Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) medals for sale

Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) 

medals for sale

paulcanixon@yahoo.co.uk

G-68286 Pte. S. Mole. The Queen’s R.

G-68286 Private Sydney Mole, 6th Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment).

British War and Victory Medals (G-68286 Pte. S. Mole. The Queen’s R.) nearly very fine SOLD

Served overseas with the 6th Battalion, Queen's. The number dates to the 4th April 1918, and would have been issued in France from  J Infantry Base Depot at Etaples. At the time of arrival in France, this man was probably part of a draft from the 245th Infantry Battalion, formerly the 23rd Training Reserve Battalion. Survived the war.

27530 Pte. H. Gravett. The Queen’s R.

27530 Private Harry Gravett, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)

British War and Victory Medals (27530 Pte. H. Gravett. The Queen’s R.) very fine SOLD

Born in Brighton in about 1885 (aged 31 when conscripted  on the 29th June 1916). Posted to 25th Middx Regt (1st July 1916) then to 99th TRB (1st September 1916). Transferred to Queen's (RWS) on the 11th September 1916. To Infantry Labour Company No 2 on the 1st January 1917 and then transferred to the 110 Labour Coy on the on the 9th May 1917. To Eastern Command Labour Centre on the 12th January 1918 and 302 Labour Coy on the 27th April 1918. To France on the 4th May 1918. Demobilised 3rd March 1919; intended address given as 45 Cambridge Street, Brighton. Papers in WO 363.

G-6355 Lance-Corporal William Johnson, 1st Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)

British War and Victory Medals (G-6355 Pte. W. Johnson. The Queen’s R.) good very fine SOLD

William Johnson a carman from Peckham, London was 29 years and nine months old when he attested with the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment on the 5th August 1915. This places his date of birth as about November 1885. At the time of his attestation he was living at 32 Parsons Mead, West Croydon. He was the husband of Winifred Mary Johnson (nee Marshall) whom he had married in 1913, and the father of Nellie Johnson (born 9th January 1915) and Winifred Mary Johnson (born 19th April 1917).

William was initially posted to the 3rd Battalion and was appointed lance-corporal on the 10th December 1915, subsequently losing his stripe on the 30th March 1916.  He served overseas with the 1st Battalion from the 2nd February 1917 and was killed in action on 23 April 1917, four days after his second daughter was born. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France. William's effects were sent to his widow who, by August 1918, was living at 38 Bassett Road, Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction, London SW11. An alternative address of 59 Wickersley Road is also given.

John Samuel Mills - IGS

I've just picked up an India General Service Medal with two clasps for Burma. John Samuel Mills signed up for 12 years' service with the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) at Bermondsey on the 26th October 1883. He was 19 years and eleven months old, a labourer by trade who had been born in the parish of St George's. He was short - five feet, three inches tall - with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. He had a circle, presumably tattooed, on his left forearm, dots on his right second finger and right forearm, scars on both upper eyelids, a scar on his chin and another on the back of his head, and two scars on his left wrist. He must have looked as though he been in the wars even before he was through with his first medical inspection.

John was unmarried and gave his next of kin as his father, Samuel Mills, of 28 Commercial Road, Pimlico. He remained in the UK with the Queen's until the 14th December 1885 and then sailed for India where he remained until October 1886. He was in Upper Burma until March 1888 and then back to India again until March 1891. From March 1891 until his discharge on the termination of his engagement, he was based in the UK.

What I like about John Mills' service - and the reason I bought this particular medal - is that he has a surviving service record which lists his overseas stations and his various admissions to hospital. His first spell in hospital was at Tralee in Ireland when he spent 83 days in hospital as a result of syphilis. A boil put him into hospital in Calcutta in March 1886 and he had eneteric fever (typhoid fevere in today's parlance) in Umballa in 1889. Inflamed lymph glands hospitalised him at Solan and Dagshai respectively in 1890.

John Mills's habits are described as temperate and his character as very good. I have not researched his life either before or after his military service. The quality of his medal is VF.