PRIVATE A. PRESTON, 11TH/13TH BATTALION ROYAL IRISH RIFLES, WHO WAS AWARDED THE MILITARY MEDAL FOR GALLANTRY WHILST SERVING WITH THE 22ND ENTRENCHING BATTALION DURING THE GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE OF 1918 (THE 22ND ENTRENCHING BATTALION WAS FORMED FROM THE 11/13TH ROYAL IRISH RIFLES JUST PRIOR TO THE GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE AND FOLLOWING THAT OFFENSIVE THE SURVIVORS OF THE ENTRENCHING BATTALION WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE 12TH BATTALION ROYAL IRISH RIFLES). Military Medal, George V (officially impressed: 2129 Pte. A. PRESTON, 11/13 R. IR: RIF:). Couple of minor rim nicks and bruises, otherwise Almost Extremely Fine to Extremely Fine.
Medal accompanied by biographical details, copied extract 1911 census, WW1 Medal Index card and medal roll, London Gazette extract, Military Medal medal card and some copied research, including post-war correspondence re the services of the 22nd Entrenching Battalion during the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the latter extracted from the battalion War Diary.
Arthur Preston was born in Ossett, Yorkshire, on 21/7/1895. He is recorded in the 1911 census as a 15 year old errand boy living in Ossett with his parents and two sisters, his father being employed as a coal miner. WW1 Medal Roll confirms that Preston, in addition to seeing service with the 11/13th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles also saw service during WW1 with the 10th, 11th, 12th and 17th Battalions Royal Irish Rifles, seeing service with the 17th Battalion on three separate occasions.
Private Preston's Military Medal was announced in the London Gazette of 29/8/1918, home town given as Ossett. His Military Medal index card confirms that the award was for service with the 22nd Entrenchment Battalion.
The 11th (South Antrim) Battalion Royal Irish Rifles was raised in Antrim in September 1914 from the Antrim Volunteers and the 13th (County Down) Battalion was raised in Co. Down in Sepetember 1914 from the County Down Volunteers. As a result of casualties, the two battalions were amalgamated on 13/11/1917 to form the 11/13th Battalion. The 11/13th Battalion was disbanded in France on 18/2/1918, its surviving members then becoming the 22nd Entrenching Battalion.
Entrenching Battalions were temporary units formed during WW1, and initially used to bring front line battalions up to strength, but by the Spring of 1918, when the 11/13th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles became the 22nd Entrenching Battalion, they were being used to improve existing defences in preparation for the expected German offensive and for use as a reserve force if needed.
Medal accompanied by copied post-war correspondence re. the 22nd Entrenching Battalion extracted from the Battalion War Diary, including a letter dated 9/9/1927 from Major G.J. Apperson, Royal Irish Rifles, giving a brief account of the history of the 22nd Entrenching Battalion.
"The 22nd Entrenching Battalion was constituted from the 11/13th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles at the time when the strength of infantry brigades was reduced from 4 to 3 battalions. It was first engaged in laying railways and burying cables in preparation for the expected German attack, and had only been at this work for a short time when the attack started. It immediately became a fighting battalion again and took a very active part in the operations which began on 21st March 1918. After this, the remnants of the battalion were absorbed in the 12th Royal Irish Rifles." Private Preston was also entitled to the British War and Victory Medals.
