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Auction: 24112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 543

A Great War casualty pair awarded to Gunner G. L. Jarvis, Royal Field Artillery, who was killed in action on 16 December 1916

British War and Victory Medals (3771 Gnr. G. L. Jarvis. R.A.); Memorial Plaque (George Leo Jarvis), very fine or better (3)

George Jarvis was born circa April/June 1894 in Worcester, the son of Thomas and Mary Jarvis of 68 Lower Chestnut Street, Worcester. He had an older brother, William, who had been born in late 1884. After leaving school, Jarvis became a glazier at Ward's Leather Works in Worcester. Jarvis enlisted into his local Territorial Worcestershire Artillery Unit (the 2/2nd South Midland Brigade, R.F.A., later to become the 306th Brigade, R.F.A.) in November 1915.

The 'first line' 1/2nd South Midland Bde, 48th (South Midland) Division went to France in March 1915. The units of the 'second line' 2/2nd South Midland Division remained at home for some time. Along with other 'second line' Divisions, it suffered greatly from lack of equipment of all sorts with training inevitably affected.

The units moved and concentrated in the Northampton area in early January 1915. Drafts began to leave for the 'first line' units, and their places taken by new recruits. The Division moved to Chelmsford in April 1915 and soon afterward the number 61 was issued and the full title became 61st (2nd South Midland Division). The units were inspected by Lord Kitchener on 6 August 1915. The Division moved to Salisbury Plain in February and early March 1916, with King George V personally inspecting the Division at Bulford on 5 May 1916.

The Division was warned that it would go on overseas service and entrainment began on 21 May. By 28 May the Division, less the Ammunition Column (which was still at Le Havre), had concentrated in the area of Merville, Gonnehem, Busnes, Thiennes. The Division then remained in France and Flanders seeing its first major action during the attack at Fromelles. This was the first major action in which the Division took part, and it turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. An attack was made on 19 July 1916 at Fromelles, a subsidiary action to the much larger battle taking place further south on the Somme. The Division suffered very heavy casualties for no significant gain and no enemy reserves were diverted from the Somme. Such was the damage to the Division and its reputation that it was not used again other than for holding trench lines until 1917.

While the Battery was regularly conducting shelling operations on enemy targets, it would appear from the Battery War Diary that on 16 December it was located and accurately targeted by the enemy. A total of 60 other ranks were killed and a further 50 wounded at a location called 'Tullocks Dump', suggesting that it was possibly an ammunition store which received a direct hit.

It was during this incident that Jarvis seemingly became one of those killed, he was just 21 years old. He was buried in Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extension in the Somme region, immediately north of Albert.

His older brother William joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps at a young age and served in India for 3 ½ years, serving a total of 9 years before his discharge, after which he became a postman and was married. William was called up as a Reservist in 1914 and sadly was also killed in action on 11 September 1914 with the 1st Battalion KRRC during the Battle of the Marne. He is buried in Montreuil-Aux-Lions British Military Cemetery; sold together with Jarvis's original Memorial Scroll which has locket sized photographs of him in civilian and military uniform attached to it.

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Sold for
£110

Starting price
£80