The fine collection of attributed British Officers' Swords formed by Hal Giblin

Lieutenant William John McVeigh, 9th (Attached 6th) Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers, killed in action in Palestine 28th December 1917

1897 pattern Infantry officer’s sword, blade 83cm etched with GVR cypher, Royal Arms, foliate scrolls &c. and within a cartouche ‘W. J. McVeigh. 9th Royal Munster Fusiliers’, plated guard, fish-skin covered grip bound with silver wire, in its leather covered field service scabbard, blade retains all original finish, and is very good overall £200-250

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The fine collection of attributed British Officers' Swords formed by Hal Giblin.

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William John McVeigh, son of James & Alice McVeigh, of Cooks town, County Tyrone, enlisted in August 1914. He was 3 times wounded in France previous to his death in action in Palestine on 28 December 1917. Lieutenant McVeigh is buried in Jerusalem War Cemetery.

The regimental history describes the action in which he lost his life as follows: ‘The battalion moved forward at 12.45 from Diamond Hill to Ibiza, A Company on the right, each company in two waves with one Lewis gun in the second wave. The battalion at once came under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire, but the advance to Machine Gun Hill was made without a pause, the hill being rushed after severe hand to hand fighting. In view of the urgent orders to push the attack forward, the battalion moved towards the second objective at 1.15pm, and after the artillery fire ceased, the ridge was found to be unoccupied, and large numbers of the enemy and their transport were seen retreating. The advance was made practically without a check, the men moving with the greatest dash.’