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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 419

Bedfordshire Regiment

Family group:

A Great War Palestine operations M.M. pair awarded to Sergeant H. G. Taylor, 1/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, who was decorated for his gallant part in the raid on 'Umbrella Hill' on 20 July 1917

Following the Second Battle of Gaza in April 1917, there was a long period of consolidation and reorganisation. From May, there were a number of large raids on the enemy trenches and the largest of these was the First Umbrella Hill raid where over 600 men attacked the position to the south-west of Gaza. The 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, repeated the success with a second raid a week later, though on a smaller scale to allow more flexibility: 'The raids are said to have been two of the biggest and most successfully executed of any in the Palestine campaign,' the History of the 1/5th Bedford Regiment refers.

Having then survived the challenges of the Third Battle of Gaza, Taylor died of malaria a week before the signing of the Armistice

Military Medal, G.V.R. (201405 Cpl. H. G. Taylor, 1/5 Bedf. R.-T.F.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (6047 Sjt. H. G. taylor, Bedf. R.), nearly extremely fine

The Victory Medal awarded to Private F. Taylor, 1/7th Bedfordshire Regiment, his brother, who was killed in action in France in March 1918

Victory Medal 1914-19 (41663 Pte. F. Taylor, Bedf. R.), good very fine (3)

M.M. London Gazette 18 October 1917.

Harold George Taylor first entered a theatre of war in 1916, or later, as a Sergeant in the 1/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. Also entitled to the British War Medal 1914-20, he was aged 22 at the time of his death on 3 November 1918. The son of Mr. W. Taylor of Ickwell Green, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, he buried in Beirut British War Cemetery.

Frederick Taylor - Harold's brother - was killed in action on 21 March 1918, while serving in the 1/7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment; he is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, France.


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