WW1 British Farther & WW2 Son Medal Grouping Durham Light Infantry
Code: 15475
SOLD
For sale is a Rare WW1 & WW2 Farther and son medal grouping.
The father’s full name is Samuel Aldridge, and he served for the 11th Durham Light Infantry during WW1 where he was awarded a WW1 British War Medal, And a WW1 Victory Medal both accompanied by there full length ribbons. Both his victory and war medals are engraved on the rim “4-8891 C-Sgt Aldridge Durh L.I”.
During World War Two, Samuel Aldridge served in the Royal Engineers, where he was awarded a British war medal & British defence medal and promoted to the rank of captain.
Of Samual Aldridge items in this grouping are his;
1. WW1 Silver war medal & full length ribbon
2. ww1 victory medal & full length ribbon
3. ww2 postal packet addressed to; “Captain Aldridge, 181 addycombe terrace, Heaton, Newcastle on Tyne”,
4. WW2 medal entitlement letter titled “campaign stars, clasps, and Medals instituted in recognition of service in the war 1939-44,” entitled to 2 medals.
5. Ww2 British war medal with full length ribbon.
6. Ww2 British defence medal with full length ribbon.
7. Also accompanying the father’s medal grouping are Two scans of medal research.
8. Medal is a letter dated 30th June 1945, and this letter states;
“Dear Sir, Captain S Aldridge, Royal Engineers.
Now that the time has come for your release from active military duty, I am commanded by the Army Council to express to you their thanks for the valuable services which you have rendered in the service of your country at a time of grave national emergency. At the end of the emergency you will relinquish your commission, and at that time a notification will appear in the London Gazette (Supplement), granting you also the honorary rank of Captain. Meanwhile, you have permission to use that rank with effect from the date of your release.”
Accompanying this lovely WW1 & WW2 medal set is Samuel Aldridge Sons WW2 Medal Set.
The following items are what’s included In the sons side of the medal group;
1. his ww2 medal postal packet addressed to; “Mr D.W.Aldridge, 181 addycombe terrace, Heaton, Newcastle on Tyne”.
2. His ww2 medal entitlement letter titled “campaign stars, clasps, and Medals instituted in recognition of service in the war 1939-44,” entitled to 6 medals and a medal bar.
3. Ww2 British war medal with full length ribbon
4. Ww2 British defence medal with full length ribbon
5. Ww2 africa star medal with full length ribbon
6. Ww2 africa star medal 8th army medal bar
7. Ww2 1939-45 star with full length ribbon
8. Ww2 France and Germany star with full length ribbon
9. Ww2 Italy star with full length ribbon
10. Six ww2 rice paper packets for each of the medals.
11. Territorial Efficiency Medal which was awarded to D W Aldridge In 1946 for his long service in the Royal Field Artillery for his service as a Battery Quartermaster Sergeant. The medal has its full sized medal ribbon, and the medal rim is engraved “907404 B.Q.M.S D.W.Aldridge R.A”.
12. This ww2 medal group is also accompanied by a single page research scan on the issuing of the Territorial Efficiency Medal.
About the 11th Durham Light Infantry during ww1:
Before the First World War began in August 1914, the Durham Light Infantry, County Durham’s own infantry regiment, was made up of nine battalions each of about 1,000 men. There were two Regular battalions of full-time professional soldiers, many of whom came from outside the North East of England; two Reserve battalions of part-time volunteers and ex-Regular soldiers; and five Territorial Force battalions of part-time volunteers centred on key County towns. There was also a Depot or headquarters shared with the Northumberland Fusiliers at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle upon Tyne.
By the end of the war in November 1918, the DLI had grown to 43 battalions, as new Reserve, Service, Territorial, Young Soldier, and other battalions were formed. Of these 43 battalions, 22 served in war zones from the Western Front to the North West Frontier of India.
In August 1914, within days of Britain declaring war on Germany, Lord Kitchener, the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, called for volunteers to join a New Army. Across County Durham and the North East men rushed to enlist.
On 22 August 1914, the first 500 recruits left the DLI’s Depot in Newcastle for Woking in Surrey, where they were formed into the 10th Battalion DLI – the first of the DLI’s Service battalions. By the end of August, over 2,000 men had arrived and a second battalion was formed – the 11th Battalion DLI, with Colonel George Davison, who had retired from the 2nd Battalion DLI in 1906, in command. At first no uniforms were available, even for the officers, and the colonel wore his bowler hat and “civvies” whilst he drilled his raw recruits.
In November, the battalion moved into huts in Pirbright and was given blue serge uniforms as a stopgap. Though leather equipment and obsolete rifles were soon issued, khaki uniforms did not arrive until March 1915, when the battalion was at Larkhill.
In early January 1915, possibly because of the number of pitmen in its ranks, 11 DLI was made the 20th Division’s Pioneer battalion. In future, these Durham soldiers would work as labourers, but, when the need arose, they would fight as infantrymen, as shown by the distinctive crossed rifle and pick collar badges they wore.
On 20 July 1915, 11 DLI, with the rest of the 20th Division, sailed for France and was soon put to work behind the lines repairing roads, before moving to the front line to drain mud-filled trenches and strengthen barbed wire defences.
In 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, 11 DLI, often working at night, repaired old and dug new trenches. In early September, two companies fought as infantrymen to capture the ruins of Guillemont, before another winter was spent working in the mud-filled trenches.
On 30 November 1917, after the British tank and infantry attack at Cambrai had ground to a halt, the Germans counterattacked. And at Gouzeaucourt, some of 11 DLI’s Pioneers led by Colonel Geoffrey Hayes joined the desperate fighting to halt the advancing Germans.
When the German Army attacked on the Somme on 21 March 1918, the 20th Division, including 11 DLI, was in reserve. For ten days, the Pioneers suffered over 450 casualties as they fought and fell back and dug new trenches, only to fight and retreat again.
By August 1918, it was the turn of the Allies to attack the exhausted German Army. The 20th Division joined the advance and 11 DLI was near Maubeuge, when the Armistice came into effect on 11 November. Just because the guns had fallen silent, however, did not mean the end of the Pioneers’ work. Roads and railways needed repairing; shell craters filled in. Demobilisation, however, soon began and miners were amongst the first to be demobilised. By June 1919, the last of 11 DLI’s Pioneers had returned home.
This is an interesting and rare ww1 and ww2 farther and son medal grouping, the nice part about this is that they’ve been kept together for all these years.
Accompanying this medal is three scans of his service records. Upon payment please let me know if you would prefer digital scans or printed copies.
These will be sent via royal mail special delivery and dispatched within two working days.
