Superb MM Medal Group to Taylor – From Ipswich.

A really wonderful lot of personal items and medals awarded to a young man who really went through hell and came out the other side with his life and a gallantry medal.
The medal pair are both correctly named to 52011 Gnr. F.C. Taylor. R.A. and the Military medal is correctly named to 52011 Bmbr. F.C. Taylor. 130/HY: BY: R.G.A.
Frederick Craven Taylor was born 1895 and raised in Ipswich Suffolk, one of four children to Ernest a Railway Carman and Edith a Washer Woman, Frederick himself being employed as a Warehouseman at the age of 19.
He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery in Great Yarmouth in the November of 1914, he must have been eager to join traveling that distance up the coast.
He stayed at home for a year training on the big guns until finally landing on French soil in the April of 1916 with the 124 Heavy Battery as a Gunner, later promoted to Bombardier in November 1916.
He was seriously wounded on the 13th April 1917 with a gunshot wound to the chest; it was in this particular action where he was wounded he won the military medal. I haven’t been able to find his citation, but to be honest, I haven’t tried too hard as the MM is confirmed a few times in his service papers, which are included.
He wasn’t always a modal Soldier; he was charged and confined to Barracks for 7 days for going absent without leave for 48 hours, quite a lenient charge for the time.
He was wounded in May of 1918, being once again admitted to the Military General Hospital in Rouen having been gassed. It doesn’t say how long he spent out of action, but he is back behind his heavy gun for the final push in the august and September of 1918.
He was finally discharged 15th May 1919 having caught the Spanish Flu, this pandemic killed more human lives than the war and claimed many a soldier who had escaped death on the battlefields of the Western front, however Frederick also survived this and went on to have a wife and family and did not pass away until 1974 still resident in Ipswich.
All three medals are in excellent condition, they are all toned and look like they have never been polished or not polished for many years, the Victory medal has a slightly diferent style of naming, this could be just due to a latter issue, they come with his original Brass cap badge which is now damaged, Brass shoulder title, various postcards which he sent home, two are written on, just birthday greetings, a couple of photos, one is interesting and shows royal artillery with horses and a cart, this looks to been taken in England, possibly in Suffolk; and a wonderful portrait photo of Frederick in uniform, this really brings home how young he was, and lastly his WW1 service strips, these are getting so rare, they never seem to come on the market these days and are a nice original accompaniment to the group.

Code: 15580