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Auction: 24112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 553

Three: 2nd Lieutenant C. W. Gemmell, 8th Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), attached 10th Battalion, who was killed in action during the Battle of Arras

British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut. C. W. Gemmell.); Great War Bronze Memorial Plaque (Cecil Woodburn Gemmell), sold together with an original identity disk named '2nd Lieut. C. W. Gemmell Pres. 10th Scottish Rifles', good very fine (3)

Cecil Woodburn Gemmell was born in 1895, the son of John and Margaret Gemmell of The Ewart, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire. His father was Rector of the local school and the younger Gemmell was educated there and later at Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow. Matriculating to the University of Glasgow he went on to an apprenticeship at Messrs McClelland, Ker & Co.

Gemmell was in the last year of this apprecnticeship when he was admitted into the Inns of Court Training Corps in Janaury 1916. Completing the Officer training course he was commissioned into the Scottish Rifles in July 1916. Attached to the 10th Battalion he proceeded to France alongside them and was stationed with the unit during the Battle of Arras in 1917.

The Battalion war diary states that they attacked the Blue Line that day, with the right hand comapny making its objectives while the rest were bogged down and forced to dig in. Telegrams attached to the war diary speak of heavy artillery fire and advanced machine gun posts taking a heavy toll. Gemmell was killed in action alongside 4 brother officers and 35 other ranks, notably none of the officers killed were ranked above Lieutenant. He is commemorated upon the Arras Memorial; sold together with copied census data, war diary extracts and M.I.C..

For the Medals of his brothers see Lots 554 and 560.

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Sold for
£480

Starting price
£110