Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust. Groups

Lot 3173    SESSION 13 (2.30PM THURSDAY 25TH MARCH)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust. Groups

Estimate $2,200
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $2,000

TRIO TO LIGHT HORSE KIA GALLIPOLI: 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19. 504 Cpl. C.J.Sheldon. 1/L.H.Rgt. A.I.F. on first medal, 504 Pte. C.J.Sheldon. 1 L.H.R. A.I.F. on last two medals. All medals impressed. No ribbon on second medal, all medals toned, good very fine.

Together with a pin-back riband bar; tribute fob in gold (9ct; 5.95g; 23x32mm), no maker, with ring top suspension, obverse inscribed, 'Dardanelles', reverse inscribed, 'Presented/By/The Citizens Of/Narrabri/To/Mrs J.Sheldon/To Commemorate the loss/Of her Son/Tpr. Cecil Sheldon/1st Light Horse/Killed at Gallipoli/7.8.15'

Cecil Job Sheldon, Forrestry Dept field assistant, age 21, born at Narrabri, NSW; educated at Narrabri District School, Fort Street and finally at the Hurlstone Agricultural College; Enl.28Aug1914 at Rosebery Park, Sydney, NSW, while serving in 5LHR (10 months service); to Cpl 01Sep1914; Emb.20Oct1914; to Pte 12Jan1915; to Gallipoli 09May1915; to hospital at Mudros 15Jul1915 sick; rejoined unit at Gallipoli 01Aug1915; MIA and then about one month later, after a Court of Inquiry, altered to KIA 07Aug1915 Gallipoli.

Eye witness accounts state that Pte Sheldon was wounded in the knee at Pope's Hill and was sitting in a dug-out between the trenches waving the flies away from his knee but witnesses could not get to him because he was closer to the Turkish lines than them. He was waving to them to be rescued but because of the severity of fire from the Turkish trenches no rescue could be made. After two days, without food and water, he 'went silly' (delirious) and started to move about and was shot again and killed.

Pte Sheldon's mother, a former teacher at Narrabri District School, received a gold tribute fob from the Citizens of Narrabri and sadly, her husband had died on 28 September 1914 three weeks before their son, Cecil, sailed to war. A welcome home reception was held for four returning local soldiers on Monday night, 27 March 1916, by the residents of Narrabri. During the celebrations reference was made to Cecil Sheldon and how they all knew and loved him because of his manliness and good nature and remembered how enthusiastic he was when he enlisted. A gold medal in memory of Cecil Sheldon which was going to be issued to his mother was handed to the chairman of the function.