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An unusual medal to start off this thread of medals to the Royal Lancaster Regiment.


Picture courtesy of DNW

QSA (1) Tugela Heights (3321 Pte. W. McGuinness, R. Lanc: Regt.)

Entitled to the clasps RoL, TH, OFS, Tr and LN (WO100/168p91) and KSA (2) (WO100/320p56).

From the next Noble Numismatics sale:

QSA (2) Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith (4048 Pte J.Bennett R:Lanc:Regt.) Impressed.

Pictures courtesy of DNW

QSA (3) Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 (7306 Pte. A. Homer, Rl: Lanc: Regt.);
1914-15 Star (26457 Pte. S. Homer. L’pool R.) with flattened named card box of issue;
BWM and VM (26457 Pte. S. Homer. L’pool R.) with flattened named card box of issue;
Memorial Plaque (Samuel Homer) in card envelope, with Buckingham Palace enclosure and torn outer envelope addressed to ‘Mrs. L. G. Homer, 1065 Tenth St., Trafford Park, Manchester.’



Samuel Joseph Homer was born in 1882 in Cheetwood, Manchester, Lancashire and attested for the King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) in June 1900. He served with the 4th Battalion (Militia) in South Africa from September 1900 until July 1901 and was awarded the QSA with 3 clasps.

Following the outbreak of the Great War Homer re-enlisted in the King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) on 26 August 1914 (service number 3832). Posted to the 3rd Battalion, he was then discharged due to chronic pleurisy on 26 December 1914. Having subsequently successfully attested for the King’s (Liverpool Regiment), he disembarked for service on the Western Front with the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion on 7 April 1915. Less than 3 weeks later, on 27 April, he took part in an attack by his battalion from trenches north-east of St. Jean, outside Ypres. The War Diary records: ‘At 12 noon the Battalion formed up for the attack and assaulted the German positions, in support of 1/4th Gurkha Rifles.’ The History of the of the King’s Regiment by Everard Wyall states, ‘The King’s, splendidly led by their officers, advanced in short rushes, with the enemy pumping lead into them and men falling in heaps.’ In the fighting, the battalion lost 1 officer killed and 8 officers wounded whilst 375 other ranks were either killed, wounded or missing.

Following the action, Homer was among the missing. He was presumed to have been killed on or since 27 April 1915 and his date of death for official purposes is given as 27 April 1915. He was the husband of Lily Homer and, having no known grave, is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

Sold together with a photograph of the recipient in uniform in a glazed metal frame (glass cracked) 107mm x 178mm, with the badge of the The King’s (Liverpool Regiment) affixed to the lower part of the frame; another copy of the same portrait photograph, cut down, 65mm x 102mm; 2 smaller versions of the same portrait photograph, 1 cut down and contained within a circular glazed metal pendant frame (glass cracked), 31mm diameter; the recipient’s Liverpool Regiment cap badge; transmittal letters for Great War medals; War Office Army Form W.5132, informing the recipient’s widow that her late husband’s medals are available for issue; Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing Badges awarded to the recipient’s daughter, Mildred Homer, metal and enamel (2), the first inscribed to the reverse, ‘M. L. Homer, 21.2.54’ and the second inscribed to the reverse ‘M. Homer. 29-6-57’; and 4 certificates named to the recipients daughter, Mildred L. Homer, for accomplishments in shorthand typing, ballroom dancing, typewriting, German and Air Raid Precautions.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (2) Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith (1949 Pte. A. Irwin, R. Lanc: Regt.), initial and surname unofficially re-engraved.

1949 Private Peter O'Neill served with the 2nd Battalion and was wounded near Ladysmith on 22 February 1900, being discharged on account of his gunshot wound to the left hip in May 1901.

Picture courtesy of Spink

QSA (6) Tugela Heights, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laing's Nek, South Africa 1901 (2360 Pte. J. Humphries, R: Lanc: Regt:)

Picture courtesy of Woolley and Wallis

QSA (2) Cape Colony, Orange Free State (6417 PTE J. CORRIGAN, RL: LANC: REGT);
KSA (2) (6417 PTE J. CORRIGAN, RL: LANC: REGT).

A Hydraulic Stevedore working at Salford Dock, Corrigan attested for the 3rd (Militia) battalion 11th April 1899, aged 17 years and 11 months. He embarked for South Africa 11th February 1900, and returned to England 13th January 1902.