Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A superb and very complete Great War casualty group of three awarded to Captain A. R. Orr, 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards, who was wounded during the first Battle of Ypres, 24 October 1914, before being killed in action leading his company during an attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt, 17 October 1915

1914 Star, with clasp (Lieut: A. R. Orr. S. Gds.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. A. R. Orr.) framed and glazed in hinged Spink & Son wooden display case; Memorial Plaque (Arthur Roxburghe Orr) in wooden frame by Spink & Son with Buckingham Palace enclosure mounted directly underneath; Parchment Memorial Scroll (Capt. Arthur Roxburghe Orr Scots Guards) framed and glazed as before, with related miniature awards in a custom made leather Spink & Son case, and a fine portrait miniature of recipient in uniform, in oval glazed frame and housed in custom made leather hinged display case by Walter Jones, Sloane Street, nearly extremely fine, minor damage to wooden cases overall (lot)
£800-1200

Arthur Roxburghe Orr was born in Glasgow, in December 1884. He was the son of Robert Orr, a Merchant and Manufacturing Chemist, of Kinnaird House, Larbert, Stirlingshire. Orr was educated at Loretto and R.M.C. Sandhurst, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards in 1904. Orr played cricket for the Household Brigade and Stirling County prior to the Great War.

Orr served during the Great War with the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front from 7 October 1914. He served with ‘F’ Company under the command of the Master of Kinnaird, Captain the Hon. D. A. Kinnaird, at the first Battle of Ypres, and on 22 October 1914:

‘Shelling began at 6 am... and a German attack was launched against the 21st and 22nd Brigades. The battle front of the 22nd Brigade, which was on the left of the division, was in Polygon Wood, a mile north of Veldhoek, and about 8 am the [2nd] battalion was ordered to move northwards to support the 22nd Brigade. In doing so they had to pass over a mile of shell-swept country, which they were fortunate to accomplish without casualties, except seven men in ‘F’ Company. The new position, in thick wood, was entrenched in support of the Warwickshire and Wiltshire Regiments. Here the Scots Guards remained all day till 3 pm, when R. F. and ‘G’ Companies were ordered back to Kruisecke to support the Grenadiers and Gordons of the 20th Brigade, who were being hard pressed.

The shell-swept area passed over from south to north in the morning had again to be traversed in the reverse direction in order to reach Brigade Headquarters between Zandvoorde and Kruisecke.... Whilst these two companies were returning southwards under Major Fraser, Colonel Bolton went with ‘F’ and L. F. to support the 21st Brigade. ‘F’, under Captain the Master of Kinnaird, was sent to support the Wiltshires, by whose Colonel he was required, despite his protest, to entrench his company in a position which he considered unsuitable...

We must now return [24th October] to the other half battalion north of the main road, where disaster overtook ‘F’ Company. It will be remembered that that company was holding trenches of which its commander, the Master of Kinnaird, considered the position very dangerous. The Wiltshires were heavily attacked on the 24th and badly cut up, whilst the trenches held by ‘F’ Company were blown in, with the result that nearly the whole of the company was either buried alive or taken prisoners. Amongst the dead was Captain the Master of Kinnaird. Lieutenant Orr was wounded, and 2nd Lieutenant Lord Garlies taken prisoner, ‘F’ Co. being reduced to a strength of twenty-six men.’ (The Scots Guards in the Great War 1914-1918 refers)

Having been wounded on 24 October 1914, Orr was invalided back to the UK. Upon recovery he rejoined the Battalion, and advanced to Captain in December 1914. He took over the command of his old company, and led them during the Battle of Loos, September - October 1915. They were also engaged in the aftermath of the battle of Loos, as part of the actions around the Hohenzollern Redoubt, 13 - 19 October 1915, during which Orr was killed in action.

The whole Guards Division moved into the front line on the night of 16 October 1915:

‘The trenches in front of the Hohenzollern Redoubt were now in an even more terrible state than when the Guards were there before. They had been almost obliterated in parts, and the communication trenches were hardly passable. Dead and wounded of both sides were scattered everywhere. The attack was to be renewed on the 17th October. Its ultimate objectives were Dump and Fosse trenches, to be followed by the Dump itself, and Fosse 8 behind it. There were, however, to be two stages, and for the first Dump and Fosse trenches were the limit. The 3rd Guards Brigade on the right was to capture the ground enclosed between the south face of the Hohenzollern Redoubt and Dump trench, whilst the 2nd Guards Brigade was to take the northern part of Little Willie and the rear of the Redoubt, the west face of which, with part of Little Willie, was already held. There were bombing attacks by the Germans on the west face during the relief, which were repulsed, and the relief was completed with difficulty.

The attack, well supported by artillery and trench-mortar fire, started at 5 am on the 17th.... In the right attack the 2nd Scots Guards took a prominent part in front, with the 4th Grenadier Guards in support. On that morning the battalion was ready by 4 am. Headquarters were moved forward 250 yards along the communication trench, and ‘G’ Company was spread along to form a chain for passing up bombs and supplies to the front.

The attack started at 5 am, ‘F’ Company [led by Orr] going south-east along “Big Willie,” L. F. by a communication trench branching off to the left, and R. F. by another, reaching the German front at the same point, about 100 yards north of the junction of “Big Willie” with Dump trench.

At first nothing was heard of the attacking companies, except reiterated demands for more bombs. Then it appeared that they were having a very stiff time of it. Most of their bombers were casualties, and untrained bombers were wasting bombs, often throwing them without pulling the pins out, and getting them thrown back by the Germans.

About 6.30 am Lieutenant R. Warde, in charge of the bombers, came back wounded in the leg, but returned when it had been dressed. He was soon wounded again in the shoulder, and was brought back in on a stretcher.

An attempt by Captain Orr to improve the situation by attacking over the open with ‘F’ was stopped early, both Captain Orr and Lieutenant Lechmere being killed.

At 8 am divisional orders arrived to consolidate on the ground so far gained. This consisted of about 150 yards of “Big Willie” gained by ‘F’, and about 200 yards gained by L. F. R. F. had got forward, but found themselves in a cul-de-sac and were driven back by a German counter-attack. The rest of the day was spent in consolidating the new line.’ (Ibid)

The 2nd Battalion suffered casualties of 3 officers (with Orr being the most senior) killed, 2 wounded, and 136 other ranks killed, wounded or missing as a result of the attack on the 17th.

Captain Orr is buried in the Sailly-Labourse Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. There is also a memorial to him and his father in the Glasgow Necropolis.