THE FIRST DAY OF THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME, 1ST JULY 1916, MILITARY MEDAL AWARDED TO PRIVATE G. BROWN, 1ST BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS, A VETERAN OF THE GALLIPOLI AND EGYPT CAMPAIGNS WHO SUBSEQUENTLY DIED OF WOUNDS FROM SHELL FIRE ON 21/10/1916. Military Medal, George V (officially impressed: 9237 PTE. G. BROWN. 1/R. INNIS: FUS:) Small bruise to obverse rim at 5 o'clock, otherwise Extremely Fine.
Military Medals for gallantry on 1st July 1916 are rare. The act of gallantry for which the Military Medal was awarded had to be witnessed by an officer and the recipient then subsequently recommended for a Military Medal by that officer. The large number of officer casualties sustained on 1/7/1916 made this impossible in many cases. Additionally, the Military Medal could not be awarded posthumously to any man who was killed in action performing an act of gallantry, thus excluding many other potential recipients.
Medal accompanied by copied Medal Index card, Military Medal Index card and extract London Gazette re. award of Military Medal, Soldiers Died, Commonwealth War Graves Register details and extract from Ray Westlake's "British Battalions on the Somme, 1916".
George Brown, M.M., born Derryloran, Co. Tyrone, circa 1888, initially saw service with the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in at Gallipoli, entering that theatre of operations on 17/3/1915 and saw service in Gallipoli with the 87th Brigade, 29th Division, the "Incomparables" (the 1st Battalion Inniskilling Fusiliers set sail for Gallipoli as a unit in March 1915 and landed at Gallipoli on 25/4/1915, and after being withdrawn from Gallipoli saw service in Egypt prior to landing at Marseilles on 18/3/1916 and seeing service in France, again with 109th Brigade, 29th Division).
Private Brown is recorded in Ireland's Memorial Records as having been born in Derryloran, county Tyrone, died of wounds as a result of shell fire on 21/11/1916, and being 28 years old at the time of his death. Commonwealth War Graves record gives parents names as James and Jane Brown of Moneymore, county Londonderry, and records Private Brown as having no known grave and being commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Private Brown's Military Medal was announced in the London Gazette of 11/11/1916. This edition of the London Gazette is noted by Howard Williamson as containing most of the Military Medals awards for Gallipoli, as well as awards for the Battle of the Somme, including many for the first day. Brown's Military Medal Index card is stamped "France", confirming that it is a French theatre of operations award.
Private Brown was undoubtedly awarded the Military Medal for the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the 1st Inniskillings not seeing any significant front line service prior to 1/7/1916 and the survivors of the battalion being withdrawn from the front line immediately after the attack, the battalion not seeing any significant front line service again until October 1916, shortly before Brown was mortally wounded.
The War Diary of the 1st Inniskillings records that, on 17/11/1916, four days prior to Brown being was mortally wounded, the 1st Inniskillings were in the front line support trench and providing "working parties". The battalion remained in the support trench on the 18th and 19th November, entering the front line the following day, 20/11/1916, relieving the 1st K.O.S.B. on the brigade front. The battalion was still in the front line on 21st November, when Private Brown was mortally wounded. On the following day, 22nd November, Lieutenant Carroll of the battalion was also killed by enemy shell fire.
Ray Westlake records that, on 1/7/1916 the 1st Inniskillings took part in the attack on Beaumont Hamel on the right side of the 87th Brigade, south of "Y" Ravine and were soon cut down by machine gun fire from both flanks, and that those men that did get forward were held up by uncut wire, with the small parties that cleared this soon being killed or taken prisoner. The battalion then withdrew to the British front line after having suffered 549 casualties, including its commanding officer, who was killed in action (the regimental history states total casualties were 4 officers killed, including its commanding officer, 11 officers wounded and 4 officers missing, along with 50 other ranks killed, 265 wounded and 225 missing). After the attack, the 1st Inniskillings were withdrawn from the British front line and did not see front line service again until October 1916, shortly before Brown was mortally wounded.
