An Exceptionally Complete & Socially Important
1st KING'S OWN ROYAL LANCASTER Regt
Queen's South Africa Medal & 1914 Star & Bar 'Casualty' Trio.
With Plaque and Excessively Rare Documents & Photos.

To:
6531. Pte William Lewis. 1st (Kings Own) Royal Lancaster Regt. Son of the late Thomas and Elizabeth Lewis, of Liverpool; husband of Sarah Ann Lewis, of 66, Victoria Rd., Rhyl, Flintshire.
Late of 24, Denebank Rd., Anfield, Liverpool.
DIED OF WOUNDS 23rd MARCH 1915

William was hit by a German sniper on 22rd March 1915 and sustained serious gun shot wounds to his head and died a day later at XI Field Ambulance.

[THE MEDALS, The Boer War.]
QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL:
(*QSA has 3&5 transposed)
6351. Pte W. LEWIS. R.LANC.R


Cape Colony
Orange Free State
Transvaal
South Africa 1901
South Africa 1902

[THE GREAT WAR TRIO]
6531. Pte W. LEWIS. R.LANC.R
1914 Star & Bar
War Medal
Defence Medal

Commemorative Plaque "WILLIAM LEWIS"

William was the Son of the late Thomas and Elizabeth Lewis, of Liverpool & husband of Sarah Ann Lewis, of 66, Victoria Rd., Rhyl, Flints, late of 24, Denebank Rd., Anfield, Liverpool.

[BIOGRAPHY]
William Lewis was born in Anfield Liverpool during March 1879. Prior to joining the army on 3rd July 1900 at age 21yrs & 4mths he was working in Liverpool as a labourer. William's original engagement was for a period of 7 in the regular army & 5 years in the reserve. In the event, due to still being in India January 1908 he did not transfer into the reserve until 3rd July 1908. While with the colours he served in South Africa, India & Malta. He also remained in the reserve for two years over his allotted time as he was still in the reserve in August 1914 when his 12 year total engagement would 'officially' have ended on 3rd July 1912.

There are also 'issues' with William's declared age, as being born in 1879 and declaring as 21.4 in 1900 he would have been 36 at the time of his death in 1915. The CGW site declares him as 33 ! Clearly he was 35 when he was re-called in 1914 but probably declared as 32 to ensure getting back in !

Just before leaving the regular army and joining the army reserve he married wife Sarah Ann Lewis (nee Roberts). His first child, Mary Gwendoline Lewis was born on 20th February 1913. Then, having only just got back into civilian life and while working as a porter, William was suddenly called up again on 4th August 1914. A second child, William Kenneth Lewis had been conceived in January 1914 and was born on 13th September 1914 just five weeks after William had gone off to the Great War. Both children were born in Walton, Liverpool.

With this exceptionally well detailed assembly there are a number of excessively rare and original documents including his ('Blue Bed Sheet') call up letter which is actually stamped up "INFANTRY RECORDS OFFICE, PRESTON, 4th August 1914" (the day of the declaration of war ) and which instructs him to report for immediate duty the very next day 5th August 1914 !!

(NOTE: We've only previously seen just one other 'very scruffy' example of this pivotal Great War document in the past 40 years as 99.999% of the letters were obviously taken back to the unit upon rejoining and destroyed and as such we consider that this specimen, dated 4th August 1914 is pretty much close to unique in this level of preservation.

The individual but yet common social circumstances of the Lewis family and the sheer 'horror' surrounding this situation cannot be understated. William likely received his call up letter on the morning of 5th August. This insisted he rejoin his unit on that very day, and thus he had to leave home almost immediately.

There would be just a few short hours to grab a final meal, to pack up........and to say goodbye.

Mrs Lewis was 8 months pregnant with their second child, a son, Kenneth, whom William would never see, and from that sudden! almost paralysing moment when William Lewis kissed his wife and baby daughter Gwendoline goodbye and walked off down the road from Anfield to Liverpool Exchange Railway Station, she would never see him again. It's almost unbearably sad.

William rejoined his old unit '1st Royal Lancaster Regt', at Lancaster under the same service number of 6531 and after a short period of refresher training in Dover on the new Le Enfield .303 rifle etc, he proceeded to France.

The 1st Lancasters sailed from Dover in the SS Saturnia on the evening of 22nd October and arrived at Boulogne on 23rd October 1914 and took part in some of the most brutal early actions of the war.

TROOPSHIP S.S. SATURNIA.

The SS Saturnia was built by Charles Connell & Company and launched on 29th March 1910. Owned by Donaldson Line she was taken over by the War Office. It was this ship which carried the 1st Battalion of the King's Own to France on the night of 22nd/23rd August. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel A M Dykes, wrote his last letter home to his wife on the ships notepaper.

The Saturnia was sold for scrap on 20th January 1929 and was broken up at Trieste, Italy.

On 22rd March 1915 William Lewis was shot in the head and fatally wounded by a German sniper and after being taken to XI Field Ambulance he died of his wounds a day later.

The group comes with an excellent uniformed photo of William ( this taken at a photographers in Lime Street, Liverpool ) while wearing his Queen's South Africa Medal. This was almost certainly taken on the day he left the regular army. There are also 20 private photo postcards of him with his wife and various family members, most of which are annotated on the reverse. There are photos of his 'babies' and later pictures of the kids when in their teens. There are also several heartbreaking cards that William sent from France in 1914 "with love and kisses xxxxx" to his two babies.

Also included are several Royal Lancaster's hat badges, collar titles & buttons. Also present is Mrs Lewis's pension statement letter detailing her payments under the revised arrangements.... AND what is a somewhat sad (& retrospectively annoying ) letter from the War Graves Commission informing Mrs Lewis that her chosen inscription for her late husbands grave would be costing her the then major sum of 12/6d
(That was about half of her week's widow's pension and child allowance!)

So, here you have a man who's fought in two wars and who's killed fighting for his country, and yet his widow with two tiny kids still has to pay up what was then a small fortune for a few kind words on his gravestone !!.....

Some things about the government never change ....do they !

"LEST WE FORGET"

The words she paid so dearly for were:

"LOVED IN LIFE,
HONOURED IN DEATH,
TREASURED IN MEMORY"

He rests in eternal honour at:
CITE BONJEAN MILITARY CEMETERY, ARMENTIERES.















All medals are totally "Mint" with original ribbons. This is a seriously good and 'must have' group with full service papers. Also with it's unique private & official paperwork and the tragic family circumstances it forms a very important historical and social statement. It's VERY rare to encounter an assembly as compete as this. Fit for the finest collection. If you only collect the best ....this is for you.

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