A RARE WW1 "IMMEDIATE" MILITARY MEDAL & 1914-15 Trio.
WITH ORIGINAL SURVIVING CITATION.
To:
21109. Pte THOMAS PAYNE. 4th Bn GRENADIER GUARDS
Who constantly ran messages & intelligence through heavy enemy artillery barrage, and then, Single handedly captured a German machine gun at Pilckem Ridge.


Military Medal. 21109 Pte T.Payne 4th Bn Grenadier Guards
1914-15 Star Trio.
With full service papers.

Date of Act of Bravery: 31st July 1917.
Date of Award: (Immediate) 4th August 1917.

THE ORIGINAL CITATION FROM THE REGIMENTAL RECORD BOOK
“This NCO showed the greatest possible courage in charge of the company runners. He frequently volunteered to go through a very heavy barrage to clear up the situation on the flanks, and his personal reconaissances were all of the greatest value. He also volunteered, in excess of his duty to go forward and capture a German Machine Gun which was causing trouble. By his initiative and coolness, he accomplished his object”.

[BIOGRAPHY]
Thomas Payne was previously a Labourer from Harrow London. He enlisted into the Grenadier Guards aged 34 at Mill Hill on December 11th 1914 with initial service at home with 4th battalion. He went to France on the 14th August 1915 serving during the battle of Loos.

[4th BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS 1915]
The 4th battalion was raised in July 1915 and proved themselves at the Battle of Loos in September. Their CO Lt-Col Hamilton fell victim to gassing in the early stages so the battalion was then commanded by Major the Hon Myles Ponsonby. The attack on Hill 70 on 27 Sep 1915 resulted in the death of Major Ponsonby and his adjutant Captain Thorne. The machine-gun section under Lieut Williams had remained isolated in an exposed spot on Hill 70 and on the following day formed an oasis to which wounded men could crawl back.

[THE GERMAN ATROCITY at HILL 70]
"About 8.30 that night Lieutenant Williams saw a party of Germans crawl out and advance toward some of our wounded who were unable to move. They appeared to be quite unaware of the handful of men in this trench. Feeling sure they intended to take the wounded prisoners, when their injuries would, no doubt, be dressed, he gave orders that no one was to fire. The Germans crept on slowly, but on reaching the wounded, to Lieutenant Williams' horror, they proceeded to bayonet them.
It was hardly necessary for Lt Williams to give the order to fire, as the men with the machine-guns had seen this dastardly act, and the 2 machine-guns soon wiped out the whole party of Germans."

(Editors Note)
This type of classic German behaviour is why my own grandfather, (Lincolns) who himself fought at the Battle of the Somme and who had witnessed similar atrocities, told me when I was 10 years old that the best type of German was a dead one"

The casualties in the 4th Battalion from the battle of Loos were 4 officers killed and 7 wounded. The total casualties amongst the other ranks was 342.

[WOUNDED]
Thomas Payne was sent home on the 3rd October 1915 as a result of a Gunshot Wound to his left foot, received at Loos in front of Hill 70. He was out of action and in recovery for some seven and a half months but eventually returned to re-join the 4th battalion on 18th May 1916 in time for the big push on the Somme.

[His wounding was reported in the local Harrow newspapers]
“Pte Thomas Payne was wounded at Hill 70 on September 28th, though not very seriously. He was struck in the foot by a bullet and had several toes broken. He is now in Hospital in Newcastle and is progressing favourably. Pte Payne enlisted at the beginning of the present year and went to the front with the Grenadier Guards about two months ago”

On 17th July 1917 he was appointed unpaid L/Cpl (still paid as a Private at 1/- per day) and on the 31st July 1917 at PILCKEM RIDGE he performed the act of bravery for which he was awarded his military medal.

[FIRST DAY BATTLE OF PILCKEM RIDGE]
31 JULY 1917.
Pilckem Ridge
In early 1917 the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line leaving a scorched earth and booby traps for the Allies to contend with. The Division were moved north to Flanders and went into the line before Boesinghe. Here they engaged in the battle of Pilckem Ridge. On 27 July 1917 one brigade crossed the Yser Canal and established an outpost line. At 3.50am on the morning of 31 July the attack began. All four battalions were engaged in this battle. The 3rd Battalion started off on the west bank of the canal and their attack was concentrated on pill-box defences. Captain the Hon F O H Eaton and his 2nd Company dealt with many of these German defences with bombs and Lewis guns. One block-house put out a white flag and 50 men with 3 officers surrendered. Captain W W S C Neville of 3 Company noticed that the 38th Division was held up by two pill-boxes and sent a party of men under Sergeant Browning and Private Baker to clear them with bombs. This was successful but Browning and Baker were wounded. Neville's Company were ordered to move back to act as support and Captain Neville was organising this when he was shot and wounded. The 3rd battalion achieved their objectives and finished the day with 28 killed and 117 wounded. Twelve men were missing.

The 1st Battalion sustained casualties among the officers and senior NCOs from the start. But they captured 4 machine-guns and 2 Minenwerfers. They lost 31 men killed and 88 men wounded. The 4th battalion, commanded by Viscount Gort advanced through Abri Wood and dealt with pill-boxes, several of which surrendered. Colonel Gort was wounded along with 100 of his men, and 20 were killed. It was in this attack that Capt Pixley had a lucky escape when he was asked to vacate a concrete dug-out. It was destroyed by shell-fire immediately afterwards. The commander of the 2nd Battalion, Colonel de Crespigny, was careful to avoid casualties under his command, ordering the platoon commanders to use the cover of shell-holes. A direct hit on the Battalion HQ caused serious loss but the CO escaped injury. A situation arose on the right of their advance where the Welsh Fusiliers were held up. 2nd Lieut Drummond's platoon was sent to guard the flank but he was wounded by a shell and then shot in the neck. He remained with his company until the battalion was relieved and acted with great coolness. Sergeant Sharpe and two men captured one blockhouse, securing 21 prisoners. Heavy rain caused great problems for the men of the 2nd Battalion that night and they were all caked in thick mud. The casualties for the 2nd were 46 killed and nearly 200 wounded. 15 men were missing.

The Guards had fought their way forward under a creeping barrage and drove the Germans back 2.5 miles along a front of 1,500 yards. This was achieved by 10am, and many prisoners and weapons were captured. However, the rain started that evening and continued for several days, turning the battlefield into a dangerous quagmire. They were relieved and sent back to rest after suffering days in the rain, but were brought up again at the end of August for more of the same. Things improved in September but by October the battle of Poelcapelle and the first battle of Passchendaele were under way and many more lives were lost for the sake of a few more yards gained. This theatre of operations was known as the third battle of Ypres and remembered mostly for the mud and indescribable squalor.

The battalion war diary for 17th August 1917 records the adjutants parade, where those who have been awarded the MM are listed. 21109 L/Cpl Payne is on the list.

On 14th April 1918 he was appointed paid L/Cpl and on 16th April 1918 to Cpl. Thomas was discharged to Class Z reserve 6th February 1919.

A Very Rare Military Medal with it's Original Citation for WW1.

(Note:) At least 95% of all the citations for WW1 Military Medals were lost during the London blitz of WW2 when the Luftwaffe bombed the record office.The few surviving extant citations come from either private sources, newspapers and scarce regimental records.

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