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Auction: 17002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 339

A good Second World War and Korean War campaign service group of six awarded to Corporal H. C. Hill, The Welch Regiment: a veteran of the Burma campaign, he was seriously wounded in a fierce hand-to-hand encounter in Korea on the night of 14 June 1952

1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Korea 1950-53 (14458248 Cpl. H. C. Hill, Welch); U.N. Korea 1950-54, generally very fine (6)

A member of 2nd Battalion, The Welch Regiment, Hill was embarked for India and entered Burma in October 1944. As part of 62nd Indian Infantry Brigade, 19th Indian Infantry Division, the Battalion witnessed bitter fighting along the Taungoo - Mawchi Road, crossed the Chindwin River at Sittang, captured Pinlebu and suffered severe casualties in the fighting on the Swebo Plain. The Battalion returned to U.K. and in June 1949 it was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion.

Embarked for Korea in November 1951, Hill and his comrades joined 29 Infantry Brigade and were quickly in action. On 14 June 1952, he was in 'D' Company and was Commander of a Standing Patrol including Private D. J. Horton, located at a position in No Man's Land called "Outer Fox". It was a dark night and the there was no wire around the patrol position: Chinese soldiers crept quietly between Hill's patrol and the 'D' Company's lines before prompting a fierce firefight and hand-to-hand encounter.

Private Horton was last seen advancing towards the Chinese firing his Bren Light Machine-Gun from the hip but was sadly killed. Hill, and three fellow patrol members, were wounded. Next day, 2nd Lieutenant K. G. Davey and 12 men reoccupied "Outer Fox": the Chinese had departed but they found a telephone line booby-trapped with a grenade. The body of Private Horton was brought back and Hill was evacuated to 29 General Hospital; sold with copied research, including an extract from The Times, 14 June 1952, and 1/Welch war diary extract, 21 June 1952.


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Sold for
£380