.1943 when they were told he was being held in Italy. His PoW number was 31585 and he was eventually held in Stalag VIII B Lamsdorf in Selisia, Poland as noted on a letter from his parents to him postmarked 16.12.1943. There is a note indicating that he may have been held in Stalag IVC as written on the front of his parents' letter. The photograph of him standing is dated 13.1.1940 and was taken in Plymouth; it is probably one that was taken upon his entry into the army. According to letter dated 24.11.1944 from the British Red Cross & the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, he had had an accident and was in hospital with a head injury. Eventually he passed a commission that decided he was to be repatriated. There is no indication that this happened. The portrait of Pte. Cleave in the Christmas Card was taken at the same time as the previously mentioned photograph. This is the second PoW group that has an Italy Star in it when the man was captured in N. Africa. It appears that PoWs held in Italy were entitled to the Italy Star.

Lamsdorf, now called Łambinowice, is a small town in Poland, once the location of one of Germany's largest prisoner of war camps for allied servicemen. The camp originally opened during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, and was also a prisoner of war camp in the First World War. In 1939 it housed Polish prisoners, then from 1940 until it was evacuated in January 1945, it housed more then 100,000 prisoners from Britain and other Commonwealth countries, as well as from the Soviet Union, Poland and various European countries occupied by the Germans. In 1943 many prisoners from Lamsdorf were transferred to other camps, and the number was changed from VIIIB to 344. It is highly probable that Pte. Cleave was transferred to Stalag IVC, which was the PoW camp located in Wistritz, Sudentenland, now Dubi in the Czech Republic. It was opened in February 1941 and was in a former porcelain factory. In 1943, fewer than 250 men were there, with the rest of the around 23,000 men working in local industry and contruction in Arbeitskommandos. It was bobed several times between July 1944 and April 1945. On 21 July 1944 during the second raid, six British PoWs were killed and 21 were injured. The Russian Army liberated the camp in May, 1945.

Another one from Sedlatzek of Berlin.

Hi Owan,

It's so good to hear from you!!! I hope you and yours are well. It seems that these Aden related medals and groups are in demand. Truly wonderful that you were able to find them in Yemen! I never found anything to locals when I lived in Saudi, but did find a BEM to a New Zealander!!! I've yet to see a bronze BWM to the Aden Labour Corps (but have an Egyptian one, a Chinese one and a Macedonian one). Please feel free to add as much knowledge to this thread as you can; same with you Paul. : ) All the best for the holidays, John

Thanks Harry! Great addition!

Cheers,

John

A nice frack by Sedlatzek of Berlin.

Hi Dan,

Thanks so much; every little piece to the puzzle of keeping the recipient "alive" is always most welcome and in my opinion vital.

All the very best,

John

Aren't there some British soldiers stationed overseas while assigned to UN peacekeeping duties?

Probably the most common pair to find, but quite rare to find with a maker's label.

Ordens Dekoration

Gravieranstalt

J. Bohous. Hannover

Steinter Str. 5

The latest is such a common group, but how often do you find them with a tailor label. Quite scarce as such...

Captain Claude Arthur Bignell's plaque and trio have finally been reunited!

Very nice! Thanks for the newspaper article with the nominal roll; it should help other collectors who are fortunate enough to have a medal to one of those recipients like you.