Korea War pair casualty – Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.

Korea War pair casualty – Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. Queens Korea, 22389043 Pte W.H. Moore. K.S.L.I. (Swing mounted as worn) Original box of issue. Wounded on the 20th October 1951. The Booklett, 1st K.S.L.I. Korea 1951-52 by Peter Duckers, Published by the Regimental Museum confirms that he received a Moderate gunshot wound to the head, at Kowang-San on the 3rd October 1951. An old label with the group states Twice wounded, which does reflect the date contained on the casualty roll plus that within Peter Duckers work On October 3, 1951, the 1st Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (1 KSLI) launched a major offensive action in Korea as part of Operation Commando. Serving under the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade, their strategic mission was to drive entrenched Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) forces off a series of dominant hills north of the Imjin River to establish a secure new defensive front called the “Jamestown Line.” At exactly 06:00, following an intense, coordinated Allied artillery and mortar bombardment to soften up enemy dugouts, the battalion’s advance began. The KSLI’s specific objective on this opening day was to provide critical flank support and assault adjoining high ground alongside the 1st Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers (1 KOSB), who led the frontal assault on the massive, heavily fortified Chinese stronghold of Hill 355, famously nicknamed “Little Gibraltar.” Battling through rugged, steep terrain, the Shropshire infantrymen advanced under relentless enemy machine-gun, mortar, and artillery counter-fire. The fierce combat on October 3 successfully breached the outer layers of the Chinese lines. This hard-fought momentum directly enabled the KSLI to storm and capture neighboring Hill 227 the very next day, contributing to a vital United Nations victory. By October 20, 1951, the 1st Battalion, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (1 KSLI) had transitioned from active offensive maneuvers to static, defensive warfare. Following the conclusion of Operation Commando on October 15, the battalion was firmly dug into positions along the newly established Jamestown Line, holding critical high ground on and around Hill 355 (“Little Gibraltar”) and Hill 227. On this day, the Shropshires were heavily engaged in fortifying their positions against a backdrop of intermittent Chinese artillery and mortar shelling. Their daylight hours were defined by what veterans called a “troglodyte existence.” Soldiers labored intensely to deepen communication trenches, fill thousands of sandbags, string protective barbed wire, and reinforce subterranean bunkers known as “hoochies”—underground chambers layered with timber and steel to withstand direct artillery hits. When darkness fell, the routine shifted to high-alert combat operations. The KSLI routinely dispatched reconnaissance and ambush patrols into the dangerous valleys of no-man’s-land. These nighttime patrols were vital for gathering intelligence and preventing Chinese infiltration, marking the start of a grueling, attritional phase of the war. Condition – NEF NOTE: Sorry we cannot accept payment by PayPal for this item, We can accept payment by Credit / Debit Card, Bank Transfer or Cheque.