German Spring Offensive (Battle of Lys)  Military Medal group – 6th battalion Wiltshire regiment.

German Spring Offensive (Battle of Lys) Military Medal group – 6th battalion Wiltshire regiment. Military Medal (Geo V) 17701 L. Cpl A. Cole . 6/ Wilts.R.; 1914-15 Star, 17701 Pte A. Cole, Wilts.R.; British war and Victory Medals, 17701 Sjt A. Cole. Wilts.R. Arthur Cole His MIC confirms he landed in France on the 19th July 1915 Military Medal, London Gazette 29th August 1918, which contains awards for the March offensive of April 1918. With an original photograph of Cole in uniform. Condition – GVF Formed at Devizes in September 1914 as a Kitchener’s Second New Army (K2) unit, the 6th (Service) Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment) was assigned to the 58th Infantry Brigade of the 19th (Western) Division. Following extended preparation on Salisbury Plain and at Basingstoke, the battalion landed in France at Boulogne in July 1915 to enter static trench warfare on the Western Front. The battalion’s first major trial came during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. On 2nd July, the 6th Wilts mounted a famous assault that successfully captured part of the heavily fortified village of La Boisselle. Throughout the summer and autumn, they saw furious combat during attacks at Mametz Wood, Bazentin Ridge, Pozières, and Stuff Redoubt, before concluding the offensive in November along the mud-choked banks of the River Ancre. In June 1917, the battalion distinguished itself at the Battle of Messines, advancing behind a massive mine detonation to capture enemy positions near Wytschaete. In September 1917, the unit absorbed dismounted cavalrymen to become the 6th (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Battalion. Re-equipped, they were thrust into the relentless slaughter of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), enduring atrocious mud and shellfire while fighting through Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, and Poelcappelle. By early 1918, the battle-hardened unit held defensive sectors in Artois. When the German Spring Offensive struck in March 1918, the 6th Wilts mounted heroic rearguard actions near Bapaume, followed immediately by desperate fighting in Flanders during the Battle of the Lys in April. Having suffered overwhelming casualties in both clashes, the battalion was so severely depleted that it was formally disbanded in May 1918, with its remaining survivors distributed to reinforce other Wiltshire units. NOTE: Sorry we cannot accept payment by PayPal for this item, We can accept payment by Credit / Debit Card, Bank Transfer or Cheque.