A MAGNIFICENT
"SOMME" MILITARY MEDAL,1914 Star & Bar Trio, Plaque & Scroll To:
8918. Sgt.G.GRIFFIN 1st and 1st/7th Bn,Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). WOUNDED 1st DAY OF THE SOMME AT ALBERT.KILLED IN ACTION 23rd Nov, 1917.
Battle of NEBI SAMWEIL 
George was born during 1887 in Bow, in the civil parish of St Mary Stratford, London. (Or, according to Soldiers Died' at OLD FORD, Middlesex) The son of Charles and Mary Griffin, he was one of four children.
Charles Griffin was a leather hand bag maker who died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 23.12.1899. In the 1901 Census, his widow is seen working as a laundress on her own account and young George, age just 14, was acting as her delivery boy.
Mary Griffen died of tuberculosis just five years after her husband, on 26th March, 1904.George clearly having sadly lost both his parents at age 17, had then enlisted into the British Army as a regular soldier at the age of 18, signing on at Stratford, London in 1905. From his medal index card we can see that he first saw service in France from 31st August 1914 with 1st Bn The Cameronians
( Scotish Rifles ) 
While in France he apparently took prisoner a German officer. George disarmed him & while preparing to tie him up, the officer gave his word that he would not try to escape if he was unfettered. George believed him, but in the middle of the night he saw the officer trying to retrieve his own gun & to escape.At some time in early 1915 and due to heavy losses in the early months of the war he transferred into the reformed 1st /7th Bn Scots Rifles, the main body of which left Liverpool on 24th May 1915 en-route via the Gallipoli campaign to Egypt and then onward to Palestine. From the Middle East the unit returned to France and took part in the Battle of the Somme where, on the First Day (1st July 1916) he was wounded in the right shoulder by a gunshot.His MM which was clearly won in September 1916 during the Battle, appears in the London Gazette 10th November 1916.George then took part in the 3rd Battle of Gaza and was killed in action on 23rd December 1917 during the Battle of NEBI-SAMWEIL. ( Exactly 18 years to the day after the death of his father.) 
He gave his life in the Nebi Samwil region on the Judean Hills of Palestine as part of the campaign to capture Jerusalem and is buried in Plot G at grave 7 of the Jerusalem War Cemetery. Recent pictures of his plot are included.
We have recently been greatly privileged to be able to finally reunite George's previously missing Memorial Scroll and letter with his medals and plaque.We also now have an original uniformed picture of him along with some photos of his grave. We wish to thank a member of his extended family for making this reunification possible 98 years after the date of his death. A rare event indeed.
Medals practically mint on original ribbons.
An early 1914 star & bar group, compete with plaque, scroll & photo. TOTALLY COMPLETE, A VERY RARE GROUP.
(SOLD)