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Auction: 22103 - Orders, Decorations and Medals VII - e-Auction
Lot: 229

British War Medal 1914-20 (475279 Pte. D. J. Davies. 11-Can. Inf.), nearly extremely fine

David John Davies was born at Whitland, South Wales on 25 December 1876, the son of Rees Davies. Enlisting with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 11 September 1915 he originally joined the 4th Overseas Universities Company before transferring to the 11th Reserve Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Manitoba Regiment). Arriving in England on 7 December 1915 he was still in the country when on the night 5 February 1916 he was killed attempting to board a bus. The statement of the driver confirms:

'On Saturday last I was driving a Motor Coach (to seat 20) down the Sandgate Road at about 8-30 p.m. I pulled up opposite the Queens Hotel in the Sandgate Road, not quite got to the corner, to allow a car coming up Rendezvous Street to precede me. I followed the car round which pulled up on the near side of Dixons.
I pulled up opposite No:8, Guildhall Street in the middle of the road.
It was impossible to get to near side because of the crowd of people.
I should think there was 150 people waiting and they all made a charge at the coach.
It was ordinarily dark. I was slowing up when I felt the wheel drag as if it came against something, it certainly did not mount anything. I immediately pulled up, in fact, the wheel catching it stopped the car.
P.C. Smith Came up to me and asked whether I knew I had run over a man. I said "No".'

A further statement made by the House Surgeon at The Victoria Hospital in Folkstone added:

'On examination there were [SIC] some slight respiration. he had no pulse. I gave him a stimulant but he died within 10 minutes of admission.
I have since made a post mortem examination and find Profuse Hemorrhage [SIC] into the pelvis. He also had a fractured spine in the lumbar region, there was a very slight scratch on his back over his left hip joint and his left elbow joint.
The hoemorrhage [SIC] would come from the deep blood vessels
The injuries were such as I should expect to find had the wheels of a heavy vehicle passed over him in the region of the back.'

Davies is buried at the Whitland (Soar) Independent Chapelyard; sold together with copied records including service records, C.E.F. roll of honour and Commonwealth War Graves details.

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Sold for
£45

Starting price
£10