A DESIRABLE 1914 STAR, VICTORY MEDAL & PLAQUE
A 1st JULY 1916 CASUALTY.

To: 5657. Pte F.UPTON. 1st SOMERSET Light Infantry.

** THANKS TO AN OBSERVANT CLIENT WE HAVE NOW PURCHASED FRED UPTON's VICTORY MEDAL AND PLAQUE WHICH ARE NOW REUNITED HERE on 16/8/18 **

Killed-in-Action 1st July 1916
(First Day,Battle of The Somme)

[BIOGRAPHY]
Fred Upton was born in 1879, the son of Frederick & Alice Upton of 1a Granville Place, Alfred Hill, Kingsdown, Bristol. Fred initially fought in South Africa in the Boer War, having joined up in the summer of 1899 (unit uncertain). He arrived in France on 11th September 1914. He had clearly originally been a member of 3rd S.L.I.(a home based reserve unit) as his number was issued as 3-5657 in September 1914. But had then re-mustered into the 1st Battalion for service in France.

[1st JULY 1916]
On Saturday 1st July, the 1st Somersets were positioned at Beaumont Hamel in the vicinity of the Quadrilateral Redoubt which was also known as The Heidenkopf. At the start of the day the unit comprised about 500 men, but by early in the day 1st Somersets had endured 464 casualties (438 men & 26 Officers). Fred Upton, who was 37, was one of them.

In the early hours of 2nd July it was decided that the quadrilateral redoubt could not be held, so a staff officer crossed it and ordered the garrison to withdraw.

CSM Percy Chappell gathered together the survivors of 1st Somersets bad led them back to the British front line where the roll call recorded only 28 remaining men of which even these were 20 walking wounded.

[THEIPVAL]
Fred Upton's body was lost without trace and he is commemorated on the Theipval Memorial to the missing, Somme. Pier & Face 2a.

*NOTE: Fred's Victory medal was sold at DNW as Lot 244 on 27/28th June 2012. Clearly the rest of his group is out there.
















An excellent assembly to a man killed on 1st July 1916.

We have had Fred Upton's 1914 Star & Bar since April '18 but due to a sharp eyed client we have now been able to reunite his Victory medal and Plaque. The Victory medal turned up in auction in 2015 and the plaque had been in my client's collection since 2008.

All these various elements have shown up in the Wiltshire area !!

DO YOU HAVE FRED's BOER WAR MEDALS & HIS SILVER WAR MEDAL TO COMPLETE HIS GROUP ?

Both Medals and clasp are practically mint. Plaque is VF polished. With mint original ribbons.

£995