A VERY ENTERTAINING & WELL DOCUMENTED Q.S.A. (3 clasps)

To: 29727. Pte T.P. TROTTER.
(Northumberland) 5th Imperial Yeomanry & Royal Scots.

"The Real Life Del-Boy" with 21 months prison time for serious thefts of sheep & fowl.

[BIOGRAPHY]
Thomas Patterson Trotter (later alias James Robson) was born in 1877 in the town of Ayton near Berwick in Berwickshire. Prior to enlistment into the army at Newcastle on Tyne on 14th February 1901 he had been a labourer living at home at 95 Frank Street, South Berwick.

In short, Trotter's story revolves around the fact that while acting as servant to his officer (Lt Thompson) he was unseated from his horse which rolled back onto his head. He was discharged on 7th February 1902 as no longer fit ref; "Cephalagia Traumatic" Basically a bad concussion to the brain.

In the inter-war period he adopts the alias of "James Robson" and on 8th December 1906 is seen being arrested for theft by house breaking. He had broken into fields and into a farm and had stolen 18 sheep and domestic fowls, turkeys, geese etc. He was tried & convicted on 22nd February and imprisoned in HM Prison, Edinburgh for 9 months until 22nd November 1907. There is correspondence from the governor at Edinburgh prison to the army which gets the army into a state total confusion as he is referring to Trotter as "James Robson" of which they have no records of service.

This however wasn't the end of Trotter's life of crime as on 22nd/23rd January 1908 he had broken into the farm at Kelloe Mains ( Edrom Parish) occupied by John William Gibson Inch, farmer and had further stolen 78 pigeons ! ...for which second offence he was sentenced to a further 12 months hard labour.

In WW1 he is seen initially serving at home in 3rd Royal Scots and later in 2nd Royal Scots Fus. He was discharged from the latter on 20th November 1916 as being no longer fit for military service. He was issued with a WW1 pair (not present) and is listed as having received a silver war badge, but there is actually no record of a departure to France on his MIC.

A fascinating medal to a man who was clearly a real character. With many sheets of unusually surviving papers detailing his military service, prison time, convictions (newspaper cutting) medical records etc.

EF with some edge bumps to the lower rim.

SOLD