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Auction: 18001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 335

A Royal Naval Division casualty's pair awarded to Private W. J. Green, Royal Marines Light Infantry, attached 1st Battalion, R.M. Brigade (R.N.D.), who was killed in action at Gavrelle Windmill in the battle of Arras in April 1917, arguably the bloodiest action in the history of that distinguished corps

British War and Victory Medals (CH. 1635-S Pte. W. J. Green, R.M.L.I.), the second in its card box of issue, together with the recipient's Memorial Plaque 1914-1918 (William John Green), extremely fine (3)

William John Green enlisted in the Royal Marines Light Infantry in August 1916, aged 31 years, and was embarked for France in the R.M. Brigade (R.N.D.) that October.

In February 1917, Green joined 'C' Company of the 1st R.M. Battalion and it was in this capacity that he was killed in action at Gavrelle Windmill in the battle of Arras on 28 April 1917. On that date, he was among 1,000 casualties suffered by the ranks of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the R.M. Brigade, the heaviest losses inflicted on that corps in a single day: at one point in the action an overwhelming enemy counter-attack was faced off by the senior officer's rapid enlistment of his H.Q. staff, cooks and bottle-washers among them.

Green has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. He left a widow, Lottie Louisa Green of 52 Pottery Cottages, Wells Road, Glastonbury, and afterwards 'Kinross', 54 Hamilton Road, Salisbury; sold with copied research.

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Sold for
£230