Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Private W. H. Cawsey, Monmouthshire Regiment, who was killed in action at Montauban in January 1917: ‘A battalion runner, he was one of the most cheerful and most courageous soldiers in the Battalion, and his death is very much regretted by everybody’

1914 Star (1877 Pte., 1/2 Mon. R.); British War and Victory Medals (1877 Pte., Monmouth. R.), nearly extremely fine (3) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Monmouthshire Regiment formed by Lt. Col. P. A. Blagojevic, O. St. J., T.D..

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William Henry Cawsey, who was born in Newport and enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment at Pontypool, and was the son of Henry Cawshey of Totnes, Devon, was first embarked for active service in early November 1914. As outlined in the Battalion history, however, he was killed in action at Montauban in January 1917:

‘On the 14 January, Headquarters and ‘C’ Company were once more at Montauban, while the other three companies were at Hogsback and Morval. Once more the daily round of track laying and trench improvement, with its steady toll of casualties, commenced. One such casualty, specially recorded in a diary which usually only noted numbers killed and wounded, marked the passing of a good soldier, and is repeated here in his memory: “17.7.17. Casualties: O.R. killed 1 - No. 1877 Private Cawsey, W., ‘C’ Company, a battalion runner, one of the most cheerful and most courageous soldiers in the Battalion, and his death is very much regretted by everybody”. ’

Aged 25 years, Cawsey was buried in the Guards’ Cemetery, Lesboeufs on the Somme, France.