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LANCE CORPORAL ALFRED WILLIAM ANTROBUS


sommewalker

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This is an updated post on
the plaque/ medals/ letters and ephemera,
of ,
Lance Corporal Antrobus
G/24174 Middlesex regiment
husband of Eleanor Mary Antrobus
of 34 peerless buildings city road London,
there have been developments ,
"WHO NOTICED THE DELIBERATE MISTAKE?"
I.E the ribbons were reversed,
as in on the wrong medals?
this was done a long time ago , I believe,
they are now the right way round,
there are some new , photos ,
of the plaque/case,
and the letters that went with the medals, and the letters from the king etc.,
+++ ive photographed the signature of the sender of the letter to Alfred's widow,
from an oppo of his No242799 R.B.Nelson
A Company 13th Middlesex regiment. ,
who witnessed how Alfred was killed,
where it describes in detail the way the raid unfolded,
a rare piece of ephemera as these often got lost,
R I P Alfred you wont be forgotten now .........................

 

 

A Remarkable WW1 Trench Raid KIA Group With Letters & Death Plaque
Comprising of pair of medals, a condolence letter from the King at Buckingham Palace, a condolence letter from the Secretary of War, a large official named bronze Death Plaque, notifications of both medals issued by the Army, and a letter of condolence from the dead soldiers comrade to his widow. A soldier, whose expolits during the Battle of Messines [7th- 14th June, 1917] if witnessed by an officer, would have gained him the Military Medal for Gallantry at the very least. Pte. Antrobus of the 13th Middlesex Regt was on a 30 man 'Bombing [grenade] Raid' in the trenches at Ravines Wood after the giant British mine went up on the 7th. These raids were effectively shock troop commando raids against enemy entrenched positions, bombs was the British term that referred to the close combat grenades used by both the British and Germans. The 13th Middlesex believed there would only a few German troops resisting the assault after the mines detonation, but it turned out to be around 200. At one point Pte. Antrobus was attacking under a hail of 70 German bombs [grenades] and outnumbered 20 to 1. Under this horrific onslaught he was lost in battle, and his remains were never found. His widow was sent a most thoughtful letter by his comrade of 'A company' 13th Middlesex, on the 6th of September that year. [which we include]. In that letter Pte. Nelson writes Pte Antrobus died doing his duty in such a way as very few men had done in the war. A truly heroic act, and a poignent description of the assault as we described above. The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an offensive conducted by the British Second Army, under the command of General Sir Herbert Plumer, on the Western Front near the village of Messines in Belgian West Flanders during the First World War. The Nivelle offensive in April and May had failed to achieve its more ambitious aims and this had resulted in the demoralisation of French troops and the dislocation of the Anglo-French strategy for 1917. The offensive at Messines forced the German Army to move reserves to Flanders from the Arras and Aisne fronts, which relieved pressure on the French Army. The tactical objective of the attack at Messines was to capture the German defences on the ridge, which ran from Ploegsteert ("Plugstreet") Wood in the south through Messines and Wytschaete to Mt. Sorrel, to deprive the German Fourth Army of the high ground south of Ypres. The ridge commanded the British defences and back areas further north, from which the British intended to conduct the "Northern Operation", to advance to Passchendaele Ridge, then capture the Belgian coast up to the Dutch frontier.

The Second Army contained five corps, of which three conducted the attack and two remained on the northern flank, not engaged in the main operation; the XIV Corps was available in General Headquarters reserve ("GHQ reserve"). The German Fourth Army divisions of Gruppe Wijtschate ("Group Wytschaete") held the ridge, which were later reinforced by a division from Gruppe Ypern. The battle began with the detonation of 19 mines, which devastated the German front line defences, followed by a creeping barrage 700 yards (640 m) deep, covering the British troops as they secured the ridge, with support from tanks, cavalry patrols and aircraft. The effectiveness of the British mines, barrages and bombardments was improved by advances in artillery survey, flash-spotting and centralised control of artillery from the Second Army headquarters. British attacks from 8–14 June advanced the front line beyond the former German Sehnen (Oosttaverne) line. The Battle of Messines was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres campaign, the preliminary bombardment for which began on 11 July 1917.

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very nice Peter and excellent research :thumbsup:

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very nice Peter and excellent research :thumbsup:

at last,

I've managed to get the plaque and medals framed ,

and a brass plate made for the frame

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Excellent job Peter, They look far better framed. :thumbsup:

thanks Leon21.

but I have finally added the finishing touches by adding a cap badge and shoulder title,

now I am satisfied,

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