Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 7022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 382

The Superb Great War French Theatre ´Somme´ 1918 D.C.M. Group of Three, Posthumously Awarded to Corporal A.O. Porter, Machine Gun Corps, Who Was Killed in Action on the First Day of the Great German March Offensive, When He Defended His Position at Flesquieres Salient to the Last, Inflicting Terrible Losses Upon the Numerically Superior Enemy; This Was the Last German Offensive of the Great War Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (125582 Pte.- A. Cpl.- A.O. Porter. 51/ M.G.C.); British War and Victory Medals (125582 A. Cpl. A.O. Porter. M.G.C.), extremely fine, together with the recipient´s Great War Bronze Memorial Plaque ´Arthur Osgood Porter´ (3) Estimate £ 3,000-4,000 D.C.M. London Gazette 3.9.1918 125582 Pte. (A./Cpl.) A.O. Porter, M.G.C. (Wandsworth, S.E.) ´For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This NCO was in charge of one of the machine guns in a strong point which had been formed. He inflicted losses of the heaviest description on the enemy, whose further progress he checked for some time, holding on to the post to the last and firing the gun himself when all the gun members had become casualties. His coolness and disregard of danger were a fine example to the men whom he had collected to man the strong point and on whom it had a marked influence.´ 125582 Corporal Arthur Osgood Porter, D.C.M., born Wandsworth, 1898; Killed in action whilst serving with the Machine Gun element of the 51st (Highland) Division, defending the northern flank of the Flesquieres Salient, 21.3.1918, and was one of 309 men killed on that day, and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France. Porter´s D.C.M. was not Gazetted for over six months; even allowing for the confused situation of the period, this is still an inordinate amount of time for details of his conduct to filter through the system. It is fair to speculate that Porter´s recommendation may not have been submitted due to the author being wounded; or, perhaps given the context of the superb citation, confirmation was being sought, and consideration was being given, to the award of a posthumous Victoria Cross- one should add that there was no provision at that time in the Royal Warrant for the awarding of posthumous D.C.M.s

Sold for
£4,000