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Auction: 19002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 235

A Great War '1916 operations' M.M. group of five awarded to Private F. W. 'Freddy' Bridge, Somerset Light Infantry, likely awarded for his gallant conduct on the Somme

Military Medal, G.V.R. (9548 Pte. F. W. Bridge. 1/Som: L. I.); 1914 Star, with clasp (9548 Pte. F. W. Bridge. 1/Som: L. I.); British War and Victory Medals (9548 Pte. F. W. Bridge. Som. L. I.); Imperial Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Freddy William Bridge M.M.), light contact wear, very fine and better (5)

M.M. London Gazette 11 November 1916.

I.S.M. London Gazette 23 January 1953 (Postman, Deal).

Frederick 'Freddy' William Bridge served with the 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry during the Great War. Having entrained for Harrow on 17 August 1914, the Battalion camped on the Harrow School playing fields before landing at La Havre on 22 August aboard the S.S. Braemar Castle. They went straight into the thick of the action, for Major F. G. Thoyts would be mortally wounded within 4 days, having engaged the enemy at Ligny and Beauvois. It should be noted the Battalion took a full part in the famous 1914 Christmas 'truce', whilst entrenched around Ploegsteert Wood. The German band played both national anthems and the bodies of soldiers who had fallen in No Man's Land were buried. The 1914 operations nonetheless cost the 1st Battalion some 36 officers and 1,153 other ranks as casualties.

By the summer of 1916, the 1st Battalion had been deployed in readiness for the First Day of the Battle of the Somme. Of subsequent events, the War Diary states:

'Z day. Fine and warm. After a very intense bombardment, at 7.20 am a large mine was exploded under the Hawthorn Redoubt. Practically no casualties were suffered while in Assembly trenches. At 7.30 am the attack was launched. The 11th Brigade advanced in magnificent style…The advance was carried out excellently to start with, and a severe barrage was not encountered. Shortly after heavy rifle fire was opened and machine guns from both flanks…The battalion had to ease off to the left owing to the ridge which it should have crossed, being swept by machine guns.'

A comrade, Lance-Corporal A. H. Cook, wrote:

'It is a lovely morning and the birds are singing…The bombardment is now terrific the German lines are one cloud of smoke, that it seems to be impossible for anyone to live in such a hell…We were able to stand on the parapet to get a better view, there is not a sign of life in front and no response from the German Artillery…Our men were timed to advance 10 minutes after the Rifle Brigade, but so eager were they to get on, that they left soon after…and consequently were caught in the open by these guns…I led the platoon in to the German first line, and after a breather went in to the German second line, here I lost control owing to the men rushing from one shell hole to another in their advance.

The ground is littered with our dead…The clearing parties are not doing their work properly in clearing the trenches of all Germans, as here and there parties of Jerrys are popping up and throwing grenades at us from all angles…It is impossible to get any further…the shell holes are full of wounded and no hopes of getting them back…The Germans were now trying to force us out of their trenches, we got together what was left of us now and by collecting bombs from the dead and what Jerry left behind we managed to hold on…then the supply of bombs gave out and no more could be got, the Germans then gradually drove us back inch by inch through their superior supply of bombs…We are a very small number here now and men are being killed and wounded in all directions…I have a terrible thirst caused by the fumes from the shells, the wounded are also crying out for water, but none is available…Our troops are gradually retiring leaving a very small garrison to hold the trench…This is getting pretty hot here now but our orders are to hang on to what we have until midnight, when we are being relieved…The enemy artillery has now started and are dropping shells thick and fast all around us…We held on until relieved about 11 pm, an officer then said we may go back, we didn’t need telling again, we had had our belly full.'

Bridge was indeed lucky to come through, for the attack cost the 1st Battalion 463 casualties.

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