Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 3996    SESSION 19 (2.30PM FRIDAY 28TH JULY)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $600
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $650

GROUP OF SIX: 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19; War Medal 1939-45; Australia Service Medal 1939-45; Efficiency Medal (GVI Indiae.Imp) with Australia suspender, with one bar. 2779 Pte W.E.Burgess. 1 Bn. A.I.F. on first three medals, N72391 W.E.Burgess on fourth and fifth medals, N.72391 Pte. Burgess. W.E. C.M.F. on last medal. The first five medals impressed, the last medal engraved. Display mounted, contact marks, otherwise fine - very fine.

Together with 3 b&w photos and 2 postcards, one featuring St Johns Brass Band; a newspaper cutting featuring Private Bill Burgess and a medal storage folder.

Wilfred Ernest Burgess, clerk, age 22, born at Parramatta, Sydney, NSW; Enl.20Jun1915 at Liverpool NSW, in 9Rfts 1Bn, with previous service of 6 years in 7ALH; Emb.30Sep1915; to hospital at Heliopolis with enteric and hernia 01Feb1916; RTA 11Apr1916; Disch.14May1916; Re-Enl.18Mar1918 at Liverpool, NSW, as Bandsman in HQ's Band for home service; 4 disciplinary charges; Disch.18Jun1918 no longer required. No records can be found for N72391 W.E.Burgess other than for the award of the Australian Efficiency Medal first clasp - CAG No.182, 26/9/1946, p2739 - to N72391 Private Wilfred Ernest Burgess, Headquarters Eastern Command.

The newspaper cutting referred to above reads as follows. 'Men Who Matter/Private Bill Burgess - You might have seen Private Bill Burgess. He plays the cornet in Eastern Command Brass Band, a first-class musician he is. Bill's father was a bandsman before him, and Bill was in the famous Parramatta Lancers' Band which was reviewed by Lord Kitchener. Then there is Bill junior. He is now at Tobruk, where he has just spent his 21st birthday as a signaller. Bill Burgess senior says the band is a most necessary part of Army life. "We used to wake them up in Egypt with military marches during the last big show", he recollects. "Remember how General Tom bridges rallied his weary men of the Guards' Brigade at Mons by playing The British Grenadiers?" That's only one of a hundred reasons why Bill Burgess, the old Anzac with his only son abroad with the A.I.F., feels he is doing his bit by serving in the Australian Military Forces with that excellent combination, the Eastern Command Band.'

With copy of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette entry.