A SUPERB "OLD CONTEMPTIBLES" DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL & MILITARY MEDAL (Somme) "DOUBLE GALLANTRY",
1914 Star & Bar Group of Five.
To:
37731.Bmbr-WO2 E.B. CHILD. ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY & R.A.
(With citations for BOTH medals)

Also comes complete with important war diary copies, a superb set of original "super high detail" miniatures & four associated army sports medallions in gold & silver.(pictured above)

THE MILITARY MEDAL
(24/25th JULY 1916. DELVILLE WOOD, SOMME)
37731. Sgt E.B. CHILD. M.M. CITATION
(Extracted from War Diary, October 1916)
"For repeated gallantry and outstanding ability in his own work and that of F.O.O. (Forward Observation Officer) which he frequently performed especially on 24th July 1916 when he continued to observe in a bad barrage after he had been buried in his D.P. and F.O.O. of other batteries had left it and taken cover"

The MM was won in the thick of the shelling of the German positions in Delville Wood during the heat of The Battle of The Somme. Sgt Child's battery had fired over 3600 rounds into the wood in the 24hrs of 24/25th July 1916. Clearly, Sgt Child was a hard act to follow and having saved himself after being buried alive in his position by a German shell, he still stuck it out to check on the accuracy of our shelling of the enemy lines, even after everyone else had taken cover !

THE DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL
37731. B./S./M. E.B. CHILD, A/16th Army Bde.R.H.A.(Gt.Yarmouth)
(LG 3rd Sept.1919)
CITATION
"He has shown great gallantry during the operations since March 1918. He has often personally supervised under heavy shell fire the bringing up of ammunition to the battery. Whenever men or horses have been hit he had behaved with great coolness and decision. When he has taken sole charge of the wagon line he had shown great sense of responsibility and has carried out his duties with initiative and resource"

BIOGRAPHY
EDGAR BURLINGHAM CHILD D.C.M. M.M. was born in 1888 in Gt Yarmouth and joined the army aged 17 on 26th May 1905 and was posted to 'Q' Battery RHA on 24th August 1905. He saw service in India from 21st November 1913 to 9th October 1914. He entered France on 11th November 1014 , four years to the day prior to the armistice. He served continually until 10.12.17 with a short break from then until 9.6.18 when he returned to the front. He is then seen serving until 12.5.19. He was then shipped out to Egypt on 11.12.1919 where he arrived on 21.12.19. He served in Egypt until 3.4.1920 and is then seen on board ship to Mesopotamia 4.4.20 'till 29.4.20 where he served until 13.10.1921.

He was a native of the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, Yorkshire, where he died aged 72 on 4th April 1960.

The group comes with full copy paperwork and 'luckily' includes his full official service record from MOD ( letter dated 28th April 1983 ) which was thoughtfully obtained by a relative prior to a previous sale.

"AN EXCELLENT EARLY DOUBLE AWARD TO A CLASSIC OLD CONTEMPTIBLE"


ALL MEDALS EF + (SOLD)
With Part-Exchanges very welcome.