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Auction: 8010 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 239

A Great War ´1918 Casualty´ Group of Three to Private L. Sykes, King´s Royal Rifle Corps, Late Army Service Corps 1914 Star, with Bar, loose as issued (SS-3724 Pte. L. Sykes. A.S.C.); British War and Victory Medals (SS-3724 Pte. L. Sykes. A.S.C.), nearly extremely fine, with (2) named card boxes of issue, carbon copy of report of recipient´s death given by 203721 Private W. Ford, K.R.R.C., dated 9.9.1918; typed letter from the Imperial War Graves Commission to recipient´s son after his enquiry into his father´s death, dated 14.5.1952 Estimate £ 150-200 A/203721 Private Leonard Sykes, born Dewsbury, 1883; served during the Great War with the Royal Army Service Corps (no. SS/3724) on the Western Front from 25.8.1914, later transferring to the 18th Battalion K.R.R.C.; details from Soldiers Died give the recipient as dying of wounds, 28.3.1918, however Commonwealth War Graves give the date of death between 24th-28th March; details from an official witness to his death go some way to explaining the difference in dates, ´´March 24th we were alongside Ham, soon after daylight the Germans started an attack, Sykes was in my platoon and in the same trench but some little way off. I was told that Sykes was seen to throw up his arms and fall dead, hit by a rifle bullet. I left on the 26th and went down the line sick, when I rejoined in May Pte. B. Waliter (also of number two platoon) who was a great friend of mine and of Sykes´´s told me he was next to Sykes in the trench when he was killed but he did not mention to me anything about the body being taken away or buried. Waliter is still with the Battalion´´; it would appear that Sykes died immediately, but was taken away for burial at a later date - hence why when his son enquired as to the date and nature of his death the Imperial War Graves Commission replied that he had died between the 24th-28th March 1918; the 18th Battalion were in action at Avre during late March; he is buried in Bancourt British Cemetery.

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£150