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Auction: 9022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 10

x A Rare ´Third Afghan War´ M.C. Group of Five to Captain J.G. Avent, 124th Baluchistan Infantry a) Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse engraved in ´Capt. J.G. Avent 3/124th D.C.O. Baluchistan Inf.´ b) British War and Victory Medals (Captn. J.G. Avent.) c) India General Service 1908-35, G.V.R., one clasp Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919 (Capt. J.G. Avent, M.C. 3/124/Bal. Infy.), rank officially corrected d) General Service 1918-62, G.V.R., two clasp, S. Persia, Iraq (Capt. J.G. Avent. 124-Inf.), generally good very fine or better (5) Estimate £ 1,400-1,800 M.C. London Gazette 3.8.1920 Lt. (A./Capt.) James George Avent, 3/124th Baluchistan Infantry, Indian Army ´´For distinguished service in the field in the Afghan War 1919´´. Captain James George Avent, M.C., born 1896; commissioned Temporary Second Lieutenant, Gloucestershire Regiment, 17.6.1915; served with Machine Gun Corps in the French theatre of War, from 23.3.1916; Lieutenant 17.3.1917; transferred Indian Army 28.7.1917; after a brief attachment to the 117th Maharattas he was appointed a Company Officer 3/124th D.C.O. Baluchistan Infantry, 17.4.1918; Adjutant March 1919-March 1920; served with the regiment during the Third Afghan War and on 10.8.1919, the Regimental History gives the following, ´´On the 10th the sniping diminished greatly. At 10 am an aeroplane passed overhead, but it took no heed of efforts made to attract its attention with flags, Very lights, etc. Gun firing was heard at noon, which raised hopes of relief, but nothing came of it. At 6pm about three of four hundred enemy were observed moving towards Dilwal at a range of approximately 2,500 yards. They were Lewis gunned and great confusion was observed in their ranks. Capts. Munn and Avent had worked a very careful fire plan for just such a situation as this. The Lewis guns had been "brigaded" and were fired from fixed sandbag mountings on the wall of the fort. Each pair of guns had a different range and alterations were subsequently made by observation. The enemy must have begun to think that things were not being left to chance´´ (M.C.); Captain 17.3.1920; he transferred to the 2nd Battalion with the disbandment of the 3/124th D.C.O. Baluchistan Infantry; retired 4.12.1922. 21 M.C.s were gazetted in 1920 for the Third Afghan War (British Gallantry Awards, Abbott & Tamplin, refers).

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