WW1 MILITARY MEDAL GROUP TO 171226 SJT D.A.GORDON R.A, EX RHODESIAN MAYOR GWELO

Offered is a Military Medal group of 3 to Sergeant Douglas Arthur Gordon 157^th Siege Battery. Medal group comprising Military Medal (King George V) impressed named 171226 BMBR: D.A.GORDON. 157/SGE:BY:R.G.A.; War and Victory Medals impressed named 171226 CPL. D.A.GORDON. R.A. The medals are in exceptionally fine condition and come with copies of service papers (burnt records) medal index card, medal roll & photographs.

His Military Medal was gazetted 9/10/1918 London Gazette. The schedule number was 186427. The schedule range of 185,000-187,600 covers awards for April/May-June 1918.

Douglas Arthur Gordon was born in 1884 and was residing pre and post war in Hoylake Cheshire England. He had previous service with the King Edwards Horse. He enlisted 10/12/1915 and was placed in the Army Reserve. His occupation at the time was “Rating Surveyor”. He was eventually called up 7/7/1917 to the Royal Garrison Artillery and posted to the 157^th Siege Battery with whom he served with in France as a gun layer.

He was home from 7/7/1917-19/11/197. France 20/11/1917-?/11/1918 then home to discharge 1919 with the rank of Sergeant.

It is known that Douglas served in WW2 with the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve as he would have been in his mid 50’s. His two sons served in the Royal Artillery in WW2. He emigrated to Rhodesia and was the Mayor of Gwelo in 1953. Rhodesia, 'Southern Rhodesia: Gwelo is the fourth largest town in Southern Rhodesia, and is situated in the centre of the Midlands.

157 Siege Battery. Landed in France 30/11/1916.

Siege Batteries RGA were equipped with heavy howitzers, sending large calibre high explosive shells in high trajectory, plunging fire. The usual armaments were 6 inch, 8 inch and 9.2 inch howitzers, although some had huge railway- or road-mounted 12 inch howitzers. As British artillery tactics developed, the Siege Batteries were most often employed in destroying or neutralising the enemy artillery, as well as putting destructive fire down on strongpoints, dumps, store, roads and railways behind enemy lines.

157 Siege Battery RGA (four 6" howitzers) first appears in the order of battle in France in Dec 1916, as part of Fifth Army Artillery. It spent 1917 in the Ypres Salient, mostly with Fifth Army, throughout 1917, being attached to various Heavy Artillery Groups. (HAG)

In Feb 1918 when HAGs were re designated Brigades RGA, 157 Siege Battery became part of 70 (9;2" Howitzer) Brigade RGA, in which it remained for the rest of 1918, mostly as part of First Army.