Baldwin & Sons
Auction 75 26 September 2012
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
MILITARY MEDALS. Gallantry Groups. A Very Fine Great War MM Group of 4 and Memorial Plaque awarded to Private J Danskin, 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, awarded the MM for 'great gallantry and devotion to duty' during a moonlight trench raid 30 August 1916, killed in just one month later near Martinpuich, Military Medal, G V R (19706 Pte. J. Danskin. 10/Nth'd Fus:), 1914-15 Star (Pte), British War and Victory Medals (Pte.), Memorial Plaque (James Danskin); officially impressed, group loose. Lightly polished, nearly extremely fine, scarce and desirable with specific awards details. (5)
Private James Danskin, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, enlisted for service in the same city with the 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers during the Great War. Arriving in France in August 1915 as part of the 69th Brigade, 23rd Division, it was just over a year later during the Battle of the Somme that Private Danskin was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery.
As is recorded in the Battalion War Diary, soldiers from the 10th Battalion launched a night-time attack upon an adjacent enemy trench. Following an earlier gas and artillery attack, the soldiers set off in two raiding parties under 2nd Lieutenant E Lawrence and 2nd Lieutenant J P Lorrains. Each party ran some 30 yards across 'No Man's Land' before slowing to crawl through gaps in the enemy wire, but upon their eventual discovery they were met with heavy rifle fire and bombing. The raiders retaliated successfully: ' getting a good number of bombs into the enemy's trench, from which cries and groans could be heard'. Second Lieutenant Lawrence was here wounded, but continued long enough to organise his party to withdraw to the departure ditch, whereupon the party under Lorrains successfully attacked, reaching the enemy parapet, bayoneting sentries and bombing the enemy, who were noted to be still wearing their gas masks. Despite their success in inflicting heavy casualties, both parties were forced to withdraw owing to the outnumbering enemy forces and their own casualties, despite the party under 2nd Lieutenant Lorrains having made a second but unsuccessful rallying attack.
Whilst the text leaves the specific detail somewhat ambiguous, it appears that Private Danskin was a member of the second raiding party, and is listed in the Battalion Diary by name towards the bottom of the extract as having 'shewed great gallantry and devotion to duty both in the assault and in bringing in wounded afterwards'. Private James Danskin was killed in action just over a month later 25 September 1916 during another trench attack near Martinpuich. Sold with copy MIC, CWGC casualty report, and extracts from the 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers War Diary concerning the attack in which Private Danksin was awarded the MM and also concerning the later attack in which he was killed. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
MM London Gazette16.11.1916
Estimate: £1000-1200
Private James Danskin, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, enlisted for service in the same city with the 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers during the Great War. Arriving in France in August 1915 as part of the 69th Brigade, 23rd Division, it was just over a year later during the Battle of the Somme that Private Danskin was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery.
As is recorded in the Battalion War Diary, soldiers from the 10th Battalion launched a night-time attack upon an adjacent enemy trench. Following an earlier gas and artillery attack, the soldiers set off in two raiding parties under 2nd Lieutenant E Lawrence and 2nd Lieutenant J P Lorrains. Each party ran some 30 yards across 'No Man's Land' before slowing to crawl through gaps in the enemy wire, but upon their eventual discovery they were met with heavy rifle fire and bombing. The raiders retaliated successfully: ' getting a good number of bombs into the enemy's trench, from which cries and groans could be heard'. Second Lieutenant Lawrence was here wounded, but continued long enough to organise his party to withdraw to the departure ditch, whereupon the party under Lorrains successfully attacked, reaching the enemy parapet, bayoneting sentries and bombing the enemy, who were noted to be still wearing their gas masks. Despite their success in inflicting heavy casualties, both parties were forced to withdraw owing to the outnumbering enemy forces and their own casualties, despite the party under 2nd Lieutenant Lorrains having made a second but unsuccessful rallying attack.
Whilst the text leaves the specific detail somewhat ambiguous, it appears that Private Danskin was a member of the second raiding party, and is listed in the Battalion Diary by name towards the bottom of the extract as having 'shewed great gallantry and devotion to duty both in the assault and in bringing in wounded afterwards'. Private James Danskin was killed in action just over a month later 25 September 1916 during another trench attack near Martinpuich. Sold with copy MIC, CWGC casualty report, and extracts from the 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers War Diary concerning the attack in which Private Danksin was awarded the MM and also concerning the later attack in which he was killed. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
MM London Gazette16.11.1916
Estimate: £1000-1200