AN EXCESSIVELY RARE & SUPERB
”FOOTBALL DRIBBLER’S”
1st DAY, BATTLE of THE SOMME “CASUALTY”
MILITARY MEDAL
&
1914-1915 TRIO.

To:
G-5301. L/Cpl E. ROYAL.
8th “BILLIE NEVILL FOOTBALLS Bn”
EAST SURREY REGt.

FROM NORWICH.

MEDAL AWARDED & KILLED-IN-ACTION,
1st JULY 1916.
(Age 30)

Ernest was lost without trace & has no known grave and he is Commemorated with eternal honour on the Thiepval Memorial, and on the City of Ely War Memorial

This is an outstanding and incredibly rare
1st July 1916
First Day of The Battle of The Somme
“Casualty”
MILITARY MEDAL and Trio.

Gallantry groups to men who were awarded their medals for bravery on the 1st Day of The Somme are some of the rarest and most eagerly sought awards in the entire British Military Series, and to find such a group to a 1st July casualty is a greatly exceptional situation.

[THE MEDALS]

MILITARY MEDAL:
G-5301. L.Cpl E. ROYAL. 8/E. SURR:R.
1914-15 Star:
5301 L. Cpl E. Royal. E. SURR:R;
British War and Victory Medals:
5301 Pte. E. Royal. E. SURR. R.


[BIOGRAPHY]
1886-1916.

Ernest Abner Royal was born in Norwich, Norfolk, in 1886, the son of John & Lilian Royal of CHETTISHAM, St MARY, E.CAMBRIDGESHIRE. He’s seen on the 1891 census aged 5. On the 1901 & 1911 census he’s aged 15 & 25 living with his parents at 244, EARLAM RISE COTTAGE, EARLAM RD, NORWICH. Both father and son were recorded as Farm Labourers, with a later description of Earnest on the 1911 Census as being a “Cow Man on Farm” The father also lived at Stone Road, Framingham which is from where John Royal claimed his son’s pension.

Ernest enlisted in Wisbech, Cambs & Landed in France 27th July 1915

The 8th Bn East Surrey Regt first fought in France on 1st Day of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916. and was part of 55th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division.
Their objective on 1st July 1916 was Montauban Ridge & the village of Montauban which lay beyond two heavily defended enemy trench systems.

Military Medal: London Gazette 28th April 1917:
A small group of 19 previously omitted MM awards which did not appear in the normal Somme Gazette of November 1916 etc are recorded in this London Gazette of 28th April 1917 with a special descriptive dedication by H.M. King George V as being for men Killed or wounded, on the 1st July 1916 or those having died at some point shortly afterwards. As an immediate casualty on 1st July 1916, L/Cpl Ernest King’s name is included here along with at least 6 others from various units who were also killed in action on 1st July.

The 8th Battalion East Surrey Regt landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 55th Brigade in the 18th (Eastern) Division on 28th July 1915 for service on the Western Front.The Division was concentrated near Flesselles, and is recorded as being in the trenches at Albert in July – September 1915, moving to Vaux (Somme) then in reserve at Carnoy in December 1915.

As the 8th Battalion did not see any action before the Somme, the fact that Pte Royal was Killed on the 1st of July 1916, confirms the award of his Military medal was clearly for his bravery on the First Day of The Battle of The Somme.

The Battalion received two D.S.O.’s, two M.C’s and nine M.M.’s for the 1st day for the Somme. but 446 officers and men were killed or wounded.
A note with the research states that four men, of an 8th Btn Lewis Machine Gun team which included Ernest Royal received the MM for their actions on 1st July.


Captain Billie Nevill.
One particularly famous incident which will always be remembered took place on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on , 1st July 1916, when the four companies of the 8th Battalion went “over the top” and into the attack at 07:30am while dribbling several footballs which the company commander, Captain Wilfred “Billie” Nevill had bought while on leave in London for his men to kick across no man’s land. He had tried to find a way of reducing the mens’ fear at the time they had to go “over the top” to fight the enemy and it worked, but
Captain “Billie” Nevill and many of his men including Ernest Royal were killed during the advance upon Montauban, but the 8th East Surreys were one of the few battalions to reach and hold their objective on this day.

The “Football Attack” caught the imagination of the country, and illustrations of it are shown in the Regimental Museum, which also contains one of the footballs used.

The Poem commemorating the incident.
-The Game-

On through the hail of slaughter,
Where gallant comrades fall,
Where blood is poured like water,
They drive the trickling ball.
The fear of death before them,
Is but an empty name;

True to the land that bore them,
The Surrey’s play the game.On without check or falter,
They press towards the goal;

Who falls on Freedom’s alter,
The Lord shall rest his soul.
But still they charge the living
Into that hell of flame;

Ungrudging in their giving,
Our soldiers play the game.
And now at last is ended
The task so well begun;

Though savagely defended,
The lines of death are won.
In this, their hour of glory,
A deathless place they claim,
In England’s splendid story,
The men who played the game.

The MM is practically “Mint State” with its original ribbon. The Trio is superb EF+ and also comes with original mint silk and cotton ribbons.
















*We have only been able to find one similar 1st July MM & trio going through the main auction houses and even that was a “non-casualty” group to a L/Cpl G. Wilson of the 1st East Lancs Regt. This was sold 14 years ago at DNW as Lot 1729 on 25th September 2008 at a price of £2400 (£3048 inc commission) ....the estimate was £600-£800 !!
So you’ll clearly see what the level of rarity and demand is.

In 44 years of full time business in medals we have never had or even seen a similar group.

This exceptional gallantry award & trio to the late L/Cpl E.Royal, a 1st July “Casualty MM” winner comes with a wide selection of excellent & confirming research documents, and is thus today conservatively priced 14 years later at only,
SOLD