Vimy Militaria - What's New

Vimy Militaria
P.O. Box 17018
Portobello RO
1937 Portobello Rd
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K4A 4W8

What's New!

I am getting caught up with my cataloguing of inventory after an extended period of time with little opportunity to do more than acquire stock, and I am pleased to offer this update. I hope that I will be able to continue updating the site periodically over the next year, but encourage any customers with particular wants to contact me, as I may have unlisted items available. This update consists mainly of medals awarded to Canadian soliders, with a strong emphasis on service in the Boer War and First World War, and includes a quantity of items to scarcer units, including the Royal Canadian Dragoons and the Canadian Cyclist Corps. There are also some interesting singles and groups to men from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, as well as a scarce Belgian Croix de Guerre group to the 43rd Bn CEF (Cameron Highlanders of Canada). I hope you find something of interest!

Best wishes,

Jim Godefroy

New Arrivals

Four. Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps 'Cape Colony', 'Orange Free State', 'Transvaal', 'South Africa 1901', 'South Africa 1902', 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. Named to 28383 PTE. H.C. FERRIS. 92ND COY IMP:YEO:. on QSA, to 76 TPR. H.C. FERRIS. R.CAN:DNS on Star, and to 76 SJT. H.C. FERRIS. R.C.D. on pair. Henry Christie Ferris joined the RCD at Pond Farm on 26 November 1914. He was originally from Truro, Cornwall, and was a woodsman before enlistment, listing his next of kin as living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ferris arrived in France in May 1915, serving with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, joining the latter formation on 20 February 1916. He was briefly attached to the Officer Cadet Unit in England in May 1917, before being transferred in October 1917 to the Canadian Forestry Corps, likely taking advantage of his pre-enlistment occupational skills. Group is court-mounted on clean ribbons and medals are in EF Condition. Comes with paper copy of portions of service record. A nice group to an original 1st Canadian Division Royal Canadian Dragoon, who served with the unit at the front during their time in the trenches as infantry at Festubert; medals to First World War Canadian Cavalry Brigade servicemen are relatively scarce given the small size of the units in this formation, and their limited personnel throughput in comparison to the infantry and other corps during the war.

EF Condn $950

Three. British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal, and Belgian Croix de Guerre. Named to 420779 SJT. W.N. ROBB. 43-CAN. INF. on pair. William Nicoll Robb was born in Forfar, Scotland on 20 March 1894, and was working as a farmhand when he attested for the CEF at Winnipeg on 28 December 1914. An original member of the43rd Bn CEF, he served in France from 20 February 1916. While he had earned promotion to Serjeant by July 1917, he was reduced to the ranks after a Field General Court Martial that month, only earning promotion to LCpl again in early 1918. He was wounded twice, by gas shell on 16 August 1918, and by a GSW to the face on 1 October 1918. By that time, he had regained his Serjeant rank. He was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre in London Gazette 31275 of 5 April 1919. Electronic copy of service record available online at LAC website. Medals swing mounted as worn, a little grubby and on original soiled ribbons, accompanied by a 43rd Bn CEF cap badge which has had one lug repaired, and a 1935 Bexhill On Sea Jubilee Celebration commemorative medal. There were only 389 awards of the Belgian Croix de Guerre to the CEF during the First World War, making this a relatively scarce honour.

VF Condition $1200

One. British War Medal 1914-20. Named to 348810 GNR. F.H. BERRY. R.C.G.A. Frank Berry was a bank manager from Montreal, Quebec. He enlisted in C Battery, RCHA in Kingston, Ontario on 24 February 1916, and had served as a member of the Victoria Rifles for 3 months before joining the CEF. Berry served in St. Lucia in the British West Indies as part of a small garrison designated No. 6 (Coast Defence)Company RCA, which manned guns installed at forts in Vigie and La Toc on either side of Castries harbour, trained the local volunteer infantry company, and were responsible, from September 1917 to November 1918, for minesweeping operations in Castries harbour. The garrison was drawn down after the armistice, with the last troops returning to Saint John in June 1919. Berry's records suggest his service on the island was from February 1918 to May 1919. The British War Medal, which was awarded for overseas service, was his full medal entitlement. A very scarce award to a member of the CEf for service garrisoning St. Lucia. Medal is loose on original ribbon.

EF Condition $200

Three. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20 and Victory Medal. Named to 40714 GNR: A. H. SMITH. CAN: FD: ART: on Star, and to 40714 DVR. A.H. SMITH. C.F.A. on pair. Arthur Harold Smith was an original member of the 1st Canadian Division, who enlisted in Kingston, Ontario on 12 August 1914, and arrived in France as part of the 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade on 8 February 1915. Electronic service record is available online at LAC website; it indicates that Smith spent a lot of time under disciplinary proceedings for absence without leave (AWL) offences, and was medically unfit due to illness from August 1917 until the war's end. Medals court mounted on clean modern ribbons.

Good VF Condition $275

Four. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque in cardboard carton of issue with Buckingham Palace letter. Named to 116024 PTE. W.T.I. MONTGOMERY. 2/CAN:MTF:RIF: on Star, to 116024 PTE. W.T. MONTGOMERY. 2-C.M.R. on pair. and to W.T. MONTGOMERY on plaque. Willoughby Tichborne Montgomery was born in Edmonton, Alberta on 22 May 1896. He indicated his profession on enlistment as 'rancher's son'. Montgomery joined the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles at Vancouver, British Columbia on 23 March 1915. He landed in France 22 September 1915, and besides a short 10 day leave from 31 March - 9 April 1916, appears to have served with his unit continuously. Montgomery was killed in action on 28 July 1916, and he is buried in Poperinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium. Medals are unmounted, on clean original ribbons. Box for plaque is slightly torn at one edge, and condolence letter has some minor creases.

EF Condition $750

One. Memorial Cross (GV). Named to 469389 Pte. W. CROOKS. Private William Crooks served with the 21st Battalion, CEF and died on 15 September 1916, during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, where the 21st Battalion captured the sugar factory east of the village. He is buried in Pozieres British Cemetery, Somme, France. Cross is loose without ribbon in clean case of issue.

EF Condition $350

Two. British War Medal 1914-20 and Victory Medal. Named to 469417 SJT. F. ASH. 24-CAN.INF.. Francis Ash was born in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, and he joined the 64th Battalion CEF on 13 August 1915 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He was transfered to the 24th Battalion CEF in England in June 1916, joining the unit as a reinforcement in France on 14 July 1916. Ash was promoted Corporal in November 1916, and was promoted Serjeant on 9 April 1917, replacing a comrade who was killed in the battle of Vimy Ridge. He was killed in action on 5 May 1917, and he is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial, France. Medals are on loose faded original ribbons. A very scarce casualty pair to one of the 3296 Newfoundlanders who served in the CEF during the First World War.

VF Condition $750

Four. 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal and Colonial Auxiliary Force Long Service Medal. Named to 169 PTE. N.G. RICHARDSON. 1/CAN:DIV:CYC: on Star, to LIEUT. N.G. RICHARDSON on pair, and to CAPT. N.G. RICHARDSON 1ST BN C.M.G.C. on CAFLSM. Norman Gladish Richardson was born in Toronto, and had served for 6 years in the Queen's Own Rifles when he enlisted in the Divisional Cyclist Corps on 4 May 1915 in Toronto. He served as an officer in the CMGC in France after commissioning. Richardson received the CAFLSM in 1927. Medals are loose on original ribbons with pins to reverse of 1914-15 Star and CAFLSM, suggesting they are preserved as worn. Richardson's service record has not been uploaded to the Library and Archives Canada website; more research remains to be done on this group.

Good VF Condition $700

One. British War Medal 1914-20. Named to 223395 PTE. H.P. BARNES. 85-CAN.INF. Henry Percival Barnes was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and had served for 12 years in the 66th Regiment band, indicting his profession before enlistment as 'musician', when he enrolled in the 85th Battalion CEF on 4 January 1916. He was a relatively small-statured man, only 4' 8" tall, and this apparently gained him some notoriety, as the undated original newspaper clipping photograph of him with the 85th Battalion's tallest soldier attests. Barnes served in France from February 1917 to the end of the war with the 85th, the Divisional Employment Company, and the Canadian Labour Pool

Good VF Condition $100

medals@vimy.ca