{"product_id":"rare-ww1-boer-war-nco-military-cross-medal-group-f-j-trezona-middlesex-london","title":"Rare WW1\/Boer War NCO Military Cross Medal Group F J TREZONA Middlesex\/London","description":"\u003cp\u003eFantastic and Rare WW1 Military Cross \u0026amp; Boer War NCO Medal Group to Regimental Sgt-Major Frederick John Trezona of the Middlesex Regiment (attached 19th Battalion St Pancras Rifles \u0026amp; 20th Battalion Blackheath \u0026amp; Woolwich London Regiment) who was twice wounded, Mentioned in Dispatches and Tried in the Courts Martial for absence. His Military Cross was almost certainly awarded for actions at Vimy Ridge whilst attached to the 1\/20th London Regiment. This is an especially rare medal set as awards of Military Crosses to NCOs \/ Warrant officers during WW1 were significantly lower in number than those awarded to commissioned officers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrederick had a long and very colourful and distinguished career with the Middlesex Regiment:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Born 1876 \u0026amp; Enlisted 1894 with the 2nd Middlesex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Boer War service – 1901-02\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Continuous service between the Boer war and WW1, including service in Sierra Leone\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Awarded Long Service \u0026amp; Good Conduct medal in 1912\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Acting Company Sergeant Major attached to 19th Battalion (St Pancras Rifles) in March 1915\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Acting Regimental Sergeant Major attached to the 20th Battalion (Blackheath \u0026amp; Woolwich) London Regiment in December 1915\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Awarded the Military Cross in August 1916 for actions likely tied to Vimy Ridge\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Wounded in October 1916 likely during the capture of Eaucourt\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Tried in the Courts Martial in November 1916, possibly for attempting to escape hospital\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Transferred back to attach with the 19th Battalion (St Pancras) London Regiment still as Acting Regimental Sergeant Major\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Promoted to Regimental Sgt-Major in November 1917 following the battle of Cambrai \u0026amp; Mentioned in Dispatches in December\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Wounded again in March 1918\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Set consists of medals mounted as worn which all have a common patina :\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Military Cross awarded in WW1, with citation ‘awarded for conspicuous courage and devotion to duty. He has repeatedly under fire distinguished himself by his courageous energy.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Boer War Queens South Africa medal with 6 clasps: Laing’s Nek, Transvaal, Relief of Ladysmith, Orange Free State, Tugela Heights, \u0026amp; Cape Colony, a rare combination\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Boer War King’s South Africa medal with 2 clasps: 1901 \u0026amp; 1902\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* WW1 British War Medal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* WW1 British Victory Medal with Mentioned In dispatches oakleaf clasp\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* George V Army Long Service \u0026amp; Good Conduct Medal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e* Plus Frederick’s original WW1 Middlesex regiment cap badge and Shoulder Titles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was also entitled to the 1915 Star medal but he appears to have never worn this and its whereabouts are unknown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSupplied with copies of research materials which includes his Service history, pages from the Courts Martial lists covering his trial and newspaper images relating to the award and presentation of his Military Cross + his Mentioned in Dispatches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Military Cross is guaranteed original and has been tested against common fake patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall a fantastic set.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegimental Sgt-Major Frederick John Trezona\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrederick was born in Chelsea in 1877, he enlisted into the 2nd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment at Hounslow aged 18 on the 24th July 1894 with service number 5012. His Short Service Attestation documents show him originally enlisting into the Highland Light Infantry but were then altered to become the Middlesex Regiment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter overseas posting, he sailed for South Africa as a Lance Corporal for service during the 2nd Boer. He landed on the 25\/12\/1899, with the 2nd joining the 10th brigade, 5th division in Sir Redvers Buller’s Natal Army. He took part in the disastrous Battle of Spion Kop on 23\/24th January 1900, where the battalion lost nearly 90 men on their climb to the summit, as well as the battle of Vaal Krantz, and the various assaults along the Tugela Heights. He would have entered Ladysmith along with the rest of the battalion on 28th February, earning both the Tugela Heights \u0026amp; Relief of Ladysmith clasps. He then fought in operations in Natal, the battle of Laing’s Nek and in the Transvaal for the rest of the year. He fought in South Africa until February 1903, fighting in the Orange Free State during the guerilla war period before transferring out in February 1903, ending the war as a Corporal. He was awarded six clasps for the QSA, as well as the KSA with both clasps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the Boer War, Frederick stayed with the 2nd Middlesex but was sent on attachment with the West African Regiment, serving there from 1909 where he was promoted to Sergeant. He was awarded the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (GVR) in January 1912.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring WW1, Frederick still remained with the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment but was attached to the 19th Battalion (St Pancras) London Regiment, where he became a Sergeant Instructor, then Company Sgt (acting Company Sgt-Major). As an experienced warrant officer he is just the sort of man likely to be brought in to shore up a new volunteer unit. He sailed for France with the 19th London, reaching France on the 10th March 1915. He took part in the battle of Festubert in May 1915, before taking part in the second wave attacking the southern side of Loos village itself during the battle of Loos, with the battalion suffering more than 400 casualties on the 25th September alone, including the commanding officer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the 20th December 1915, Frederick left the 19th and became attached to the 20th Battalion (Blackheath \u0026amp; Woolwich) London Regiment, now as Acting Regimental Sergeant Major. In the Summer of 1916, the battalion held positions along Vimy Ridge on the Love \u0026amp; Mummery craters when on the 21st of May, the Germans launched a huge counterattack in which, it’s likely Frederick won his Military Cross with gazette entries for him on the 25th July and 18th August 1916. His citation entry for 18th August (Gazette issue 29713 page 8239) states “His Majesty has been graciously pleased to confer a Military Cross on the Warrant Officer in recognition of his conspicuous courage and devotion to duty. He has repeatedly under fire distinguished himself by his courageous energy”. Unusually, both his Company Sergeant Major’s also received citations which give some insight into the battle, stating that they organised “working parties under heavy fire and consolidated the position captured” and “organised bombing parties under heavy fire”. By the 11th June, after sustained heavy fire at Vimy, the battalion numbered just 23 officers and 395 men.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy August 1916, after a small period of recuperation, Frederick had moved to the Somme, where he would’ve taken part in the assault on High Wood as part of the battle of Flers-Courcelette in which the battalion lost a further 266 casualties, and witnessed the first ever use of tanks in battle. Afterwards he took part in the battle of Transloy ridge before being wounded during the capture of Eaucourt L’abbaye in October. Somewhat strangely he then tried by the Courts Martial on the 9th November for absence\/breaking out of barracks, which we suspect may have been a result of an attempt to escape hospital as he was quickly acquitted and he had no history of any past offences. Nevertheless, perhaps as a punishment he was then transferred back to attach with the 19th (St Pancras) Battalion, London Regiment, still as acting regimental sergeant major, who were positioned on Hill 60 in the Ypres Salient where he would’ve taken part have withstood a bitter winter of trench warfare.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Spring he was in reserve for the battle of Messines Ridge, relieving the 9th Brigade in the newly captured positions on the 9th June. In August and September he also fought in the Third Battle of Ypres ( Battle of Passchendaele), before moving south for Operations around Oppy and Gavrelle and the Battle of Cambrai. At Cambrai, the battalion fought at Bourlon Wood, where on the 30th November, the battalion entered with 15 officers and 600 men, and by the end of the next day, after the german counterattack, including large scale gas use, they were left with just 5 officers and 65 men. On this day, he was finally given the formal promotion of Regimental Sergeant Major, and was Mentioned in Despatches 18th December 1917. He then took part in the defence against the German Spring Offensive in 1918, as well as the hundred days offensive in Albert, Bapaume and Aubers Ridge during which he was wounded a second time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the war, Frederick was discharged in 1919 and eventually joined the war office as a records clerk, where he administered many of the preservations of the WW1 war diaries, he died in 1959.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Peaks Militaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54663210205523,"sku":null,"price":2700.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0814\/3755\/7075\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_3671972c-bc5b-4b49-9e34-36b998ae4550.jpg?v=1787405885","url":"https:\/\/peaksmilitaria.com\/products\/rare-ww1-boer-war-nco-military-cross-medal-group-f-j-trezona-middlesex-london","provider":"Peaks Militaria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}