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VINTAGE & RARE WW1 BRITISH ARMY MILITARY CROSS & MEDAL GROUP AWARDED TO CAPTAIN ARCHIBALD CECIL MILLS, ROYAL ARTILLERY.

Medals court-mountedrt mounted for display, including:

*GRV Military Cross – un-named (attributed London Gazette, 3rd June 1919) – see research below

*British War & Victory Medals, impressed to: CAPT. A. C. MILLS.

Included is a gilded officer’s Royal Artillery cap badge with spinning wheel and claw back attachment.

Research

Born 9th September 1893. Served in the 277th Support Battery (Territorial Forces) 45th (2/Wessex) Division, entering France on 22nd March 1917. Received the M.C. for actions in France & Flanders. Applied for medals 26th March 1922, stating his address 4 Weston College Road, Mannamead, Plymouth. Died Plymouth June 1982, aged 88.

The 277th RFA were originally an artillery Brigade attached to the 55th West Lancashire Division, Territorial Forces. After the Boer War, the Government and Army realised that the small standing Army of the Empire was insufficient for modern needs, and in 1908 the Territorial Forces came into being, and trained and equipped as the Regular Army. Though they were raised to serve on the home front only, at the outbreak of World War 1, they volunteered for service at the front.

The 277th did not go into action immediately, and when they did go off to France in late 1915, the 277th were attached to the 2nd Canadian Division who were still getting their artillery up to strength and a suitable level of competence. The 277th rejoined their own 55th Division at the beginning of 1916, but were moved again in January of 1917 to become an Army Brigade under the more centralised command of the newly re-organised Royal Field Artillery. Logistically, this made sense, because moving vast numbers of horses, guns and men to different sectors of the front (traditionally following their parent Division), on a fairly regular basis, did not make much sense as it was a highly dangerous and frequently complicated exercise.