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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 112

Three: Sergeant L. O. Burge, 10th (Stockbroker's) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, who was killed in action whilst serving shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother during the Somme Offensive on 11 July 1916

1914-15 Star (Stk-41 Pte L. O. Burge. R. Fus:); British War and Victory Medals (Stk-41 A. Sjt. L. O. Burge. R. Fus.), good very fine (3)

Leonard Oliver Burge was born at 18 May 1893 at Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, the son of William and Grace Burge of 82 Holbein House, Sloane Square, London. Educated at Abingdon School from 1905 - 1911 he trained as an electrical engineer. Working as an Aeroplane Builder prior to the Great War, he attested - somewhat surprisingly under the circumstances - for the Royal Fusiliers on 29 August 1914. Interestingly his brother Phillip served in the same Battalion but went on to win the M.C. as a commissioned pilot and Flying Ace (see Lot 394) with No. 64 Squadron.

Posted to the 10th (Stockbroker's) Battalion he entered the war in France on 31 July 1915. Burge was promoted Corporal here on 3 February 1916 and further advanced Sergeant on 23 May 1916. The Battalion went into action seriously for the first time during the Battle of the Somme, entering the line in the La Boisselle sector on 8 July. They were in action at the section of trench lines known as Sausage Valley the next day. Burge was killed in action on 11 July while the unit was still in this area and was buried at Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle.

He was survived by his brother Phillip, who joined the Royal Flying Corps the next year and earned the M.C. in 1918, being killed himself on 24 June 1918; sold together with copied research including service papers, M.I.C. and a Commonwealth War Graves certificate as well as a typed extract from the Abington School Register, census data and a number of photographs.

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Sold for
£190

Starting price
£100