A RARE & VERY EARLY “Old Contemptible” PRISONER of WAR1914 STAR & BAR TRIO. (BATTLE OF GHELUVELT, 29th-31st OCTOBER 1914)
To:
9342. Private E. SANT, 1st South Staffs Regt.
Pte Edward Sant was born in Wolverhampton in 1894 and joined the regular army in about March 1913 aged 19. He embarked from England on 4th October and arrived in Belgium at Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914. Edward was a very early and unlucky prisoner of war being captured at Ypres with “D” Company on 30th October 1914 which was only 26 days after his arrival in France.
He was held at MUNSTER P.O.W. camp being recorded there in February & November 1916 & presumably for the duration of the war.
He was repatriated back to England on SS. LONDONDERRY with an arrival at Hull on 2nd December 1918. He was discharged on 11th August 1919 with a pre-pension medical assessment being carried out on 13th January 1920 where he was found to be suffering from shortage of breath & chest pain.
[1st BATTALION SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT]
When war was declared in August 1914 1st South Staffs Regt was in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa,
from where it returned to England, landing at Southampton on 19th September 1914.
[ANTWERP IN FLAMES]
The 1st left Southampton on 4th October 1914 and landed at Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914 to assist in the defence of Antwerp. However, they arrived too late to prevent the fall of the city and took up defensive positions at important bridges and junctions to aid in the retreat of the Belgian army.
The 7th Division then became the first British Troops to entrench in front of Ypres, suffering extremely heavy losses in the The First Battle of Ypres.
In the early hours of 29th October, at dawn, in thick fog, attacks by the German 27th Reserve Corps began against I Corps north of the Menin Road. By nightfall, the Gheluvelt crossroads had been lost and 600 British prisoners taken. Edward Sant was one of them.
ALL MEDALS ON ORIGINAL RIBBONS.
£595
He was repatriated back to England on SS. LONDONDERRY with an arrival at Hull on 2nd December 1918. He was discharged on 11th August 1919 with a pre-pension medical assessment being carried out on 13th January 1920 where he was found to be suffering from shortage of breath & chest pain.
[1st BATTALION SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT]
When war was declared in August 1914 1st South Staffs Regt was in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa,
from where it returned to England, landing at Southampton on 19th September 1914.
[ANTWERP IN FLAMES]
The 1st left Southampton on 4th October 1914 and landed at Zeebrugge on 6th October 1914 to assist in the defence of Antwerp. However, they arrived too late to prevent the fall of the city and took up defensive positions at important bridges and junctions to aid in the retreat of the Belgian army.
The 7th Division then became the first British Troops to entrench in front of Ypres, suffering extremely heavy losses in the The First Battle of Ypres.
In the early hours of 29th October, at dawn, in thick fog, attacks by the German 27th Reserve Corps began against I Corps north of the Menin Road. By nightfall, the Gheluvelt crossroads had been lost and 600 British prisoners taken. Edward Sant was one of them.
ALL MEDALS ON ORIGINAL RIBBONS.
£595