A World War One Military Medal and second award bar awarded to a soldier who served with the 6th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment. The medal comes with an erased war and victory medals which was his full entitlement. The medal was awarded to 25409 Private (later Corporal) William Sewell. The medal is correctly named as follows. William Sewell was born in Sunnyside, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire in 1887. William married Ada on 29th September 1909 and in 1911, aged 23, he was living with this wife and their new daughter Doris Mabel on Ellesmere Road, Berkhamstead. His trade was a painter. They had another daughter called Winifred Mary in April 1912 who sadly died in infancy. William enlisted into the Northamptonshire Regiment and served with both the 6th and 7th Battalions with the same service number. He was initially a Private and became an acting Corporal. William joined the 6th Battalion in France on 28th September 1916 and served for nearly 3 years in France and Flanders. Later in the war, 23rd September 1918, he was posted to the 7th Battalion. With him being in the 6th Battalion from 1916 to 1918 he would have seen significant action such as the following. The Battle of the Ancre Heights from 1st October 1916 – 11th November 1916. The Battle of the Ancre 13th – 18th November 1917. In 1917 – Operations on the Ancre, the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, the Battle of Langemarck, the First Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 – the Battle of St Quentin, the Battle of the Avre, actions of Villiers-Brettoneux, the Battle of Amiens, the Battle of Albert, the Second Battle of Bapaume, the Battle of Epehy, the Battle of St Quentin Canal, the Battle of the Selle, the Battle of the Sambre. William was severely wounded on 5th April 1918 when the 6th Battalion was involved in the defense of Amiens. He suffered a wound to his left buttock and was hospitalised to Rouen and several other hospitals. He was also hospitalised for a period due to a’Pyrexia of Unknown Origin’ in the autumn of 1918. Most likely a fever caused by rat bites. The award of his military medal was published in the London Gazette on 2nd November 1917 and would have been awarded for Gallantry during the 3rd Battle of Ypres. His bar was published in the London Gazette on 17th June 1919 and would have been awarded for Gallantry during the period of 13th – 22nd September 1918 on the Western Front and the Advance to Victory. He was discharged to Class Z Reserve on 6 October 1919. William died in Hemel Hempstead in 1958 aged 71. The medal includes a. Williams original Certificate of Transfer to the Reserve and a. Large file of research including details of Williams life, his service details, copies of the Battalion War diary, medal records including copies of his medal index card, copies of the medal rolls, copies of the London Gazette entries, pages of his medical history. Records, discharge, family records. Details of his birth, the 1911 census, death details etc. Please let me know if you need any additional photos or information. Thanks and kind regards. The item “WW1 Military Medal & Bar Gallantry 6th Northamptonshire Regiment Hertfords” is in sale since Thursday, December 2, 2021. This item is in the category “Collectables\Militaria\World War I (1914-1918)\Medals/ Ribbons”. The seller is “harrypitt69″ and is located in Nottingham. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
- Country/ Organization: Great Britain
- Issued/ Not-Issued: Issued
- Theme: Militaria
- Type: Medals & Ribbons
- Conflict: World War I (1914-1918)
- Service: Army
- Era: 1914-1945
- Featured Refinements: Military Medal
