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Auction: 14001 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 78

A Scarce Great War 'Capture of Schwaben Redoubt' M.M. Group of Eight to Corporal H. Tabor, 1/1st Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment, Later Sergeant, Royal Engineers
a) Military Medal, G.V.R. (2568 L.Cpl. H. Tabor. 1/1 Camb: R.-T.F.)
b) 1914-15 Star (2568 Pte. H. Tabor Camb. R.)
c) British War and Victory Medals (2568 Pte. H. Tabor. Camb. R.)
d) Defence and War Medals
e) Coronation 1937
f) Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., with 'Territorial' scroll suspension (5820877 Sjt. H. Tabor. R.E.), light contact marks overall, generally very fine, mounted court-style as originally worn, with the related miniature awards (8)

M.M. London Gazette 6.1.1917 2568 L/Cpl. H. Tabor 1/1 Cambridgeshire Regiment

Sergeant Horace Tabor, M.M., a native of 75 Selwyn Road, Cambridge; he served during the Great War with 1/1st Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment, in the French theatre of war, from 14.2.1915; he was serving with B Company 1/1st Battalion on the Somme in 1916, when 'Probably the most outstanding exploit of the 1/1st Battalion was the capture of the Schwaben Redoubt in October 1916. This strong fortress dominated Thiepval and the Ancre and successive attacks by the 18th Division had failed to take it. It was finally gained on 15 October by 1/1st Cambridgeshires with 4/5th Black Watch after hours of bitter fighting and severe losses. The action was the subject of a special commendation by Field Marshal The Earl Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force - the BEF, who referred to it as 'one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army'. In the course of the battle a reconnaissance aircraft dropped a message at brigade headquarters saying simply 'Cambridgeshires going over as if on parade'. This achievement cost the Battalion 13 Officers and 200 Other Ranks killed or wounded' (The History of The Cambridgeshire Regiment, P. Macdonald, refers); Tabor is also mentioned in the Regimental History of the action at St. Julien, 31.7.1917-1.8.1917.

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Sold for
£2,200