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Auction: 18003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 234

(x) Victory Medal 1914-19 (3025 Pte. H. Wells, E. Surr. R.), nearly very fine

Horace Wells served with the 9th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment in France from 5 October 1915. The war diary for late February 1916 notes that the Battalion was operating at Zillebeke, where the men improved dugouts and communications. On 27 February they relieved the 1st North Staffordshire's in the trenches at Hooge and over the next couple of days they were subject to light German artillery and bombing parties, likely as a means to protect those men reinforcing the German lines and possibly tunnelling; the diary entry for the 29th notes 'fresh timber' and 'bags containing blue soil' in evidence.

At about 12.30 a.m. on 1 March the Germans threw several bombs at the No. 2 East Surrey bombing post, which fell 10 yards short. Incensed, the British responded by throwing 15 bombs in reply. At about 2.30 a.m. the Germans attacked the post again, some bombs falling 'quite close' to the parapet; the Surrey's retaliated 'vigorously, throwing three bombs to the enemy's one'. The Germans did not reply after this and at daybreak it was seen that the British bombs had done considerable damage to the enemy's new work, 'sandbags being torn and timber scattered around.' At 11.30 a.m. the enemy opened-up once more with whizzbangs and shrapnel, wounding three men.

At 4.15 a.m. on 2 March our artillery commenced a 45-minute bombardment of the German trenches which cut the wire. The war diary states:

'The enemy retaliated vigorously on our frontline trenches with trench mortars, whizzbangs and shrapnel causing several casualties. The parapet in C.4 was broken in two places but immediately repaired in spite of the heavy bombardment which was taking place. R.S.4 and REGENT STREET were badly crumped in several places'.

Horace died of wounds on this date. He is buried at the Menin Road South Military Cemetery in Belgium; sold with copied research.


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