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Auction: 8023 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 42

A Great War ´French Theatre´ M.M. to Sergeant J. Bristow, Leicestershire Regiment Military Medal, G.V.R. (10040 L.Sjt: J. Bristow. 6/Leic:R.), edge bruise, very fine Estimate £ 180-220 M.M. London Gazette 9.7.1917 10040 L/Sjt. 6th Bn., Leic. R. 10040 Sergeant John Bristow, M.M., served during the Great War with the Leicestershire Regiment in the French Theatre of War, from 29.7.1915; Bristow´´s battalion in conjunction with the 7th, 8th and 9th Battalions of the Leicestershire Regiment were in action during the 3rd Battle of the Scarpe (Arras), 3.5.1917, ´´On the right about one hundred men of the 9/Leicestershire were reported to have passed through this line and reached the Croisilles-Cherisy Road. Br.-General Hessey therefore ordered the 6/Leicestershire to attack Fontaine Wood in order to bring up his left and protect his advanced troops from counter-attack. Before this could be done, however, there was a counter-attack, which cut off all troops in advance of the Cherisy-Reigel and many who were in rear of it. An attempt by the 7/Leicestershire at 7.15pm to work down the sunken Heninel-Fontaine road and a trench parallel to it, in order to co-operate with a renewed attack by the 18th Division, made some progress. At 10pm, however, it was learnt that the 54th Brigade of that division had retired and that many of the 110th Brigade had fallen back with it. Br.-General Hessey had therefore no alternative but to order the scattered parties still lying out to reorganize behind the original position. The casualties of the division as a whole were light, but there were 388 missing in the 110th Brigade. Observers looking down into the valley had seen several large parties surrender to the enemy.´´ (Official History of the War, Military Operations, France and Belgium, The Imperial War Museum, refers).

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£650