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Auction: 21003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 419

Four: Gunner A. E. Warmingham, Royal Artillery, who was taken Prisoner of War in the Western Desert; he was later tried for attempted murder

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (2047767 Gnr. A. G. Warmingham. R.A.), mounted for display, good very fine (4)

Albert George Warmingham served with 32 Field Regiment in the Western Desert and was listed as missing on 26 June 1942. Held at Stalag 8B, Teschen, as prisoner no. 221536 he was released and went on to serve with 81st Field Regiment in Palestine. Upon his return to Britain Warmingham was invalided from the army and noted as:

'Suffering from anxiety state [SIC].'

Evidently of unsound mind, he began to issue threats to a married women he was seeing named Lydia Briscoe, eventually attempting to shoot her. Fortunately missing, he hit the wall beside her head and neither she nor her baby, which she was holding at the time, were harmed. Briscoe's counsel stated that:

'Last November he showed her two bullets, and said one for you, and one for me, and I have got the gun that goes with them.'

His disturbed state was put down to his experiences as a Prisoner of War and led to a call for gun control in Britain; sold together with copied casualty lists and newspaper articles.

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Sold for
£180

Starting price
£110