WW1 & WWII MEDALS – 64506 PTE G IRONSIDE RAMC/RE – KIA SS MOHAMED ALI EL KERBIR. George Ironside of Cuminestown, near Turriff in Scotland was a blacksmith by trade and entered the First World War as 64506 Private Ironside of the Royal Army Medical Corps (possibly attached via the Royal Engineers). He entered the war early, gaining the 1914-15 Star and saw it out to receive the Victory and War medal also. When the Second World War started Ironside was exempt from conscription due to his age however he dutifully signed up, this time as 1916663 Sapper Ironside of the Royal Engineers. Escorted by the G-Class Destroyer HMS Griffin, El Kebir left Avonmouth on the 5th of August and proceeded round the coast of Ireland. On the 7th of August the convoy was 230 nautical miles west of Bloody Foreland in Ireland when U38 fired two torpedoes, one hitting the El Kebir. After the Griffin had chased off the submarine she set about rescuing survivors as the El Kebir sunk. 11 lifeboats and more than 20 liferafts were launched with the Griffin launching two Whalers. During the emergency, Ironside had made it up to deck and, being a strong swimmer, jumped into the water. Unfortunately, at the same time a lifeboat was launched and it struck him on the head. His body was later recovered on the coast of County Donegal, he one of 96 men lost. Included in this lot are Ironside’s 1914-15 Star, War and Victory medal as well as his posthumously awarded 1939-45 Star and War medal. These medals all come with ribbons, the First War ones come with a bar and the Second World War medals have their original box and certificate showing that they are the full entitlement. Along with the medals are two photos of Ironside during WW1 and three of him during WWII. The WWII snaps include one of him visiting home and a full uniform pose which looks to have been sent into a newspaper for a memorial section from the writing on the rear. Finally, also included here is a 14 page document in response to an appeal for survivors or family of those on the SS Mohamed Ali El-Kebir. It was put together in 1998 and shows around 24 persons associated with the tragedy who got in touch and supplied stories. Private Ironside’s family is one of them. As you’ll see from our pictures, some of these items do show wear from use or storage but more important than their imperfections are the story they tell. These medals are fresh to market from the descendants of Private/Sapper Ironside. Also for sale this week are his son’s WW2 medals. We’re a small family business run by collectors for collectors. We’re excited by every piece we offer and want you to be excited too! If you’re not happy, get in touch. We pack every item ourselves with the care and attention to detail you’d expect. If you need it sooner please get in touch. Heavier items will be sent by courier. All items are insured so if the worst happens you won’t lose out. We won’t bite! If this won’t be possible please get in touch and we can work something out. Certain images/photos incorporated into this template are the royalty free property of Northwestern University Library. Auctiva Free Image Hosting. Show off your items with Auctiva’s Listing Templates. Attention Sellers – Get Templates Image Hosting, Scheduling at Auctiva. The item “WW1 & WWII MEDALS 64506 PTE G IRONSIDE RAMC/RE KIA SS MOHAMED ALI EL KERBIR” is in sale since Friday, September 02, 2016. This item is in the category “Collectables\Militaria\World War I (1914-1918)\Medals/ Ribbons”. The seller is “sky-parlor” and is located in Aberdeenshire. This item can be shipped worldwide.