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Auction: 24112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 530

Pair: Private L. S. Austin, 'C' Company, 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade, who was killed in action on 16 August 1917

British War and Victory Medals (S-31799 Pte. L. S. Austin. Rif. Brig.), good very fine (2)

Leonard Sebastian Austin was born at Edmonton, Middlesex in 1884, the son of Harriet and Frederick Adolphus Austin. He was living at Tottenham when the Great War broke out and enlisted at Mill Hill with the Rifle Brigade. He entered the war with them at some stage after 1916 and was stationed with the 2nd Battalion East of Ypres during the early stages of the Battle of Passchendeale.

They were held in reserve on 16 August 1917 during an attack towards Hannebeek. When the attack was faced with German counter-attacks the Battalion was sent in however Austin's 'C' Company became lost and missed the initial action. They arrived at the end of the Battle as one final counter-attack threatened to overwhelm the line.

A fierce action followed but the German advance was halted on ground the war diary described as 'trackless and shell pitted'. Somewhere during this action Austin was killed and his body lost, he was initially belived a prisoner but later was confirmed to have been killed in action. He is commemorated upon the Tyne Cot Memorial and appeared on the Welsh National War Memorial transciption given in the Western Mail on 13 January 1939; sold together with copied medal rolls, newspaper extracts, census data and war diary extracts.

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Sold for
£50

Starting price
£40