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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 863

Family group:

Three: Private H. Fluin, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, who was wounded in action

1914-15 Star (G-2811. Pte. H. Fluin. R.W. Kent. R.); British War and Victory Medals (GS-2811 Pte. H. Fluin. R.W. Kent R.), lightly polished, nearly very fine

Three: Private H. Fluin, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, wounded in action in the Daraj Quarter of Gaza's Old City in November 1938

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (6343764 Pte. H. Fluin. R.W. Kent. R.); 1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45, the first polished, nearly very fine (6)

Henry Fluin was born in 1881 at St. Pancras, the son of Alice Fluin of Harrison Street, Gray's Inn, London. A labourer by occupation, he attested at Finsbury Park for the Royal West Kent Regiment on 9 September 1914 and served in France from 21 January 1915. His service record makes interesting reading with numerous entries for hesitating to obey orders, slackness whilst on sentry duty, drunkenness whilst returning to billets, using insubordinate language, smoking whilst standing to arms, disobeying an order and breaking out of barracks, to name but a few. Wounded in action on 3 September 1916, he continued to be a thorn in the side of his superiors, regularly forfeiting pay and rank on account of indiscipline. His apparently low mood was likely exacerbated by trench fever which required evacuation across the Channel aboard the Hospital Ship Princess Elizabeth in March 1917.

Upon recovery Fluin married Alice Elizabeth Lilley at Croydon on 21 April 1917. Hoping to remain at home, it took the local police to effect his posting to the Middle East in May 1917. Time spent absent without leave led to a loss of stripe and forfeiture of 6 days' pay. Transferred to depot at Baghdad on 5 November 1918, Fluin was later admitted to hospital in Basrah suffering from malaria before returning home via Suez aboard the Army Transport Syria on 23 February 1919. Demobilised on 28 May 1919, he joined his wife who was at that time living at 88 Median Road, Clapton; sold with copied service record.

Henry Fluin was born in 1920 at Hackney, London, the son of Henry and Alice Elizabeth Fluin. Following in his father's footsteps he attested for the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment and was sent to the Middle East, being present in the British Mandate of Palestine during the Arab Revolt from 19 April 1936-3 September 1939. On 28 November 1938 he was wounded in action in the densely populated north-western quarter of Gaza's Old City, variously known as Al-Daraj or Haraat al-Daraj. He died on 17 August 1991; sold with copied research and cap Badge.


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Sold for
£420

Starting price
£170